Tea may not be as old as water but it's still pretty old, having been around almost five millenniums. Yet it was only a century ago that tea took a turn that has earned it an especially esteemed spot on summertime tables.

Fred Thompson relates the story in his book Iced Tea: 50 Recipes for Refreshing Tisanes, Infusions, Coolers, and Spiked Teas (Harvard Common Press, 2002, $10.95). As Thompson tells it, one of the exhibitors at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis was a gentleman tea plantation owner, Richard Blechynden, who planned to give away samples to fairgoers. But during the fair, St. Louis suffered a heat wave, dampening the desire for warm beverages.

So Blechynden added bags of ice to his hot tea and the rest is history. No wonder - tea and ice are a happy combination. Delicate yet bracing, well-brewed tea can be as delicious cold as it is hot.

In its sweetened state, iced tea is rightly known as the "house wine of the South." Cold and refreshing, it has long been essential to many a Southern meal.

Now iced tea, sweetened or not, is gaining respect around the country, even in fancy, big-city restaurants. And if you check the beverage section of your local grocery store, you're likely to find several kinds of bottled iced tea, some quite upscale.

Even mediocre iced tea can serve as a thirst quencher. But by observing just a few simple rules, you can produce a beverage that is every bit as good as the expensive gourmet stuff now bottled for your convenience.

Here are a few guidelines, adapted from Thompson's advice on the subject:

Pay attention to your water. If it has an unpleasant taste, so will your iced tea. In that case, use bottled or filtered water.

Don't settle for pale tea. Use at least three regular-sized tea bags for each quart of water.

Don't allow your tea to steep too long. Steeping it longer doesn't make the tea stronger, but it does bring out its bitterness.

Don't refrigerate tea until it has cooled to room temperature; otherwise you will have cloudy tea.

Use your tea within two or three days; iced tea should be relatively fresh.

If you like lemon in iced tea, always use freshly squeezed lemon juice. Otherwise, why bother to make good tea?

Southern-Style Iced Tea

Makes 2 quarts

6 regular-size tea bags

1/8 teaspoon baking soda (a good pinch)

2 cups boiling water

6 cups cold water

granulated sugar or other sweetener to taste (optional)

In a glass measuring cup or ceramic teapot large enough to accommodate the boiling water, place the tea bags and baking soda. Pour the boiling water over the tea bags. Cover and let steep for 15 minutes.

Remove the tea bags, being careful not to squeeze them (squeezing the bags will add bitterness).

Pour the concentrate into a 2-quart pitcher and add the cold water. Sweeten, if desired.

Let cool, then chill and serve over ice.

(Note: The baking soda might seem strange, but it softens the natural tannins that cause an acid or bitter taste.)

- "Iced Tea: 50 Recipes for Refreshing Tisanes, Infusions, Coolers, and Spiked Teas," by Fred Thompson