Before all the recent drama erupted between our two nations, I’d argue that Canadians and Americans tended to see each other as siblings, cousins, or something of that ilk. We had our unique traits, of course, but we also had things that seemed – at least on the surface – to be part of a shared reality across our largely undefended border. We both grew up with Mr. Rogers, both know the joy of cheap hot dogs at the Costco food court, and both look at Eurovision with the same sense of New World bewilderment.
So it’s the little things that can cause confusion when you’re not expecting them, especially when visiting each other’s country.
Case in point: Iced tea. Same name, but not the same thing.
Iced tea? Sweet tea?
In America (and correct me if I’m wrong, American readers), when you order an iced tea at a restaurant or café, you’ll likely get a glass of unsweetened, cold black tea. Because really, it’s just that simple. Iced tea means brewed tea that is iced. Nice and literal. If you want an iced tea that’s sweet, you’d order a sweet tea. The iced part goes without saying. I gather there is regional variation, but that sweet tea is a staple of southern life.
In Canada, if you ask for an iced tea, you’ll almost always get a sweetened cold tea, usually flavoured with lemon unless specified otherwise. It’s not hard to find peach, raspberry, or other flavours of sweetened iced tea in cans or bottles, and you can sometimes find bottles of unsweetened iced tea in the convenience store cooler. But the default iced tea in Canada? Sweet, cold and flavoured with lemon.
Fresh or fountain? Brewed or powder?
Another curious quirk of Canadian-style iced tea is that it may not be immediately apparent if the iced tea you’re ordering is freshly brewed and chilled onsite (fancier establishments, higher price), or pumped pre-mixed from a soda dispenser. An iced tea at a movie theatre will come from the same fountain pop machine as a Coca-Cola, Pepsi or Sprite. But at a nice local brunch place, the bougie hibiscus or lavender iced tea will be brewed and chilled – and you’ll pay for the privilege.
When it comes to making iced tea at home, Canadians (yes, yes, #notallcanadians) have a longstanding tradition of using powdered iced tea mixes instead of brewing tea and chilling it. And in my younger years, our family’s iced tea mix of choice was Good Host.
Mixing it up
For what feels like generations, Good Host iced tea mix was sold in tins made out of cardboard and metal, with a resealable lid on top. The powder inside the tin looks like sandy sugar with a slight tint of orange-brown to it, and the contents keep pretty well in the back of a pantry, at least in the less humid parts of the country. Need an iced tea at the cottage/cabin? Pull out the container and mix up a glass or a pitcher. No hot water necessary.
We had it good, we were complacent, and we took it for granted, thinking nobody would bother to mess with a good thing. And then, a few years ago, Good Host changed the packaging and the formula, switching from the usual tin to a resealable pouch (fine, I guess), and changing the classic recipe to something that tastes less like lemon and more like the smell of lemon floor polish (ugh). It was a huge disappointment, and after buying one bag that used the new formula, I stopped buying it altogether. Goodbye, old friend.
But then something happened. Canadians are a largely chill bunch, but odd things rile us up, and we will flood a company with calls and letters and scold you something fierce if you mess with a beloved product. And I have to assume enough of us did exactly that, because the new pouches with the artificial twang went away, and back came the cardboard and metal tins. The catch? The only size they now sell at grocery stores is large enough to sugar-up an entire school picnic. But in times like these, a win is a win.
What’s it taste like?
Because Good Host Iced Tea is an all-in-one mix, the tea/lemon flavour and sweetness go up and down together, depending on how much mix you add to the water. The standard ratio they print on the side of the container is 2 tbsp per 1 1/2 cups water, which is a good place to start. By 2 tbsp, I’m taking that as two of my standard cutlery-drawer soup spoons, which is probably more than two actual tablespoons. But since no sane human measures their drink mix powders with actual measuring spoons, I’m eyeballing it with my own version of two tablespoons. Your mileage may vary.
Mixing the powder into cold water is always a nuisance. That’s what the tin says to do, and if you want to go that route, you’re free to do so. Just know that you’re going to have to stir it well, let it sit, stir it more, let it sit, and then stir it again until you’ve managed to get most of the mix dissolved into the water. If you’re going to add ice to it before serving, or if you’re making a pitcher of it to chill in the fridge, starting out with a bit of hot water can make it easier to get a good mix. Just zap some water and use that to start, then top it up with cold water and ice.
The taste will vary based on both the powder-to-water ratio you used and how well you mixed it — but once you dial it in, it’s simple and delicious. You can taste the tea at the core of it, with ample sweetness and tart lemon sourness to balance and add brightness. It uses real sugar, so there are no artificial sweeteners to sully things, and the Pledge-style fake lemon notes have been banished to the dustbin of history.
You can gussy it up with a lemon wedge if you like, but it’s not meant to be fancy. It’s a pantry classic, and I’m glad the original is back.
Bonus hot tip!
Whenever a sore throat strikes or a cold sneaks up on you in the winter, my family’s longstanding remedy is to make hot lemon tea using iced tea mix. It’s as simple as using a mug instead of a glass, using roughly the same ratio of mix to water, and using hot water instead of cold. You can either combine the water and mix in a mug and zap it in the microwave until it’s hot, or you can heat some water in the kettle, add the mix to the bottom of a mug, and stir in the hot water.
While I have zero scientific evidence of any curative properties, a mug of hot lemon “iced” tea does feel warm and soothing. It’s like a non-medicinal Neo Citran, if that makes sense. Just know that because there’s real tea in there, the caffeine may keep you up if you have it right before bed.
The Details
Price: $16.99 for a 2.35 kg (5.2 lbs) container at London Drugs.
Value for Money: Fine, considering the quantity.
Availability: Easy to find in Canadian grocery stores.
Nutrition: 130 calories per 2 tbsp.
Verdict: A Canadian summer patio season classic. I wish it was available in smaller tins like it used to be, because 2.35 kilos of the stuff takes up way too much room in my pantry, and $17 is no longer an impulse buy.
