Iced Tea Month
Iced Tea: The Distinctively American Beverage
Researched and developed by
Steven Smith
Founder
Tazo® Tea Company
and
Steven L. Wright
Activist/Historian
The Winthrop Group, Inc.
“One drinks tea to forget the world's noise.”
Thomas Sterling, Tea Expert1
Certainly since 1904, and in some regions even earlier, Americans have had a love affair with iced tea.2 The different manner in which society has perceived, prepared and drunk the refreshing beverage, is intertwined not only with an evolving palate, but also a constantly dynamic lifestyle.3
Popular legend has argued that Richard Blechynden, an enterprising Englishman, “invented” iced tea while offering hot tea on a sweltering, humid, summer day to passersby during the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.4 While this tale celebrates capitalistic ingenuity, it is also much too simplistic. Richard Blechynden was, in fact, the India Tea Commissioner whose attendance at the World’s Fair was part of a continuing effort since 1896 to publicize India and Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) tea in the United States.5 Up to this point, a majority of the tea imported to the United States was green tea from China and Japan. To most Americans of the late 19th and early 20th century, when they heard “tea,” they thought immediately of China. The black teas of India and Ceylon were largely unknown to the American palate; something Blechynden intended to change.6 Housed inside the elaborately designed India building, Blechynden realized quickly that the intense heat prevented the crowd from drinking his hot beverage. Iced water could not even satisfy. Therefore, Blechynden and his team took the brewed India tea, filled several large bottles, and placed them on stands upside down, allowing the golden liquid to flow through iced lead pipes. The free iced tea was a welcomed change to thirsty fair goers and a real boon to India tea awareness. Soon after the fair, Blechynden took his lead pipe apparatus to New York City, offering free iced tea to shoppers at Bloomingdale Brothers Department Store.7 Word soon spread, enabling all to recognize iced tea not only as distinctly American, but a most desirable summertime drink.
During the halcyon days before 1914, iced tea became synonymous with summer and an important and necessary aid for sultry days. During the era, women’s magazines were laden not only with instructions on how to brew tea correctly, a recurring theme throughout the century, but offered the discriminating woman sweet punch drink recipes—referred to often as “Tea Punch”—that revolved around iced tea.8 In addition to sugary syrup prepared by the hostess, recipes called for mixing lemon, orange and pineapple juices with tea. To top off the concoction, lemon or orange slices could be added. Maraschino cherries and fresh mint were further options. Other juices that could be used included white or red grape juice, cherry or strawberry, or canned and preserved fruits.9
A recipe from 1911 emphasized that tea punch “is a much used beverage for summer porch, tennis and golf teas, and properly made is most refreshing.” While the recipe called for many of the same ingredients as the one described above, it included a lengthy discourse on making tea. “The utmost care must be used in making this tea, for the success of the punch depends upon the flavor of the teas which should be there supporting the fruit flavors, yet without astringency or perhaps actual detection as tea.” While modern packaging methods enabled a variety of bottled juices to become available, the burden remained with the preparer. “The whole art lies in the mixing, blending and reducing to just the right consistency, and this can be learned by experience alone.”10 The message was clear. While iced tea and tea punch were refreshing summer beverages, preparing them properly required practice, time and patience, commodities Americans found wanting as the century progressed. But to Progressive and Edwardian Era women who had time, a perfectly brewed pitcher of iced tea was the mark of a successful hostess.11
About the time iced tea became commercially popular, two other “inventions” helped promote its accessibility and transportability: the tea bag and the vacuum flask. Sometime in 1904, an unknown New York City restaurant owner inadvertently dunked a small silk bag full of tea supplied by his tea merchant into hot water.12 To his astonishment he discovered that tea could be brewed without the leaves simmering on top. While the hand-tied silk mesh permitted some of the finer tea particles to escape and ruined the brew’s quality, the tea merchant, Thomas Sullivan, as well as others, realized its potential and began experimenting with other types of materials including cheese cloth, gauze, cellophane and punched paper. The bags also came in a variety of shapes and types, oblong, square, round, pouch-like, clamped, tied, stapled, banded and sewn.13 What the tea bag lacked by delivering a less than perfect brew was made up by its sheer convenience. And for busy Americans, that alone may have been enough.
