Fruit tea is a staple here in middle Tennessee. Many restaurants boast the very best “Southern Fruit Tea” which is a sweetened tea mixed with a variety of fruit juices like orange and lemon.

Southerners love their iced tea, and these three fruit teas are fresh and delicious alternatives. Treat your family and guests to these delicious drinks.

It’s sweet tea (Southern staple) combined with a variety of fruit juices, so we just call it “Fruit Tea” here. It’s a Nashville staple.

First thought to have been served from Miss Daisy’s Tea Room in Franklin, TN, you’ll find variations of this sweetened fruit tea punch all over middle Tennessee. Everyone has a favorite and the loyalty is strong!

The basic fruit iced tea makes a big batch of two 1-gallon jugs, perfect for a family gathering or tailgating event. The pineapple tea and orange mint tea can be scaled up quite easily for a crowd.

Fruit tea is slightly different from other types of tea because - well - it's not tea. People call it "tea" for convenience, but fruit tea is not from the tea plant (camellia sinensis) at all! Its simply dried fruits, sometimes with spices or flowers and herbs added, the fancy name for this is a tisane. It's certainly good for you in many ways unless lots of sugar is added, which isn't necessary! Sadly low-quality tea can have lots of added rubbish which only takes you away from the natural flavour, leaving nothing but a sweet, bland taste.

If a fruit tea is prepared right, it should be naturally sweet and fruity, full of flavour. Dried fruit stewed in water has been consumed for centuries, it can be very refreshing and energy-boosting. Fruit tea is packed with vitamins and antioxidants and is amazing for cleansing the body of toxins and keeping the immune system strong. In that aspect, it's very similar to tea leaves, still having high levels of health benefits.

The first step is to make a simple simple tea, but with the “secret ingredient” of a cinnamon stick. The addition of the cinnamon stick gives the fruit tea that little something “extra” that will have all your friends asking for this recipe!

Be sure you don’t buy already-sweetened tea bags. Just plain black tea bags will do the trick as we will sweeten the tea ourselves. Once you have your tea made (full recipe below), you sweeten it with sugar.

Here is a recipe to make good orange mint tea.

INGREDIENTS

1 quart of water

3 tea bags

3 tablespoons fresh mint leaves

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

4 cups orange juice

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Fresh orange or lemon wedges and mint leaves, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Bring the 1 quart of water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the 3 tea bags, 3 tablespoons of fresh mint leaves, and 3 tablespoons of sugar and then remove from the heat. Let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags, squeezing them to extract all of the flavor. Pour the tea into a large pitcher with the 4 cups of orange juice and 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, and stir to blend. Chill before serving.