In celebration of Iced Tea Month, we trace the glorious history of our beloved drink. Iced tea, despite the folklore, was not discovered by accident. It can be dated back to the 18th century in South Carolina, the only place in the United States at that time to produce tea plants. The first iced tea ever made was called Ice Tea Punches because they were heavily spiked with alcohol and were made with green tea leaves, not black.
The first traditional iced tea was introduced in 1879 in Old Virginia, with a recipe by Marion Cabell Tyree. She was the first to include lemon in iced tea. Soon after, it became popular and everyone followed suit. Thus, the traditional iced tea was born, and the rest, as they say, is history.
