Recipe: The Best Iced Tea in the World

IT’S ICED TEA SEASON, Y’ALL.

Ok, so we know what you're thinking (well, at least we think we know what you're thinking). Iced tea is pretty much all the same, right? I mean, what’s the big diff?

Welllll, a lot, actually.

We are really, really proud of our very special iced tea, Malawi #413. Not only is the flavor banging, but the quality is super high and the tea is sourced with hella love. And high quality, fresh tea means you're getting all the immunity-boosting antioxidants called polyphenols that tea is famous for (and it's safer to get the health benefits of tea from a natural cup, rather than an extract or supplement).

Here’s why our Malawi #413 is the single-origin iced tea of your dreams:

Flavor.

It’s bright. It’s citrusy. Our Malawi #413 is naturally sweet with soft, subtle notes of malt and red grape.

Freshness.

This tea is fresh. Like, really. Aside from flavor, you can see the difference in quality — our iced tea actually shines! This is an indication of freshness, because it means the leaves are still releasing oils (read: flavor). With all the health benefits of black tea, you might as well get something fresh that retains all its goodness.

Ethics.

We like to say that our Malawi #413 is a nostalgic iced tea, just like mom used to make (only, you know, ethically-sourced).

Here’s the realness: 'conventional' iced tea brands like the ones that you find on the bottom shelf of your local grocery store have created a false market rate: as in, unrealistically low prices for tea, one that doesn't reflect the human or earth energy required to produce it IRL. These tea sellers are able to keep their costs unrealistically low by:

• blending together a variety of ‘bottom of the barrel’, low-quality teas;

• leveraging their power in the marketplace in order to buy too low, ultimately affecting the fair pay and quality of life of farm workers; or

• a combination of the two.

Yeah. We don’t play that way.

Our Malawi #413 Iced Tea is single-origin, sourced from an ethical farm that we know we can stand behind. We buy directly from the Satemwa Estate, located in the Malawian Shire Highland terroir. Without middlemen taking their cuts along the way, the price we can offer them is actually fair.

Established in 1923, the Satemwa Estate is the last family-owned tea and coffee farm in the region. They're Fair Trade and _ certified, and they really step it up. In peak tea season, Satemwa employs 2,500 workers — all supported by a robust corporate and social responsibility program which provides professional medical services, a primary school for families, community policing programs, and even a competitive soccer team.