The month of June is known as National Iced Tea Month with a highlight on June 10, National Iced Tea Day. This day has been set aside to celebrate the beverage we enjoy during the warmer season. Iced tea made its debut for the first time at America’s first World’s Fair in 1904. As a solution to less tea consumption during the summer, Richard Blechynden decided to serve tea on ice to give everyone a refreshing, new way to drink the beverage.
While I really love tea hot or cold during any season, I have a love for creating tea recipes, and that includes iced ones! In honour of this month, and today, I’m sharing a recipe I drank a lot in the summer of last year, and will be toasting with it today with the hopes that you’ll join me!
For this recipe, you’ll notice the masala chai used is a bit different than the traditional one you may be used to. I really enjoy using a puerh masala chai, opposed to just a masala chai with a black tea base, for this recipe because it help accentuates the star flavours creating an overall bold drink and the rich earthiness is a real treat. If you have the option to use a puerh masala chai, I highly recommend that you do. The one I used is from Avantcha Tea, which you can find here. If you do not have one on hand a regular masala chai will do or get creative! Grab a puerh for a base and blend it with chai spices. This particular tea blend uses fennel, anis seeds, licorice root, cardamom seeds, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
I never really thought of making tea recipes! You’re so creative, and this is so cool. I didn’t even know masala teas existed! I’m used to chai tea my mom used to make when I was child (she’s from Fiji, it was real Indian chai tea!) but I never even considered mixing it with other stuff. Thanks for this recipe — I hope to try it if I can find a masala or puerh masala tea!