The Cozy Tea Cart

By Allie Ginwala aginwala@hippopress.com

To ice or not to ice? That is the question coffee and tea drinkers face each year when July rolls in with its hot and muggy days. While some loyalists will always go hot or always go iced regardless of the weather outside, many people make the switch to cold drinks for the summer months.

To find out the best way to get a cold caffeine fix, the Hippo spoke with A&E Coffee and Tea owner Emeran Langmaid and The Cozy Tea Cart owner Danielle Beaudette about the latest trends to check out at the cafe or try in your home kitchen.

Ideal to ice

While black, green and white teas all have similar health benefits, certain types react better than others when iced, according to Beaudette.

Ceylon black teas and green teas both “ice up” nicely, she said, and can be made by brewing it hot and immediately pouring it over ice or with a cold infusion (she recommends brewing the tea overnight because with the cold water, it takes longer to extract the health benefits).

For coffee, Langmaid suggests going with a lighter roast.

“I would say actually the lighter roasts tend to do better in iced coffee because the clarity and the finish is much better and so they just are more refreshing,” she said. “When you have a darker, heavier roast coffee they tend to get ashy when they’re cold, which is not a very pleasant flavor.”