Some people prefer it with lemon, others with peach or mint; some buy it in bottles or cartons, whilst others prefer it homemade. One thing is certain: whatever the version, iced tea is an undisputed summer classic – thirst-quenching, tasty and refreshing. Have you ever wondered who invented it and when? Let’s take a look back at the history of iced tea.

Contrary to what you might imagine, the history of iced tea does not begin in the East… nor even in England, but in the United States. This may come as a surprise, but the first iced teas were alcoholic punches, such as Regent’s Punch, which were quite common in pubs and bars following the revolt against the ‘Tea Act’ of 1773. It would be several more decades before iced tea, as we know it, began to become a common drink.
The recipe for a non-alcoholic iced tea was first published in 1876, in Estelle Woods Wilcox’s Buckeye Cookbook; shortly afterwards, in 1877, the recipe appeared in a second cookbook, Housekeeping in Old Virginia, by Marion Cabell Tyree.
But iced tea would only achieve popularity in the early 1900s, thanks to a series of ‘fortunate coincidences’ and a certain Mr Richard Blechnyden, a tea merchant who is often mistakenly credited with inventing iced tea but who is in fact credited with having made it popular.
But iced tea only became popular in the early 1900s, thanks to a series of ‘fortunate coincidences’ and a certain Mr Richard Blechnyden, a tea merchant who is often mistakenly credited with inventing iced tea but who is in fact credited with making it popular.

In 1904, Blechnyden was at a pavilion at the World’s Fair in St Louis, Missouri, promoting his black teas – a task made difficult by the ongoing heatwave. It was then that he had a brainwave: serving hot tea would not attract customers. Blechnyden bought some ice and tried serving customers cold black tea with ice cubes – cool and refreshing, a welcome relief in that hot summer. Needless to say, the idea was more than appreciated by those present.
From that year onwards, the popularity of non-alcoholic iced tea grew day by day, until it became a common drink, both at home and in bars.

The first ‘industrial’ iced tea was produced in the USA in 1964, when Lipton first launched its ‘iced tea’ on the market; in Italy, however, it was Ferrero that ‘led the way’ with the famous Estathé.