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How to Make Southern Homemade Sweet Tea

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There’s nothing fairly as refreshing as an enormous pitcher of selfmade candy tea! I at all times discover the shop purchased iced teas, properly, too candy–plus they’re packed stuffed with components that basically don’t should be in it. So as an alternative I’m displaying you make candy tea that tastes nearly as good as this basic Southern drink ought to, however with lower than 100 energy per serving. The most effective half is that this sweetened black tea will likely be chilly and able to drink in lower than 20 minutes!

Homemade sweet tea served in a glass with a lemon slice.

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If, like me, you’re from the Midwest or the South, then you know the way integral contemporary, selfmade candy tea is to meal, potluck, or household gathering. Earlier than this recipe (initially my Mother’s), I at all times bumped into 2 issues: dissolving sugar into iced tea will be tedious, and everybody wished totally different ranges of sweetness. However making candy tea with a easy syrup is the right answer to each issues! Now everybody can sweeten their tea by the glass, and there’ll be no shock mounds of sugar granules left on the backside of the cup.

Elements for Candy Iced Tea

  • Sugar: Use granulated cane sugar for the easy syrup. You can even use super-fine sugar, coconut sugar, or brown sugar.
  • Water: You’ll want 1 cup of water to make the easy syrup, and one other 7-8 cups to make a ½ gallon (2 quarts) of iced tea.
  • Tea Luggage: I take advantage of chilly brew tea baggage in order that I don’t have to relax the tea earlier than serving–it’s prepared as quickly because the tea is finished brewing! Use 2-3 family-sized tea baggage for a ½ gallon of candy tea.
A pitcher of sweet tea, a jar of simple syrup, glasses of ice, and tea bags arranged on a countertop.

Suggestions for Success

  • Merely double the recipe to make a gallon of iced tea (use 4-5 family-sized tea baggage).
  • I often make the easy syrup forward of time in order that it’s prepared to make use of with freshly-brewed tea.
  • I let the tea brew between 5-Quarter-hour, relying on how affected person I really feel. The longer you let tea brew, the deeper and extra flavorful it is going to change into–although previous 25 minutes it may begin to style bitter.
  • I wish to garnish my iced tea with contemporary mint and citrus slices, however that’s elective!
  • Black tea is the basic choice for Southern-style candy tea, however you can also make this recipe with different sorts as properly. I like to recommend attempting it with inexperienced tea!

Methods to Retailer

Retailer the easy syrup in a heat-resistant, hermetic jar or container. It can maintain within the fridge for as much as 1 month, which implies you can also make it forward of time.

Retailer candy iced tea in a pitcher (or one other container) within the fridge. I like to recommend consuming it inside 48 hours of brewing for the perfect style–it is going to begin to style bitter after a few days.

Short and tall glasses of Southern sweet iced tea.

A Word on Tea Bag Sizes

A family-size tea bag makes 1 quart of tea, so I take advantage of 2-3 on this selfmade candy tea recipe to make 2 quarts (equal to a ½ gallon)–that further bag simply makes the tea stronger. 1 family-size bag is the same as 4 regular-sized baggage (these are formulated to make one 8 ounce cup every). So when you’re utilizing regular-sized tea baggage for this recipe, you’ll want 8 baggage to make the two quarts of candy iced tea as directed.

Methods to Make Candy Tea Step by Step

Boil Water: In a small saucepan set over medium warmth, deliver 1 cup of water to a boil.

1 cup of water boiling in a small saucepan.

Stir in Sugar: Add 1 cup of sugar to the boiling water, and stir till the sugar has absolutely dissolved. Then take away from the warmth and pour the easy syrup right into a heat-resistant, hermetic jar to chill fully (and retailer).

Whisking a liquid mixture together in a pot on an electric hot plate.

Pour Water: In a ½ gallon pitcher, pour 7-8 cups of chilly water over 2-3 family-sized chilly brew tea baggage.

Pouring 7 cups of water into a pitcher filled with tea bags.

Brew Tea: Permit the tea to brew for no less than 5 minutes, or as much as Quarter-hour. Then discard the tea baggage. 

Tea bags brewing in a glass pitcher.

Pour Iced Tea: Add ice, slices of lemon or orange, or contemporary mint leaves to glasses–this garnishing can be performed after pouring. Then pour iced tea into glasses.

Pouring sweet tea into a glass filled with mint and oranges.

Sweeten Tea: To sweeten a glass of iced tea, stir within the easy syrup. Add as a lot or as little as you wish to get your required degree of sweetness.

Stirring a simple syrup into a glass of iced tea.

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