Where I live in the Midwest, we are no strangers to hot and humid summer days. But let’s for just a moment, consider one of the words in the first sentence – HUMID. There is a difference between dry heat and humid heat.  While dry heat definitely feels hotter, it does not feel nearly as hot as humid heat. That is because our bodies can efficiently cool themselves with sweat, which evaporates quickly off the skin into the air. My mother used to say – dry heat Arizona, humid heat Florida.  Is doesn’t matter to me hot is hot, whether its humid or dry.

When someone says “I just love the summer, the hotter the better. I’m a sun baby!”– I want to reply – “You love to be hot and sticky and sweaty? Not me, like I said – hot is hot!  I was curious once an actually looked up what a person who loves the sun is called – they are referred to as a Heliophile. I just call them crazy, but under my breathe of course.

So where is all this heading… how to cool off. So, whether you’re in a dry heat place like Phoenix, Arizona or a humid heat place like Charleston, South Carolina – the answer is ICED TEA.

John Egerton wrote…

“Iced tea is too pure and natural, a creation not to have been invented as soon as tea, ice and hot weather crossed paths.”

So, shaken, stirred, served with a lemon or lime, whatever — iced tea is a quintessential component of a hot summer’s day, especially if you have a porch from which to enjoy your summertime sips.