What is Southern Sweet Tea?

[Suzie Zoo]

I've always wondered...what is the difference between southern sweet tea and just adding sugar to regular tea?

Please! End this Yankee girl's curiosity!

It's horrifyingly disgusting...but DH loves the stuff. Oddly enoughI love hot tea, very very sweet.

Yeah... that. If you like regular iced tea I think you probably WON'T like sweet tea. Icky.

I like my tea to taste like tea.

 

[sha_lyn]

]Southern Iced Tea is strong and sweet. You have to boil the tea bags in the water for one minute, then steep covered for 10. To make a 1/2 gallon, I start with about 6 cups of boiling water, add about (this is to taste, so you will have to tweek it for yours) 10 small tea bags and boil for one minute-watch it so it doesn't boil over. Remove from heat, cover and steep for 10 minutes. Remove bags, pour into a pitcher. Add about 1/2 cup sugar(again to taste) stir to dissolve. Add ice/cold water to fill pitcher.[/B]
As stated by pp, adding the sugar to the hot tea is the crucial step. I know true Southerns who will pass on tea if there is only unsweetened - (which 9 times out of 10 you must specify down here if that's what you really want-when you order "TEA" you get sweet iced tea- if you want unsweetened or hot tea, you must specify!). They will not add sugar to iced unsweetened tea.

Lord have mercy, Froggy, you like your tea SWEET!!

ITA, around here, the tea itself is usually strong too.
My mother and aunt uses 1 1/2 cups sugar per gallon. Way too sweet for me. If I make sweet tea I put 2/3-3/4 cup sugar per gallon. Even my Detroit born and raised DH thinks my tea isn't sweet enough LOL.
Now growing up a friends mom made tea like what EG describes. Sugar syrup with a little color from a tea bag. Seriously the stuff was syrupy.

 

[Jennasis]

I'll never be a true southerner. For starters I was born and raised on Long Island, But in addition to my disdain for sweet tea, I also hate Mountain Dew and Cheerwine. DH loves all that stuff, so I often wonder if he's been lyin' to me about being born and raised on Long Island too!

 

[Robinrs]

I grew up on the stuff, too since my parents were from the South but we always called it Iced Tea.

When I came south and a waiter asked if I wanted "sweet tea" I thought he was calling me "sweetie"!!

 

[mudman]

Luzianne Ice tea bags make the BEST sweet tea!! On our way home to Massachusetts from WDW we stopped in NC to eat. We had the best tea ever there.


It was so good I tried to find the tea bags at home. I learned that you can't get them in the North!!!

I ordered some online direct from the manufacturer. We are starting to run low and have to order more.

We also had our first hush puppies at that restraurant too, they were yummy! Wish we could get them here up North too. If I lived down south I think my cholestorol would be out of sight. We were served Ice Cream scoops of butter with each meal!!

 

[Tarheel Tink]

Luzianne Ice tea bags make the BEST sweet tea!! On our way home to Massachusetts from WDW we stopped in NC to eat. We had the best tea ever there.

It was so good I tried to find the tea bags at home. I learned that you can't get them in the North!!!

I ordered some online direct from the manufacturer. We are starting to run low and have to order more.

Our favorite tea is Luzianne too and we use 3 family size bags per gallon. Our "backup" tea is Lipton and we occasionally put a regular size peach tea bag in for some lightly flavored peach tea.

 

[L&Lfan]

I'll never be a true southerner. For starters I was born and raised on Long Island, But in addition to my disdain for sweet tea, I also hate Mountain Dew and Cheerwine. DH loves all that stuff, so I often wonder if he's been lyin' to me about being born and raised on Long Island too!

BLASPHEMY!!!!

Seriously, to each his own!
That's why America's so GREAT!

 

[maidenfairy]

What is southern sweet tea? Its crack. Once you have true southern sweet tea you always want more.

When I lived up north it was surprising if a place had sweet tea. Now that I'm back in the south it is surprising if a place has unsweet tea. I wonder why there is an obesity problem in the south. Hmmm.

 

[Tink888]

We use Lipton tea bags and add 1 cup of sugar while it brews to make a pitcher.

I guess I'm a Yankee but my Grandpa was born and raised in Alabama. Sweet tea is what I was raised on and the only kind I'll drink. I remember being younger and having that powder tea mix at a friend's house. Now that was DISGUSTING!!!! Do they even make it anymore? That stuff was so bad.

There's nothing better than an ice cold glass of sweet tea!!

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yep, DisneyQueen has it right!!!

Good southern Sweet Tea is not just sweet, it is also rich and strong and smooth...

