What is "sweet tea?"

[Caropooh]

I had always assumed it was just iced tea that was served pre-sweetened, but maybe I'm wrong. Last night we went out to eat and I had iced tea to drink. They ran out before I poured mine so they refilled the serving thing. When I filled up my glass the tea was very cloudy. It almost looked like coffee with some cream in it. I tasted it and it didn't taste like coffee, but it also didn't quite taste like tea. I brought it up to the counter and the hostess said 'oh, that's sweet tea, we must of gotten a sweet tea bag in there by mistake.' She dumped it out and they put new tea in the dispenser. So, is sweet tea made with different tea bags than just regular tea bags?

 

[Poohnatic]

Never in any place I've ever made it!

It may have been cloudy because the sugar had not adequately dissolved in it.

(BTW, If you're down in WDW, have some sweet tea at Chick Fil A. They make delicious sweet tea)

Suzanne

 

[Off2DisIGo]

So, is sweet tea made with different tea bags than just regular tea bags?

No, you don't make sweet tea w/ special tea bags. You just sweeten it w/ sugar before you fill the pitcher w/ water. For authentic Southern sweet tea, you mix 1 cup sugar per half gallon of tea. (Very sweet but delicous.)

If the tea was cloudy, it may have been old.

 

[lucyanna girl]

Everyone has their own way to make sweet tea. Mine is to simmer two family size tea bags for about fifteen minutes. Meanwhile I put about three cups of sugar in a two quart pitcher. When the tea gets dark enough, I pour it over the sugar to melt it. When the sugar is thoroughly melted I add water to fill the pitcher. Think I'll go make some right now.



Penny

 

[tiggersmom2]

Everyone has their own way to make sweet tea. Mine is to simmer two family size tea bags for about fifteen minutes. Meanwhile I put about three cups of sugar in a two quart pitcher. When the tea gets dark enough, I pour it over the sugar to melt it. When the sugar is thoroughly melted I add water to fill the pitcher. Think I'll go make some right now.



Penny

Honey, you're not making tea.....you're making syrup!!!

 

[RayaniFoxmur]

Honey, you're not making tea.....you're making syrup!!!

LOL That's exactly what my mom says about my tea! We use an ice tea maker which makes three quarts... and we put a cup and a half of sugar in it while it's still hot and then place it in the fridge. Good stuff!

 

[disneygirlatheart]

Everyone has their own way to make sweet tea. Mine is to simmer two family size tea bags for about fifteen minutes. Meanwhile I put about three cups of sugar in a two quart pitcher. When the tea gets dark enough, I pour it over the sugar to melt it. When the sugar is thoroughly melted I add water to fill the pitcher. Think I'll go make some right now.



Penny

I make mine the exact same way! Some say mine is way too sweet. That is the way we drink it.

 

[Pop Daddy]

lol, I youse to know a lady from the south, and she always talked about sweet tea, i wondered what she was talking about to I found out it was tea with sugar in it

 

[Brooknwdw]

My sweet tea is two family size tea bags in a couple cups of water..bring just to a boil. Take off heat, cover & let it sit for about 20 minutes. Then pour into a pitcher with about 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Stir until completely dissolved...fill pitcher the rest of the way with water. This is about a half gallon pitcher. For a whole gallon I add one more tea bag & about another cup of sugar.

Also, it sweetens ALOT over a couple days in the fridge. You can add a bit of water & stir to offset this.

 

[lucyanna girl]

It is really sweet but that's the way we like it at my house. If you cut a southerner you may find that we bleed sweet tea rather than blood!



Penny

 

[Keli]

I'm from the south and I love sweet tea but I will admit to not making mine as sweet as most people. I try to get by with 2 cups of sugar per gallon so it won't be as many calories. My dh complains though so a lot of times he'll make it a lot sweeter and I just drink water, lol.

 

[Southern4sure]

It is really sweet but that's the way we like it at my house. If you cut a southerner you may find that we bleed sweet tea rather than blood!



Penny

LOL...except this born and bred southerner. I dont drink tea (or coffee) but I make a gallon of sweet tea a day for my guys. My northern friends now love sweet tea.

 

[Belle0101]

My sweet tea is two family size tea bags in a couple cups of water..bring just to a boil. Take off heat, cover & let it sit for about 20 minutes. Then pour into a pitcher with about 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Stir until completely dissolved...fill pitcher the rest of the way with water. This is about a half gallon pitcher. For a whole gallon I add one more tea bag & about another cup of sugar.

Also, it sweetens ALOT over a couple days in the fridge. You can add a bit of water & stir to offset this.

That's how I make mine! I make it by the gallon and it's usually gone within a day ... unless I hide it in the back of the frdige and DH doesn't see it.

 

[sameyeyam]

I had never heard of sweet tea until I went to Florida. I kept trying to order iced tea and the servers would say "sweet tea?". I finally had to ask what is sweet tea? I finally tried it, wow is it ever sweet!!

I think I'll stick with our good ol plain iced tea that we drink here in the Pacific NW.

 

[DisnyMama]

I thought I saw another version of Sweet Tea made by using a "symple syrup". Taking sugar and water and combining the two over heat till the sugar is disolved and you end up with a sugar syrup and then add that to the plain tea. I've never had either types of sweet tea but I sure would love to try it some time.

 

[FroggyinArk]

we use two tea bags, run though our automatic drip coffee maker. ( we use a percolator from 1950 to make coffee..lol..) pour water throiugh twice, pour into pitcher over 1 3/4 cups sugar while hot, and refridgerate,, we go through a bout 1 1/2 gallons aday at t he house.

 

[KathyTX]

And in case any northerners are wondering why it's different than just adding sugar to unsweetened iced tea, the real key is that the sugar is added while the tea is hot, so it thoroughly dissolves. And there's a LOT of sugar.

 

[mommyintn]

Here's a twist on sweet tea, the recipe is called "Tennessee Tea" and it is yummy and sweet. Boil 4 cups of water in a pot, remove from heat add 3 family size tea bags and let steep for 15 minutes. In a 1 gallon container pour tea (minus tea bags), add 3/4 cup Countrytime Pink Leomande (you can use store brand crystals also), 1 cup sugar, 1 cup white grape and mix. Fill remainder of 1 gallon container with water.

 

[mickeyboat]

Moderators, please close this thread. It is making me desperate for a glass of sweet tea, and I can't get one up here! It may turn me into a lunatic! A freak! I may go insane if you guys keep this up!

Denae

 

[jen0610]

I thought I saw another version of Sweet Tea made by using a "symple syrup". Taking sugar and water and combining the two over heat till the sugar is disolved and you end up with a sugar syrup and then add that to the plain tea.

This is how my dad's family does it. They make 2 gallons of simple syrup and 2 gallons of unsweetened tea. As you want a glass, you pour as much syrup and tea as you need to get to your sweetness level. When the whole family would be coming for visits, Grandma would have to make up several gallons of the syrup ahead of time. 12 adults and 3-5 kids drinking tea, it didn't last long.