Am I the only one that wonders what that stuff they call 'iced tea' is?

Generally I find cruise food to be wonderful. I've rarely had a true disappointment on all the cruises I've been on.

However the Iced Tea has always been a mystery to me. Since my first cruise in 1985, and through 19 cruises on 6 different cruise lines, I have noticed the exact same iced tea concoction.

Ship iced tea, to me, always tastes like it was made 4 weeks ago. It is strong, but not in a tasty way. It is a muddy brown color. Many ships do not make lemon available at the iced tea stations...some don't even have ice nearby. Which means other than water, the only free thing to drink is a room-temperature dark-brown muddy tincture with no resemblance to its given name.

Is this a European way to drink Iced Tea? Or do the cruise lines just have no idea how to make it? The way I've always understood it (and the way it is served in virtually every household and restaurant in the States), Iced Tea should be fairly freshly brewed (2 days max or it starts to turn), it should be a golden color, not cloudy. It is usually served with lemon. And it is virtually always served over ice.

The one and only food critique I've ever leveled on any cruise line: Make the tea better. Especially considering this is one of only two free drinks available on board (the other being Water). I actually prefer a nice iced tea to a soda, but find myself avoiding the free tea stations and drinking either water or a soda (which is getting a little cheaper with the pre-paid soda cards many ships are making available).

I was just wondering if anyone else dislikes ship-style iced tea!??!

I agree... the cruise ship iced tea is pretty bad. But unless you're in the US South (and I see that you are) it's equally bad at nearly every shore restaurant too! It is made from that "iced tea" powder, not brewed. If it IS brewed, it sits until completely consumed and is not made fresh daily. Then there are the upscale places that think you need to have raspberries or other bizarre overly sweet additions to to the "tea". I've started requesting hot tea and a glass of ice and making my own.

Welll I am lucky enough to have a fairly large northern population here...so our tea isn't half-bad if you are very selective and pick the right spot.

Maybe I'll try that on a ship...just make hot tea and ice it down.

Nice tip!

case of lime diet coke (they didn't have it on NCL) and a container of crystal light iced tea, which I mixed with the water I also brought with me.

I tried the dispensed tea, and it was disgusting... though oddly enough I've heard people compliment it.

I have to have plenty to drink or I feel disgusting, so I'm Sooo glad I brought my own stuff!

Hi All,

I am in the Foodservice Business, Then Iced Tea that is on most Mass Marketed cruise lines are made out of frozen concentrate, along with some of the lines coffee. There are a variety of qualities, and unfortunately they usally don't use the highest. I don't understand why, because the cost to them is tenths of a penny per glass!

Harvey

Is this a European way to drink Iced Tea?

QUOTE]

 

I've never even seen iced tea in Europe, so I doubt that.

 

Dolly

True...I guess tea is generally served hot in most places.

Thank you CMHF - the frozen concentrate explains it perfectly. I didn't even know there was such thing as 'frozen concentrate ice tea'...but that would be the closest description to the taste. Fresh brewed iced tea is of course my favorite, but even powdered mixes are palatable...something always bothered me about the ship teas.

I think you've explained it (and maybe I will consider bringing some mix of my own to blend in with the water...good idea).

I agre the ice tea is rather bland. What I do is put 1/4 lemonade and 3/4 ice tea in the same glass. It improves the flavor somewhat.

I agre the ice tea is rather bland. What I do is put 1/4 lemonade and 3/4 ice tea in the same glass. It improves the flavor somewhat.

That's a great idea I hadn't thought about. DH is in the restarant business and we discuss iced tea a lot on cruises since we both enjoy a good glass of ice tea. (DH drinks it sweet, I drink it straight with lemon and ice.)

We have both experienced good and bad ice tea on cruise lines - sometimes finding the tea tastes actually good one day and then very weak or looks cloudy on another day.

Mixing of the concentrate with water in the dispenser (frozen or powdered mix) can affect the final product. Have to say that even the worst iced tea I've been served aboard ship couldn't compare to a breakfast serving of grapefruit juice I had aboard ship in September. Weak ice tea I can swallow for lunch or dinner. Grapefruit colored water at breakfast is not something I care to give to my digestion track at 7:30 a.m. when my lips and mind are ready for a quick wake up call.

Waiter offered to bring me another glass of grapefruit juice, by then it was only about 10 minutes later. I declined his kind offering figuring the grapefruit mixing machine didn't have its eyes fully opened yet that early.

Next morning the grapefruit juice tasted great. What can I say? Each day is another experience on a cruise ship and don't sweat a drink or a ``bad'' meal. We always know there is more food and beverages coming and we won't starve or dehydrate unless we want to. :)

Dianne

Just an additional note regarding the mixture of iced tea and lemonade. The 50/50 blend is called an "Arnold Palmer". It is said to be a favorite beverage of the golf legend.