This is acheived by

1. using plenty of teabags, or a couple of family sized tea bags, for a larger batch.

2. use boiling hot water, and then let the tea brew for a long time!!! (not the 3-5 minutes listed on some boxes of teabags.

3. Stir in the sugar while the water is still very very hot... (some people even stir it in with the tea bags while they are brewing)

All of this makes is smooth, sweet, rich, and delicious!!!

Next, pour immediately over ice, or add ice water, to stop the brewing and complete the picher of tea. It should still be strong!!!

Because, then you pour it over a glass filled to over the top with crackling cold ice... As the ice melts, it dilutes the tea a little more, and then it is perfect!

PS: Sadly, I do not drink a lot of tea anymore, because tea, naturally has high levels of fluoride (and aluminum)... Especially when brewed with fluoridated tap water (which could also have added aluminum) these combine into an aluminum-fluoride compound, and it can be at nearly toxic levels.

I saw some test results posted somewhere, and Luzianne came out as one of the worst.

 

[olena]

I remember being younger and having that powder tea mix at a friend's house. Now that was DISGUSTING!!!! Do they even make it anymore? That stuff was so bad.

There's nothing better than an ice cold glass of sweet tea!!

NAS-tea! I wouldn't serve that stuff to my worst enemy.

 

[Angelhalo]

Real sweet tea is made with sugar, not that artificial stuff!

Sweet tea:sugar added while the tea is hot=mmmmm!!!!!
Sweetened tea:sugar (or that artificial stuff) added to iced tea=blech!!
There is a big difference in the taste!

I agree. Unfortunately due to DH's health problems we have to go to Splenda. I can tell a difference but not much. If I had to use Equal or Sweet and Low, I wouldn't make it at all. Yucko!

 

[Angelhalo]

Yeah... that. If you like regular iced tea I think you probably WON'T like sweet tea. Icky.

I like my tea to taste like tea.

Mine still tastes like tea. If it just tasted like sugar I'd pass on it.

 

[Angelhalo]

I'll never be a true southerner. For starters I was born and raised on Long Island, But in addition to my disdain for sweet tea, I also hate Mountain Dew and Cheerwine. DH loves all that stuff, so I often wonder if he's been lyin' to me about being born and raised on Long Island too!

Me and my NC pals prefer Sundrop to Mt. Dew. I like Cheerwine but couldn't drink too much of it. And I only drink Diet of either of them. Non Diet soda are too sweet for me. Blast now I want a Diet Cheerwine and I'm in Florida! Wahhhhhhhhh!

 

[DaisyD]

I've been making my ice tea all my life adding the sugar to the hot tea. I never knew it was also known as sweet tea. It is just common sense to add it hot tea to melt the sugar. I am not from the south but everyone I know makes it like that. My mom, an Eastern girl, taught me that way 40 years ago.

 

[Golf4food]

It is also the nectar of the gods! If Jack Daniels hadn't already taken the tag "Southern Comfort", sweet tea would qualify for that as well.

If I could inject sweet tea directly into my veins via IV, I would carry around a pack full hooked onto my shoulder so I never had to be without it.

 

[Angelhalo]

I've been making my ice tea all my life adding the sugar to the hot tea. I never knew it was also known as sweet tea. It is just common sense to add it hot tea to melt the sugar. I am not from the south but everyone I know makes it like that. My mom, an Eastern girl, taught me that way 40 years ago.

You'd be amazed how many people I have met who lack that common sense, and then wonder why we think it's so good. I'm like ummmm you can't taste the sugar because it didn't dissolve in your cold tea! LO!L

 

[peyjax]

For us sweet tea has to be made with LUZIANNE tea bags and has to set in hot water for at least a half hour or more. Then add a cup and a half of sugar and taddda!

Sorry peeps. Lipton just doesn't do it.

 

[mselly13]

We love us some sweet tea here in Texas. At our house we probably go through about 2 gallons a day.

I put one cup of sugar in small pot. Add two Lipton family size bags. Unforuantely due to health reasons we have to drink decaf. Fill the pot with water and boil. Remove from heat after boiling and let sit at least 30 minutes. Remove tea bags, pout into pitcher and add cold water. Pour over ice in a huge glass. This is for one gallon.

Also, do not let it sit out too long. It will ferment(sp). Must be refrigerated.

I know Sonic here makes it way too sweet so we order in cut in half or half and half. Half sweet and half unsweet...ends up just right.

 

[What the Heck]

How come no one has mentioned the touch of lemon to make it classic Southern Sweet tea?