ever gonna drink Mc'D's Sweet Tea again

[reginaastralis]

I've seen them down here, but we've never bought them. They are made by both Lipton and Nestle (I think that's the right name) and you can use one or two instead of the little bags.

I do like *gasp* hot tea as well, so we just buy the little bags.

 

[srwarden1928]

Im Southern and I never heard of the baking soda. The key to sweet tea is that you put in the sugar while the tea is still warm. Sugar does NOT dissolve properly in cold tea. It is NOT necessary to use simple syrup if you sweeten WARM tea.

If my only choice is unsweetened tea, I pass and just drink Coke. Either brand.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I am not positive on this, but this is what I was told about 8 months ago by a manager at my local Mickey D's. She said it is 5 gallons of tea mixed with 4 lbs of sugar. She said they do not use any baking soda or anything else. Also, was told that the large size has 750 calories. Needless to say, that was my LAST sweet tea from there.....Chick Fil A as well.

Not quite.

If five gallons of water/tea contains four pounds of sugar, sixteen ounces of liquid contains 1.6 ounces of sugar.

One ounce of sugar contains 110 calories. One point six ounces of sugar = 176 calories.

Thirty two ounces of tea would have twice as much sugar, so twice as many calories, or 352.

For a large tea to be 750 calories (based on the proportions given, it would either have to have something we don't know about in it (a Big Mac?), or it would have to be over a half gallon in size.

Now, that's entirely possible in this super-size world... but it's NOT the 99 cent size!

 

[Brooknwdw]

Oh my goodness..I must admit that (being from the South myself) reading the OP's post gave me quite a chuckle! I was literally "brought up" on sweet tea..everyone I know has been!

Anyway, my mom sometimes used to make sun tea out on the back deck..but she usually made it the way I do now:

Bring 3 family size LIPTON iced tea bags to a boil in 2 or 3 cups of water. Just as its starting to boil, take it off the heat and put a lid on it.
Let it sit covered for 10 to 15 minutes.

Pour 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar in the bottom of a gallon container, pour hot tea (not tea bags). Stir until sugar is dissolved. Then, fill the container up the rest of the way with cold water! Very simple and everyone loves our tea!

(Of course, sugar is to taste..some like it sweeter..some not so sweet.)

A couple of things that ruins the taste of tea is 1) letting it sit TOO LONG (don't let it cool down on the back of the stove) and 2) Letting it boil too long..if it comes to a foamy rolling boil for two or three minutes, its too late..throw it out and start over! It will taste bitter/burnt/too strong. I sometimes get busy and forget to watch it!

If you want to cut out the sugar just make it the same way except without the sugar..you can add splenda to taste by the glass.

HTH!

 

[Mr Smee23]

Growing up we had Sweet tea with every meal. After we made it we never refrigerated it. It never lasted long, but if you did refrigerate it for some reason it would get too sweet overnight and would be nasty. I don't know what made it get sweeter overnight. Never ad koolaid much, until i joined the Navy though. In the Navy koolaid is called bugjuice.

Smee

 

[Green Tea]

Honestly, I have no idea. That's how my mom taught me how to do it.

I was making ice tea yesterday and my DD asked why I did it the way I did. I said because that is the way my mom always did. It wasn't the soda, which I have never heard of, but will try. It was the making it strong in seeping, then adding the sugar and more water.

 

[karliebug]

I make mine with 4 family size bags and really hot water (our tap water is very,very hot). Then I stir in 11 packets of sweet n lo. It makes a gallon.

 

[kydisneyfans]

I was addicted to the McDonalds Sweet Tea until I went yesterday and found they raised the price from a dollar to a dollar fifty. I'll make my own now.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well, I'm a native of the cold, cold north; the furthest south my parents ever lived was St. Louis, but my mom made my dad (and ONLY my dad!) sweet tea all the time - we just didn't know it back then. Six - eight teabags in a four quart pot of boiling water, add a cup of sugar, let cool, refrigerate, pour over ice.

And McDonald's sweet tea is still cheaper than Dunkin Donuts iced coffee (or tea, for that matter)!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Not quite.

If five gallons of water/tea contains four pounds of sugar, sixteen ounces of liquid contains 1.6 ounces of sugar.

One ounce of sugar contains 110 calories. One point six ounces of sugar = 176 calories.

Thirty two ounces of tea would have twice as much sugar, so twice as many calories, or 352.

For a large tea to be 750 calories (based on the proportions given, it would either have to have something we don't know about in it (a Big Mac?), or it would have to be over a half gallon in size.

Now, that's entirely possible in this super-size world... but it's NOT the 99 cent size!

