Calling all southerners!

[SRUAlmn]

Exactly! I spent my entire life in PA, but had friends that grew up in the south. I LOVE sweet tea! I can sweeten my own tea too, but sweet tea is just tastier. Although since trying to cut down on sugar myself, I try not to drink so much.

Hey! I grew up near Pittsburgh too

 

[trudy88]

I'm a Disney newbie, planning a trip in January. Can't believe we're going to spend so much $$$ going to a place that won't have sweet tea or Dr. Pepper!!!
And please don't tell this Texas girl we're not in the south!!!
lololol

 

[flipflopmom]

I've never known anyone who put baking soda in tea.

It's funny, my sister in law just mentioned this last night. My brother recently found out he is diabetic, and she read to add a pinch to unsweetened tea before adding artificial sweetner to cut down on the artificial aftertaste, or something like that!

Sugar doesn't dissolve well in cold tea. When you add sugar to hot tea (after the brewing process and before adding ice), then you don't get a bunch of sugar settling to the bottom.

Yeah, that.

This stuff is awesome!! We live in SC and were so excited when we first found it. Mixed in lemonade it's so good!!!

Okay, I gotta look for that!


As for the whole "sweet tea in Disney", when we were at the Yachtsman last week, Dh had stopped asking for sweet tea, and just ordered iced tea. When our waiter brought it out, he brought out the "tea service", which included lemon wedges and a small pitcher of simple syrup if you wish to make sweet tea. Dh said this mixed well, and was very good. So if you need your tea sweet, maybe also order a cup of hot water and dissolve one of the sugar packets in it, then pour in your tea? I don't see why they wouldn't bring it??

 

[mmtska]

Hey! I grew up near Pittsburgh too

Awesome! I miss it And if you see this again-I'm assuming Slippery Rock??

 

[GBBTomorrow]

7. Put two cups of sugar in your pitcher.

Two CUPS?!?! Seriously? Wow. I am a northern girl and take my iced tea straight, no sugar, lemon or cream. I might put in a few mint leaves if I have them handy. I can't even imagine drinking something so sweet!

Here's a question: I'm moving to South Carolina. What do I ask for in restaurants if I just want iced tea, no sugar?

 

[MSLRAC]

Two CUPS?!?! Seriously? Wow. I am a northern girl and take my iced tea straight, no sugar, lemon or cream. I might put in a few mint leaves if I have them handy. I can't even imagine drinking something so sweet!

Here's a question: I'm moving to South Carolina. What do I ask for in restaurants if I just want iced tea, no sugar?

Yep, we do 2 cups of sugar for a gallon of tea so it's pretty sweet. That's why a few sugar packets, that don't dissolve properly, just won't cut it.

But you'll want to ask for unsweetened tea when you move to SC.

 

[SRUAlmn]

Awesome! I miss it And if you see this again-I'm assuming Slippery Rock??

Yes, that's where I went to college

Here's a question: I'm moving to South Carolina. What do I ask for in restaurants if I just want iced tea, no sugar?

"UNsweet tea" I know, I know, grammatically it should be unsweetened, but hey, that's how we say it Where in SC are you moving? We moved here almost 5 years ago and we LOVE it, but I miss my family in Pittsburgh!

 

[mrspopeye]

Two CUPS?!?! Seriously? Wow. I am a northern girl and take my iced tea straight, no sugar, lemon or cream. I might put in a few mint leaves if I have them handy. I can't even imagine drinking something so sweet!

Here's a question: I'm moving to South Carolina. What do I ask for in restaurants if I just want iced tea, no sugar?

Ask for "unsweet" tea.

Another Southern way to have tea is to turn the sweet tea into "fruit tea." You take the already sweetened tea and add a variety of fruit juices, and there are a million ways to make it. My family's recipe is to take 2 parts sweet tea to 1 part Welch's Orange-Apple-Pineapple juice, which is sold already mixed in the bottled juice section of the store and also comes in frozen concentrate. The secret ingredient is to add 3-4 DROPS of pure almond extract per 1/2 gallon. It is amazing!!

 

[GBBTomorrow]

Yes, that's where I went to college



"UNsweet tea" I know, I know, grammatically it should be unsweetened, but hey, that's how we say it Where in SC are you moving? We moved here almost 5 years ago and we LOVE it, but I miss my family in Pittsburgh!

We are moving to Clemson. It will be a big change for us, but we've heard nothing but wonderful things about South Carolina. I'll remember that about the unsweet tea! (And I'll also remember not to ask for "pop" in restaurants!)

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

We are moving to Clemson. It will be a big change for us, but we've heard nothing but wonderful things about South Carolina. I'll remember that about the unsweet tea! (And I'll also remember not to ask for "pop" in restaurants!)

Be sure to get a milkshake at the Ag center at Clemson U. And definitely don't ask for "pop" - it's all Coke, whether it is regular, diet, Sprite or even Pepsi!

 

[HeidiGW]

Proper sweet tea; the 12 step process.

