Sweet Tea Recipe

[Guest guest]

If you ever come to Alabama or any other part of the deep south

(Florida doesn't count) sweet tea is an expected beverage at lunch or

dinner. It isn't the same thing as sweetened tea, which is when you

add sugar to already brewed tea. Sweet tea is brewed with sugar.

Restaurants serve you either sweet or unsweet tea. If you don't

specify, you will get sweet tea. I can't imagine a family gathering

for Thanksgiving, Xmas, 4th of July, etc without it. The question is

never " do you have any sweet tea " but " where is the sweet tea " . The

following is how I make sweet tea, but understand that everyone makes

it a little different. I really like the tea flavor so I use 12 bags

but my mom uses about 4 or 6, thus, if you decide to make this you

may need to 'tweak' it to your liking.

 

Sweet Tea:

12 black tea bags

1 gallon of water

1 cup of sugar

Juice of 1 lemon (optional)

 

Boil about a cup of water in a pot on the stove or microwave the

water until boiling. Remove the water from its heat source. Add the

tea bags and steep for about 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and add

the sugar, stirring until dissolved. If desired, add the lemon juice

and you can always throw in the lemon itself too. Pour the steeped

tea into a gallon container. Add tap water until the gallon pitcher

is full. (My mom pours the tap water over the remaining tea bags into

the pitcher, but I don't.) At this point, the MOST important thing is

that you let the tea sit. After making the tea, put the gallon of tea

in the refrigerator at least 24 hours before serving.

Note: IF making this just for myself I brew it with the lemon, but if

serving others I will omitt the lemon and just have lemon slices

available on the table. Also, my man makes his sweet tea with about

1.5 - 2 cups sugar. I think it's more like mollasses, but many people

like his tea too. He also wanted me to add that decaf doesn't count.

 

karen

[Guest guest]

I make my sweet tea with one of those iced-tea

makers. The directions say to fill the pitcher with

water to the first line and pour into the resevior.

Then, fill with ice to the second line. Instead of

filling with ice, I put about a cup of sugar in the

pitcher. Then brew the tea. We live in Indiana, but

sweet tea is always expected at our home and my

hubby's aunt & uncle's. Hubby's aunt & uncle have

switched to using Splenda (a sugar substitute) due to

their diets. But, it's still sweet tea. Tea made

with the sugar added after it's cooled just doesn't

taste the same.

 

Janice