As the July 4^th Holiday is upon us, Bigelow Tea takes pride in reminding us of the important role that Tea played in the history of our country, even sparking outrage that eventually led to American Revolution and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

That “nice cup of tea” sure packed a wallop throughout history!  Of course we all know the story of the Boston Tea Party in 1773, a revolt against “taxation without representation” in Boston. It’s one of the many historic events that we have explored in the Bigelow Tea Blog in detail.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Another “Tea Revolution” in our history was the introduction of the tea bag in the early 20^th Century – revolutionizing the way people make and enjoy their cup of tea. And remarkably, about that same time iced tea was introduced, at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, the hot summer sun being the mother of invention. July 4^th celebrations have not been the same since.

So there’s really nothing revolutionary about how to spend this 4^th of July; a family picnic, cooking out, watching the fireworks…and with that hot summer sun – lots of iced tea!

Bigelow® Green Tea with Pomegranate & Blueberry Iced Tea

Check out these iced tea varieties from Bigelow Tea, mix and match, stir and pour; they make for a perfect recipe for your July 4^th celebration, and your independence from that summer thirst!

From the Bigelow Family to yours – a safe and happy holiday.

Whether you celebrate Independence Day, the commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, with fireworks, parades, backyard barbecues, carnivals, picnics, baseball games or something else, be sure to quench your thirst this 4th of July weekend with one of our refreshing iced tea recipes – - wherever you celebrate.

Speaking of history and tea, think about this interesting tea tidbit from one of our friends at gather.com:

“…there is an old joke in my village’s history book. When tea was first brought to Long Island in 1700, the locals didn’t know what to do with it, so they cooked it and ate it like spinach while others spread the leaves on bread like butter.” (quoted from Echoes From the Past, Elisabeth S. Lapham)

And why not?  Yet, perhaps you’d rather stick to iced tea, like the one below, or try some of our other tea recipes.

Peach Chai Iced Tea

Ingredients:
1½ cups cold water
3 Bigelow® Perfect Peach® Herbal Tea Bags
3 Bigelow® Spiced Chai Tea Bags
7 cups of cold water

Instructions:
Recipe created by Dorinda of Covington GA, 3rd place winner 2007 Iced Tea Recipe Contest

Place 1½ cups boiling water over tea bags in a 4-cup glass measuring cup. Let steep for 10 minutes. Squeeze and remove tea bags, let the concentrated tea cool.

Pour concentrate into a 3-quart pitcher. Add the cold water and stir. Pour into ice-filled glasses and serve.

For more tea recipes and entertaining ideas, go to http://www.bigelowtea.com/entertaining/recipes/