Origins of Ice Tea in the US
Introduction
Iced tea is one of the most appreciated beverages in the US, and has been in existence in the country for more than a century. This beverage has remained popular even though a number of non-alcoholic beverages are flooding the market. While it seems difficult to understand why Americans prefer iced tea which is not preferable during winter, there seems to be a hidden reason as to why they seem to appreciate this beverage. Starting from the preparation of iced tea to the point it is served, it becomes clear that Americans are not ready to part ways with this drink any time soon. Americans particularly in the South have a close relationship with the tea, hence making iced tea one of the most popular beverages in the country. For that reason, in a bid to understand why Americans love this tea, this paper will discuss the origins of ice tea in the US and how it became so popular in the South.
Origins of Ice Tea
The preparation of iced tea began as a result of the invention refrigerators, which allowed for the manufacture of pure ice. Pure ice is a significant ingredient in the preparation of iced tea, owing to the fact that the tea must contain ice cubes. In the US, South Carolina was the only state to produce tea plants in as early as the 17th century. This was after a French botanist whose name was Andre Michaux took a number of plants to South Carolina in a bid to gratify the tastes of rich Charleston planters. The origin of iced tea dates back to the colonial period when iced tea was drunk in form of alcohol-drenched punches. Even though the exact year when iced tea was made in the US is not known, it is believed that iced tea drinking practices commenced in 20th century. This was after the non-alcoholic version of iced tea was disseminated St. Louis in the year 1904 (Danovich, 2015). Nonetheless, Richard Blechynden is however recognized as the inventor of iced tea, and this was after he added ice cubes to his tea, to make it cold at the World’s Fair in St. Louis.
The hot summer weather did not favor the consumption of hot tea, hence most people preferred iced beverages such as juice as well as alcoholic drinks. Tea punches would later on be prohibited in the country, a factor which heavily favored non-alcoholic iced teas. This brought about the preparation of non-alcoholic iced tea in restaurants, as substitutes for the prohibited tea punches. Likewise, after home refrigerators dominated the market, most people purchased them since it made it easier for them to easily make ice which help in making iced tea (Teas etc, 2019). Iced tea would then be made at home, thus it was not necessary for people to visit restaurants to have iced tea. In summer, most people preferred iced tea which was better owing to the fact that it helped keep the body cold. The procedure of making the sweet tea was not complicated because it only required one to fill glasses with ice, then add two teaspoonful’s of crushed sugar in each of the glasses and finally pour the tea on top of the ice and the sugar. Owing to the fact that the process of making tea was easier, the only ingredient which was hard to find was ice, and this problem was solved after most people began purchasing refrigerators.
Development of Iced Tea in the South
Iced tea in the South became popular because to the prohibition of the sale of alcoholic drinks in the country. The prohibition of alcoholic drinks meant only one thing, a better alternative non-alcoholic drink to quench the thirst. Most people in the region would then opt for iced tea because it was cheaper and easier to make. In addition, iced tea was a better alternative for the reason that it helped in reducing the summer heat. Initially, iced tea had been considered a drink for the rich, since not so many people could afford to go the restaurant and purchase the tea. In addition, because of the scarcity of ice, the tea became expensive until 1930s when refrigerators hit the market (Danovich, 2015). Likewise, as an instant tea, most people in the South preferred the beverage since it did not consume a lot of time, and it was also considered as a healthy and relaxing drink. This type of tea quickly spread in different parts of the South, making it a culture for the people of the South to drink iced tea whenever they met with friends or had a gathering.
Even though people in the South were allowed to drink beer during the prohibition, beer was only preferred after work. Henceforth, the only cold beverage for a working men was iced tea as opposed to beer. This became a habit for workmen in the South, since they would from time to time drink iced tea while working. This was consequently the main reason why the drink became very popular in the region as people would continually drink it even while working. Due to the popularity of sweet tea in the South, it became clear that the people of the South were attached to the drink, hence it was adopted as the official hospitality beverage of the State in Carolina, in the year 1995 (Teas etc, 2019). Georgia also joined the wave, after it presented a House Bill which required all restaurants in the states to serve sweet tea. Lastly, the chilling factor of iced tea made it popular in the region, hence in the South, tea is supposed to be stored in the refrigerator all the time. The legalization of the tea in the region consequently helped in further popularizing iced tea across the Southern states (Krider et al, 2008).
Conclusion
Iced tea just as discussed in this paper, is very popular in the Southern states due to its chilling factor. Nonetheless, it is also the official hospitality beverage in South Carolina, which means this drink can be served anywhere at any time in the region. The origin of the beverage of the beverage was somehow complicated, in the sense that iced tea had not been initially invented, but it became popular as a result of the prohibition of alcohol and alcoholic drinks in the US. On the other hand, the success of the tea is currently being witnessed in different parts of the US even though it is highly preferred in the South.
Reference
Krider, R.E., Li, T., Liu, Y. et al. (2008). Demand and distribution relationships in the ready-to-drink iced tea market: A graphical approach. Market Lett 19, 1–12 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-007-9022-1
Danovich, T. (2015). As American As Iced Tea: A Brief, Sometimes Boozy History: The Salt. Retrieved from: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/06/09/412984583/as-american-as-iced-tea-a-brief-sometimes-boozy-history
Teas etc, (2019). America’s Love Affair with Iced Tea: Teas Etc. Retrieved from: https://www.teasetc.com/education/america-s-love-affair-with-iced-tea
