Summer is here and it sure is hot out! With the temperatures being consistently in the 90’s, I’m always keeping an ice cold beverage next to me. My beverage of choice? Pure Leaf Tea!

It’s been over a year since my husband and I both gave up soda. I originally gave it up when I became pregnant with my twins and decided to continue after they were born since I was nursing. Throughout the whole pregnancy, I only drank water. My husband decided to give up soda with me, but he needed something a little more flavorful than water. That is when he got hooked on Pure Leaf Tea.

A few weeks after having the babies, I felt I needed something a little more flavorful too but didn’t want to go back to soda. I reached in the refrigerator and checked out one of the bottles of Pure Leaf Tea. Looking at the ingredients, I was impressed that  Pure Leaf Iced Tea is real brewed tea with a fresh brewed taste and is made from the finest all natural ingredients, using no preservatives. Once I tried it, I was hooked!

Since I’m also trying to watch my calories and sugar intake, I was excited to try two new varieties that have been introduced by Pure Leaf Tea from Mom Central Consulting.

• Not Too Sweet Peach Tea: A lighter version of the classic, the natural tangy-sweet flavor of peach mingles with the bold, refreshing taste of all-natural black tea leaves. (45 calories per 8oz. serving)

• Not Too Sweet Honey Green Tea : The delicate flavors of green tea and honey pair perfectly together to make a light and refreshing iced tea. (45 calories per 8-oz. serving)

Both of these new teas are made with all natural ingredients and don’t contain any artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup or preservatives which is exactly what I’m looking for in an everyday drink!

Now, the Pure Leaf Teas are good on their own, but here’s a delicious recipe to dress it up a little for yourself – it’s also perfect to serve at a party this summer!

MINTED MELON ICED HONEY GREEN TEA {2 Servings}

6 chunks honeydew melon, about 1-1/2 inches square
15 large fresh mint leaves
1 bottle Pure Leaf™ Not Too Sweet Honey Green Tea

Crush honeydew and mint with wooden spoon in 1-quart glass measuring cup. Stir in Pure Leaf™ Not Too Sweet Honey Green Tea. Strain and serve over ice. Garnish, if desired, with additional honeydew and mint leaves. For a pitcher, simply double the recipe.

Pure Leaf Tea begins with the freshest tea leaves picked at their peak. The leaves are then hand-selected from China, India, Africa and South America for their distinctive and smooth flavor by Pure Leaf’s Master Tea Blenders. Pure Leaf is proud to be Rainforest Alliance Certified™ for sourcing tea sustainably.

I was also excited to learn that the square bottles are made of PET plastic, which are lightweight and provide a high pallet efficiency, which equates to more bottles, lighter loads and less fuel used in transport. The bottles are also 100% recyclable!

Pure Leaf Teams up With Food Network’s Chopped

Pure Leaf has partnered with Ted Allen of Chopped to showcase different unique food and beverage pairings for any meal. Read below for his Summer Entertaining Tips!

Ted Allen of Chopped and Pure Leaf Tea

On summertime refreshments: Summertime is party time, and nothing says celebration like cocktails—and mocktails! A splash of vodka (or not) in Pure Leaf Sweet Tea, along with some fresh cherries, an ounce of elderflower liqueur, and some fresh mint—or, if you’re adventuresome, fresh basil— makes for a great, refreshing, showy treat!

On Pure Leaf Not Too Sweet flavors: The clean, crisp refreshment of Pure Leaf Not Too Sweet is perfect for lightly seasoned, light fare like salads, shrimp, and other delicate foods—compliments them without overwhelming them.

On hosting a barbecue: When you’re barbecuing, make it easier on yourself by prepping ahead with side dishes that don’t need to be heated: Bean salads, pasta salads, even a panzanella bread salad are easy to make ahead, and that frees you up to be the Grill Master.

Idea for Labor Day party: It’s your last chance of the summer to wear white—so throw a White Party! Serve white beans, white asparagus, white Belgian beer, and be sure to tuck a napkin into your collar before eating.

On pairing with tea (a tip he’s sharing at a special pairings seminar at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen): The delicate, refreshing flavor of tea pairs beautifully with almost any food. Think of its abilities to clean your palate of rich, sweet flavors, and to compliment more delicate ones. Offer a range of teas—sweet, unsweetened, not-too-sweet, peach—to give your guests choices, then serve with interesting garnishes (cherries, kiwi, blood orange, Meyer lemon, and a selection of herbs).

On dinner parties: Nobody wants to hear themselves chewing at a dinner party, so don’t let “dead air” happen at yours! For a fun ambiance, the music must never stop. Develop a playlist of Chet Baker.

Pure Leaf Tea, including the Not Too Sweet line is available in 18.5 oz. single-serve bottles for a suggested retail price of about $1.79 and a 59 oz. family size carafe which retails for approximately $2.69.

Connect with Pure Leaf Tea

– Pure Leaf Iced Tea on Facebook
– PureLeaf Twitter

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Pure Leaf. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.