AriZona Iced Tea Company is now marketing the Arnold Palmer mixture in cans depicting various scenes from Arnie's golfing life.

Charlie

Have to say that even the worst iced tea I've been served aboard ship couldn't compare to a breakfast serving of grapefruit juice I had aboard ship in September.

Waiter offered to bring me another glass of grapefruit juice, by then it was only about 10 minutes later. I declined his kind offering figuring the grapefruit mixing machine didn't have its eyes fully opened yet that early.

Dianne

Or they didn't shake the container enough before pouring it into your glass?

My husband loves iced tea with lemon, strong, no sugar. On the ship he takes a Nalgene bottle from Eddie Bauer he brings from home, fills it half way with hot water, puts as many tea bags (located right by the hot water/coffee dispensers) as he wants in it, allows it to steep, discards tea bags, adds lemons, found right beside the tea bags. and adds ice to the top.

He takes this off the ship with him in his backpack for shore excursions, too.

Having just arrived back from the Celebrity Summit 2 days ago, I have to give them BIG point for their onboard drinks!

This is the first line I've been on that offers more than just iced tea and lemonade self service. Along with the coffee, tea, milk, iced tea and lemonade self service in 7 places on the ship, their dispensers also include a guava juice and fruit punch. THANK YOU Celebrity for the selection! Of course, the little baby glasses they give you can only hold a shot worth of juice, I remedied that by purchasing a big 32oz mug from the gift shop and filling up regularly (the mug also proved convenient for the soda-card I purchased, so I could just hand it to the bartenders to fill up with a big-gulp style American serving of soda).

I never even tried the iced tea on board, so I can't review it...but the lemonade and fruit punch were excellent and I drank a ton of it!

Or they didn't shake the container enough before pouring it into your glass?

 

My husband loves iced tea with lemon, strong, no sugar. On the ship he takes a Nalgene bottle from Eddie Bauer he brings from home, fills it half way with hot water, puts as many tea bags (located right by the hot water/coffee dispensers) as he wants in it, allows it to steep, discards tea bags, adds lemons, found right beside the tea bags. and adds ice to the top.

 

He takes this off the ship with him in his backpack for shore excursions, too.

Thanks for the suggestion about the tea---that is a great idea. Will try it next week on the Coral!

There is only one producer of drink dispensing machines that is completely approved for shipboard use by the US Public Health Service.

The cruise line can choose to use another brand, but they face the possibility of losing points on their USPH inspections if they do. Losing points = losing jobs for some food service managers.

This one dispenser model can only be loaded with the concentrate supplied by the manufacturer. Their ice tea syrup is particularly nasty.

The cruise lines could choose to make real fresh iced tea every day. But US Public Health Service regulations about preparation, handling, labeling, dispensing, and storage of things like iced tea are quite bizarre and difficult to meet completely.

During a surprise inspection, improperly prepared, labeled, or stored iced tea could cost the ship valuable points - and possibly cost someone his job.

They just play it safe and use the syrup.

Funny... we call the 50/50 blend a "Martha Washington"--- imported Texas slang up here to Oregon.

I love good iced tea- it will be a shame if Celebrity's isn't up to par on our trip next summer!

JD

It's too easy to get a pot of hot water, tea bag and glass of ice....

Cheers

MarkB

Easy, perhaps, but time-consuming by comparison, and time-is-money aboard cruise ships as anywhere else.

We just got off the Legend of the Seas

Panama Canal cruise (12/12/04).

I've made food comments elsewhere, but do note

that the tea service on this ship was bad, bad, bad.

The "ice tea" was OK, as the dispenser was using

a pre-mix liquid. Much better and more consistent

than the dry mix. That said, trying to make your

own would not work, as getting ice seemed to

be an eternal struggle. Our cabin steward (this

is another story) could not keep our ice

container filled at all.

The tea offered on the ship was the usual packed

stuff, but it all tasted the same. The servers had

no idea how to serve tea, and my DW would wait

for tens of minutes for someone (anyone!!!) to bring

some hot water. I had suggested

to my DW that we should bring some decent

bags ourselves, but she suggested that we

had better things to pack :D

Should have followed my advice.

DW loves her tea with lemon. We have yet

to train any cruise ships (2 on NCL Star, now

1 on Legend) to provide lemons. By the time

they are reminded and return with them,

breakfast is over.....

Hello,

Well I'm from Europe. (The netherlands). And we drink tons of iced tea.

And the taste is excellent! :p Better than on most cruise ships.

Hope to see someone of this board in about a week and a half on the Regall Princess from Ft. Lauderdale.

Bye,

Trijntje ;)