While the first commercial use of the “vacuum flask” or thermos in 1904 was not tied directly to iced tea, it nonetheless enabled Americans to enjoy their brew—iced or hot—wherever and whenever they wanted.14 Continual improvements in manufacturing enhanced the flask’s size and durability to such an extent that by 1916 it had become a choice Christmas gift. “Winter Days and Summer Days are Thermos Days” beseeched one advertisement. Not only was it perfect for the motorist, the hunter, the yachtsman and the household, continued the ad, “You just wouldn’t think of starting for the picnic in the woods or at the shore without cold drinks in Thermos.” While iced tea was not mentioned specifically, there can be little doubt that as the popularity of iced tea grew, many a Thermos was used to keep it cold.
Debates on the healthfulness of tea occurred regularly in journals and newspapers, throughout the teens and 1920s. Advocates argued the beverage acted as both a mental and physical stimulant, as a refresher of the spirit. . . .” Its medicinal benefits also could not be ignored, for the appearance of gluten and nitrogen as well as tannin all acted as a “gentle astringent, giving staying power and capacity for repairing the body’s waste.”16 Some medical personnel argued drinking tea promoted slenderness because it “lessen[ed] the sense of hunger and thus, to some extent, prevented over-eating.” An important concept to consider, the testimonial continued, “when young and old are desirous of a svelte appearance. . . .”17 In 1923, a United States Army Surgeon even went as far to emphasize that tea destroyed the typhoid germ. He found tea so healthy and refreshing, he recommended cold tea be substituted for water in solders’ canteens during maneuvers.18
The tea debate intensified in 1919 after the passage of the Volstead Act.19 While the seriousness of the Tea Association of the USA’s campaign may be questioned, apparently there was some discussion to make tea “America’s national drink.” To tea haters this was apocryphal. Stated one article: “Tea men regard the approach of prohibition as the psychological moment to develop their industry to the fullness which they think it should have.” A cynical editorial in the Brooklyn Eagle exclaimed that the tea campaign would never work. “The disappearance of beer will not necessarily make us a nation of tea drinkers.” If the tea men were insistent, however, they might win, but only if they hurried. They could “frighten Congress and the State legislatures into passing a nineteenth amendment making tea-drinking compulsory and the consumption of coffee and other beverages a crime.”20
As the 1920s unfolded, modern business practices—marketing, advertising, and branding—altered capitalism’s inner workings. In trying to understand tea’s differing appeal during summer and winter months, members of the Tea Association of the USA readily embraced the “new” marketing techniques. Much to its dismay, the Association found that there was a great lack of uniformity in the use and quality of tea throughout the country. Some areas, like the South, consumed a small amount of hot tea but liberal amounts of iced tea during its lengthy summer. This needed to change and over time a concerted effort was begun to alter the image of iced tea being perceived only as a “summertime drink.” It also found to its benefit, however, that the proliferation of soda fountains in drug and convenient stores had created a real boon for iced tea and created a new public awareness.21
Paralleling the hospitality industry’s keen interest in creating “tea rooms,” the American housewife continued offering afternoon tea in her home but with a twist. It seems the younger generation had introduced some startling innovations! The Association learned that that it was not unusual to find “the same hostess serving hot tea in winter and iced tea in summer.” While tea “carts” or “wagons” were used often, the American hostess preferred a “prettily arranged tray on a small firm table.” And in the summer, it was “tea on the porch where iced tea was served in almost any variation and accompaniment that one desires is proper.”22 While hot tea required more apparatuses and would be served in a formal setting, iced tea could be served anywhere and in any fashion—it was as free from convention as the new jazz music sweeping the country. In fact, in wealthier neighborhoods, participating in a home delivery service that offered premium tea was not uncommon.23
Following prohibition and lasting well into the early 1950s, the public’s consciousness of iced tea was elevated due largely to the industry offering instructions on making “the perfect pitcher of iced tea.” While new recipes reflected American’s long-held penchant for sweeter iced tea, many post-prohibition and “cocktail generation” concoctions contained alcohol including Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Curacao and Triple Sec.24 Since the beginning of iced tea’s commercialization, Americans continually lamented their inability to brew a consistently tasty pitcher. The recurring issues that plagued all iced tea lovers included accurately measuring the tea and the water, taste consistency and cloudiness. Several women’s magazines addressed these issues head on. In fact, in 1938, Good Housekeeping apologized to its readers for not addressing these important issues earlier. “When we realized that, we were conscience-stricken and began immediately to make amends.” Good Housekeeping’s Institute staff finally succeeded but only after spending weeks studying and experimenting. Two pages of instructions followed by one page of recipes fulfilled their pledge. They found the cold-water method not only tasted best but also prevented clouding. The only drawback? It had to be left in the refrigerator between 12 and 24 hours before drinking, thereby requiring a lot of advanced thought, planning and preparation. For those who lacked patience, the article also offered advice for those who needed their iced tea “now.” The so-called “Jiffy Method” left everything to personal taste except the clouding—it occurred regardless and in direct proportion to the strength of the tea.25
The 1950s and 1960s brought sweeping changes in the way people viewed iced tea and the way it was promoted. A full-proof method of brewing a consistent quality of iced tea was developed for restaurateurs. The commercialization of instant tea increased iced tea’s popularity, helping make it a beverage that could be enjoyed year round. And the use of new mediums and advertising tie-ins guaranteed that iced tea’s message made it into many American homes.
