GLASS ACT HOMEMADE ICED TEAS CARRY HEALTHFUL BENEFITS ALONG WITH THIRST-QUENCHING POWER.

Byline: Mariko Thompson Staff Writer

Amid summer's wealth of fruits and herbs, home-brewed iced tea offers a lively and healthy alternative to the ready-made bottled blends on supermarket shelves. And the anti-oxidant punch is just one more reason to start brewing.

Though tea has a rich 5,000-year history, no other country has a hankering for theirs chilled the way we do. A uniquely American twist to the world's most popular drink (after water), iced tea was first served at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. Of the 2.2 billion gallons of tea consumed by Americans each year, 80 percent is iced, notes Joe Simrany, president of the Tea Council of the USA.

``Try to get a serving of iced tea in the UK and they look at you like you have two heads,'' says Simrany. ``Iced tea is not part of the British heritage. It's something we made our own - and we love it.''

Tea drinks have become trendy, though they aren't likely to rival gourmet coffee drinks any time soon. Restaurants are flush with fruit-flavored iced teas. Chai, made from tea and milk infused with spices, is a staple on most coffeehouse menus. And boba, a tea drink with sweet tapioca balls, is increasingly popular.

Still, for refreshing and healthy drinks, nothing beats homemade iced tea. By borrowing elements of fruity sangria and syrup-flavored coffee drinks, home brewers can achieve subtle and complex flavors. Home brewing also guarantees the highest levels of cancer-fighting anti-oxidants when using green, black and oolong teas. Research suggests that anti-oxidants help reduce the risk of cancer, protecting cells and tissues from damage.

All three teas come from the Camellia sinensis plant. The difference is in how the plant is processed. Green tea offers the highest levels of anti-oxidants, followed by black and then oolong. Other health benefits associated with tea include reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and tooth decay.

Be aware that herbal teas, including the red tea called rooibos, aren't considered true teas, since they don't come from Camellia sinensis. Herbal teas have their own array of health benefits, depending on their plant source.

Even among true teas, not all brands are equal. Susanne Henning, associate professor at UCLA's Center for Human Nutrition, examined catechins, one type of anti-oxidant found in teas. She found that the amount of catechins measured both in freshly brewed and bottled teas differed.

Catechins in green tea in general were high and showed little variation. Among black teas, catechin levels differed, with Bigelow scoring at both ends of the spectrum: Bigelow Darjeeling Blend had the highest catechin levels, while Bigelow Constant Comment Decaf had the lowest. Ready-made iced teas proved to be mostly sugar and little tea, she says.

Freshly brewed tea retains its anti-oxidants whether hot or cold, caffeinated or decaffeinated, says Les Mitscher, who also has investigated tea's anti-oxidant levels.

However, storing the tea once it has been brewed will affect its anti-oxidant properties. ``If you put it in the refrigerator for a while, the levels will decrease,'' says Mitscher, professor of medicinal chemistry at Kansas University and co-author of ``The Green Tea Book.'' ``For anti- oxidant power, the sooner you drink it, the better.''

With specialty tea stores such as Chado in West Los Angeles and Gilded Rose Manor in Northridge, premium teas are readily available. Robert Wemischner, the Los Angeles-based co-author of ``Cooking With Tea,'' suggests trying a Nilgiris. This south Indian tea, grown at high altitude, has a brisk flavor and clear color when iced, he says.

Among packaged teas, Wemischner recommends Rishi and Harney, followed by the Republic of Tea. Of the common supermarket brands, Pam Anderson, author of ``Cook Smart,'' prefers Red Rose. She also gives high marks to Twinings Orange Pekoe and Jacksons Orange Pekoe. When choosing a tea, keep in mind that a favorite hot tea may not translate into a flavorful cold tea.

ICED TEA, SIMPLY AND QUICKLY (STOVE TOP METHOD)

Since ice is added to the hot tea to cool it down quickly, the quality of ice you use also matters. Particularly during the summer months, keep a bag of crushed ice in the freezer.

5 tea bags, preferably Red Rose (OR Twinings Orange Pekoe bags)

1 quart water, bottled spring water if your tap water tastes off

2 to 6 tablespoons sugar, preferably natural cane sugar (to taste)

3 cups ice, plus additional cubes for glasses

Place tea bags and water in a medium nonreactive saucepan. Heat mixture over medium-low heat until very steamy and dark-colored and bubbles form on bottom and sides of pan, about 190 degrees F, or 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep 3 minutes, no longer.

Remove and discard tea bags without squeezing, which makes tea bitter. Pour into a small pitcher. Add desired amount of sugar and stir until dissolved. Add ice; stir until melted. Fill desired number of glasses with ice. Stir tea, pour over ice, and serve immediately. Makes 1 1/2 to 2 quarts; 6 to 8 servings.

