how to make sweet tea

[laurafergie]

For a gallon of tea, I use 3 family or 9 regular tea bags. Boil about a two quarts of water, and then put in the tea bags and let seep for about five minutes, but no longer than ten minutes. If you boil the tea bags, it'll be bitter. Add hot tea to pitcher, add sugar to hot tea and stir until dissolved, then fill the rest of the way with cold water. I happen to use 1 2/3 cups of sugar, because that is perfect for my family. Use only Lipton or Tetley tea.

IMO tea that is dripped, like through a domestic coffee maker, doesn't taste right. The water doesn't get hot enough and for the strength to be correct, you have to use more tea.

[North of Mouse]

Wow, almost had to stop and think how we make our tea! It's something that we have had all our lives, so kind of do it without thinking.

I put 1 - 1 1/4 cups sugar in a 2qt. pitcher with a little water (don't want to pour hot water in glass directly), then boil 2 cups water, add 5 tea bags and let it steep 5min. Any longer makes it bitter. Then pour the tea into pitcher, and finish adding cold water to make 2qts. Stir well, serve over ice.

[DISshopkeeper]

I've been drinking tea all my life, both hot and iced. I've made literally hundreds of gallons of iced tea. And I've never heard of NOT boiling water for truly good tea.

OTOH, I sometimes let it brew overnight. Not on purpose, for the most part.


And your DD would likely hate my recipe.... I use 1/4 cup sugar for the gallon. And that's only a nod to DH. I prefer my tea plain and unsweetened, hot or cold.

[firecracker725]

Originally Posted by DISshopkeeper

I've been drinking tea all my life, both hot and iced. I've made literally hundreds of gallons of iced tea. And I've never heard of NOT boiling water for truly good tea.

OTOH, I sometimes let it brew overnight. Not on purpose, for the most part.


And your DD would likely hate my recipe.... I use 1/4 cup sugar for the gallon. And that's only a nod to DH. I prefer my tea plain and unsweetened, hot or cold.

Well this southern girl is here to tell you that the Cold Brew is every bit as good as hot brewed tea. It has changed my life.

[Wishing on a star]

Okay, here is the scoop

This has been something that has cropped up on my radar...
I was looking at info about green tea. (as in hot tea from green tea leaves)

But, then in a broader search I saw a comment about different types of tea... and one actually mentioned that Southern (sweet) tea is boiled.

Let me tell you...
I am a southern girl too.
And, had already discovered the difference, completely by accident, a few years ago.

I was cooking for Thanksgiving... which is always at MIL...
She is from up north, and has basically never even drank tea.
And, especially not good Southern Sweet Tea.
And, I really wanted to take me some tea for my Thanksgiving meal.

So, I was very busy with everything, and forgot to turn the eye off when I had started my tea on the stove. Next thing I knew, the tea bags were just boiling away!!!! I was like...
No time to brew another pot...
So, I sweetened it.... poured in a carafe, and out the door we went.

OMG, that wast the BEST, most smooth, rich, delicious, tea that I had ever had.
Same teabags, same recipe.....

Now that I am drinking a cup of green tea in the mornings...
I tried different methods...
And, yep, If I bring it to a simmer (not just steep with hot water poured over it....) it is SO much better. Richer, and not bitter.

Give it a try..
If you want real smooth, rich, southern sweet tea... you will be glad you did.

You don't have to boil it to death, like I almost did by accident.
Just make sure the teabags reach a simmer before cutting off the eye.

Sweeten with plenty of sugar, while still warm, to fully incorporate and dissolve more sweetness into the tea. Let cool for a bit... Pour over glass filled to the brim with ice.

[willowsnn3]

I pretty much just bring the water with the tea bags to a boil then remove from heat, cover & let steep for a few minutes. And yes the water needs to be hot for the sugar to dissolve but not boiling hot as that can 'burn' the sugar & leave a bad taste. I used to use 2 cups of sugar for a gallon as that is how my family liked it but my dd's and I now only use a tiny bit of sugar to taste. I never ever made a good batch of tea using Lipton. I much prefer Luzianne or Tetley.
Oh, and remember it is always sweeter the next day!!

[JoBird]

I make tea super quick- by boiling it in the microwave!

Get your tea bags, put them into a coffee cup filled with water. I usually use around 4-5 depending on how big the pitcher will be.

Put the coffee cup with water and tea bags into the microwave and set at 2 minutes. This brings it to a boil.

