It so much so isn’t a thing that it didn’t even cross my mind even though I know about it. The only time we call a consumption event a “tea” is when we are deliberately emulating the British, usually in a more-or-less formal setting, with very light snacks not approaching a full meal. But the hours can be anywhere from 11 am to 5 from what I gather (never been to one, I can have tea and snacks any time I want.)
bolding mine
Sweet or unsweet. With or without lemon. Those are the choices in many restaurants that serve iced tea. As mentioned it is largely the south to southeastern part of the United States where ordering tea will get you iced tea unless you specify hot tea. If the OP is traveling out to Wyoming I am not sure that will be an issue.
Many prepared cold tea drinks come with lemon flavour added. It may be hard to find without lemon.
The Tea Association of the United States note 80% of tea consumed in the US is iced tea. Black tea, which is preferred for iced tea, is the overwhelming favourite comprising, again, 80% of all tea consumed in the States.
So it is hard to overemphasize that selection may be severely limited, particularly in more rural communities with smaller stores. You may find that if a hotel in such a community has any tea at all it may just be a Lipton tea bag of dubious freshness. There is no guarantee of timely turnover of stock to ensure fresh tea.
If you are going to pick up tea bags at a local grocery store here in the states, Tetley has, in addition to a “regular” tea, a Tetley British Blend. It is stronger than “regular” and likely will tolerate having milk added.
“‘High Tea’ with a Mr… Newman?”
I took a mini kettle and some tea bags (counted out for three cups per person per day and put in a bag) last time I went to the US. It’s true that the American versions of English teas aren’t strong enough - and I don’t even take milk.
Conversely, the only time in the past 2 years I have taken milk with my tea was when I was in England and the cup wasn’t large enough for me to limit the strength. I find that the closer it gets to translucent/opaque, the less I can taste the actual tea taste and the more I just taste bitterness (although the milk does bring some of the flavor back, why take it away in the first place?)
Opacity isn’t a tell-tale for strength: some teas have caramel added to give the brown colour.
Meh, no one is going to miss any particularly impactful experience by skipping out on iced tea. I wouldn’t encourage anyone to have it if they weren’t already self motivated to do so.
Just to note, in South Asia, hot tea is considered refreshing on a hot summer day. No iced variant is necessary.
5 minutes in the pot is, though. As one of those rare idiots that likes both coffee and tea about equally I highly recommend you bring your own with a small travel kettle. I’ve tried in vain to get a decent cuppa in the US and either gave up and just went with iced tea because it was too damn hot (Louisiana) or found a spot that made decent coffee (harder than it sounds ). Restaurant coffee tended to be weak and the tea absolutely horrid (unsweetened and iced being the exception). FWIW, my mother was born in Lancashire and God help me if I didn’t have a proper cuppa ready for her when she got home after work… 
ok, and?
Moved IMHO >>> Cafe Society.
Ellen
Serious note; that might be a problem. Bringing gold bars into US. Customs is “meh”. Bringing food items, step aside sir
:smack: No wonder I have such trouble getting a decent cup of tea in the US with what I thought were the same teabags. Must remember to bring my own on my next trip.
And I tend to drink it strong and black (if the tea is good; if it’s PG Tips I’ll do the milk and sugar thing).
Ok, and?
I don’t know if it’s different for British citizens coming into the US, but I’ve brought back tons of tea from the UK over the years–I collect decorative tins. Never a problem.
But why should the OP spend time in a strange city rolling the die on what will be found when the stuff is lightweight enough to not even notice when you pack it in your luggage? I’m with the “bring your own” crowd.
Thank you for that info. I’ve tried their EBT and also their Irish Breakfast Tea and wondered “Wot’s all this about powerful British tea? This is marginally more tasty but certainly no stronger than that Lipton’s stuff. No wonder we dumped it in Boston Harbor!”
If I want a tea with some punch, I go with the Lapsang Souchong.
Honestly, as I said above, lived in the U.K. for several months, and I didn’t quite get where the strong British tea meme comes from, either. Besides, if you want it stronger, just use an extra bag, no?
Quite a few, it seems.
As for loathsome “sweet tea”, it has been a southern thing, but more recently creeping northwards to the point that it’s not unusual in Ohio to be asked on ordering iced tea if you want it sweetened or unsweetened. Thankfully no one does this with coffee.
In my experience there is a tremendous difference between “sweet tea” in the South and “sweetened tea” everywhere else in the US. “Sweet tea” is a nearly saturated solution of sugar in tea - you can almost see the sugar crystallizing out of solution. I tried it once, from then on would order half sweet, half un-sweet (which apparently in some parts of Alabama is a of sacrilege akin to referring to “The Civil War” instead of “The War of Northern Aggression”). “Sweetened tea” I have had elsewhere has much less (but still too much for me) sugar, and frequently has other flavoring as well (like peach or raspberry).
Bold added.