There are two main varieties of iced tea. Sweet tea is definitely considered property of the American south, though it has spread. Black tea is just hot tea served cold. It is unsweetened. Tea in either form is said to have been brought to America originally by French explorer and botanist, Andre Michaux. Sweet tea's relationship with the south was made very clear when, in 2003, Georgia state Representative John Noel proposed a bill that would make it a law that all Georgia dining establishments would serve sweet tea. The bill was introduced on April fool's day as a joke, though Noel acknowledged he wouldn't mind seeing it become a law.

The biggest challenge facing those who brew tea is that it turns cloudy. This process, known as creaming, occurs when the pH in the glass gets off balance. This can be caused by the combination of elements in the tealeaves and elements that are present in the water like magnesium and chromium. While it does not mean that there is anything wrong with the tea, most people are not comfortable drinking cloudy tea. There are certain types of tea that naturally possess chemicals that often cause this to happen. Assam teas, from India, often contain theoflavins and theorubigins. These chemicals combine with the magnesium and chromium to form salt crystals. These salt crystals combine with the elements in the tea and clump together to muddy the water…or tea in this case.

The cloudiness of tea is usually easy to solve. Because it is a pH problem the acid present in citrus fruit can provide the solution. A slice of lemon, orange, or lime can add a great flavor as well as an acid to balance the pH.

Once you have made your tea and you have the cloudiness solved there are a few things you can do to make the drinking experience a little better.

• Glassware - It may seem like there isn't really an issue no matter what glassware you use but it matters. Just as people don't like to drink cloudy tea, people like to see the rich wood tone colors of tea. Most avid tea fans can tell if they are going to like the tea just by looking at the color. So make sure you use a tall clear glass.
• Serving Containers - Do not use a container that has been used for anything other than ice tea or water. Soda or coffee containers can contaminate the tea with their strong flavors.
• Serving - Do not serve your ice tea with ice cubes in the pitcher. Over the period of an hour or more the ice will melt and water down your tea. Put ice into the empty drinking glass and then pout the tea over the ice cubes.
• Storage - This can't be stressed enough. Do not store your ice tea. Ice tea should be brewed fresh daily. At the earliest iced tea can be brewed in the morning for enjoyment in the afternoon.

A three to five minutes of infusion of tealeaves in hot water (the water is poured over tea leaves then left for infusion) is essential to bring out the desired quality (aroma and taste) of tea. Once desired quality and strength are achieved the tea can be sieved and consumed fresh with addition of milk and sugar or with addition of only sugar or with sugar and other add-ons. Ice tea is chilled tea as name says and to get an iced tea, basic strength of the tea should be stronger than normal. Having said so a medium strength iced tea is generally preferred to stronger one.

Black tea is preferred variant to make the iced tea. Ice tea is served usually with or without a lemon or a sprig of mint leaves. There are people that take it with a strawberry or a slice of orange or pineapple or even a cherry. As a rule of the thumb milk is not added to make an iced tea. Remember it’s not necessarily a summerdrink and can be taken with meals as well. So make your own ice tea and enjoy innumerable health benefits besides great taste with your friends.