Sweet Tea – A Beautiful Mess

Making authentic Southern-style sweet tea is easy, and you’ll love the refreshing taste of black tea brewed with sugar. Enjoy your homemade sweet tea on the porch, by the pool, or at your favorite barbecue all summer long.

Sweet tea is a Southern treat not well known in other parts of the country, but the process of brewing the tea, stirring in the sugar while the tea concentrate is still hot, and the sugar ratio make it a must-have during hot weather.

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What is Sweet Tea?

Sweet tea is a popular drink in the American South that is a relative of traditional iced tea but brewed differently: sugar is dissolved in hot black tea concentrate and then chilled to create a more concentrated, uniform sweetness.

Ingredients for sweet tea:

• tea bag: Black tea tea bags The most popular choice is tea. Green Tea This was the more common method when the drink was first introduced. Decaffeinated tea For those who want to drink at night.
• sugar: The sweetener comes from regular granulated sugar, so any regular sugar packet you have in your pantry will do.
• water: If you have filtered water, using it when making your tea will give you a cleaner tasting drink, but in a pinch, tap water is fine.

Should I add baking soda to my sweet tea?

This trick might sound a little odd to those unfamiliar with it, but some sweet tea makers swear by adding a little baking soda (about 1/8 teaspoon) to their tea while brewing. The baking soda helps smooth out the tannins in the tea and make it taste a bit mellower, but it’s optional, so you can try both methods and see which you prefer.

Tips: Packing a tray of sweet tea ice cubes and freezing them will keep your drink cold without the worry of it becoming watered down.

How to make sweet tea:

• Boil water: Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan on the stove. Remove from heat.
• Brewing tea: Place the tea bag in the pot and steep for 5-10 minutes (for a stronger tea flavor, steep closer to 10 minutes). Remove the tea bag and let it sit for a minute before discarding.
• Mix the sugar: Add the granulated sugar and stir gently until dissolved.
• Just add water and chill! Add the remaining water and stir. Store in a pitcher with a lid in the refrigerator Chill for at least 4 hours before pouring over ice.

How sweet is this sweet tea?

Naturally, this sweet tea sweetIt may seem too sweet to those unaccustomed to it, but the South definitely offers this level of sweetness, so if you want it a little less sweet, try using 3/4 cup sugar instead of 1 cup and taste.

How long can sweet tea be stored in the fridge?

If you store the tea in a covered container, it will keep in the fridge for 5-7 days, after which it will start to spoil.

Tips for making sweet tea:

• Do not squeeze the tea bag too hard when removing it from the water, as this can cause the tea leaves to mix with the sweet tea and add a bitter taste.
• If you only have a smaller pitcher on hand, split the tea concentrate evenly between the two pitchers and also split the remaining water in half so that both containers have an equal ratio.

Sweet Tea Variations:

Sweet Arnold Palmer: Make a sweet and sour version by adding half sweet tea and half lemonade over ice.

Spiked Sweet Tea: Bourbon and whiskey are the most popular choices for liquor to add to sweet tea (you can also use a more neutral vodka) Simply fill a glass with a shot glass and pour in the sweet tea.

Mint Sweet Tea: For a fresh taste, stir a few fresh mint leaves into the bottom of the glass before adding the ice and tea.

What to serve with sweet tea: