Lakeland is home to the first HTeaO outside of Texas, and if you haven’t made it part of your weekly {or daily} routine, we have just one question… what are you waiting for??
Serving 24 flavors of fresh brewed iced tea, HTeaO Lakeland has quickly become my favorite spot to treat myself to a beverage, and my family loves it too. Call it what you want – a tea bar, tea shop, or tea buffet – HTeaO has one focus: serving delicious iced tea.
My favorite flavor is Mint – half sweet / half unsweet. My husband loves Sweet Coconut, and my boys go back and forth between Sweet Watermelon and Sweet Raspberry. Other flavors include Sweet Georgia Peach, Blueberry, Mango, Almond, Turbo Citrus, Green Tea, Decaf, and Regular – with most flavors in both sweet and unsweet versions.
HTeaO is a Lakeland Mom Sponsor and we are excited to tell you what we love about this new iced tea business located at 3920 S Florida Avenue in Lakeland.
WHY I ♥ HTeaO
A few of my favorite things about HTeaO that I feel pretty certain you can get excited about too:
DRIVE THRU – Moms of babies and toddlers, this one is for YOU! The drive-thru means you can get a cup of your favorite tea without having to unbuckle, wrangle, or keep track of any small children. For those without littles, it is also super convenient to pick up a cup of your favorite flavor of iced tea on the go.
ALL NATURAL DRINKS – The tea flavors are added naturally through dried fruit in the tea bags, and cane sugar is used to sweeten the teas. There are zero artificial sweeteners or syrups used in the teas.
GOOD ICE – You know what I’m talking about! The small pellets of crunchy ice. They have good ice to go IN your tea, and also bagged up, ready for you to take with you.
GALLON JUGS OF TEA – Gone are the days of choosing between plain old sweet or unsweet tea. You can get ANY FLAVOR at HTeaO in a ½ or 1-gallon jug. Take it home, take it to the office, take it with you to the baseball/soccer/softball/football field. Serve iced tea at your next party or family gathering. They even offer the Daily Set Up – ½ Gallon of Tea and 44oz cup of ice. Other specials available throughout the year are shared on social media.
SNACKS – They carry a great selection of healthy snacks – popcorn, beef jerky, protein bars, nuts, and more.
YETI – HTeaO carries a selection of YETI products.
FRUIT BAR – Love fruit in your tea? Good news! There are lemon, lime, and orange slices you can add to your drink, along with a fresh fruit bar where you can add blueberries, peaches, pineapple, and more. You can also fix a cup of fruit to go – another option for a healthy snack.
And my favorite thing about HTeaO Lakeland… HTEAO HAPPY HOUR!
Every day, 7 days a week, between 2PM – 4PM – is HAPPY HOUR! That means half-priced drinks for everyone.
FIRST VISIT to HTeaO LAKELAND? A FEW TIPS:
1 – Sample ALL the flavors! Find the small sample cups when you walk in. Try all the flavors to find your favorite. Mix and match to create your own blend. The first time I went in with my kids I think we spent the first 10 minutes trying samples and claiming each of our favorites was the best.
2 – Go easy on the ice. The tea is already chilled so it isn’t going to melt your ice like iced tea usually does.
3 – Start planning your next visit. It is totally normal to be sad when your cup is empty. Also normal to think about when you can stop by again tomorrow. These happen to me every time I go to HTeaO.
4 – Be sure to get the HTeaO App and start earning rewards. Because again… see #3.
ADDRESS & HOURS: HTeaO is located at 3920 S Florida Avenue in Lakeland
(next to Fuzzy’s / Jason’s Deli / Steak n Shake)
HOW DO THEY DO IT? WHAT MAKES THE ICED TEA AT HTEAO SOOOOO GOOD??
I went on a “tour” of HTeaO in Lakeland to discover what makes their fresh brewed iced tea taste SO.DANG.GOOD. Seriously, it is way better than any tea I brew at home.
What I discovered is that there is an art to their delicious drinks. It starts with the quality of the water – a reverse osmosis filtration system located in the back of the tea bar creates “clean” water that tastes and feels better than what comes out of the tap. {Side note – you can also buy this water to-go in bottles or a 5-gallon jug}.
Next, they brew the tea in hot water, then add all-natural cane sugar to the sweet tea versions, cool it in a walk-in refrigerator, and use it to fill the chiller dispensers when each flavor gets low.
Simple, delicious, and refreshing.
EVENTS & FUNDRAISERS
HTeaO has jumped into the Lakeland community since opening, supporting Lakeland and Polk County organizations and serving tea at local events. They offer a variety of options – from running a tea booth and vending to your guests, to providing ice and jugs for you to serve the tea yourself. To inquire about having HTeaO at your event simply call the store at (863) 333-6032 or stop by to talk with a manager.
YOU’VE GOT TO EXPERIENCE IT YOURSELF
I have done my best to put my enthusiasm into words, but I can’t really do it justice in writing and pictures – HTeaO is something you have to experience for yourself. After a few sips of your first cup of iced tea, I hope you’ll realize why so many people have fallen in love with HTeaO since it opened in Lakeland!
WHERE TO FIND HTeaO LAKELAND
3920 S Florida, Lakeland, FL 33803 (MAP IT)
(863) 333-6032
Summer Hours – May through August – open daily until 9pm!
Opens at 7am M-F | 8am Sat | 11am Sun
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