REAL Southern Sweet Tea?

[piglet too]

Not from the South, but here is how I make my tea. (It may not be as sweet, but we are trying to cut back on sugar.) I use a coffee maker to brew a total of three family size Luzianne bags. Since I have to do two pots, one bag the first time, then that bag again and another bag for the second pot. After letting it sit 5-10 minutes once the pot is done, I pour it over 1 cup of sugar. Once the second pot is done, I just stick it all in the fridge and drink well cooled.

 

[darlak]

I'm not making fun of anyone here, but I do get tickled at how often these threads pop up asking how to make sweet tea. I don't actually remember ever being told how to make it. I guess I just grew up watching it being made.

There are two versions of Southern sweet tea...the brewed and the steeped methods. In the brewed version, you boil the tea bags in the water, as others have described here. In the steeped version, you pour the boiling water over the tea bags and sugar, stir well and allow to sit for about an hour before you add the cold water to fill the tea pitcher.

I prefer the steeped version and use either Tetley tea bags or Red Diamond (I don't think the latter are available outside of a few Southern states.) I use 3 quart size tea bags. I add about 1 & 3/4 cup sugar for a gallon size tea pitcher.

 

[glitzybabes]

This is how I make my tea.

Put water in a pot,like a small to medium pot. does not really matter and add 2 family size tea bags (Luzianne) has to be Luzianne. and Add lid. After coming to a broil, broil for about 1 min and set aside for no more than 10mins. In a Gallon size pitcher, add 2 full cups of sugar. Pour tea with out tea bags (use lid to keep tea bags in pot) into the pitcher then stir and add water all the way to the top. and enjoy.
If tea gets too sweet after a day add a little water. Should be drank within 2 or 3 days.

and had also made tea in a coffee maker, I perfect to make it in one. Because if I have run and get food, The people in my house will just let the tea broil for too long and it will be bitter,lol
If you chose to use a coffee maker, buy a new one. The tea will just not taste right.

 

[Green Tea]

Growing up in the South I find it funny to hear someone call it sweet tea. My DD (15 years old and has always lived here) does it and I have to laugh everytime I hear it. I am not bashing those that are calling it sweet tea, just saying that I only have known it as tea all my life. I did not know until I went to college there were anything but tea with sugar that you drank over ice. Yes I was culturally ignorant. lol

I now love hot tea. I do not care for "sweet tea" but my entire family loves it.

This could have been writen by me

To make tea now I use one of the Lipton gallon tea bags (or about 6 regular bags before I found the huge ones) I have never measured the boiled water, i just make a teapot full of boiling water and pour it over the bags. Let it steep a few, then take out the bags, add sugar (I only use 2/3 cup for my DH but he uses about 2) Stir that up, then fill rest of the way with water and refrigerate.

 

[MsDisney23]

I also had some real lemons and half of an orange! Yummy

 

[Free4Life11]

That would be unsweet tea with sweet n low. Sweet tea must use real sugar.

I would call it Diet Sweet Tea.

And I don't like how in the south they call it unsweet tea. What? Tea is NATURALLY unsweet. You don't "unsweeten" it :rotfl2

 

[tennvalgirl]

If you are visiting the South, you can go to 'Captain D's' which is a fast food/seafood restaurant.

They sell REALLY sweet tea.

 

[ammo]

...I myself make a simply syrup by mixing together equal parts sugar and water, then bringing to a boil. That can be used to sweeten the tea, even when it's cold.

This is key in my house, since everybody's tolerance for sugar is different. I'll also add some mint to the syrup on occasion. I don't know what kind of mint -- spearmint I think. It just grows like a weed around our foundation.

 

[ammo]

If you are visiting the South, you can go to 'Captain D's' which is a fast food/seafood restaurant.

They sell REALLY sweet tea.

You can add Bojangle's as well -- great biscuits to offset the sweetness of the tea. They sell tea by the half gallon, which is convenient to pick up on your way to the beach or a tailgate.

 

[RobinFabulous]

We use a 2 gallon pitcher. Lipton family size bags. I boil a teakettle full and when it starts to whistle, put the two bags in and turn it off. I use a scant 2 cups of sugar and mix it while still warm. I've mixed with cold water, or a combo of ice and cold water. It does get sweeter as it sits. I try to use a one cup measure and just do it about 3/4 or less twice.... I'm trying to cut down on our sugar intake. Also if it gets really sweet I fill a glass with ice, then a bit of water and then add the tea and stir.

 

[mistymouse5001]

I'd call myself a real southerner. GA born and bred I do 7 bags of tea, bring to a boil then turn off and let sit and steep. Then put 2 cups of sugar in a gallon pitcher and add tea (not bags!) and cold water until full. Best when it's been in the fridge for a while. Note that it will get sweeter and sweeter as it sits. If you know it'll take a while to drink it start with less sugar to begin with.