1. Get your tea pot out of the cabinet or off the drying rack.
Note: a tea pot is not to be confused with a tea kettle. It is a regular pot that you only use for making tea.
2. Get out 4 tea bags, open the wrappers, and be careful not to tear off the paper tabs.
3. Twist them around each other a few times and clip to the pot handle using a clothes pin.
4. Fill pot 3/4 full, put on the stove, and turn burner to high.
5. Wait for tea to boil.
Note: Do NOT leave the stove when making tea. Tell Lois or Eula Mae that you will call them back after you make your tea.
6. While you are waiting for your tea to boil, rinse out your pitcher. NEVER let your pitcher soak in soapy water. Soap flavored tea anyone?
7. Put two cups of sugar in your pitcher.
8. If your tea is still not boiling, go ahead and get your glass out of the cabinet, but don't put the ice in yet.
9. When tea starts to boil, IMMEDIATELY remove it from the stove; you don't want your tea bags to bust.
10. Pour tea into the pitcher and stir with a wooden spoon.
11. I put the tea bags back in the pot and fill up the pot with cold water and gently press on the bags with the wooden spoon being careful not to bust the bags, then pour into the pitcher.
12. Repeat 11 until your pitcher is full. Fill your glass with ice, pour yourself some tea, and put the pitcher in the fridge.

If you are expecting company, or if it's Sunday, rinse your pot and start another batch. Otherwise, immediately wash your pot and have it in the ready.

crack me up!!!! as a Iowan who grew up drinking unsweet ice tea--in Iowa called "tea"--I learned about sweet tea the hard way--along with my Aunt Lois--20 years ago!! This transplant is sitting here drinking sweet tea with fresh lemon...

 

[HeidiGW]

Two CUPS?!?! Seriously? Wow. I am a northern girl and take my iced tea straight, no sugar, lemon or cream. I might put in a few mint leaves if I have them handy. I can't even imagine drinking something so sweet!

Here's a question: I'm moving to South Carolina. What do I ask for in restaurants if I just want iced tea, no sugar?

unsweet tea, and they might not have it!!

 

[Iceman10]

Florida is actually a suburb of New York so they have no idea what sweet tea is. Heck even here in Northern Virginia they don't either. Oh and if by some chance they do have sweet tea, it ain't gonna taste anywhere near as good as real Southern Sweet tea. Unfortunately I was just down at Miami Beach and they didn't know what Cajun food was either.

 

[GBBTomorrow]

Be sure to get a milkshake at the Ag center at Clemson U. And definitely don't ask for "pop" - it's all Coke, whether it is regular, diet, Sprite or even Pepsi!

Thanks for the milkshake tip! We'll definitely put that on the must-do list as we introduce the kids to their new home.

 

[SRUAlmn]

We are moving to Clemson. It will be a big change for us, but we've heard nothing but wonderful things about South Carolina. I'll remember that about the unsweet tea! (And I'll also remember not to ask for "pop" in restaurants!)

Wonderful!! That's what makes SC such a great state. Up near Clemson (referred to as the 'upstate' by the way) is very naturey and mountainous and then where we are, in Charleston, you have all the great history and beaches. It's like a little mini-America Oh, and my family still teases me about the whole pop/soda thing. I tried to stick to my guns for a while, but I got tired of getting looked at funny, so I regrettably converted to soda

 

[amberjack]

I started on Recipezaar, and worked from the recipe there. http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Southern-Sweet-Iced-Tea-63785 was my base, and then I played with the sugar. The baking soda was the thing that I thought was the Southern 'trick' Could well be that the entire south laughs at me. (and I am ok with that)

I've lived in the south my whole life and never heard of anyone putting baking soda in sweet tea. It's just brewed tea bags, sugar, and water, y'all...

 

[Tricia1972]

Since I shared the recipe I found and am catching a lot of flack about the baking soda. I just want to point out that the recipe is from a southerner and lots of southeners reviewed that they like it with the baking soda.

It's not like you taste the baking soda, it just helps cut down on the bitterness of the tea. (basing on previous post and the reviews from the recipe site)

I like the tea the way I make it and am going to continue to do it as the recipe taught me. You like your tea your way, and I'm not offended if you don't do it my way.

 

[madcoco]

Ever since I met my Southern DW (some of her relatives were from a tiny town outside Atlanta)she has been making her sweet tea with baking soda. The first time I had Sweet Tea was at her late grandmother's house(27 yrs ago) and remembering her dumping in what looked like 5 lb of sugar and a bit of baking soda. Mr Koolaid had nothing on her LOL. I was a bit Wow but it sure did taste good. Along with Fried Chicken, Fried Green Tomatoes, Yeast Rolls and Peach Cobbler that was all she wrote. Ooops getting OT Sorry. Like someone else mentioned, baking soda cuts the acidity and tannins. My 87 yr old Italian Grandfather still uses baking soda in his sauce to cut acidity in tomatoes when he is out of "Real" San Marzanos which do not have the acidity of most other tomatoes. Imho "My Sweet Tea is the best" is like "My BBQ is the best". Fighting words depending on what area you are from.LOL

 

[twinboysmom]

Tried the baking soda. Made no difference. Have called all the Louisiana (my true home state) and Mississippi relatives I know. Nobody has ever heard of this.

 

[rainydayplay]

I know of one restaurant here in Alabama who uses Brown sugar and it is very sweet. I grew up in Florida and evertime I go back, I always ask for sweet tea just to see the response.

Where is that? What restaurant? I'm curious...