While waiting, take the pitcher and add sugar (no water yet!) -- I use about a cup and a half. When the microwave goes off, dunk the tea bags up and down for about 30 seconds then pour the tea into the pitcher with the sugar. Refill the coffee mug with water with the tea bags and let it steep while you stir the tea and sugar in the pitcher until dissolved. Then add the tea from the coffee mug.
Fill pitcher with cold water and stir.

You may need to add more sugar if your pitcher is big.

Oh, and I use Earl Grey tea. Gives me a reason to go into the Twining's shop in Epcot to buy it every year.

[luvsJack]

Originally Posted by Wishing on a star

Okay, here is the scoop

This has been something that has cropped up on my radar...
I was looking at info about green tea. (as in hot tea from green tea leaves)

But, then in a broader search I saw a comment about different types of tea... and one actually mentioned that Southern (sweet) tea is boiled.

Let me tell you...
I am a southern girl too.
And, had already discovered the difference, completely by accident, a few years ago.

I was cooking for Thanksgiving... which is always at MIL...
She is from up north, and has basically never even drank tea.
And, especially not good Southern Sweet Tea.
And, I really wanted to take me some tea for my Thanksgiving meal.

So, I was very busy with everything, and forgot to turn the eye off when I had started my tea on the stove. Next thing I knew, the tea bags were just boiling away!!!! I was like...
No time to brew another pot...
So, I sweetened it.... poured in a carafe, and out the door we went.

OMG, that wast the BEST, most smooth, rich, delicious, tea that I had ever had.
Same teabags, same recipe.....

Now that I am drinking a cup of green tea in the mornings...
I tried different methods...
And, yep, If I bring it to a simmer (not just steep with hot water poured over it....) it is SO much better. Richer, and not bitter.

Give it a try..
If you want real smooth, rich, southern sweet tea... you will be glad you did.

You don't have to boil it to death, like I almost did by accident.
Just make sure the teabags reach a simmer before cutting off the eye.

Sweeten with plenty of sugar, while still warm, to fully incorporate and dissolve more sweetness into the tea. Let cool for a bit... Pour over glass filled to the brim with ice.

My sister in law used to do it this way. And she added a couple of pinches of baking soda--no idea why but it wasn't enough to taste it or anything. Just a tiny bit in a gallon of tea. She did make good sweet tea though.







I make it by boiling some water in a pot and then adding two of the large tea bags, cover it off the stove and let it sit for 5 minutes. 2 cups + a little more of sugar to the pitcher, add the tea and fill with water.

My mother in law (who makes several gallons a day) uses a tea pot to boil the water. She puts her tea bags in the tea pitcher with the strings hanging out and tied together, and adds the sugar to the pitcher. Then pours the boiling water over the bags--she uses enough boiling water that the bags are hanging in water at the bottom of the pitcher. After a minute or two she fills the pitcher with water but leaves the bags hanging in the pitcher.

[NotUrsula]

Originally Posted by luvsJack

My sister in law used to do it this way. And she added a couple of pinches of baking soda--no idea why but it wasn't enough to taste it or anything. Just a tiny bit in a gallon of tea. She did make good sweet tea though.

The baking soda neutralizes the tannic acids and takes some of the bitterness out, allowing you to use less sugar and thus, cut the calorie content. The usual recommendation is about 1/8 tsp to a gallon of tea.

I make it by boiling some water in a pot and then adding two of the large tea bags, cover it off the stove and let it sit for 5 minutes. 2 cups + a little more of sugar to the pitcher, add the tea and fill with water.

Is that a gallon pitcher? If so, that's a really super-sweet recipe, unless you are compensating for the ice melt.

Once upon a time in my checkered past, it was my job to brew the tea for the LSU Faculty Club restaurant. We used those big 3-gal brew tanks, and our standard recipe was 3 cups of sugar per tank, using commercial tea bags, which are 3 oz. each -- again, standard commercial recipe, 1 oz. of dry tea per gallon brewed. The commercial recipe does compensate for the ice in terms of strength, as the tea sold for commercial use is quite strong.

That said, in the OP's case, it might be easiest to just make some simple syrup for her guest to use to sweeten his tea. Simple syrup is one part water to one part sugar, cooked to a quick boil. If you bottle it you can keep it in the fridge for a month, and it is the best way to sweeten individual glasses of iced tea. Also, the best white sugar for this is ultrafine baking sugar; it dissolves at a lower temp.

