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If you've spent any time south of the Mason-Dixon line, this query is as familiar to you as "paper or plastic?", but the rest of the USA doesn't have a cotton pickin' clue what you're talking about. See, we may get all schmancy, blending decaf Royal Tiger Spice Baby Assam with cran-kiwi nectar and individually wrapped cubes of Albanian raw beet sugar, but this Yankee is willing to admit that y'all got something special goin' on when comes to iced tea.
Sweet Tea is a staple of restaurants and homes across the Southeastern United States; so prevalent that a guest has to specifically request 'unsweet" in order to get a brew that won't instantly candy their molars, and enough of a cultural institution that several Representatives in Georgia presented House Bill 819 requiring all food service establishments to serve it. Sure, it was quickly revealed as an April Fools Day prank, but it bespoke the region's reverence for the "champagne of the South".
So, just what IS this magical elixir? Essentially, it's bagged or loose orange pekoe (that's a grade of black) tea, that's brewed and blended with sugar while it's still hot. A lot of sugar. If you're making this for the first time and you think you've swirled in enough sugar – you haven't. Keep pouring. Then pour more. If your stirring spoon is threatening to stand up on its own, you may still need to add more. Have a Southerner sample it if you're not sure. They'll tell you to add MORE.
If it's served in a Southern home, there's a good chance it'll be in a tall, slim glass filled with ice, and accompanied by a long-handled iced tea spoon with which one can stir in, bless their heart, even more sweetener if so desired. Milk is unheard of, and lemon or mint – well, that's just being fancy, but if it makes the Yanks feel at home, then so be it. That's just good ol' Southern hospitality.
There are as many ways to make Sweet Tea as there are Southern families. This is how my husband and I (he's from High Point, N.C.) like to make it at home.
The Wagner Family's Sweet Tea
For Simple Syrup:
* 4 cups sugar (Don't worry - not all of that goes in the tea!)
* 2 cups water
For Tea:
* 4 cups water
* 8-10 regular-sized or 3 "family sized" bags orange pekoe tea (preferably Lipton or Luzianne)
* Pinch of baking soda
* Additional water
Pour 2 cups of water and 4 cups of sugar into a saucepan and stir together. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and stir until thickened. Turn off heat, and set aside.
Strip tags from the tea bags, and tie strings to the handle of a wooden spoon, near the bowl. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Turn off the heat, and place the tea-tied wooden spoon in the pan with a pinch of baking soda (It smooths out the tea's tannins.). Once it's suitably darkened, and still hot, pull out the spoon. (Refrain from squeezing the teabags, as that clouds the tea.)
Stir 1 cup of the sugar syrup into the tea until it's thoroughly blended. Pour the mixture into a 1 gallon glass or metal pitcher, and fill to the top with water. Stir, and chill in the refrigerator. Pour the remaining sugar syrup into a glass jar, and cover.
Once the tea has cooled, serve it in tall glasses 2/3 filled with ice, with sugar syrup on the side so that guests may sweeten according to their personal taste.
Y'all come back now, hear?
(P.S. If you're having trouble with the comments link, try this one.)
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5-15-2008 @10:36AM S Davis said... Beware the Sweet Tea from McDonald's. I found out rather by chance while watching an employee make up a five gallon pail of it. There is a quart bottle of what they call McDonalds Sweetner, Coloring and PRESERVATIVE. UGH....!! What is the sweetner?? Corn Syrup! Yes! Do they have to artifically color TEA?? My mother never did and it was surely great! I have an issue with our local McDonalds, we never can get them to keep fresh un-sweetned tea. More often than not, it is so stale you can smell it. The other locations here in Oklahoma City seldom have this issue. However, back to the above, if you want to drink coloring and perservatives, and corn syrup. Get a big slug of Sweet Tea at your local McDonald's Today!!
