A few years ago I posted my thoughts on the best iced tea available in our area of Ohio. That post had more interaction and feedback personally than anything I had every written (which says a lot, which I don't want to think about).
It has become a tradition, that each January I share my thoughts on the best tea in the South Western Ohio area.
Apparently, according to my teen daughter, when someone shares "what's going on concerning a person or topic," it is called getting the "tea". So, today I will once again, give the Tea on Tea.
What is our tea judged by? First, and most importantly, is the taste. It must taste good. It cannot have that "coffee ground" taste to it. It should be pleasant to the pallet. Then, we decided that the cup is of great importance. What your tea is served in is of great importance. You want a cup that holds enough to satisfy your tea desire, but that also can keep the tea ice cold. As your ice melts, your tea becomes watered down. The amount of ice is important too. There is nothing worse than a tea that is luke warm that should be iced! We also judge tea by its "smoothness." Some teas just are "smooth" as it enters the mouth and travels down the throat leaving a pleasantness in your mouth and mind. My wife, for all you sugar people, judges her tea by how much sugar is added. There is a right balance that must be achieved. Their is also the eye test. A cloudy tea equals a bitter tea. The tea must be brewed-freshly. A fountain tea was created after the fall of man and is part of the curse of sin. There is also availability. While the iced tea may be superb at "Jimmy's Jungle Hut," if you have to drive 30 miles to get to the only JJH, then we can't count it. The final criteria is consistency. By this I mean, when you go to this place and order the tea, can you count on it being good every time? That said, here is our top 10 teas based upon these credentials.
SPOILER ALERT-FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, I HAVE A NEW NUMBER ONE!
Did you know that America spent nearly 10 Billion dollars on Iced Tea at restaurants this year!?! Americans drank nearly 5 billion galloons of tea this year! This is serious, and as far as I know, this is the ONLY BLOG DEDICATED TO THE EXPOSING OF THE BEST TEA IN SOUTHWEST OHIO! SHARE THIS BLOG NOW AND LET THE RECORD BE SHARED!
10. GOLD STAR: Gold Star Chili is a Cincinnati specialty. You either love it or hate it. For years, their tea was through the same fountain machine as their sodas; but now they have started brewing their tea. It is pretty good. The cups are your basic fast food cup, the straws normal size, the ice usually is lacking, and the clarity most often muddies. Having said that, they are getting better. They are everywhere around here. So congratulations Gold Star for making the list! (By the way, I like your food better than Skyline....I said it, let the hate begin).
9. WENDYS: Wendys last year cracked the top 10. Wendy's tea used to be disgusting, but they have come a very long way! The taste is good, and it is brewed fresh. The color is pleasant. The cup is that thin plastic cup, which is less than desirable, allowing the ice to melt way to clip and condensation building up on the outside as well. The condensation runs down the cup and leaves moisture on your desk or in the cupholder of your car-which usually has a small piece of paper in it, which then gets soggy and is virtually impossible to then get out without making bigger mess. But, they do have HUGE large sizes. If you are needing a tea to last all day, this is the place! But again, the ice melts way to quick in those cups. Having said all that-well done Wendy's, you are getting better!
8. WHITE CASTLE: White Castle was a solid 2 on this list before, but has dropped way down. White Castle used to use the ConTea brand, but has switched brands now. The result, a much poorer taste. The consistency is not there anymore. The cups are the plastic cups. The size of the cups is better than most options out there, but it just isn't what it used to be. Being a huge White Castle guy (not a fat reference), I am disappointed. If White Castle reads this, go back to ConTea! Overall, it is o.k., but not what it once was. I used to brag on their tea, now I avoid it. There just are better options out there.
7. SKYLINE: Another Cincinnati specialty and good (not as good as Gold Star). Now for all you Cincinnatians, Skyline tea is decent. The sweet is VERY sweet if you are into that. The unsweet is pretty good. The color is always a little cloudy. We both feel at times the tea has sat in that large tub a little too long. They never put enough ice in the tea, and should you get a large, you are dealing with a plastic, condensating, decorated cup. It's good. It's too expensive for what you are getting. If you are ever driving down the road and you just want a tea, you can find better places; but don't fear, if eating in, in ordering one of these teas. They made the top 10, but could do better.
6. DUNKIN': Making the top 10 for the first time and not just barely, is Dunkin'. I was slow on getting into the Dunkin' tea, but have figured it out now. Their tea is fairly priced and normally has a very clear appearance. The cups are the thin plastic ones, and upon going to a better cup, would go up one or two spots. There are Dunkin's everywhere. EMPLOYEES PLEASE NOTE; when you make the tea in the morning, do NOT USE THE SAME CONTAINERS YOU MADE THE COLD BREW OR ICED COFFEE WITH. This leaves the tea tasting with that coffee ground taste. Easily avoided if you follow my suggestion...and trust me...I know what I am talking about. So why the big jump....in a simple phrase...unsweetened shots of flavor. I have found this to be wonderful. May I suggest and unsweetened large iced tea with two shots of blueberry and two shots of raspberry. You will not be disappointed. You're welcome everyone.