This is how w e do it too.

 

[ilovefh]

You can add Bojangle's as well -- great biscuits to offset the sweetness of the tea. They sell tea by the half gallon, which is convenient to pick up on your way to the beach or a tailgate.

I saw the Captain D's reference and I was about to add Bojangles to the mix until I read your post! They have some good sweet tea!

 

[MomofKatie]

And I don't like how in the south they call it unsweet tea. What? Tea is NATURALLY unsweet. You don't "unsweeten" it :rotfl2

But, if y'all just ask for tea down south, you automatically get sweet tea. You have to specify "unsweet". I suppose we could call it unsweetened- that would be the more accurate term. Unsweet just sounds better, somehow.

 

[Free4Life11]

But, if y'all just ask for tea down south, you automatically get sweet tea. You have to specify "unsweet". I suppose we could call it unsweetened- that would be the more accurate term. Unsweet just sounds better, somehow.

Well when I lived up north we just called it iced tea or hot tea. If you want it sweet, well, that's what sugar and Splenda packets are for But now that I am Florida I learned quickly I need to specifically asked for it unsweetened.

 

[kydisneyfans]

McDonalds is great for on the go though. I actually have the locations memorized that had good tea and those with bad tea that way I know which locations to visit while travelling. My wife has tried to make Sweet Tea at home but it's just not very good.

A large tea for $1.06 with free refills is good enough for me.

 

[Purseval]

Excuse my ignorance....but would you call this sweet tea? Fresh brewed iced tea with sweet n low. Or it is just unsweetened tea with sweet n low

Ity's just unsweetened tea with sweet and low. What makes sweet tea different from regular iced tea is that the sugar is dissolved in the water while it is still hot, so it stays sweet after it cools. Regular iced tea has sugar added to it after it is cooled.

If I'm at someone's house and they offer me sweet tea I will drink it to be polite, I'd never make it or order it for myself. Sweet tea and boiled peanuts are 2 foods you have to grow up with to appreciate.

 

[luvthatdisney]

I make mine close to everyone else. I have found the Luzianne tea bags makes the best. The one difference is I make mine real sweet. I use close to 3 cups of sugar per gallon. My DH calls it dessert tea. But I love it that way. I do not drink it too often and now I make it with half Splenda and half sugar, but it is really not the same.

We went to California a few years ago and my DH asked for sweet tea at a restaurant - they looked at him as if he had 3 heads. I know our accent was part of the problem, but they had never heard of sweet tea. Dh suggested opening a "Sweet Tea" stand. I thought it was funny that being in L.A. and Hollywood area I thought everything would be very health conscious, but there was a dougnut store on every corner. We have drug stores on every corner here. I had to buy some fingernail polish remover at a liquor store as we could not find a drug store! Yes the liquor store had fingernail polish remover - Dh was just going to ask the store clerk where a drug store was!
(That was in Santa Monica). I still loved Cali!!!!!

 

[MomofKatie]

Well when I lived up north we just called it iced tea or hot tea. If you want it sweet, well, that's what sugar and Splenda packets are for But now that I am Florida I learned quickly I need to specifically asked for it unsweetened.

Yes, we need to adjust our language depending on where we are. DH's family lives in OH, and when we visit, I sometimes forget where I am and ask for "unsweet" tea at a restaurant. They waitstaff always looks strangely at me when I do. Living in the South, though, I know I need to ask for "unsweet" or I'll get sweet tea. I have lived here for most of my life (moved here from the Midwest when I was 9), but sweet tea is one Southern thing I have never adopted. It's waaaaay too sweet for me!!

 

[Mau Loa Disney]

I would call it Diet Sweet Tea.

And I don't like how in the south they call it unsweet tea. What? Tea is NATURALLY unsweet. You don't "unsweeten" it :rotfl2

that's funny never thought about it, but we do always say that

In Texas, I always order unsweet tea (had to switch from drinking sweet tea)
They almost always still give me sweet tea or when I get to the drive thru window they ask me if i'm sure I dont want some sugar or sweet n low. It's like they dont understand why I dont want it to be sweet.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

Nothing new to add, but the basics are that the bags MUST be boiled and steeped, and the sugar MUST be added while it's hot. Lots of sugar, and the tea must be strong-brown/amber in color.

If you want Sweet Iced Tea in the South you just ask for "TEA". If you want it w/out sugar, you must ask for unsweetened tea and feel lucky if they actually have it. If you want hot tea you must specify that, too. Even in Chinese restaurants, which we seem to have an abundance of...