Sweet Tea ???

[Momelie]

I have never found good sweet tea at Disney, but I haven't tried Trail's End yet!

As a good Southern girl, I consider it the house wine of the South, for sure!

I make mine as a simple syrup first - 2 cups of sugar and enough water (bottled) to fill a 1 quart pot. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and put 2-3 family size tea bags in to steep for about 20 minutes (or till I remember it). Then put in a gallon pitcher and fill with more bottled water (remember, I live in FL, where the water smells like sulfur) and chill in the fridge.

Sometimes when I can't wait for it to chill I fill the gallon pitcher with ice cubes, pour the hot tea in, and then fill with water. It ain't great, but it works.

 

[DebbieB]

I was in Los Angeles last month with a girl from the Atlanta office. She requested sweet tea at a few restaurants, they looked at her like she had 2 heads.

I've found that even though Florida is in the south, it really doesn't follow southern customs, especially central and south Florida.

 

[SweetSpellsSweetie]

I am so excited to try and make some again. It will probably be Monday, since my twin sister graduates from college tomorrow. I will have to let you all know how it turns out!!

 

[mommyseven]

I was in Los Angeles last month with a girl from the Atlanta office. She requested sweet tea at a few restaurants, they looked at her like she had 2 heads.

I've found that even though Florida is in the south, it really doesn't follow southern customs, especially central and south Florida.

Northwest Florida is very southern. It's sometimes called LA (Lower Alabama). There's a saying, "Florida is the only state in which the further north you go the more southern you get."

 

[Seahunt]

Columbia Harbor House! I had it myself in September (it kept me from going into withdrawal....... ) I had heard that was the only place you can get it in WDW. Plus, their food is really good, too!

Yes we had it there in December too! And it was great! It was NOT on the menu though - I had to ask for it, and they said "Oh sure we have it".

Hope they still have it for our next trip - my DH goes through a gallon of Publix sweet tea a week and he also has withdrawls without it

(BTW OP, Chick-fil-A also has good sweet tea and the McDonalds in our area now have a large size sweet tea for $1)

 

[GusT]

Not trying to hijack or anything......but what the heck is sweet tea? Is it any different than tea with sweetener in it?

Yes sweet tea is very different (to us from the south anyway). Unsweeted tea that you sweeten at the table with sweet n low, or splenda, or equal or even sugar is just not the same. You need to add the sugar (and alot of it) to the pitcher directly along with the brewed tea, the hot tea dissolves the sugar (if you sweeten it at the table it is grainy), then you fill the pitcher the rest of the way to the top with cold water. Also, peach tea, raspberry tea, and strawberry tea are not acceptable substitutions either (we lived in Ohio for awhile and that was always the answer to "do you have sweet tea?")

I'm sure none of this makes sense, but I did try to explain. I think it's something most people have to grow up with to truly love.......

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Not trying to hijack or anything......but what the heck is sweet tea? Is it any different than tea with sweetener in it?

Sweet tea is more than just sweetened. It's brewed tea and then a sugar syrup is mixed into it. It is so sweet that it slightly thickens the liquid - although that is almost misleading. It is really beyond a sweetness that you can get with a packet of sugar because the syrup makes it dissolve.

A sugar syrup is added? Not where I come from. Sweet tea in this area is fresh brewed tea with sugar added while it is still hot. There's nothing better!

Adding sweetener to iced tea is NOT sweet tea in the South.

 

[canda]

I was in Los Angeles last month with a girl from the Atlanta office. She requested sweet tea at a few restaurants, they looked at her like she had 2 heads.

I've found that even though Florida is in the south, it really doesn't follow southern customs, especially central and south Florida.

Everything south of Jax. is called "Occupied Territory"
(using a little "war of northern aggression" lingo)

 

[Piglets Mommy]

If at WDW make sure you use bottled water cause then your sweet tea will taste like sweet swamp tea.

You can also use empty gallon jugs, and those glad reruse bowls work good and the wooded spoon can be used to spank your young'ins. Nothing goes to waste.

Thanks! I needed a good laugh this morning!
So true, though!

