When the sun starts making daily appearances and the snow retreats (for now), it marks the beginning of iced coffee and iced tea season. Break out your shorts and tank tops and stroll on down to one of these fine establishments, all of which serve some of the most refreshing iced drinks in town.
The owner of Cha Island Tea Co is obsessed with iced tea. He once said the only reason he bothers to serve hot tea is because it is cold in Edmonton for so much of the year. Still, iced teas are his specialty. He mixes flowers, herbs spices and leaves into a hot brew, then pours them over ice. These mixtures, made with all natural ingredients, are sweetened with agave syrup. The café also serves more traditional iced tea, but made from freshly brewed hot black, green or rooibos teas.
Credo Café serves fair trade Intelligentsia coffee, TeaGuy loose leaf tea and healthy juices from local health nuts Glow Juicery. Their mochas, lattes and cappuccinos all taste amazing iced, thanks to the strong but smooth flavour of Intelligentsia coffee. If you are overheating and in need of extra fruits and veggies for the day, the juices from Glower Juicery are the perfect healthy treat.
Though this Indian café is known for its iced Chai lattes, don’t overlook their other iced beverages. They serve iced mochas, iced lattes and several kinds of thick, frothy milkshakes, including Chai, Kashmiri Chai, mango and chocolate peanut butter (how decadent!). Located on 124 Street, this café is the ideal spot to stop in for a quick cool down with a delicious icy drink on a hot summer day.
This locally owned shop is located in the heart of the Glenora neighbourhood. It serves almost 200 kinds of tea, all of which are available for purchase in their cute tea tins. There are tons of varieties, including white, yellow, oolong, rooibos, herbal, fruit, black, pu-erh and yerba mate tea. All of their teas can be ordered iced, for a cooling, pleasurable drink. In summer, their iced lavender lemonade is one of the most popular drinks, but matcha smoothies are also high up on the list.
Transcend Coffee roasts its own delicious beans right here in Edmonton. That translates into a super-fresh cup of coffee, every time. Ask for an iced coffee or latte to cool down on hot days. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the non-bitter, fresh-tasting flavour. Or, if you prefer tea, their London Fog tea latte blend also tastes excellent over ice. The best part is you can buy bags of their beans or tea and replicate your favourite iced drinks at home.
The 124 Street location whips up a variety of icy beverages, including milkshakes, iced Chai tea lattes, mango lassis and Italian sodas. All of their drinks can be made with 1 or 3 per cent milk or almond or soy milk. There is nothing more refreshing on a summer day than one of Remedy’s famous Chai lattes served ice cold. You can also order the Kashmiri Chai lattes iced, if you want to avoid caffeine.