JOIN USTea has its own magic — served hot or cold. Coming in different colours and flavours, iced tea — quite a recent entry in the tea world — has different benefits apart from being a ‘cool’ drink. Closer home, there are plenty of Bengalureans who have a fetish for iced tea and on the occasion of ‘Iced Tea Day’, they spell out their love for the drink and its varied flavours.
Praveen Kujur, a sales manager, is a die-hard fan of iced tea. It is the burst of flavours that makes it his favourite at cafes. “I love the iced teas at ‘Hangover’. From orange and peach to lemon flavoured ones, there are myriad options to choose from,” he says.
On a summer day, there is nothing as refreshing as it. Those with ginger-flavours can also pep you up if you are not in the pink of health. “It tastes good with everything,” points out Naveen Nelson, a senior consultant with an IT firm.
“It goes well with any sort of cuisine making it a universal drink. Fruit-flavoured ones are my favourite and they go well with cookies for a lazy evening,” he says. Apart from trying iced teas at ‘TGIF’, ‘Barista’ and ‘Cafe Coffee Day’, he has also tried making it at home.
“Now there are packets available in the market which need to be mixed and can be personalised accordingly.”
Dr Ranjani Raman, a dietician and nutrition consultant, says that though iced teas are available in unique flavours, the best options are those that are made out of natural ingredients. “Iced teas are great alternatives to coffee or other aerated drinks that people usually consume. But it’s best to stay away from the bright-coloured versions. Though they look attractive, they do not help the body,” she says.
“Teas are known for their antioxidant content which is good for the body. Apart from natural ingredients like mint leaves or lemon juice, it is best to avoid adding flavoured syrup to the tea as they will just increase the calorie content of the drink and do more harm than good for the body,” she adds.
The city has seen places serving iced teas mushrooming by the dozen. Youngsters too enjoy hanging out at these places and relaxing over a glass of iced tea.
Aditi Chaturvedi, a Post-Graduate student, is one of them. She says that she loves hanging out at ‘My Tea House’ in Koramangala, and enjoys the array of iced teas they offer. “Cosy ambience and a good drink go a long way to make one cheerful. I love the iced teas at this cafe and it was amazing to see the innovative options available.”
Shashank Rawat, manager and owner of the cafe, explains that iced teas are very popular with his customers and he has many variants including fruit-flavoured ones like ‘Teacolada’, ‘Long Island Tea’ and the latest, ‘Egyptian Iced Tea’. Each iced tea, he says, is a different concoction.
‘Tea Brew’, another popular hangout, has iced teas ranging from the common ‘Lemon Iced Tea’ and ‘Ginger Lemon’ to more striking flavours like peach, jasmine grain, passion fruit,
“The cool factor of the drink adds to one’s dining-out experience. “I love the varied options at the cafe as they are a great stressbuster,” adds Deepshikha Tyagi, a software engineer.