pure sereni-tea

I love tea, even when it's flavored and chilled with ice. Iced tea is a verifiable tradition in the South, and we Texans take ours with loads of sugar. Now, I consider myself a bit more of a distinguished tea drinker than the average Texan, as I prefer mine only slightly sweetened or not sweetened at all. I was probably in the minority this past Sunday afternoon at the 2nd annual Best Iced Tea Contest here in Dallas.

More than a dozen tea companies and restaurants battled it out at the event to be named "People's Choice." Upon signing in and paying my 10 bucks, I was given a ballot and a map of the participants, who where scattered about the Plaza at Preston Center. I made the rounds with my tea-tasting buddies, also known as Mom and Dad. We weren't one of the celebrity judges, but we took on the task with a keen seriousness, tasting and rating each tea on a scale of 1 to 5. I gave three 5s, and at the end of the day, I chose Cafe on the Green as my People's Choice nominee. Their iced green tea was perfect without any sweetener, and the floating mint leaf, cucumber, and strawberries sold me. (The image above was Maudee's spiced tea and accompanying scone, which I am convinced they used to bribe people into voting for them. It just might have worked. It was the most tasty scone I'd ever had. They were 2nd place. First prize went to Milestone Culinary Arts Center.)