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The secret to southern sweet tea is simple. This southern sweet tea recipe will teach you how to make that perfect glass of sweet tea, every single time.
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Every home cook in the south has a southern sweet tea recipe. Sweet tea is just a way of life around here. Always served ice cold, sweet tea is like a good cup of coffee.
In every true southern fridge sits a pitcher of sweet tea ready to be served. Today I’m sharing my southern sweet tea recipe for that perfect glass of sweet tea, every single time.
While sweet tea is not the only tea that I drink, growing up in the South sweet tea is a beverage that can be found as a beverage option at most restaurants. Sitting on the front porch, sipping a tall cold glass of sweet tea is just what we do around here to relax after a long day.
With every meal and served at every restaurant, sweet tea is more than just a southern staple its a part of our life down here.
Secret Southern Sweet Tea Recipe
Some may think that Sweet Tea has some sort of “secret ingredient”. But this simply isn’t true.
There is only one rule to really good sweet tea and that is the sweeter the better.
The brand of tea bags doesn’t matter that much, although many in the south will swear by Luzianne. So long as it is black tea, the brand doesn’t matter all that much. I typically will just pick a store brand to save a few pennies.
But please note that instant tea is no good here. I prefer to use single tea bags versus family size, but really any size will do.
What do you serve Sweet Tea in?
I picked up this gallon glass dispenser, I thought it was absolutely perfect for holding my tea in the fridge and oh so easy to refill my glass when I’m running low.
Mason Jars have been my jam for a while. We switched from drinking out of normal glasses to only using wide mouth mason jars as our beverage vessel. Sweet Tea and Mason Jars are a perfect Southern pair.
Taking your Sweet Tea To-Go?
If you are taking your tea on the go, you can’t go wrong with an RTIC tumbler. I’m obsessed with mine. It keeps your sweet tea perfectly cold. It amazes me that I can take this tumbler with me when I run errands and my beverage is still be cold when I return to my car on a hot summer afternoon.
Next to a mason jar, my RTIC Tumbler is my second favorite way to enjoy a gold glass of sweet tea.
Lemon or No lemon
That is the question. Many people like the taste of fresh squeezed lemon in their sweet tea, many people do not. It is all a matter of personal preference.
For me, personally I do not like lemon in my tea. I like my sweet tea plain and simple just like the recipe.
But if you like the flavor of lemon, I encourage you to add a slice or squeeze of lemon into a glass of freshly poured southern sweet tea.
Southern Sweet Tea Recipe
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The secret to southern sweet tea is simple. This southern sweet tea recipe will teach you how to make that perfect glass of sweet tea, every single time.
Remove tea bags and squeeze out excess tea from the bag before discarding.
With a slotted spoon, stir the tea until the sugar on the bottom is completely dissolved.
Refrigerate overnight because sweet tea always tastes its best on the second day. Serve in a mason jar filled with ice.
Notes
Sweet Tea is at it’s best for about 2-3 days after making. If you notice that the tea has become cloudy, it is no longer good and it’s time to make a fresh batch.
If you plan to serve this sweet tea recipe cold from the fridge WITHOUT ice, then reduce the sugar to 1 1/2 cups. As the tea sits in the fridge it becomes sweeter. The recipe as it is written is to be served in a glass filled with ice.
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Still, there's a balance to the flavor—the tea is brewed long and strong, so it gets an astringency that can only be countered by lots of the sweet stuff. Southerners, of course, have a taste for sugar that is demonstrably stronger than what you find up North.
Sweetened iced tea is a solution in which solid sugar (the solute) is dissolved in cold liquid tea, which is mostly water (the solvent). When you add sugar to tea, particles of water pull apart particles of sugar. The particles of sugar spread throughout the tea, making all of it taste sweet.
It wasn't until 1928 that sweet tea became the southern thirst-quencher of choice it is today. The well-known “Southern Cooking” cookbook published a sweet tea recipe that shifted iced tea from a refreshing beverage to a cultural staple.
Adding a little baking soda to your tea will clear away any cloudiness left from the mixing process, and it's also thought to cut down on any lingering bitter tastes from the steeping tea bags, leaving your tea clarified and smooth and providing your get-together with one fantastic pitcher of tea.
Even sweetened teas are often lower in calories than soft drinks, making them a great option for those who are trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.
In conclusion, while both sweet tea and soda offer refreshment, sweet tea emerges as the healthier choice due to its natural ingredients, minimal additives, and potential health benefits.
Some things that won't do a good job of keeping you hydrated include things such as soda, coffee, energy drinks, sweet tea, and even lemonade. Why is that? Because they are either loaded with caffeine, unnatural sugars or even both, which dehydrate the body more than hydrating it.
Fruit juice WITHOUT added sugar or sweetener is a natural type of sugar. Add a splash of all-natural fresh pineapple juice or mango juice to our Tropical Punch Organic Oolong Tea for delicious, iced tea. Fresh squeezed is best.
Sweet tea is not just "tea with sugar" - it's a beverage in its own right. An inviting elixir, sweet tea has its sugar added early on: The sugar crystals dissolve fully when stirred into piping hot tea.
Sweet tea, also known as sweet iced tea, is a popular style of iced tea commonly consumed in countries such as the United States (especially the South) and Indonesia.
Which States Have Sweet Tea? It's believed that the states in which sweet tea is most popular and most widely consumed are Alabama, Arkansas, Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia.
The proper tea-to-water ratio is crucial for a well-balanced flavor without excessive bitterness. According to general guidelines, 3 grams of loose-leaf tea should be used per 8 ounces of water. Using too much tea can result in an imbalanced taste with excessive bitterness due to the over-extraction of tannins.
Once water comes to a roiling boil, pour into one gallon pitcher. Add 3 family-size tea bags and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda (you don't need to stir) to the pitcher. Just make sure the bags are submerged in the water.
Yes, you can sweeten your tea with powdered sugar but your tea will be cloudy. You can but it has a totally different sweetness level than regular table sugar. Much sweeter and probably will make your tea look odd because of it's texture which is also totally different than regular sugar.
Sweet tea is much more than iced tea with a spoonful of sugar stirred in.Southern style sweet tea is, generally, made in big batches by boiling water and stirring in sugar until it's dissolved…. sort of like a less sweet form of simple syrup.
Sugar is really detrimental in high doses but in small increments is not as bad for you. The benefits of tea are that they contain antioxidants to prevent cancer, heart disease, obesity, and high cholesterol but sweet tea has so much sugar it may negate some of the healthier benefits.
Sweet tea is regarded as an important regional staple in the cuisine of the Southern United States and Indonesia. The availability of sweet tea in restaurants and other establishments is popularly used as an indicator to gauge whether an area can be considered part of the South.
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