5. SONIC: Now to some, you may have expected Sonic tea to be higher on the list. On my personal list, it would have been higher, but on Stacey's list it is a lot lower. So, we give it a 5 rating. The pros are that the cup is by far the best! You can get a tea from Sonic and have enough to sip on till you go to bed. I recommend going early and ordering your .99 cent Route 44. It's the only way to go! Then the ice, by far the best of anyone else. You just can't beat the small crushed Sonic ice. Where Sonic falls is the taste. For unsweet drinkers, it is fair. At times, the unsweet has no taste at all, almost like water. For sweet drinkers, the tea just isn't that good. Consistency is poor too. Sometimes, you get a good one, other times you are sure that tea has sat there in a pot for a couple of days. Not real smooth ever. So, the cup and ice are off the chart good. The tea is fair. In the morning, it is my tea of choice; for my wife, she'd pass every time. Also, get the app! You always get half price drinks when you order on the app, and there is just something special about pulling in a stall and seeing your name on the screen being welcomed.
4. McDONALDS: Yes, we are loving it, just not as much! McDonalds tea came a long way from what it once was. Quite frankly, we believe McDonalds is the first fast food chain to start the quality iced tea movement (if there is such a thing). You just never saw a fast food chain push their iced tea until McDonalds. In 2008, McDonalds rolled out their Sweet Tea and it all took off. Why a number 4 rating? Well, the cups have changed. No more styrofoam cups. Truly a disaster. They say it is for the planets health. Seriously, since when is McDonald's concerned about anyone or anything's health? That is not why we come there you crazy clown! Consistency is not what it once was. It is nice to know that pretty much anywhere in the country you go you can count of a pretty good iced tea from McDonalds. Occasionally you will get that coffee ground flavor in a McD's tea, but over all its trustworthy. The sweet tea is above average. The sugar ratio is good for most sweet tea drinkers (if you like Kool-aid). There is a pretty good smoothness to their tea. The color not so good. It probably is the tea we drink the most, mainly because of convenience and price. But please McDonalds, get rid of those plastic thin cups!!!
3. McALISTER'S DELI: What???? After years of being number one, it has fallen. First the positives. What makes this tea stand out? Well first and foremost,
the taste is very good! I don't believe it is quite what it used to be, but it is very above average! I find it getting some cloudy lately-perhaps due to their iced tea bins not being as clean? There is a crisp taste to this tea. It has tea flavor that is close to perfection. This is a fine, high quality iced tea. When it comes to smoothness, only one other tea can compare. Consistency is absolute perfection. To have such a great tasting tea, that is perfectly smooth, and it be that way every time you purchase one is quite impressive. The tea to ice ration is always perfect. You can order this tea and eat lunch and sit and talk for 30 minutes and you will still be able to sip that extraordinary tea. The cups are the perfect size for tea drinkers. One con is that the cup is plastic. While the size is perfect, the plastic will allow ice meltage on a hot summer day. Also, availability hurt their rating. While there are quite a few McAlisters around, the lack of a drive-thru and quantity of stores caused a slip in rating. But, in our minds, its way worth the cup to drink that delicious tea! 2. CHICK-FIL-A: Moving up one spot this year in the top 10! No, the "Christian" friendliness has nothing to do with this selection. We only are judging by the tea. The tea is very good here. It has a good taste. The tea always has a smoothness about it. The tea is is very consistent. We have never gone to Chick-fil-a and received a bad tasting tea. The cups are insulated and large enough. Stacey agrees that the sweet tea is consistently good as well. The problem here (and it is a big one) is that Chick-Fil-A puts WAY TOO MUCH ICE in their cups. You can order a large tea (and the cup is plenty big) and drink it all in about four drinks. Now when dining in, those super nice employees are ready "to serve you" and refill those teas; but drive thru and carry out just doesn't work in the tea area. Great tea! Great consistency! Good smoothness! Great cups! Just back off the ice! This review was MY PLEASURE.
AND NOW FOR THE NUMBER ONE TEA FOR THE 2020 RANKINGS:
1. STARBUCKS: I find myself coming here all the time for the tea these days. First, please don't give me all the "you are a Christian, you shouldn't support Starbucks." If you only want to support company's that agree with our stands, well, prepare to produce everything at home. I go on....here is why they climbed the chart so quick: Taste! Absolutely one of the best teas you will drink. They use the Tazo tea brand, which is above average good. When I order, I get a Trenta Black Unsweetened Iced Tea. It doesn't need any flavors or sweeteners. I keep it simple. The ice to tea ratio is pretty good. The cups are those clear plastic, but acceptable. The plastic is a little thicker than most stores, so I don't feel it is as much a deterrent. The price is a little high, but you get what you pay for. Not a big fan of much else at Starbucks (except the Keto drink my daughter has us hooked on-message me for details) Truly, it is a great tea. The taste is always perfect. For the record, as much as I made fun of it at first, I love the sippy cup top. No straw is great (and not because of the turtles). I highly recommend it and your driving through to get one. They are truly everywhere! So sorry McCallisters and all my "brethren" who despise my bragging on Starbucks, but the tea is great and in my opinion, the best "fast food" tea available in southwest Ohio!
Well, there you go. I know everyone was wondering and now you know what teas Stacey and I drink. So now when you are out there driving around and get that hunkering for a good iced Tea, you finally got something to go by. I love my wife, and I am glad she loves iced tea too. Enjoy my friends!
That's the Tea!