I was going to post the same thing, but you did it much more elegantly. Chick-fil-a's sweet tea has a little more than 10 calories per ounce, or just over 320 for 32 ounces. McDonald's is comparable in sweetness, depending on the store. 350 is about right (roughly), but I like your analysis better!

 

[ChristyJ]

I'm a Northerner too and was also brought up on Grandma's sweet tea. It was always a huge treat to have when we went to her house, and we'd beg our mom to make it at home. When the sweet tea from McD's came out, my sister and I both were "addicted" to it at first. I think any weight I had taken off in the spring came back after drinking too much of it though... Anyway, I'll make it at home once in a great while for a treat, but have been staying away from the McD's kind now.

 

[PoohHappens]

http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/bagamcmeal/itemDetailInfo.do?itemID=3430

you have to do a search on the sight to find the info. It is not yet listed in the nutritional info on its own. I am glad to see that it is sugar and not HFCS. It is so sweet I was starting to wonder.

 

[ditchdoc1017]

We use Red diamond tea bags I family to a gallon. boil water small pot add to container then 2 cups of sugar then add more water there you go.

 

[Belle4mygrl]

Honestly, I have no idea. That's how my mom taught me how to do it. I did forget it one time and it did have a slightly different taste. Maybe it does have something to do with bitterness. Just a tiny pinch, not even half of a teaspoon.

What I gave is a typical southern recipe. It's different from person to person. Some do more/less tea bags and some do more sugar. (notice I didn't say less, lol! We like it sweet!)

ETA: I googled it, it is for bitterness!

thanks! I wondered since I am a southerner and never heard of it.


We have iced cold sweet tea every night for supper. If I don't have tea made at supper my family knows something is wrong.

A trick that i have found that does not make my tea bitter--2 cups of water in microwave safe bowl with one family size bag and microwave 3 minutes, steep about 10 then add 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 gallon of water.
** never let sit overnight YUCK!*** Always drink tea fresh, imho

 

[ConnieB]

Well, 230 calories for your 32oz sweet tea fits perfectly with your 540 calories for that Big Mac and 500 calories for those large fries. That makes 1270 calories just for lunch!!! Oh, and those who think they're eating "healthier" by having the grilled chicken sandwich....ouch, 420 calories for classic; 530 for Club.

Considering that an average woman needs 2,000 or less calories a day, that makes for some might small breakfast and dinner meals, lol. Yeah, like that's gonna happen.

No wonder my waist keeps expanding!

Thankfully, I can cut those calories by 230, because I don't like sweet tea, so I either get a plain, unsweetened tea, water if they have lemon, or a diet soda, which while not great for you, at least has no calories.

So....I'll get a $1 hot fudge sundae instead.....oops 320 calories. Well at least it's not a 620 calorie McFlurry!

 

[goofyboyzmom]

Funny story..........When we moved to Georgia in '95 (for 6 months, LOL) we went to a restaurant our first day and ordered iced tea. It was like a comedy...I took a drink and it was all I could do not to "spew" it all over! Apparently when you order iced tea in Georgia (the whole south?) it is automatically "sweet" tea. I drink my tea with lemon only, NOT ONE drop of sugar, so it was a YUCKY surprise!

Anyways, when it came to McDonalds this year, the thought of it just gagged me. I asked the woman I talk to all the time and, according to her, it is one POUND of sugar to one GALLON of water!!! Can you imagine???

 

[mom2my3kids]

Yep we love it here also, we are now making sweet tea at my IHOP.. We use a quart and a half of sugar for a huge container.. Its just sweet enough not overly sweet but it rates right up their with McDonald's..

 

[tzolkin]

Maybe there's something wrong with me, but I found the McD sweet tea to be absolutely disgusting. I lived in the south for 10 years and thought it would be nice to try it since I havent had it in a while. I took one sip and almost spit it out. I thought maybe it was just me, but all my kids tried it and wouldnt drink it either. I asked my mom about it and she said she has had it a few times at different McDonald's where it tasted bad and she had to dump it out, but other times she liked it.

All I can think is that not that many people buy it around here and they let it sit there too long I'm sure the people who have never had sweet tea before that try this nasty stuff must think southerners are crazy for drinking it.

 

[Gagirl69]

I've lived in the south my whole life and I've never heard of putting baking soda in tea. I make a gallon a day. That's all my husband will drink. I love my sweet tea but I also gotta have my pepsi. (not coke)

Also, I like for my tea to get cold. I don't like "fresh" tea. I try to make it before going to bed. Its nice and cold when I want it the next day. Ice just waters it down IMO.

 

[blu3d3vil]

Chickfila Tea rocks, McDonalds Tea is nasty. If you like McD's tea then you'll love tea from The Dwarf House.

If you live in the south and ask for tea it'll be sweet unless you specify 'unsweet'