I grew up on sweet tea at every meal… I can’t remember ever drinking milk at a meal other than breakfast. Never would you open a southern refrigerator and not find a pitcher of sweet tea! I’m not sure how old I was before I realized tea wasn’t always served sweet.
Growing up in South Texas we drank sweet tea all day long, every day.
Sweet tea has been a staple since time began in our family. Even today we kept a pitcher of sweet tea in the refrigerator. We love sweet tea!
When friends and family members come over, they always know there is a pitcher of sweet tea in the refrigerator.
Drinking sweet tea without ice is a “no-no” in south Texas! Sweet tea just doesn’t taste right unless it is chilled with ice. Lukewarm tea is horrible.
If you’re from the South, you probably are wondering why we even need a “recipe” for sweet tea! But guess what, not everyone knows how to make the perfect sweet tea. So I thought I would share how I make sweet tea.
Sweet tea isn’t just a process of stirring a spoonful of sugar into a cold glass of tea. Instead, it is typically made by adding sugar to a quick-brewed black tea while the tea is still hot. Sweet tea is always served ice-cold, and sometimes flavored with lemon.
I have a small saucepan that I have used for years to brew only tea in. The saucepan always sits on the stove… just waiting for the next time I make tea. Then I pour the brewed tea into a gallon pitcher with sugar and stir in. Add cold tap water to fill the pitch and refrigerate.
Basic Ingredients
- 8 small tea bags (or 2 Family size)
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup sugar
- Lemon slices (optional
Fill the saucepan with water and tea bags (pull paper tabs off tea bags). Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and strain tea into 1 gallon pitcher with sugar. The hot tea will dissolve the sugar. Add cold tap water till the pitcher is full and stir. Place in the refrigerator to cool.
Here is a video I made a few years back on making sweet tea.
Let us know how you like your sweet tea or if you like our recipe.
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