[PlaneJoy1]

Originally Posted by NotUrsula

The baking soda neutralizes the tannic acids and takes some of the bitterness out, allowing you to use less sugar and thus, cut the calorie content. The usual recommendation is about 1/8 tsp to a gallon of tea.

I use baking soda after boiling when I make tea.

In a medium sauce pan, I bring 4 family size tea bags to boiling. Take it off the heat and add a small amount of baking soda (be careful, it will cause the hot tea to 'foam' a little).

I already have a gallon size pitcher ready with 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of sweetener (to lessen the calories). Pour the hot team over the sugar/sweetener, stir, rinse the tea bags and pour in the pitcher, then fill the pitcher with cold water and stir.

It's how my mother taught me.

[pixiewings71]

Originally Posted by kacaju

This is how little I know about tea...What is a family bag?? I assume just a larger tea bag??

Yes, a family bag is a larger tea bag. About twice the size as a normal bag so just use twice as many.

I make mine with cold brew bags, don't tell Grandma though.

[firecracker725]

Originally Posted by pixiewings71

Yes, a family bag is a larger tea bag. About twice the size as a normal bag so just use twice as many.

I make mine with cold brew bags, don't tell Grandma though.

I'm telling you...if I had my own version of Oprah's Favorite Things, I'd include a lifetime supply of Lipton Cold Brew.

[luvsJack]

Originally Posted by NotUrsula

The baking soda neutralizes the tannic acids and takes some of the bitterness out, allowing you to use less sugar and thus, cut the calorie content. The usual recommendation is about 1/8 tsp to a gallon of tea.



Is that a gallon pitcher? If so, that's a really super-sweet recipe, unless you are compensating for the ice melt.

Once upon a time in my checkered past, it was my job to brew the tea for the LSU Faculty Club restaurant. We used those big 3-gal brew tanks, and our standard recipe was 3 cups of sugar per tank, using commercial tea bags, which are 3 oz. each -- again, standard commercial recipe, 1 oz. of dry tea per gallon brewed. The commercial recipe does compensate for the ice in terms of strength, as the tea sold for commercial use is quite strong.

That said, in the OP's case, it might be easiest to just make some simple syrup for her guest to use to sweeten his tea. Simple syrup is one part water to one part sugar, cooked to a quick boil. If you bottle it you can keep it in the fridge for a month, and it is the best way to sweeten individual glasses of iced tea. Also, the best white sugar for this is ultrafine baking sugar; it dissolves at a lower temp.

Ooooh! So that's what it was for! Her tea was always really good so that makes perfect sense.

And yeah, its a gallon pitcher. And yes, its very sweet. I cut it back to less than 2 cups but dd and dh don't like it that way.

[ilovepcot]

Great ways to make tea here. Thankfully no one has suggested using the "sun" method. Nas-tee and not southern. Don't ever do it.

[Liberty Belle]

Originally Posted by Wishing on a star

Okay, here is the scoop

This has been something that has cropped up on my radar...
I was looking at info about green tea. (as in hot tea from green tea leaves)

But, then in a broader search I saw a comment about different types of tea... and one actually mentioned that Southern (sweet) tea is boiled.

Let me tell you...
I am a southern girl too.
And, had already discovered the difference, completely by accident, a few years ago.

I was cooking for Thanksgiving... which is always at MIL...
She is from up north, and has basically never even drank tea.
And, especially not good Southern Sweet Tea.
And, I really wanted to take me some tea for my Thanksgiving meal.

So, I was very busy with everything, and forgot to turn the eye off when I had started my tea on the stove. Next thing I knew, the tea bags were just boiling away!!!! I was like...
No time to brew another pot...
So, I sweetened it.... poured in a carafe, and out the door we went.

OMG, that wast the BEST, most smooth, rich, delicious, tea that I had ever had.
Same teabags, same recipe.....

Now that I am drinking a cup of green tea in the mornings...
I tried different methods...
And, yep, If I bring it to a simmer (not just steep with hot water poured over it....) it is SO much better. Richer, and not bitter.

Give it a try..
If you want real smooth, rich, southern sweet tea... you will be glad you did.

You don't have to boil it to death, like I almost did by accident.
Just make sure the teabags reach a simmer before cutting off the eye.

Sweeten with plenty of sugar, while still warm, to fully incorporate and dissolve more sweetness into the tea. Let cool for a bit... Pour over glass filled to the brim with ice.

The eye?