Iced Tea Turns 106, But Still A Baby

Iced Tea is 106 years old, but still a baby in tea time.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010 0:40 GMT

That’s according to Joe Simrany, president of Tea Council Of the USA, who says tea is “still in its infancy” in America and has plenty of room for growth.

But that’s not to say refreshing iced tea – invented in June of 1904 at the World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, by tea promoter Richard Blechynden – hasn’t come a long way already.

Simrany says that of the 55 billion servings of tea consumed each year in America, 85 percent of it is iced.

The industry is now worth more than $7 billion, due, in part, to the popularity of ready-to-drink iced tea packets and the increasing health benefits of tea.

Given its rich history, it only makes sense for the Tea Council to declare each June “National Iced Tea Month.”