Please tell me about the iced tea

[beynac]

I know this is an ultra-specific question, but I am a certifiable iced tea addict. I'm sailing on Century in December...from reading these boards, it sounds like iced tea is complimentary, and there is a place on the ship where you can self-serve at all times. My big question...is it fresh brewed??? I'm not a fan of the Nestea-type drink made from a concentrate, but I fear that this might be what it provided on board.

 

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Oh, and please assure me that it is NOT pre-sweetened!!

[vince b]

It's not pre-sweetened, and it's self-serve, always available. But that's where the good news ends. The iced tea (on every ship I've ever sailed) in no way resembles fresh brewed tea. We call it "cruise ship" iced tea. It has no flavor whatsoever. Completely tasteless. I don't know how it's made, but it's certainly not brewed. It's probably a powder or syrup.

[C 2 C]

it sounds like iced tea is complimentary, and there is a place on the ship where you can self-serve at all times. My big question...is it fresh brewed??? I'm not a fan of the Nestea-type drink made from a concentrate, but I fear that this might be what it provided on board.

 

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Oh, and please assure me that it is NOT pre-sweetened!!

 

It's not pre-sweetened but I mix mine into an "Arnold Palmer"; half iced tea, half lemonade.

You can also have your fill at dinner time with endless iced tea.

Concentrate: most likely; it comes out the same nozzle as iced tea, apple juice etc.. I've never seen anyone brewing the tea on any line.

[beynac]

Thanks for the replies. Oh well...I figured this would be the case.

[spencerdrivecruiser]

I like the ice tea in the MDR better then the ice tea in the buffet areas.

 

i wonder if its brewed in the MDR or in the specialty restaurants?

 

 

spence

[CruisingChick]

It's not pre-sweetened but I mix mine into an "Arnold Palmer"; half iced tea, half lemonade.

 

Hey I do that all the time.......didnt' know it was called an Arnold Palmer.

 

My husband likes mixing the lemonade with the guava drink they have.

 

I use to love mixing lemonade and grape ade when I was youngster. Okay too much information.

[gisnered]

I like the ice tea in the MDR better then the ice tea in the buffet areas.

 

i wonder if its brewed in the MDR or in the specialty restaurants?

 

 

spence

 

I doubt it. I suspect the only way to get brewed iced tea onboard would be to make your own from a pot of hot tea and a glass of ice. :D

 

Certainly the tea in the buffet comes from a dispenser that makes one glass at a time from concentrate - with hit or miss, mostly miss, quality. Iced tea for the MDR is probably made from the same concentrate, but is mixed in large batches which would be more efficient for the servers. An incidental effect is that the strength is more easily controlled than it is from a dispenser.

[Bridge Maven]

I know this is an ultra-specific question, but I am a certifiable iced tea addict. I'm sailing on Century in December...from reading these boards, it sounds like iced tea is complimentary, and there is a place on the ship where you can self-serve at all times. My big question...is it fresh brewed??? I'm not a fan of the Nestea-type drink made from a concentrate, but I fear that this might be what it provided on board.

 

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Oh, and please assure me that it is NOT pre-sweetened!!

 

Their ice tea is not fresh brewed but it is not pre-sweetened either. At home I brew tea from fresh tea leaves (not a tea bag) and pour it over ice to make good ice tea.. However, you can't even get good hot tea in the main dining room on Celebrity because they bring you a tea bag with hot water if you order tea.

 

I have accepted the fact that you can't get good tea on Celebrity, but it really bothers my husband who is not a coffee drinker.

[constantcruiser]

I'm addicted to iced tea, too...and agree that it's awful on cruise ships. Because I like a lot of ice in mine, I always do as the previous poster suggested...order hot tea with TWO glasses of ice. That allows you to brew it as strong or as weak as you like and enjoy your choice of several different kinds of teas. Hot water, teabags and ice are available anywhere that the ship's version of iced tea is served.

 

One morning I was "brewing my own" in the MDR and shocked the head waiter. He exclaimed, "ICED tea? But, Ma'am, this is BREAKFAST!" I immediately responded, "But, Sir, I'm from TEXAS." He just shook his head and walked away...

[sunlovermtl]

I'm addicted to iced tea, too...and agree that it's awful on cruise ships. Because I like a lot of ice in mine, I always do as the previous poster suggested...order hot tea with TWO glasses of ice. That allows you to brew it as strong or as weak as you like and enjoy your choice of several different kinds of teas. Hot water, teabags and ice are available anywhere that the ship's version of iced tea is served.

 

One morning I was "brewing my own" in the MDR and shocked the head waiter. He exclaimed, "ICED tea? But, Ma'am, this is BREAKFAST!" I immediately responded, "But, Sir, I'm from TEXAS." He just shook his head and walked away...

 

That is a good on. "I'm from Texas" I too love Ice tea in the morning. Especially after a few too many drinks the night before. It gives me a boost. I know that we have a butler on our next sailing. Since they serve afternoon tea I will ask if they have tea leaves and make my own. Celebrity also has high tea. Maybe check out the selection and keep a few pouches.

 

happy sailing

Claudette

[JanineM]

I don't think anyone else mentioned this in the thread, but they do have a tea chest with the self-serve coffee area in the buffet. They have many different teas, so you could certainly brew your own!

 

Guess I must be really weird ... not only do I like hospital food, I also like the unsweetened tea on cruise ships! :eek:

[elvnga]

I think we can all agree that there actually is no such thing as iced tea on a cruise ship. The concentrate is, at best, a tea inspired beverage. I really don't understand how stocking, shipping, and using a concentrated liquid could be considered cheaper or easier than using dry tea leaves and the water made on board.

 

I will say that the lemonade with a splash of the guava punch is actually quite good at breakfast or even later in the day.