 

[Big Vic]

Everything south of Jax. is called "Occupied Territory"
(using a little "war of northern aggression" lingo)

 

[fla4fun]

I had been told that Liberty Tree Tavern offered sweet tea, but when we went last Christmas they no longer served it. As a southern girl (although I can't stand the thought of sweet tea in my mouth) I understand the NEED people have for it. Alot of people I know that's all they drink. I don't think it has anything to do with healthy lifestyles, if that were the case then softdrinks would be gone. It probably has to do with the time or effort to make it. Just one more thing someone has to do.
Sorry, wish I were more help. When you made it at home you probably didn't use enough sugar to get the sweetness you desire. How much sugar did you use? My DH uses 2 Cups per gallon! Happy Brewing!

The only reason I mentioned healthy options, is that when I went to the Concourse Steakhouse about a week ago and ordered lemonade, they said they didn't have regular lemonade anymore, just "lite" lemonade, and they said it was because of the healthy options for kids. It tasted OK, but it wasn't as good as regular.

 

[leanan]

Cookes of Dublin had Sweet Tea when I was there Friday night. I like to mix sweet and unsweet together to get it just perfect for me. Also the McDonalds in Florida all switched to a better quality tea bag so they have really good sweet tea now as well. Obviously there is one in DTD and another right next but just outside of the All Star Resort area.

 

[leanan]

I was in Los Angeles last month with a girl from the Atlanta office. She requested sweet tea at a few restaurants, they looked at her like she had 2 heads.

I've found that even though Florida is in the south, it really doesn't follow southern customs, especially central and south Florida.

Hahaha I remember when I first landed in San Francisco to Apartment hunt for DH's job transfer. We were in Dennys placing our order. I told the waitress sweet tea and she told me sugar is on the table. Then when I placed my food order I asked for hashbrowns/ no grits. She asked me what Grits were.

 

[tammy1210]

As I sit here drinking my sweet tea from Bojangle's (my favorite) I remember the first time I went to LA - I was 16 and asked for sweet tea - the waitress replied, "Oh, a southern girl - I'm from TN - but you won't find sweet tea out here, Honey."

 

[Colleen27]

I've had it at the Concourse Steakhouse before. I would at least ask at any of the table service restaurants, especially at the resorts. With all the emphasis on healthy living though, they may be phasing it out.

It isn't a health thing, I don't think. It is a cost & convenience thing. Most places at WDW now serve unsweet Nestea, which is made/distributed by Coca-Cola. Adding the tea to the soda fountain is both less expensive and less time consuming than brewing fresh tea. I'm not complaining about it, because sweet tea is jut about the only Southern culinary custom that this Yankee just doesn't get, but I don't think it has a thing to do with Disney looking out for visitors' health. If they were, they'd target sodas as well.

 

[acadia1960]

I have had major sweet tea withdrawal since coming back from Florida. I was buying a gallon a week at Publix. House of Blues did not have sweet tea 3 weeks ago. The sweetend ice tea at POFQ & POR was not good, not sweet at all, I ended up drinking soda . I never drink soda at home.

 

[MariaEllerºoº]

I absolutely love sweet tea! I boil a large pot of water with 16 single tea bags. Fill my gallon size jugs with 1 1/2 cups of sugar (use to be 2 1/2 cups but I'm trying to slowly cut sugar down) once the tea bags have steeped I pour almost half gallon into the jugs and then add cold water to fill then refrigerate. Mmmmmm, mmmmmm good!

 

[Renysmom]

I buy Arizona Brand Sweet tea in the one gallon jugs and then fill my empty soda bottles with it and then put them in the fridge for a quick, easy grab. I already have it on my Disney shopping list for December.

 

[Dreamfinder2]

If you draw a horizontal line through the state of Florida around Gainesville or so, you'll find there's a clear difference in "folks." Not bad, just different. We've lived in both the Panhandle and in New Smyrna Beach and Vero Beach, and I know whereof I speak.

I don't know if the Publix stores in the Orlando area have it - I know they do further north - but if you need a sweet tea fix, you can find Milo's Sweet Tea and Red Diamond sweet tea in gallon jugs in the refrigerated section with milks and juices. Milo's, in particular, is especially good, and was made famous by Milo's, a restaurant in the Birmingham, AL, area.

One poster mentioned McAllister's. It is the gold standard in sweet tea from a chain restaurant. The Champagne of the South, indeed, with a sprig of mint ... heck, yeah! It is balm for the soul.

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

Last month I had sweet tea at Rain Forest Cafe @ DTD....yummy.