Unfortunately for many lovers of iced tea, the quality and taste of their favorite beverage varied greatly from restaurant to restaurant and from region to region. In 1958, the “1-2-3 Iced Tea” method was introduced and became an immediate success. Restaurateurs praised the ease of preparation and the resultant cost savings. And they especially loved the satisfied look on their customer’s faces. As the instructions stated: “What could be simpler? Two one-ounce tea bags, a quart of boiling water, three quarts of tap water and an Iced Tea Olla and 1-2-3 you have iced tea.”26
The iced tea industry had faced the proliferation and increased popularity of soft drinks for a number of years. Particularly bothersome was the realization that carbonated beverages, unlike iced tea, were not viewed as “seasonal” drinks—they were consumed in the middle of summer and the dead of winter. Changes needed to occur. As early as 1948 when it was first introduced, Americans found little difficulty embracing Nestea’s instant tea. Reflecting on the new era of pre-packaged goods, analysts argued that iced tea finally was “taking its place with instant coffee, frozen orange juice, cake mix and other modern convenience foods.”27 The “modern hostess” no longer had time to prepare what was once considered standard fare—plates of sandwiches and cakes as well as brew large quantities of iced tea. Instant tea, it was thought, might help revitalize the “high tea” of years earlier. Although popular, sales did not fully ignite until 1956 when the industry offered an instant tea that could be dissolved in cold water. Prior to this, it was still necessary to bring the water to a boil and then wait for the tea to cool before it could be enjoyed. And Americans, impatiently pressed for time, did not want to wait. “It is hard to imagine the man of the house,” exclaimed one article, “running from the patio to the kitchen between the third and fourth innings to boil some water for his tea bag to make a glass of iced tea—no, instead he’d grab something else out of the refrigerator.”28 This all too familiar scenario changed with the advent of instant iced tea. And from the late 1950s and stretching well into the 1960s, it garnered a loyal following.
Taking direction from Coca Cola’s success, the iced tea industry gradually embraced the new advertising medium of television, thus enabling iced tea to be promoted at every occasion. Advertisements ran during popular television shows including “My Little Margie” and the newly launched “Today” morning show with Dave Garroway.29 Soon catchy slogans appeared in print and on radio: “Why don’t you have iced tea more often?” “Take Tea and See.” And as a direct assault on the sugary aftertaste of soft drinks: “Iced Tea—The Summertime Refresher That Doesn’t Leave You Thirsty.” In 1957-1959, the “Iced Tea Song” became a popular hit with families. Quipped one advertisement: “The Iced Tea Song is driving America to drink!”30 To recognize the mutual exclusiveness of Sunkist’s and Domino Cane Sugar’s long association with iced tea, a special campaign was launched in 1956: “Look who’s ‘doin’ what comes naturally, Tea, Lemons, Sugar—Iced Tea.”31 While many adults enjoyed iced tea, many young teenagers growing up in the early 1960s, considered it “square.” This caused the industry to describe tea not only as “cool,” but conjured images of it being a sports’ drink.32
The next natural step for iced tea was the ready-to-drink arena, which came about in 1972 when Lipton introduced Tea-in-a-Can. In the same year, three childhood friends created a bottled juice company that would eventually be called Snapple™. It wasn’t until 1987 that the trio began blending tea with corn syrup and a variety of juice flavorings to create a collection of new beverage flavors. As a complement to their quirky brand image, Snapple added radio personality Howard Stern as a spokesperson. As distribution increased towards the end of the 1980s, so did sales. Snapple thrust its order-processor Wendy Kaufman into the national spotlight in its advertising campaigns in the early 1990s. The popularity of these humorous ads catapulted Snapple into the mega-brand category throughout the next 10 years, making it the #3 brand in dollar and volume sales for ready-to-drink, after Lipton and Nestea. Throughout the decade, smaller contenders joined the Snapple craze with their own version of flavored iced teas, but none could topple the then-dominant brand.