[Bridge Maven]

I don't think anyone else mentioned this in the thread' date=' but they do have a tea chest with the self-serve coffee area in the buffet. They have many different teas, so you could certainly brew your own!

 

Guess I must be really weird ... not only do I like hospital food, I also like the unsweetened tea on cruise ships! :eek:[/quote']

 

Your comment about hospital food made me LOL because when our daughter had her second child a few months ago, my husband and I had hospital food from their cafeteria and were pleasantly surprised at how good it was.

[kittyluvrnurse]

I love iced tea, too and what I ended up doing last time was brewing English Breakfast (closest thing to plain black tea) and pouring it over lots of ice. I carried around a nalgene bottle with iced tea all day long. The hubby would drink that syrup tea... no thanks :cool:

[Casino Player]

I know this is an ultra-specific question, but I am a certifiable iced tea addict. I'm sailing on Century in December...from reading these boards, it sounds like iced tea is complimentary, and there is a place on the ship where you can self-serve at all times. My big question...is it fresh brewed??? I'm not a fan of the Nestea-type drink made from a concentrate, but I fear that this might be what it provided on board.

 

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Oh, and please assure me that it is NOT pre-sweetened!!

 

HHHHHEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOO beynac: I enjoy iced tea too. Iced Tea on Celebrity Cruise Line is unsweetned and is complimentary. However, it is not freshly brewed.

[twonpcb]

Never thought of brewing my own......thanks for the idea. Being from the south, where iced tea is our "house wine" and we all know our iced tea, I have always been very disappointed with the tea on cruise ships. We will certainly try brewing our own in November on our transatlantic.

 

Robert

[CruisingEasy]

You can get whatever you want in terms of Iced Tea if you ask Celebrity.

 

I am also an addict.

 

Try Gregorys Boxed Iced Teas. They are very good.

[Bridge Maven]

This thread about tea reminds me of the first date I had with my husband during the early seventies. We went to a Chinese Restaurant for dinner and I commented that the tea we had with dinner was very good but it never tastes like that when I have it at home. He then explained that was because the tea in the restaurant was brewed from tea leaves which is very different than a tea bag. After that he told me that he had fifteen different types of tea leaves (formosa oolong, lichee, earl grey, jasmine, lapsang souchong, etc) at his place and asked if I wanted to go to his apartment to sample his teas. Prior to that moment, I thought I had heard every line in the book, but this was a first. Thirty six years later I am still sampling his teas :)

[kiwinick]

This thread about tea reminds me of the first date I had with my husband during the early seventies. We went to a Chinese Restaurant for dinner and I commented that the tea we had with dinner was very good but it never tastes like that when I have it at home. He then explained that was because the tea in the restaurant was brewed from tea leaves which is very different than a tea bag. After that he told me that he had fifteen different types of tea leaves (formosa oolong, lichee, earl grey, jasmine, lapsang souchong, etc) at his place and asked if I wanted to go to his apartment to sample his teas. Prior to that moment, I thought I had heard every line in the book, but this was a first. Thirty six years later I am still sampling his teas :)

 

That is such a lovely story!

[beynac]

This thread about tea reminds me of the first date I had with my husband during the early seventies. We went to a Chinese Restaurant for dinner and I commented that the tea we had with dinner was very good but it never tastes like that when I have it at home. He then explained that was because the tea in the restaurant was brewed from tea leaves which is very different than a tea bag. After that he told me that he had fifteen different types of tea leaves (formosa oolong, lichee, earl grey, jasmine, lapsang souchong, etc) at his place and asked if I wanted to go to his apartment to sample his teas. Prior to that moment, I thought I had heard every line in the book, but this was a first. Thirty six years later I am still sampling his teas :)

 

How cute!!! I love it..."sample his teas." :p

 

I love iced tea, too and what I ended up doing last time was brewing English Breakfast (closest thing to plain black tea) and pouring it over lots of ice. I carried around a nalgene bottle with iced tea all day long. The hubby would drink that syrup tea... no thanks :cool:

 

I will give this a try. And I, too, drink iced tea at breakfast. :D

[Going Coastal]

I agree with all of you purists, but it has always amazed me that even at the special tea on each sailing, Celebrity uses the box of bags, instead of brewing loose tea in pots. I asked about it once and was told that guests like different flavors, but it seems that they could do pots of a few different types for that event.

It is nice to know there are so many tea drinkers out there.

[Lois R]

How cute!!! I love it..."sample his teas." :p

 

 

 

I will give this a try. And I, too, drink iced tea at breakfast. :D

 

Ahhhh...you are from the south:D....I enjoy coffee for

breakfast but my family moved to Florida when I was 6.

I see your signature says you live in NC....all of us in the south

who drink sweet tea~we know its called the "wine of the south";)

 

As for the ice tea on the ship......lets just say it is not

the southern tea we know and love;)

[Woodmnky]

I too take a nagalene bottle and use hot water and tea bags to brew my own iced tea. Not the absolute best, but infinately better than the stuff from the dispenser.

[Oakview]

I have room service or the butler bring a pitcher of ice tea after we get back from day of excursions. We did a 14 day Alaska/west coast cruise last fall and everyday instead of hot tea or coffee for afternoon snacks our butler learned of my preference for ice tea and brought that daily without being asked. The waiters and assistants find out quickly about tea drinkers and bring a glass as soon as we sit down.

 

I am a tea addict from the DEEP south and have found no problem with the tea on any of the cruise lines I've sailed. You can't beat a glass on your own balcony as you cruise along so just call for a pitcher anytime you want..

[Norcal Cruiser]

The Cova cafe will brew an excellent pot of tea for you at a nominal price.I've seen the British officers in there often.We always bring commuter mugs with us.Have a cup of hot tea and fill your commuter mug with the rest to pour over ice later.