As I recently alluded to, I've been using my Hamilton Beach Iced Tea Maker since my wife returned from the US. After leaving a partial pitcher of brewed tea in the fridge for a couple of days, I remembered why I started drinking instant iced tea in the first place. Saying what was in the fridge became bad tasting tea is putting it mildly.

What Makes Brewed Tea Turn Bad?

I've been searching the net for days, looking for an exact answer to this question. The best anyone could come up with is that it starts to ferment or starts to sour due to some form of bacteria or tea leaves decompose just like any other plants and the "extracted" ingredients don't stop decomposing. All of it makes sense, but I can't find an authoritative answer anywhere. Perhaps you could enlighten me and point me in the right direction?

I don't know what causes iced tea, which has been sitting for more than about 15 hours, to suddenly develop a smell and a taste akin to gasoline (or chlorine). I really can't say what it smells like, but it's really bad. I have quickly learned not to store it for longer than the same day it's made. Does that make sense to you? It doesn't sound quite right to me, but what I'm trying to say is that I'll brew one pitcher, pour a glass and then put the rest in the fridge. If I don't finish it off the same day, it gets tossed in the sink.

Go Back to Instant Iced Tea?

The only reason I will EVER return to drinking instant iced tea is when I can no longer find teabags (any brand). Brewed tea, from tea leaves, tastes so much better than instant it's ridiculous.

I've found that I can drink tea, hot or cold, without sugar if I make it strong enough. It's when I make it too weak that it seems to need more taste to it, and sugar gives it the taste. I prefer the taste of the tea over the sweetness although I know a lot of people prefer sweet iced tea, especially southerners.

Anyway… now that I know I can't store iced tea for longer than a day, I don't think I'll ever "accidentally" take a swig of bad tasting tea again.

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I always knew that tea was a healthy drink, but I didn't know it had healthy external uses as well. One of the external uses is in the treatment of sweaty feet, which causes foot odor.

Stinky Feet

Over-the-counter treatments sold by most pharmacies are either expensive or don't work or both. Using foot powders can help to draw the sweat away from the feet, but the kind that are supposed to get rid of the odor usually have a scent that's just as bad.

Charcoal sole inserts help to reduce the odor, but that's all they do. They don't help to cure the cause of the odor. Most of the other foot treatments don't get rid of the cause either.

Stinky feet start out as sweaty feet. You can have sweaty feet without ever wearing shoes that cover the feet. People who wear sandals all the time can have feet as stinky as anyone else. Odor causing bacteria thrive in the sweat. The optimum solution would be to wash the sweat from the feet frequently, but who has that kind of time luxury?

Natural Cures

In the Philippines, where I live, people have been using a form of alum called tawas as a deodorant and it works as well as anything sold commercially for much more. The problem is that it also whitens the skin by removing the top layer. It's used as a skin whitener as often as a deodorant.

Tea contains a natural tannic acid that will kill the bacteria that lives in the sweat of the feet, as the article on "How to Treat Sweaty Feet With Tea" explains. The tannic acid will also help to prevent blisters.

I've used tawas in the past, but I've never used tea. I used to have feet so stinky, I was afraid to take my shoes off in public places. The tawas worked, but all the tanned skin from my feet came off along with the odors. Tea can stain the feet, but the article I mentioned tells you how to remove the stains. My feet are starting to give off odors again and it's time to give tea a try.

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• Iced Tea — When It's Too Hot to Drink Coffee
• Steuarts Black Tea with Cinnamon
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• Coffee or Tea, Hot or Cold, But No Soda For Me