Then in 1995, the ready-to-drink craze took another significant shift when companies like Tazo elevated this popular beverage category with the introduction of super-premium ready-to-drink iced teas and juice-infused teas. They featured high quality teas blended with organic cane sugar and pure, natural juices. People’s tastes had shifted to demand a higher quality tea, fueling the ready-to-drink rise to the number one position in natural grocery markets.
The demand for super-premium iced tea is not limited to grocery stores. Restaurants and other food service outlets are adding super-premium iced tea to its beverage offerings.
Commercialized iced tea is 100-years-old, and while individual packaging offerings now include glass bottles, plastic containers, and aseptic packaging, and the tea can be instant, herbal or decaffeinated, many similarities remain from yesteryear. The American palate for iced tea has been and remains quite deterministic: convenient, easy to prepare with quality taste. Even the additives used to spice, sweeten and liven-up the brew are not new. What may be the greatest continuum, however, is the manner in which the history of iced tea reflects the dynamic and ever changing American lifestyle. The development of ready-to-drink may finally have quenched American’s longing for the “perfect” and “convenient” glass of iced tea.
Notes:
1 Thomas Sterling, “A Toast to Tea,” Reader’s Digest (Pleasantville, NY: Readers Digest Association, Inc., March 1979), 61.
2 While Blechynden is credited with commercializing iced tea, it had existed long before he offered it to fair goers. A newspaper clipping from September 28, 1890, describing a reunion of former Confederate soldiers from Missouri, mentioned the number of participants as well as the quantity of food that “was all washed down with 2,220 gallons of coffee and 880 gallons of iced tea.” Nevada Noticer, September 28, 1890. The larger article appeared in the Agricultural History Series from Southwest Missouri State University.
An 1839 cookbook, The Kentucky Housewife by Lettice Bryanon, contained a recipe for “Tea Punch” which included strong tea, sugar, sweet cream and a bottle of claret or champagne. Additionally, a community cookbook from 1879 titled, Housekeeping in Old Virginia by Marion Cabell Tyree, outlined a recipe for iced tea that included both sugar and lemon. Linda Stradley, I’ll Have What They’re Having—Legendary Local Cuisine, 2002-2004.
3 Another important but much overlooked event had a profound affect on the quality of tea consumed in America. In 1897, Congress passed the Tea Importation Act that, for the first time, provided customs inspection of all tea entering US ports. Prior to this, some of the tea that arrived was impure and of poor quality. The bill was strengthened by additional amendments in 1908 and 1920. William H. Ukers, All About Tea Volume I, (New York: The Tea and Coffee Trade Journal Company, 1935), pp. 52-53.
4 In addition to iced tea, the St. Louis World’s Fair proved to be the epicenter of other new, culinary ideas including the popularizing of the ice cream cone by a Syrian immigrant baker and the hamburger by German immigrants living in South St. Louis. The Olympics were also held in St. Louis beginning July 1st.
5 Blechynden had been appointed Tea Commissioner in 1893, and even attended the Chicago Exposition that year to promote India tea. He remained with the India trade association for twenty-five years. Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, June 1955, pp. 53-60.
6 Following World War I, Americans had developed a preference for black tea. Improvements in processing methods, increased quality and intensive advertising campaigns promoting India tea were considered the key reasons for this dramatic shift. Ibid, p. 53.
7 Ibid, p. 50.
8 Articles and recipes included: “Swimming Pool and a Tea House,” House Beautiful, Summer 1909, pp. 83-86; “Tea on the Porch,” Harper’s Bazaar, Summer 1912, p. 456; “Cool Drinks and Iced Desserts,” Delineator, August 1912, p. 107; and “Tea Cart Nature Parties for Porch and Lawn,” Ladies Home Journal, August 1916, p. 34.
