Iced tea, anyone?
This apple iced tea recipe, courtesy of MM, looks delicious. I think we'll have to try it.Jesse loves iced tea, especially on warm Summer days. I usually just boil about 4 cups of water and pour it over around 6-8 tea bags and put it in the refrigerator. This makes enough iced tea concentrate to last for a few days. I just pour a little concentrate in glasses and add ice and extra water. So refreshing!
However, Jesse loves sweet tea (he almost always orders it when we go out to eat) and I can never figure out how to make it. Anyone have a tried and true Southern recipe?
posted by Crystal Paine at 6:01 PM
17 Comments:
Crystal, my friend Martha (from Atlanta) gave me her sweet tea recipe recently via email. I'm going to replicate it as I received it from her! She lived by me in Chicago for two years, and I had it frequently at her home.
Note: use Luzianne tea bags if you can possibly find them. I had to search my grocery store tea section, but found them on the bottom shelf at Jewel!
"As for the tea, you’ll probably want to make less at a time than I do. Are your teabags family size, or the regular little ones? I use the larger ones, two of them with about 3 quarts of water and a rounded 2/3 c. of sugar. I bring half of the water almost to a boil (little bubbles on the bottom, and steam starting to rise), then turn it off and drop in the teabags. Let it steep anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours, then pour into a pitcher with the sugar and the rest of the water. My sister heats her water in her tea kettle and steeps the bags in her pitcher with the sugar, then adds enough water to fill her pitcher. Her tea is good, too. I am only guessing, but one family size bag is probably the same as two small bags. You may have to experiment with the strength. You can always add a bit more water if it’s too strong, but never try to sweeten cold tea. I’m sure you can work out the details to your liking."
Note: if steeping the tea in the pitcher, it MUST be a plastic pitcher - the hot water will likely break a glass pitcher!
I use about 4 regular sized tea bags in a 2 quart plastic pitcher with about 1/2 cup sugar. I fill it up a little less than half-way with boiling water, then let steep for about 20 minutes. I fish the tea bags out with tongs and then add cold water. I boil my water in an electric kettle, which is why I don't steep it in the pot I boiled the water in. Nice basic sweet tea. I go through tons of it!
From Augusta, GA...here is a genuine fool-proof southern recipe for a gallon of sweet tea:
Boil four cups of COLD water until it reaches a full boil. Remove from heat and add 2 family size tea bags (preferably Lipton or Luzianne). Let the tea bags steep for about fifeen minutes. Pour tea into a gallon pitcher and mix in one cup of sugar (the sugar dissolves well in the warm tea...that is the secret to southern iced tea) Fill to the top of the pitcher with cold water and stir again. Store in the refrigerator (but it won't last very long). If you like very sweet tea, use 1 cup and a half of sugar.
Jesse should love this!
Yes Ma'am...here you go. And we have a bunch of other recipes as well, if you care to look on our cooking blog.
http://twomanycooks.blogspot.com/2006/01/real-southern-sweet-tea.html
Have a lovely day!
I'm actually from Indiana, but have lived in North Carolina for about 11 years and I can't remember life without sweet tea...I now dread going to restaurants when we visit our family in Indiana because they only serve unsweetened tea! I've observed and learned from several wonderful born-and-raised southerners and here's how they/I do it...
Bring about 2-3 quarts of water to a boil with 2 family-sized tea bags. Once it boils, take it off the heat and let sit with the lid on for an hour or two. While still warm, remove the tea bags, pour in a gallon-sized pitcher and add about 2 cups of sugar (yes, this is REALLY sweet tea...my wonderful neighbor...Gram'ma Dot, actually uses about 2-1/4 cups, I usually use about 1-3/4...either way...pretty sweet!). Stir to dissolve and then add water or ice to make a full gallon. Yum...I think I'm off to make some right now!
Michelle
Why yes I do! I posted my recipe here: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PatriciaWHunter/149904/
I love your new look, Crystal! Very pretty! Love ~ Patricia
Just make your concentrate the same way, then add one cup of sugar to it. Stir until it dissolves and add enough water to fill a one gallon pitcher. (Glass,if you have one. It seems to keep the tea tasting fresh longer) Enjoy!
