It’s no surprise that, while the rest of the world tends to favor their tea piping hot, over 80% of the tea consumed in the United States is cool as a cucumber, as in cold and refreshing.

Iced tea isn’t the traditional way to consume this beautiful beverage.

And while recipes on how to make iced tea appeared in publications as early as the late 1800s, it wasn’t until 1904 when the beverage actually started to gain in popularity. It was at the World’s Fair in St. Louis, that Richard Blechynden changed the course of our a majority of the United States would enjoy tea.

The first Iced Tea was served at the 1904 World’s Fair

Blechynden, a merchant and tea plantation owner changed the fate of how we drink tea in the United States when he decided to serve his tea samples cool rather than hot (due to the hot weather at the fair).

During the World’s Fair, his tea sold so well that it gained national popularity. And the rest, we say, is history.

That brings us to today, where you can stop into almost any restaurant and enjoy iced tea with your meal. You can run into any grocery store or gas station and pick a bottle of cold tea off a shelf or out of a cooler and enjoy it instantly. Not only is it cold, but it’s also ready to go.

Celebrating Iced Tea Month in June

The good news for this chameleon of a beverage (meaning it can be hot or cold, you can enjoy preparing it or grab it and run, it can become many things), the benefits still stay the same.

That’s right, whether tea is made hot (as with European and Asian traditions) or iced (American tradition), the compounds and health benefits of tea remain the same. And that’s good news for everyone who loves tea in these forms.

So, this month, whether hot or iced, enjoy your favorite cup of tea and know that however you choose to drink it, you are getting wonderful health benefits that can only be found in tea.

This article was contributed by Kelly Maki-Hackman, owner of The White Heron Tea and Gifts in New Port Richey, where you can enjoy tea hot or cold and pick up your favorite flavor in bags or loose to brew at home. You can also order online for home delivery at Driftwood Tea Company.