From ``CookSmart,'' by Pam Anderson, Houghton Mifflin.

MICROWAVE TEA

Using a 2-quart Pyrex measuring cup makes this tea a one-pot drink - from brewing to pouring.

5 tea bags, preferably Red Rose

1 quart water, bottled spring water if your tap water tastes off

2 to 6 tablespoons sugar, preferably natural cane sugar (to taste)

3 cups ice, plus additional cubes for glasses

Place tea bags and water in a 2-quart Pyrex measuring cup. Cover with a small plate. Put in microwave and heat mixture on high power until very steamy and dark-colored and water starts to move but not boil, about 190 degrees F, or 8 to 10 minutes, depending on starting water temperature and power of microwave. Remove cup from microwave and let steep 3 minutes, no longer.

Remove and discard tea bags without squeezing. Add desired amount of sugar and stir until dissolved. Add ice; stir until melted. Fill desired number of glasses with ice. Stir tea, pour over ice, and serve immediately. Makes 1 1/2 to 2 quarts; 6 to 8 servings.

From ``CookSmart,'' by Pam Anderson, Houghton Mifflin.

VARIATIONS

MINTED ICED TEA: Follow the above Stove Top OR Microwave Tea recipe, adding 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves to ice. Using a wooden spoon, bruise leaves against ice to release oils. Add mint and ice to tea, straining leaves or not, as desired, before serving.

ICED TEA WITH LEMON: Follow the above Stove Top OR Microwave Tea recipe, adding 3 or 4 (2-inch-long) strips of lemon peel to ice. Using a wooden spoon, bruise peel against ice to release oils. Add peel and ice to tea, along with 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, removing peel or not, as desired, before serving.

GINGERED ICED TEA: Follow the above Stove Top OR Microwave Tea recipe, adding 3 or 4 coins of fresh ginger, 1/4-inch thick, to ice. Using a wooden spoon, bruise ginger against ice to release oils. Add ginger and ice to tea, removing ginger pieces or not, as desired, before serving.

PINEAPPLE-LEMON-MINT ICED TEA

Pineapple has a natural affinity for tea. Here pineapple juice is combined with the gold standards of lemon and mint, creating a blissful experience.

5 cups cold water

6 regular-size tea bags

3 lemons, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1 1/2 cups fresh mint leaves, torn

1 (12-ounce) can frozen pineapple juice concentrate, thawed

1 cup granulated sugar 

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract 

Bring 2 cups water to a gentle boil in a small saucepan. Add tea bags, lemon slices and mint. Cover, remove from heat and let steep 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine pineapple juice concentrate, remaining 3 cups water, sugar, vanilla and almond extract in a 2-quart container. Strain steeped tea through a fine-mesh strainer and add to pineapple liquid. Stir or shake until sugar is dissolved. Let cool, then chill and serve over ice. Makes about 2 quarts.

From ``Iced Tea,'' by Fred Thompson, the Harvard Common Press.

BERRY-SPICE ICED TEA

Black currant tea has a unique sweetness that mellows the tannins of the tea. Black currant tea mixes with a host of flavors, but cranberries and black currants have a regal quality when paired together.

3 cups water

3 regular-size black currant-flavored tea bags OR 3 teaspoons black currant-flavored tea leaves

3 cinnamon sticks, each about 3 inches long

10 cloves

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups cranberry juice cocktail

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (don't use bottled)

Thinly sliced lemon for garnish

In a small saucepan, bring water to a gentle boil. Add tea bags (or loose tea), cover and remove from heat. Let steep 10 minutes.

Remove tea bags without squeezing or strain out leaves using a fine-mesh strainer. Add cinnamon sticks, cloves and sugar; cover and let cool to room temperature.

Strain liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a pitcher. Add cranberry juice and lemon juice and stir to combine. Chill, then serve over ice, garnished with a lemon slice. Makes a little more than 1 quart.

From ``Iced Tea,'' by Fred Thompson, the Harvard Common Press.

``TEATOTALER'S'' SANGRIA

3 oranges, sliced and seeded

3 lemons, sliced and seeded

3 limes, cut into wedges

1/2 cup seasonal fruit such as cherries, blackberries OR strawberries, sliced OR left whole

3 cups unsweetened brewed green tea, chilled

4 cups all-natural cranberry-peach juice, chilled

1 (6-ounce) can pineapple juice

1 cup sparkling white grape juice, chilled

1 (16-ounce) package frozen peach slices, not thawed

In a 2 1/2-quart glass container, combine orange and lemon slices, lime wedges and seasonal fruit. Add brewed green tea, cranberry-peach juice and pineapple juice.

Just before serving, stir in grape juice and float frozen peach slices on top. Try to get some fruit with each serving. Makes slightly more than 2 quarts; 8 to 10 servings.

