The delicacy that is SWEET TEA
As a Northerner who has a Southern girlfriend, I learned about the delicacy and wonder that is sweet tea.
I have been having trouble finding the RIGHT way to make it, and a Texas-based company gave me the answer!
http://sweetleafteablog.com/2009/07/29/how-to-make-the-perfect-pitcher-of-sweet-tea/
The recipe: http://www.texasmonthly.com/2009-08-01/themanual.php
Enjoy!!
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19 Comments:
There is no right way to make it. Sweetening your iced tea is wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. (And I've lived in NC for 21 years).
ProfessorChaos at 2:32PM on 07/29/09
Sweetening your tea is neither right nor wrong. It is a personal preference. I loved sweet tea when I was young, but now I like it somewhere between sweet and unsweetened (yes that makes sense).
gingercookiewithlime at 2:43PM on 07/29/09
One of the most pleasurable things in our trips down to South Carolina, are the delightfully, cold, pitchers of iced tea offered in all restaurants - we prefer it without sugar, but it is wonderful to have a choice. There is nothing more refreshing on a steamy, hot day.
Here in Canada, literally,the only iced tea one can obtain is from a can! The only time I had it scratch made in Canada was when we stopped at a highway truck stop - when I mentioned how surprised I was that it was offered, the waitress said the U.S. truckers demanded it.
bareneed at 3:27PM on 07/29/09
If you like sweet tea, you might like Sweet Tea Vodka. It is all the rage in my circle. Mix it with lemonade for a divine summer drink.
Knitter at 4:11PM on 07/29/09
with so much about sweet tea these days, is this just iced tea made with sugar? it's not any magical concoction? like chai?
the opposite of sweet tea would be unsweetened tea?
sorry, i'm perplexed about this sweet tea rage. if it only means iced tea that is sweetened .... well, if their calling it a delicacy -- i'm a little confused.... it's just sweetened ice tea - right?
pooch at 4:29PM on 07/29/09
Yeah @pooch, however you make it, it's just iced tea + sugar to me.
My bf's mom drinks sweet tea. It's too sweet for me, and my bf likes my lightly sweetened version. I like to make it with mint...if you throw in frozen peaches, it keeps the tea very cold without diluting it, and you get to eat the mint- and tea- infused peaches at the end :-)
hmw0029 at 4:47PM on 07/29/09
As a southerner born and bred I have to put in my two cents... :-)
Luzianne or Community tea bags are a must- four family size tea bags to a gallon, please. Steep in boiling water for around 5 minutes - remove tea bags- then stir in 3/4 cup sugar **while the tea is still hot**. I typically also throw in a freshly washed sprig of mint from the garden to add a little extra oomph to the tea. If you do this remember to remove it before serving. (yes, I am one of the old school hold outs who still serves my iced tea with crushed ice and a fresh sprig of mint for garnish). Delish!!
sbelle at 4:54PM on 07/29/09
Unsweetened Please.
seikel at 5:32PM on 07/29/09
Oh yeah @knitter! The adult version of an Arnold Palmer...Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka and REAL Lemonade. 50/50 with ice. Here in Arkansas, we call it a John Daly.
(WARNING! During summer it is the body's natural response to chug iced tea when thirsty. Be fully hydrated before drinking the John Daly.)
scotter at 6:19PM on 07/29/09
When we moved from the Catskills to the Atlanta area 28 years ago my first taste of sweet tea made my teeth hurt. I never learned to like the concoction and always order unsweet tea when I eat out here. At home when I make a glass of iced tea I sweeten it slightly with the simple syrup I always have on hand.
tapioca at 6:58PM on 07/29/09
Sweet tea isn't a complex drink, true, but I believe, like many foods and drinks, that there is an art to making it. My gf's grandfather made it the way @sbelle makes it, and I absolutely loved it.
Keep the comments comin'!
theshah2002 at 7:20PM on 07/29/09
I find I can use 3 family size community tea bags to a gallon. I tend to use a scant cup of sugar. I also do not boil the water--I bring it to a simmer, just below a boil, then take the water of the heat and add the 3 tea bags and let steep for 5-7 minutes. Remove tea bags (WITHOUT SQUEEZING: this is important) and mix in sugar till completely dissolved. Pour over ice water to make one gallon.
Nom.
nightowl at 7:34PM on 07/29/09
Hi nightowl... you are right... community tea is a little stronger than luzianne and three bags will work (I am just a tea freak and like it a little stronger). lol
Thanks also for mentioning that you remove the water from the heat after the tea bags are added and never, ever, ever squeeze the tea bags to drain (makes the tea bitter and cloudy). Matter of fact, I think I'm going to go have a glass now! hee hee!
@theshah2002 -- great thread!
sbelle at 8:18PM on 07/29/09
I love sweet tea and think the south got it right on this one. I do often wonder how a culture so eager to sweeten everything else could have gone so wrong on cornbread though.
inkandsausages at 9:42PM on 07/29/09
@hmw0029 - now the frozen peaches sound good to me.... and mint,of course.... i notice no one is mentioning lemon ... is this a no no?
i'm a fan of good, homemade iced tea....
pooch at 9:49PM on 07/29/09
Sweet-tea in South Carolina is one word. The Beacon Restaurant just off I-26 in Spartanburg is the largest user of Lipton tea in the world. I know folks that will drive a hundred miles for a Beacon tea. It's that good. The Beacon now sells it's tea in many Super Markets across the over the state.
Bareneed, y'all need to stop at the Beacon on your way to Charleston. Order a tea, a slice que, a small order of rings and for desert, a fried pie-heated with ice cream This restaurant is a one-of-a-kind and featured in every major food guide. The "That's Incredible" TV Show did a feature on the Beacon. Y'all won't believe it!
Poultrygeist at 4:19PM on 07/30/09
FYI - Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka is made on Wadmalow Island, 30 miles from Charleston.
Poultrygeist at 4:28PM on 07/30/09
I confess I cannot stand sweet tea. When I visited some friends in TN, they poured me a big glass. It was so sweet I thought my teeth would rot on the spot. I spent most of dinner trying to get ice from my water glass into the tea without being noticed so I could get it down.
Skythe at 11:34AM on 07/31/09
The delicacy of Sweet Tea compliments the savory nature of a Tuna Melt. preferably one prepared on a hot summers day in Charleston, South Carolina.
http://www.wildriverreview.com/wrratlarge/?p=948
warrenbobrow at 9:33AM on 08/03/09