Southern Sweet Tea - as essential to southern cuisine as fried chicken and collard greens. Not limited to warmer weather here, it appears on our tables every day.
Ahh, sweet tea. The nectar of life to a southerner.
I can't remember a single day of my life when there was not a pitcher of sweet tea in my refrigerator. Its constant presence is just a part of life. It's the beverage of choice for lunch and supper, and it's not unheard of to have a glass at breakfast on hot, sultry summer days. Some of us are even guilty of putting it in babies' bottles. Not that I would ever do something like that.
Not Everyone Drinks Iced Tea All Year Round
It wasn't until I was a young adult that I learned that not everyone in the world drinks sweet tea every day. And let me tell you, it was a rude awakening, too.
It was on a trip to Nebraska when we stopped in St. Louis for a meal. I, being the naive little southern girl that I was, ordered sweet tea with my meal. After all, it was what we had at home and ordered any time we went out to eat.
Well, the waiter looked right down his nose and told me he was "very sorry, but iced tea is out of season." Huh? Out of season? Whoever heard of such a thing! Not to be outdone, though, I asked him if hot tea was available. "Why certainly," he said! Well then, I said, "May I please have a cup of hot tea and a glass of ice?" Got my sweet tea.
Yes, it Really Is All That Important
Don't believe me yet about the importance of sweet tea to Southerners? When my husband's company was planning the closing of its manufacturing facility in south Georgia a few years ago, they held a meeting for all the employees so that they could discuss the closure and possibilities for jobs with the company in its northeastern U.S. locations.
After some explanation, they asked if there were questions. They expected questions about benefits, moving expenses, transition assistance. You know the usual things on the minds of people about to be uprooted from their homes and sent halfway across the country. What was the first question asked? Wait for it -- "Do they serve sweet tea in the company cafeteria?" I am not joking.
Just in case you still don't believe me, back in 2003 a bill was introduced in the Georgia state legislature that would make it a misdemeanor for a restaurant that offered tea on its menu to not offer sweet tea as well. They said the next day that it was actually an April Fool's joke, but I don't believe it.
Southern Sweet Tea - as essential to southern cuisine as fried chicken and collard greens. Not limited to warmer weather here, it appears on our tables every day. Click To Tweet
Here's how to make yourself a pitcher of Southern Sweet Tea
Place one quart of water in a pan and bring to a boil. Add the tea bags, cover, remove from the heat and let it steep for 10-15 minutes.
Now, I know that all the tea companies' instructions say to steep for 3 to 5 minutes. But I'm telling you that most southern cooks will steep at least 15 minutes. Sometimes more. We just want to get all the goodness we can out of those tea leaves!
When the steeping time is over I also stir the bags around in the water for a while and then give them a good squeeze before I remove them.
Remove the tea bags, add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved.
Now, here's another thing you need to know. Make sure to add your sugar while your steeped tea is still good and warm. If you try to add sugar to cold water, you'll never get it to go into solution. Same as when they bring you some unsweetened iced tea and two sugar packets in a restaurant. Like two packs of sugar are enough to start with, but you'll never get that tea sweet enough after the ice has been added. The sugar just won't dissolve!
Add the additional quart of cold water and stir. Makes two quarts of the prettiest, sweetest tea you ever tasted. Serve the tea over ice. Lemon and mint are optional.
Enjoy!
More Beverages from Never Enough Thyme
- Watermelon Cherry Limeade
- Ginger Praline Coffee Float
- Infused Water (Agua Fresca)
- Strawberry Lemon Limeade
- Spiced Tea a.k.a Russian Tea
Sweet Tea Posts from Other Bloggers:
- "What makes Southern sweet tea so special?" by Jeffery Klineman
- Alton Brown's recipe for Sweet Tea
- Mint Iced Tea from Paula Deen
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Southern Sweet Tea
Ingredients
- 2 quarts cold water divided
- 2 family size tea bags
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Place one quart of water in a pan and bring to a boil. Add the tea bags, cover and let steep for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the tea bags, add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Add the additional quart of cold water and stir.
- Serve over ice. Lemon and/or mint optional.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
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Lana Stuart is the cook and occasional traveler here at Never Enough Thyme. Lana has been cooking since she was tall enough to reach the stove and started this blog in 2009 to share her delicious home cooking recipes. You'll find about 700 recipes here so there's sure to be something your family will like!
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Brenda
You missed the pinch of baking soda..Talk about tea flavor! The soda immediately brings out the deep color and tea flavor..My grandma taught me this trick in Virginia when I was a girl..yum
Martha Allain
We don’t have family size tea bags here where I live .So how much single should I use. I just love sweet tea the first time I tried sweet tea was in a restaurant in Georgia and I loved it ever since. I buy some every time we go to the states
Lana Stuart
Hi Martha - thanks for asking! In general, one family size tea bags is equivalent to four regular size bags. Hope that helps.
Lisa in Indy
Back in the early 70ies as new bride moving from my home state of Delaware to Georgia, my new in-laws ALWAYS had (iced) tea. I never heard it called 'Sweet Tea', until recently. When I was married, 'he' expected tea every day but I never really understood the obsession. It had a LOT of sugar!!!! ... which is probably why his teeth were so brown; never mind ALL that SUGAR!!! I never drank it as it was too sweet, but if we didn't have a full pitcher in the frig 'somebody' was cranky! My iced tea uses Splenda and I try not to double the amount of water, instead filling the pitcher with as many ice cubes as possible so the tea isn't diluted with too much water and too many ice cubes. Thank you, Lana for another Memory Lane moment.
Caite
There's plenty of sweet tea in St. Louis. Remember, a ton of Southerners flooded St. Louis for many decades for industrial jobs. Then, it's a city in a pseudo-Southern state whose southwest edge is the foothills of the Ozarks. It was definitely the particular restaurant you were at. While many places in the lower Midwest (including many places in Missouri) don't have sweet tea, what is really strange is iced tea in general being "out of season". I had never heard of that.
Sue S
I am a northerner. And I love sweet tea! Your recipe is exactly how I make my ice tea (sweet tea). Been doing this for years. Drinking it right now! I have it all year long. Even in the dead of winter. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Peg H
Whew! What a relief to know I've been making Sweet Tea correctly all these years! Y'all may think that sounds strange or snarky but I've often wondered. I do get rave reviews over my Sweet Tea, and this is exactly how I make it after much trial & error. One minor difference: I add a couple shakes of salt to the hot water as the tea steeps. That really amps up the flavor without making anything overpowering. Even my sugar-averse Better Half loves my Sweet Tea. :-) Just for the record, I *only* use Luzianne family-sized tea bags. It's positively the BEST. Thanks for sharing this Lana - and here's to Sweet Tea lovers everywhere!
Stacy
I can't seem to find family tea bags. How many regular tea bags should I use. Thanks.
Lana Stuart
Hi Stacy - the rule of thumb is generally 3 regular size equals 1 family size.
Gayann
Sweet tea is new to me. Will Splenda work instead of sugar?
Lana Stuart
Yes. You can use any sweetener you like.