Chances are, if you don't live in the south you won't be able to find "family sized" teabags. So it will require a little more time, but use 12 small teabags for a gallon and 6 small ones for a 1/2 gallon.
I am curious, though. Where do you live that Jesse can order sweet tea in a restaurant? Unless it is Cracker Barrel?
My husband is from the deep South and loves his sweet tea! He says: 2-4 teabags depending on what strenth you like, 1 gallon of water, and half a cup to 1 cup of pure cane sugar! He really loves sun tea! Katy
Hi Crystal,
I've made sweet tea before, but I've always used what is called a "simple syrup" I also use it as a base to make several kinds of candy. Anyway, it is a one to one ratio of plain white sugar to water. 1c water to 1c sugar (you can use brown sugar too for a richer flavor, but I'm not sure how it would go with tea. Anyway, boil down the sugar water until it is thick and syrupy and add to the warm tea before putting in the fridge. I came up with using this because the granulated sugar never seemed to disolve well for me.
Crystal, my husband loves sweet tea. I don't like mine sweetened. Here's how I've managed to satisfy both our tastes.
I make a gallon of tea unsweetened as usual. (Or your concentrate.) Then I make a separate sugar water. Mix one cup boiling water with one cup sugar. Store in a pourable container in the fridge. I use those shaker measuring cups. Then when he wants sweet tea he mixes his up and adds the sugar water to his taste preference. This keeps me from having to make two types of tea mixtures. It is better than just adding sugar to the tea as well. Granulated sugar or honey never dissolves well in cold tea.
Our preference is for green iced tea.
http://www.alibris.com/search/search.cfm?S=R&qwork=8317588&qsort=p&siteID=KLVmR9fE2yU-9W95lkYjdumopI3D_xcY9g
Check out that book from your library! He's a funny writer and you'll definitely want to make iced tea when you're done looking throught that book. He has one about cornbread and lemonade too; I think.
The BEST sweet tea, in my estimation is sun tea. It tastes a lot clearer than the kind made on the stove.
In a sun tea pitcher put 3-4 family size tea bags and set it in the sun for 3-4 hours (depending on how hot the sun is shining). Bring it in a stir in 3/4 - 1 cup of sugar till it dissolves. Put in the fridge till it cools and serve over ice. For an extra yummy goody add a mint tea bag when you put it out to steep. That tastes SO good.
do you still make your own yogurt have you heard of easi yo? www.easiyo.com makes yummy healthy yogurt and SO easily!
The way I do it:
Buy Luzianne Family Size Teabags.
Fill the teapot with cold water; wait for the whistle.
Remove from heat.
Place teabags (we're a big family; I usually make 2 gallons at a time and use 4-6 bags) in the pot and let steep for 5 minutes. For 1 gallon, I'd use 2 bags.
Put 2.5 cups sugar (for 1 gallon I'd use 1.5 cup) in the pitcher.
Pour tea into pitcher and stir until sugar is all dissolved.
Divide.
Add water to the top.
Put it in the fridge.
I am from south GA (lived here all my life) and we drink sweet tea all day long. I use instant Nestea. I buy the unsweetened kind. For one gallon, just add 2 heaping tablespoons of tea to hot water in the bottom of the pitcher (just enough water to melt it). Then add sugar. I use 1 1/2 cups. (Sometimes I use honey. I have also used stevia.) Stir well, then fill up the pitcher with cold water. Delicious!
Crystal,
I wrote a post on my blog on this very thing.
Here is the link.
www.simplefrugalliving.blogspot.com/2006/05/how-to-make-sweet-tea.html
I agree with the other ladies Luzianne tea is the best! I buy the family sized ones in a red box, it will say blended for iced tea or something like that. I boil 2 quarts of water plus 1/2 cup. Turn it off just as it starts to boil add 1 cup honey (stir) and 2 family tea bags. I let them sit at least 20 min. if not longer but I like a strong tea taste. My husband will often add 1 tablespoon of sugar to his 8 0z. glass.
-Lela
It does not mather what flavor or recipe you use if you do not put the sugar in when it is hot the sugar will not disolve right.
Marissa
I don't really post not sure if I have but I don't have a blog or e-mail so that why I anonymous.
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