It’s true, summer would never be summer without fruity iced teas. But, the best thing about summer is not only iced tea, but the abundance of fruits you can add to your favorite tea. Combine those two and you will get an icy cold drink bursting with fruit flavors. In fact, we already did that for you. Find out what are the best fruity blends for making iced teas.
What is fruit tea?
Fruit tea is a blend made of dry fruits that contains no caffeine. Pure fruit tea has no other ingredients except fruits, not even other herbs. However, herbal teas may be fruity too, but they can sometimes contain caffeine. For example, yerba mate is a South American caffeinated herbal tea that may be blended with some fruits too.
Fruit tea, just like the real black or green tea, contains antioxidants and it’s a great alternative to ready-to-drink sugary iced teas. Besides, it’s almost calorie-free. Many fruit teas rarely contain only one ingredient. For example, apple or cherry teas are often blended with cinnamon, rosehips and hibiscus to add a depth of flavor and extra sourness, tartness or sweetness. One more significant benefit of fruit tea is that you can turn almost any of them into a delicious iced drink.
Best fruity loose leaf teas for making iced tea
1. Sky at Sunset
Although the dominant flavor in this tea is lemon, Sky at Sunset is far from a typical lemon blend. This blend combines lemons, oranges, rosehips, hibiscus and rose petals into a delicious drink that will remind with of a beautiful sunset from the moment you open the bag.
Sky at Sunset tea blend
2. Blood Orange
This all-time favorite blend tastes delicious no matter how you brew it. Although the base of this tea is a South African red rooibos, the heart belongs to oranges, apples, hibiscus and rose petals. Blood Orange contains all the antioxidants of a regular rooibos tea, but the earthy flavor is so well-balanced that you may even forget you are drinking rooibos at all.
Blood Orange herbal tea with rooibos
3. Sweet Hibiscus
Hibiscus is technically a flower tea, but it’s often a base for many mouth-watering flavorful fruity blends. Add some lychee and Goji berry notes and you are in for a fruity feast. What makes hibiscus teas so popular is not only a unique tart flavor, but the most beautiful liquor color ever.
Sweet Hibiscus fruit blend
4. Prickly Pear Herbal
A tea both refreshing and gentle, sweet and tart, blended to bring you the calmness of the desert and a gentle refreshment. If prickly pear might not be your typical fruit tea choice, give it a go. This mouth-watering blend has zero caffeine and an unusual sweet & tart flavor.
Prickly Pear Herbal tea
5. Simple Blueberry Herbal
Blueberry flavor wrapped into sourness of hibiscus flowers and rose hips creates this tangy berrylicious blend with a touch of gentle chamomile. A caffeine free tea blended to make a berry cheerful iced tea.
Simple Blueberry Herbal fruity tea
6. Plum Spice
A few delicious fruits, a couple of spices and tart hibiscus give an alchemical fruity blend with vibrant color and soul. Plum Spice tea is by far the most delicious iced tea party drink ever.
Plum Spice fruity tea blend
How to brew fruit tea
Unlike real tea or herbal tea, fruit tea will rarely become bitter, even if you over-brew it. Some ingredients such as lemon or orange peel can sometimes add some bitterness. Fruit tea is almost always best when brewed for at least 5-10 minutes with freshly boiled water. Use at least 1 heaped teaspoon of tea.
How to make the flavor of fruit tea stronger?
Fruit tea is a great replacement for juices, especially if you don’t like the flavor or real tea or pure herbal teas, and you would still like to switch to a healthy beverage. However, sometimes the flavor may not be as strong as you would like it to be. Here is what you can do:
- Brew it with less water or more tea
When you are making pure tea, 2-3 grams of tea leaves or one teaspoon will be enough to make a delicious cuppa. However, fruit tea contains large fruit pieces that are much heavier than real tea. Increase the amount of tea or use less water. - Add fresh fruits when brewing
Adding fresh strawberries to strawberry tea or blueberries to blueberry tea will make you drink incredibly delicious. You don’t need to use a lot of fruits. Wash, cut and gently squeeze them instead and they will release more flavor. - Add candied or dried fruit
You can enhance your fruity blend by adding extra dry or candied ingredients. Unlike freeze-dried fruits, candied fruit contains sugar, and it’s a great option to satisfy your sweet tooth, while avoiding pure refined sugar. - Add lemon or sweeteners
Lemon goes well with almost any fruit tea, especially those containing other citruses, hibiscus or mint. Sweeteners such as stevia or licorice root can make your tea taste better as well. If you don’t mind the extra calories, you can add sugar too. - Store it properly
Store all fruit teas properly, away from humidity, sunlight, heat or air. Check the expiry date before brewing. For example, pure black teas will rarely go bad, but they can lose freshness and flavor. But fruit tea can go bad, attract ants or moths and significantly change the flavor.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It’s not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Every person is different and may react to different herbs and teas differently. Never use teas or herbs to treat serious medical conditions on your own. Always seek professional medical advice before choosing home remedies.
