It’s National Iced Tea Day And We Should Celebrate

It is all together appropriate that June 10th is National Iced Tea Day in America, it's the perfect icy cold refresher for a hot June day. We are here to honor it properly because it's our belief that iced tea has taken a back seat to it's cousin iced coffee.

We do enjoy a nice cold brew as much as anybody, but when it comes to the iced coffee brews, a little bit goes a long way. Before a grueling workout I will throw down a cold brew and get up to hit the gym.

Iced tea is a different vibe altogether. When we drink it you do so to be refreshed not revved up. You can drink lot's of it too on a hot summer day without getting the jitters that coffee gives you. Of course there is caffeine in iced tea but not nearly as much as coffee.

In the south they love it too, but call it 'sweet tea" that's because they prefer it with a healthy dollop of sugar to sweeten up. In fact, if you ask for iced tea in the south they assume you want it sweet, so you had better ask for it unsweetened if that's how you prefer yours.

Nowadays folks can have a variety of teas on National Iced Tea Day or on any other day as well. There's a huge variety of flavors that you can choose from that were not so readily available not so long ago. Now can have it made with everything from green tea to hibiscus and chai to chamomile. As long as it is icy cold, it will still be iced tea.

There were so not so many choices back in the day. You probably either made your own or you bought Nestea or Lipton out of the jar and added a big spoonful to a glass of water, throw in some ice and there you have it.

Taste the wetness!

We have found the 4 best ways to make summer grilling healthier for you without harming the environment. It’sthe last month of Summer, yes September is still summer technically, but we all know that Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer. Let’s make the most of it.

We have found the 4 best ways to make summer grilling

A welder for the Weber welding company was frustrated with what was available four grills at the time. With his amazing ingenuity, he cut a buoy in half and made a metal grates to fit over it and produce the first modern barbecue grill.

At first he wasn’t able to control the smoke when he put the cover on it. It wasn’t until a neighbor told him to drill holes in the cupboard to allow smoke out of the grill that he perfected it. He then added holes on the bottom and the loud smoke to vent out the top and bottom. That gave a controlled heat in the modern barbecue grill was born.

This welder loved the idea so much he started manufacturing them for friends families and neighbors. The business took off so much so that he ended up buying the Weber welding company and transformed it into what we know today is the largest grill company in the world.

Now there are so many types of barbecue grills it’s hard to keep up with them. There’s everything from the big green egg to smokers, outdoor pizza oven’s and of course trendy outdoor kitchens with permanent grills and refrigerators

Use high-quality pure lump charcoal. Charcoal briquettes are popular because they're easy to light and provide even heat to the grill. But the chunks are often held together with chemical additives that can release additional emissions into the air.

Avoid lighter fluid. Lighter fluid is made of hydrocarbons, which can be toxic if ingested. And the smoke given off by lighter fluid-soaked coals contributes to air pollution.

Shut down the grill as soon as you're done cooking. Most people will let their coals burn down and out when they're done cooking, which means hours of extra and unnecessary emissions. Instead, when you're done cooking, simply close the lid and shut any vents.

Switch to a natural gas grill. If you want to go all-in with eco-friendly grilling practices, ditch the charcoal in favor of a natural gas grill.