Iced Tea is America’s second favorite beverage, behind water. Growing up just outside Los Angeles, I only knew tea as either hot tea, or the iced tea my Father used to drink every summer when he made his sun tea. Tea was just not a part of the Southern California culture like it is today. In the South however, it’s a way of life.
Tea is a part of southern culture in the United States and they take their sweet tea very seriously! You see, there are two kinds of sweet tea. Traditionally, sweet tea is made by pre-sweetening the tea leaves (an orange pekoe blend is preferred) and water mixture while it is still hot. Sweet tea purists argue that any deviation from this process in terms of adding sugar or ice produces "sweetened tea," not sweet tea. However, contemporary sweet-tea recipes are less rigid, so as long as the final product tastes sufficiently sweet. So little did I know, there is actually a difference in how sweet tea is made! Where I grew up, if you wanted sweet tea, you literally just added sugar to your iced tea once it was made. We honestly didn’t know any better!
Southerners grow up drinking sweet tea like it is water. It’s served with most any meal, and is ingrained into southern culture and cuisine much like surfing is to California, or coffee is to northeast part of the United States. It’s just a staple of what those parts of the country are known for. When sweet tea is made the right way, though, it carries deep meaning for people of the South. Sure, other beverages strongly identify as southern, but they either have a specific birthplace (Kentucky and bourbon), or their national popularity means that many no longer think of them as distinctly of the South (Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola).
Here at Saftea® we like to think we take our tea just as seriously. Every morning, we make a batch of fresh brewed unsweetened tea (we are Northerner’s after all). Why do we do this? Well, not only is the tea good for you and refreshing on these hot summer days, but it also allows us the same daily use that you, our customer experience. We work with thousands of restaurants and convenience stores across the country and preach on a daily basis just how much our Saftea® Liners can help with your tea and beverage program. Not only does it protect the tea, but it also helps improve the quality and flavor of America’s 2nd favorite beverage. So, if you take your tea seriously, why not give the Saftea® Liner a try so you can see for yourself just what your tea SHOULD taste like.
Saftea® Liner was invented from the need to provide a safer, more hygienic method for restaurants and convenience stores who serve iced tea to thousands of patrons each day. Using Saftea® Liner with its zip locking seal not only protects against accidental contamination, but also provides a spill-proof means of transporting the tea urn from kitchen to serving area. And since the liner never comes in direct contact with the urn or spigot, harmful bacteria and molds (common tea problems) are prevented. The task of cleaning the tea urn is a simple change of liner, which can be done in less than a minute, compared to the disassembly, scrubbing and use of cleaning chemicals, and reassembly of the urn. Customers benefit by consistently great tasting tea, free from any chemicals that may not have been properly rinsed from the urn.
So if you haven't tried Saftea® Liner yet, what is stopping you? Saftea® Liner is available at our web store in two handy pack sizes: 30-count and 150-count cases, along with the necessary pinch tube spigot required for operation. This makes ordering an easy task that can be done when it best fits your busy schedule!