9 “Ades [sic] for Sultry Days,” Good Housekeeping Magazine, August 1910, p. 216.
10 “Lemonade, Iced Tea and Fruit Punches: The Secret of Success in Making the Very Best,” Good Housekeeping Magazine, June 1911, p. 785.
11 William H. Ukers, All About Tea Volume II, (New York: The Tea and Coffee Trade Journal Company, 1935), p. 331.
12 “Continuing Research Gave Tea Bag Consumer Demand,” Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, November 1964, pp. 45-47. Thomas Sullivan usually left his customers small silk bags full of tea as samples.
13 Ibid; William H. Ukers, All About Tea Volume I, (New York: The Tea and Coffee Trade Journal Company, 1935), pp. 80-81.
14 Thermos Company’s internet website, www.thermos.com/thermos/cfm/history.cfm, “Our History.”
15 Vogue, December 1916; An advertisement from another company, Landers, Frary & Clark, specifically mentioned that with their vacuum bottles, “At the dinner table hot tea . . . is daintily served from the Tankard or Carafe,” Vogue, July 1916; A later advertisement titled “An Outfit for Every Picnic,” espoused the importance of bringing along a vacuum bottle to enjoy cold drinks: “The vacuum bottle is a device which every picnic lover has found invaluable,” Good Housekeeping Magazine, August 1921, p. 67.
16 “Charge of the Tea Brigade,” Literary Digest, April 12, 1919, pp. 25-28.
17 William H. Ukers, All About Tea Volume II, (New York: The Tea and Coffee Trade Journal Company, 1935), p. 559.
18 Ibid, p.557.
19 The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution took effect January 1, 1920.
20 “Charge of the Tea Brigade,” Literary Digest, April 12, 1919, pp. 25-28.
21 William H. Ukers, All About Tea Volume I, (New York: The Tea and Coffee Trade Journal Company, 1935), p. 423.
22 Ibid, p. 424.
23 Ibid, p. 89.
24 “Do You Know How to Make the Best Iced Tea?” House Beautiful, August 1957, pp. 114-115. Additional sweeteners included both dark and white Chinese rock candy, Vermont maple syrup, honey and even jams/preserves; this being a favorite among Russians.
25 “Yours For Better Iced Tea and Coffee,” Good Housekeeping, July 1938, pp. 74-75, 96. Other journal articles included: “I Love Tea: Tea Drinking Brings Welcome Relaxation to Modern Living, House & Garden, November 1938, pp. 63, 75; “Summer Cooler,” Colliers, June 25, 1949, p. 54; “Good Ice Tea,” Good Housekeeping, July 1947, p. 116; “It’s Iced Tea Time,” Good Housekeeping, June 1950, p. 195; “Iced Tea For Hot Days,” Arts & Decoration, August 1938, p. 15. This latter article mentioned that iced tea had really come into its own. While the “ubiquitous cocktail . . . will never be supplanted . . . it’s nice to think that you can drop in on your friends for a cordial sip of teas without being considered a sissy or a pillar of the W.C.T.U.” (Women’s Christian Temperance Union.)
26 “Restaurateurs Laud 1-2-3 Iced Tea Method,” Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, April 1958, p. 48. The standardized two-ounce formula had been offered to restaurants since 1948.
27 “Where Does Instant Tea Go From Here? Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, April 1959, p. 38.
28 “Instant’s Contribution to Iced Tale Sales,” Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, April 1961, p. 56.
29 “Why Iced Teas Has Switched to Television: Tests Proved TV Most Effective Medium,” Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, March 1953, p. 16.
30 “Iced Tea Display Materials for Retailers, Restaurants,” Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, April 1959. Various renditions of the song included “Sweet Swing”—a big band version; “Dixieland”—for the flavor of New Orleans; and a “Modern Smooth Piano Quintet” for young adults. Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, April 1958, p. 57.
31 Sunkist first started promoting its lemons with iced tea in 1915. “Tea and Lemons Both Benefit from Cooperative Action in Marketing,” Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, April 1962, p. 56.
32 “Youth Market IS Tea’s Greatest Challenge,” Tea and Coffee Trade Journal, October 1962, p. 54. Gatorade first appeared on the market in 1968-1969. “Gatorade Brigade,” Newsweek, October 7, 1968.