I’ll admit to being a few cups of coffee in (early morning) while driving to work when I heard on the radio that it is National Iced Tea Day so I couldn’t resist a stop at my favorite East Village neighbor, Gong Fu Tea for an iced herbal tea.
Can’t decide which kind of iced tea you’d enjoy to help you cool off today? I got some suggestions from tea expert, George Taylor at Gong Fu.
Herbal Tea Suggestion: According to George, a fruit-flavored herbal tea like Fruit Fantasia (my pick today!) with a Rooibos base is a great choice. He explained that because rooibos absorbs flavor well, it is frequently used as a base for many herbal teas. Because it does not contain caffeine, it is a good choice for an evening beverage or for kids. These teas are high in vitamin c and antioxidants. The fruity rooibos blends like raspberry delight, peach rooibos, or fruit fantasia might even work as a juice substitute for kids, especially if you add a touch of natural sweetness from honey.
Green Tea Suggestion: George recommends Moroccan mint. It is great hot, but when iced, the mint really pops to make it super refreshing and cooling on a hot day.
Black Tea Suggestion: In the midwest, a good, straight black iced tea is popular. George suggests the ceylon black tips tea. He recommends it because while it is a nice standard black iced tea, it is a much better quality version than the mass marketed brands. This tea is not too light or too strong and doesn’t become astringent when iced.
Visit Gong Fu, just a block north of East Village Spa, at 414 East 6th Street.