Art of Tea Hibiscus Cooler Iced Tea, reviewed

Iced tea is typically brewed simply by making double or triple strength iced tea and pouring it over ice to chill and dilute it. This isn’t a bad way of making iced tea, but I love it when tea companies make iced tea bags specifically for iced tea. It’s convenient not to have to worry about the ratio of tea to water – especially when you’re making a large batch – and they also usually produce flavors that are more iced tea-friendly than hot teas, using more fruits and fewer heavy spices. Art of Tea does a great job with their iced teas, packaging them in large, pitcher-friendly bags that are perfect for brewing up iced tea for a crowd. They also come with easy to follow instructions that ensure your tea will turn out perfectly every time.

The Art of Tea’s Hibiscus Cooler Iced Tea is one of my new favorite iced tea flavors. It’s made from hibiscus, guayusa, lemongrass, stevia leaves and natural flavors – all organic ingredients – and turns a fantastic pink hue when brewed. It tastes floral and fruity, almost like it has juice in it in addition to the other ingredients! As a fan of jamaica – a hibiscus agua fresca that you can find at most Mexican restaurants – I know that hibiscus has a slightly bitter note to it. It is subtle in the tea, but it adds some nice complexity to the tea and also gives you a little bit of room to add some sugar. I added about a third of a cup of sugar to my tea and found that added some nice sweetness without taking away from how refreshing the tea was on its own. The box contains four large tea bags, which is enough to make four 2-quart pitchers of iced tea. That’s enough to have two for summertime entertaining and two for yourself for later!