From ``Iced Tea,'' by Fred Thompson, the Harvard Common Press.

ICED TEA WITH LEMON GRASS SYRUP

SYRUP:

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups water

6 fat stalks fresh lemon grass, coarsely chopped and mashed with a mallet OR rolling pin to release flavor

TEA:

2 tablespoons jasmine tea leaves

1 quart water

Ice cubes

Lemon grass stalks and fresh pineapple, thinly sliced into triangular wedges, for garnish

To make Syrup, bring sugar and 2 cups water to a boil. When boiling, add lemon grass stalks. Remove from heat and let stand until cool. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, extracting as much liquid as possible. Pour into a glass jar, cover and refrigerate. (Syrup keeps for up to a month.)

To make Tea, brew tea by heating 1 quart water to 180 to 185 degrees F. Add tea and infuse for 3 minutes. Strain leaves and chill tea.

To make iced tea, pour about 1 tablespoon lemon grass Syrup into each tall glass. Top with tea, add ice as desired. Garnish with a stick of lemon grass inserted into a thin wedge of pineapple. Makes 2 to 4 servings.

From ``Cooking With Tea'' by Robert Wemischner and Diana Rosen, Tuttle Publishing.

Tried-and-true brews

When it comes to brewing iced tea, the array of techniques can be overwhelming. Loose leaf or bags? Hot brew or cold brew? Cooled with ice or without?

There's no one right way to brew iced tea. It's dependent on time and preference. But iced tea enthusiasts agree that the brew should be strong with no bitter aftertaste, and clear in color.

Stick to spring water or filtered water. Avoid distilled water, as tea needs minerals to heighten flavor and aroma. It's also best to drink iced tea while it's fresh. Make only what you can drink in a day or two.

Avoid sun tea, advise tea experts, as it can become a breeding ground for bacteria if left out more than four to six hours. From the connoisseur's perspective, sun tea also falls short in the taste category. The water doesn't get hot enough to extract the full flavor from the leaves, says Joe Simrany, Tea Council president.

For those who prefer loose leaf teas, Robert Wemischner, author of ``Cooking With Tea,'' offers a hot and cold brewing method. The rule of thumb is one teaspoon of tea leaves for 6 ounces of water. But loose tea leaves vary in size, so consider measuring by weight rather than volume. Use 1 ounce when hot brewing and 1 to 1 1/2 ounces when cold brewing. Both require 2 quarts of water and result in six to eight servings.

--Hot: Boil two cups of water and let cool to the ideal temperature, about 160 to 185 degrees F for green tea and about 195 degrees F for black. Add tea. For anti-oxidant benefits, brew green tea for three to four minutes and black tea for three and five minutes. Remove the leaves with a strainer. Add the remaining water cold and refrigerate. If you add remaining water hot, let the tea cool to room temperature before refrigerating.

--Cold: Place water and tea in a pitcher. Refrigerate for six to eight hours. Remove tea leaves with a strainer.

On days when guests drop by unexpectedly, or you have a sudden thirst for iced tea, rely on bagged tea and ice. Pam Anderson, author of ``CookSmart,'' developed stove top and microwave techniques that create iced tea in less than 15 minutes (see accompanying recipes). Anderson also finds that sugar (preferably cane) brightens the flavor and suggests adding at least one tablespoon of sugar per quart.

- Mariko Thompson

Teas from around the globe

The great teas of the world are produced by five countries - China, India, Taiwan, Japan and Sri Lanka (Ceylon) - and most are classified as black, oolong or green, which derive from the Camellia sinensis plant and contain cancer-fighting anti-oxidants. As with wines, different growing areas produce specific tea varietals.

Names of varietals include:

--Black tea: Assam (India), Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Darjeeling (India), Keemun (China), Nilgiri (India), Pu-erh (China). Some popular blends of black include English Breakfast, Irish Breakfast and Russian Caravan.

--Green tea: Genmaicha (Japan), Gyokuro (Japan), Mattcha (Japan), Sencha (Japan), Longjing (China), Gunpowder (China).

--Oolong: Formosa (Taiwan), Guan Yin (China)

Some scented/flavored teas include: Jasmine (China; green tea scented with jasmine flowers), Earl Grey (international; black tea scented with oil of bergamot), Lapsong Souchong (China and Taiwan; black scented with smoke).

CAPTION(S):

4 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) COOL BREWS

Do-it-yourself iced teas are all the buzz

(2 -- color) no caption (tea bag)

(3 -- color) PINEAPPLE-LEMON-MINT ICED TEA

(4) no caption (iced tea)

Photos from ``Iced Tea,'' the Harvard Common Press

Box:

(1) Tried-and-true brews (see text)

(2) Teas go global

Source: ``Tea Chings: The Tea and Herb Companion'' by Ron Rubin and Stuart Avery Gold.