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5-08-2010 @10:24PM Blaze said... In response to S Davis's comment about what is in McDonald's sweet tea. My fiance and I have both worked at McDonalds. In no way, shape, or form does McDonald's use coloring and preservatives in their "McDonald's Sweeter". McDonald's sweet tea is made strictly from water, tea bags, and natural sugar. That is ALL that goes into.
5-15-2008 @10:45AM Holly said... Bring a medium pot of fresh water to boil and remove from heat. Add 9 regular Lipton tea bags to the boiled water-I pull the paper and staple off the string and just toss them in. Let steep for a few minutes gently stir once. In the meantime, put one heaping or well rounded cup of sugar in a gallon pitcher-pour the tea off the bags (without sqeezing them out) -disard the teabags.Stir to dissolve the sugar then add fresh water to fill the pitcher.I always make 2 gallons at a time and refrigerate them as soon as they are made. The baking soda does work if you get busy while the tea is steeping but I don't use it often. From NY but replanted young...you learn quickly-I have been blessed to live in both cultures.
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5-15-2008 @11:36AM trj said... What do you damn Yankees know about sweet tea. 12 bags of Lipton to a gallon. Bring to boil, remove from heat add tea bags and COVER. Let sit and steep at least 30 minutes. Place 3 cups of sugar to the pitcher, pour in still hot tea. Mix sugar while still hot, cover pitcher. Place in refrigator to cool. If you can see through the glass it is for women and children. If you cant drink this move back to the north.
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5-15-2008 @12:25PM Susan said... OK, I used Lipton for years and a friend turned me on to Tetley. I switched. It is very smooth. We drink up to 2 gallons of tea a day at our house, regular during the day decaf at night. To cut the calories we use Splenda, and about 1/3 cup of sugar per gallon. You get the same great taste with fewer calories. By the way, the name for iced tea in the south is SOUTHERN SYRUP.
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5-16-2008 @6:53AM Hucklebarryusa said... I would guess I'm about as Yankee as I can get, born and raised in Rangeley Maine...however, my Mom was from the deep south...South of New Orleans.. and we've had that southern sweet tea around my family as long as I can ever remember.... I still make it. I've never heard of doing all that syrup stuff...we always just pour in the sugar.. But we make it in a 2 1/2 gallon lobsta pot. ( boil one gallon spring water...22 lipton tea bags, and one cinnamon apple tea bag for a great flavor)...3 cups of sugar... add 1 1/2 gallon of spring water...refridgerate 12 hours)...and in my household that lasts about 4 days. Better than any coke or Pepsi...that's for sure...y'all come back now hear... great drink with your lobsta or chowda!!!
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5-16-2008 @10:03AM Joan said... I have been born and raised in the small town of Melrose, FL. I grew up on sweet iced tea, I've perfected my recipe. I brew in the coffee pot or on the stove 3 large bags, as soon as it's finished I add 1 1/2 cups sugar stir to disolved, then add enough ice to almost fill the container, stir and while stiring add a little more water. PERFECT sweet iced tea every time. Then when I pour in glass, it's already cold.
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5-16-2008 @12:08PM Debi said... I love adding a cinnamon stick to my sun tea. Gives it a great taste.
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5-16-2008 @1:47PM Bob said... I just tried it. It took me the rescuers 25 minutes to pull my head out of the ceiling.
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5-16-2008 @2:00PM sue g said... SALADA TEA... NEVER BITTER!
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5-16-2008 @2:19PM katsmeow said... I make my tea by heating water almost to boiling then putting in a ceramic tea pot 4 family bags of Luzianne tea. Next cover the tea bags with the hot water and let steep for 15 minutes. In the meantime, put 2 cups of sugar in a gallon pitcher, now add the steeped and still hot tea and stir till disolved. Then fill with cold water. Perfect Tea everytime. My mom always said "Boiled tea is Spoiled Tea. Happy Drinking!
