There’s no doubt about it – Summer is here!  The heat and humidity are settling in and my long sleeve clothing is being put away.  I’m struggling with the idea of what to do with the kids when it’s too hot to play outside, but love the thought of evening barbecues, trips to the pool, and doing a little summer reading (funny how the words “summer reading” used to be repulsive, and yet are now very much welcomed).  Just the idea of sitting by the pool and drinking a cold, refreshing beverage is relaxing.  And while I’m not normally an iced tea drinker, I recently found a tea company that has changed my mind.

Despite being new to me, Shangri La Tea Company has been around for a long time.  They’re award-winning teas and have been featured in great coffee houses and fine restaurants for years.  And of course, they aren’t limited to only iced tea, they have a full line of hot tea, tea espresso pods, and loose leaf teas.  There’s even an entire section of their website dedicated to cooking with tea!  I’ve never even thought to cook with tea.  What a great idea.  Shangri La teas are sugar-free, calorie free, and, although I personally need all the caffeine I can get my hands on, are available in decaffeinated versions.  They come in all kinds of flavors, including Organic Tropic Green Tea, Natural Black Tea, Passionberry, Tropical Passion, Very Raspberry, Organic Green Spring Melon…the list goes on and on.  There’s something for everyone and every taste.

I was sent 4 different iced teas to try, but I’ll admit, I was a little nervous about steeping my own iced tea.  I’ve never done it before and I thought for sure that you’d need special equipment – it turns out all you need is a stove top and a pot.  I have those.  Okay, it doesn’t look fancy, but the tea comes out just as delicious and makes up to 2 quarts, which is plenty if you have a crowd over on a hot summer day.  Lucky for me, there was very little I could do to mess this up.

But like I said, I’m not normally a tea drinker, so I was really concerned about how the tea would taste.  I mean, who cares if it’s easy to make – it has to taste good, right?

Here’s the thing, saying this iced tea is “good” doesn’t even do it justice.  It’s pretty darn amazing.  It’s flavorful, but not over powering.  It’s sweet on it’s own or can handle a spoonful of sugar (like the one I added).  It’s full of heath benefits, but you would never know by how yummy it tastes.

In a glass stacked with (perhaps too many) ice cubes, this tea was cool, refreshing, and perfect companion for an early summer day.  I think my favorite flavor was the Tropical Passion, but it was pretty close between that and the Passionberry.  Even my husband, the self-proclaimed “tea snob”, liked this iced tea.  I couldn’t believe it.  And when Greenleigh asked for some in her sippy cup, I was beyond impressed.  Okay, probably not a good idea to give her caffeine, but it does tell you how good it tastes (especially when you factor in how picky she can be).

So as it turns out, there will be iced tea in my glass by the pool after all.

Want to win some delicious tea of your own?  Good, because the great folks at ShangriLa Tea Company have offered one lucky reader a prize pack of 4 teas worth over $37!  All you have to do is enter using the Rafflecopter form below and you could be all set for summer.  Good luck everyone!
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