Summer began Wednesday, so it’s a perfect time to fill that pitcher with iced tea.

Is it iced tea or ice tea? Iced tea (or ice tea) is a form of cold tea usually served in a glass with ice. It also refers to tea that has been chilled or cooled. June is National Iced Tea Month.

Legend has it that a cup of tea was brewed in 2737 B.C. when dried leaves landed in a boiling cup of water served to the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung. It is known that the Chinese have been drinking tea for thousands of years, and it was from China that the word tea spread throughout the world. Tea has been consumed in this country since Colonial times, usually then served as a cocktail that packed a punch.  (Remember the Boston Tea Party?)

Ice did not become readily available until the early 1800s and the popularity of iced tea parallels the development of refrigeration. Although iced tea was served at several large gatherings prior to 1904, the Englishman Richard Blechynden gets the credit for promot...