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5-16-2008 @2:14PM Jim Bridges said... Southern sweet tea is great but I sure do like the yankee version with sweet orange and cloves that our colonial ancestors enjoyed. A little Long Island Ice Tea is not a bad drink for the end of a long hot day, either.
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5-16-2008 @2:59PM JEANETTE said... What a strange way to make tea. I make several 2 qt. pitchers a day. If ya'll come to my house, theres always tea and everyone that knows me, knows theres tea. I was born and raised in Texas. I use to use Lipton, but it started to get weak and Id get a slime in the bottom of the pitcher, so I switched to Tetely. It seems to be stronger and I like my tea strong. I simply use a 2 cup measuring cup, I put 1 family sized tea bag in with 2 cups of water and microwave it for 4 mins 44 secs. I put a heaping 1/2 cup of sugar into my pitcher, then add the hot brewed tea and 4 more cups of water. Stir well and serve over LOTS of ice.
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5-16-2008 @3:44PM Steph said... I'm 31 and I'd never tried it with the syrup until recently... but when I did, it was awesome. Before I just boiled the bags with the water, and poured in the sugar, but I hated that it never melted...now I add the syrup...
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5-16-2008 @4:15PM Moon said... I am from NC, sweet tea is where it's at, My family drinks at least one gallon a day and sometimes two. We use an automatic drip coffee pot with eight bags of tea. I pour two cups of sugar ( I am trying to cut back to one cup but it's a slow process) in the hot tea (coffee) pot and stir. Then I pour it into a gallon jug and fill with water. Pour this in a 16 ounce tumbler full of ice, sit in the morning sun and enjoy!
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5-16-2008 @5:09PM Allan said... If you want real Southern Sweet Iced Tea, then don't use imported tea's like, Lipton or Luzianne. You need to use the only tea that is grown in America, American Clasic Tea. This tea is grown at a Tea Plantation that is located in Charleston, SC. This is not a very publisized tea company, so you might not be able to find it in you local grocery store, uinless you live in or near SC. Just because it's not widely publisized doesn't mean it's not good. This is the best Tea I've ever tasted, and the fact the the tea plantation has been around for over 150 years, that just makes it all the better. and if you can not find this tea in stores, here is there website: www.CharlestonTeaPlantation.com buy the tea that is made in America!!
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2-17-2009 @3:00PM Allan said... If you want real Southern Sweet Iced Tea, then don't use imported tea's like, Lipton or Luzianne. You need to use the only tea that is grown in America, American Clasic Tea. This tea is grown at a Tea Plantation that is located in Charleston, SC. This is not a very publisized tea company, so you might not be able to find it in you local grocery store, uinless you live in or near SC. Just because it's not widely publisized doesn't mean it's not good. This is the best Tea I've ever tasted, and the fact the the tea plantation has been around for over 150 years, that just makes it all the better. and if you can not find this tea in stores, here is there website: www.CharlestonTeaPlantation.com buy the tea that is made in America!!
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5-17-2008 @4:29PM Jamie Pitts said... Hey from Georgia. I get rave reviews of my tea, and it's so easy. 3 family size Tetley tea bags in a one quart glass container filled with filtered water, 6 minutes on high in the microwave, let steep for 6 minutes more, mix with 3/4 cup of sugar in a gallon container, pour more filtered water over the tea bags in the glass container, then pour into the gallon container till full, let cool, then refrigerate. I don't know who is drinking all that tea, but it certainly disappears!
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5-19-2008 @5:45PM heidi said... I love strong sweet tea. What is the best way to make the iced tea stronger? Is it better to add more steeping time or add more tea bags? I made the recipe above and it came out good, I would just like it a little stronger. Please help!! Thank you!
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5-19-2008 @8:29PM Pamela said... I live in SC. At my house,we ALWAYS have Tea in the refrigerator. Of course it's sweet, very sweet. We took a trip "up North" one year and couldn't believe that there were restaurants that didn't have sweet tea. This recipe sounds more complicated than the way I make it, but I'm sure it's good!
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