[Dallas] Best Iced Tea Contest 2008

[Richard Kilgore]

The Second Annual Best Iced Tea Contest at the Plaza at Preston Center featured 19 entries from area restaurants, tea rooms, coffee and tea purveyors and a culinary school. After buying a raffle ticket (with proceeds going to the North Texas Food Bank), I strolled The Plaza, sampling tea and munchies at the tables set up on the sidewalks.

The Cultured Cup brought this event idea with them from their old location on Beltline, where they launched it about ten years ago. The contest judges did a blind tasting at the Cultured Cup and gave 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards. The rest of us iced tea drinkers had a vote for the People's Choice Award.

1st Place - Milestone Culinary Arts Center's "Tea Drops"

2nd Place - Maudee's Cafe and Tea Room, "Maudee's Iced Tea"

3rd Place - Southern Sweet Tea's "Sweet Lemon Tea"

People's Choice Award - Cafe R & D

The other contestants included -

Houston's "Arnold Palmer"

Tin Star's "Rasberry Lemon Iced Tea"

Kathleen's Sky Diner's "Plantation Tea"

Craft's "Lavendar Peach Iced Tea"

Sterling Tea's "Cranberry Orange" and "Daybreak-Herbal Tea"

Fat Straws Bubble Tea's "White Summer Rain" and "Green Pomegranate"

Greenz "Raspberry Royale"

Drip Coffee's "Texas Sunset"

Radiant Chinese Herb & Tea Lounge's "Berrylicious"

Stonebriar Tea's "Irish Morning"

Bolla's "Bolla Blend"

Cliff Cafe's "Ginger Mint"

Cafe on the Green Restaurant's "Green Tea-Ginger Pimm's Iced Tea"

Tillman's Road House "Peach Pie Iced Tea with Cookie Crumble"

Blue Mesa's "Passion Fruit Tea"

Among the dozen or so official judges were --

Casey Thompson - Executive Chef of Shinsei and Top Chef Season 3 runner-up

Stephan Pyles - Executive Chef of Stephan Pyles

Joyce Harris - Dallas Morning News Food Section Contributor

Catherine Collins - Managing Editor of Culinary Concierge

I tried about 15 of the 19 offerings and particularly enjoyed several. The Cafe on the Green's "Green Tea-Ginger Pimm's Iced Tea" was inspired and well balanced with fresh ingredients. Craft's "Lavendar Peach Iced Tea" was lovely...and accompanied by four delicious pastries. The Milestone Culinary Arts Center's "Tea Drops" was on my short list, too.

The "Peach Pie Iced Tea with Cookie Crumble" worked wonderfully well -- the peach tea alone was very good, but with a bite of the pie dough cookie it was like drinking a peach pie. Bolla's "Bolla Blend" was way too sweet for my taste, but the underlying taste was flavorful and complex. Cafe R & D's "The R.W." also was worth going back for more. I don't usually expect too much from bubble tea, so the teas from Fta Straws were the welcome surprise of the afternoon - I particularly liked their "White Summer Rain". Unfortunately, I did not get to the Southern Sweet Tea table.

Did anyone else go? What were your favorites?