Recipes

[On It]

@RedTop @skatting44  I agree with both of you concerning sweet and sweetened tea. I boil the water in my 4 cup measuring cup and add tea bags after removing from the microwave. I cover the top and let the tea brew while I prepare the meal. Just before serving the meal, I mix what is essentially hummingbird juice (without the red food coloring) with the brewed tea. That is sweet tea.

When I am in a hurry and the sugar bowl has to be placed on the table along with teaspoons, everyone sweetens his own. The sugar does not dissolve completely like it does with sweet tea, so it is sweetened not sweet.

When serving the meal the first question we ask is "Sweet or Unsweetened?" We have pitchers of both freshly made. 

[KingstonsMom]

Our southern way of making sweet tea that I grew up with, is to bring the water to a boil, add the tea bags and let boil 1 minute, remove from heat, cover and let steep with teabags for 10 minutes.

Remove tea bags and add sugar to hot pot of tea, stir to dissolve sugar, and pour into a gallon container, then add cold water till container is full.

I just made a gallon for DD a few minutes ago!

[Sooner]

No sweet tea in this house!  We are hard core, straight up on the rocks TEA drinkers!  Good strong tea!  

[Drythe]

To my knowledge, a Southerners for Sweet Tea discussion started many years ago in the South when so many people moved here and started complaining about sweet v/s. unsweetened tea.  Some even had bumper stickers!

Anyway, that aside, to me and my Mamaws, sweet tea is made by adding sugar to hot tea.  The lore is that it is sweeter than tea sweetened when cold 🥶.  Likely because less sugar dissolves in cold tea.  I don't do sweetener, so know nothing about it.

Enjoy your tea however you make it.

[ECBG]

The teas are identical.  I am from the south.

[Kachina624]

I don't like traditional sweet tea as its always too sweet.  I always use part of a packet of Sweet 'n Low and that's the only sweetener I like for tea.

[ECBG]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

I don't like traditional sweet tea as its always too sweet.  I always use part of a packet of Sweet 'n Low and that's the only sweetener I like for tea.

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@Kachina624 

I can't stand the teas that are so sweet they're like syrup!

[JeanLouiseFinch]

For me, there's a difference.  Sweet tea is brewed and granulated sugar (lots of it) is added while it's still steeping, or right afterwards while it's still hot.   Sweetened tea is brewed, but unadulterated.  Sweetener (usually an alternative to granulated white sugar) is added upon serving.  

[SouthernBee]

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@KingstonsMom wrote:

Our southern way of making sweet tea that I grew up with, is to bring the water to a boil, add the tea bags and let boil 1 minute, remove from heat, cover and let steep with teabags for 10 minutes.

Remove tea bags and add sugar to hot pot of tea, stir to dissolve sugar, and pour into a gallon container, then add cold water till container is full.

I just made a gallon for DD a few minutes ago!

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@KingstonsMom : Totally agree but I changed mine to the following : I use the family size tea bags and we prefer a strong tea. I use a 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup. To make a gallon of tea- I use 8 tea bags and fill the measuring cup with water and put it in the microwave for 5 minutes and remove from microwave and set on the counter for 5 more minutes. I prepare my tea pitcher by adding the sugar and just cover with water to dissolve the sugar and will be thick.  I don't make the tea extra sweet.Then add the hot tea and stir . People told me that is against all true southern recipes. I am known for delicious tea. Several friends and relatives requested to watch while I was making tea and they were horrified to discover that I use the decaf tea. SIL always complains that her tea doesn't taste the same and then she confesses that she only uses 3 of the family size teabags to make a gallon of tea🤷‍♀️😳. She was drinking some of my tea yesterday and stated she wished her tea was just as delicious. I told her: If you have my recipe and fail to follow the ingredients and instructions that's your problem and please do not say anything else about tea.😁🥤🥤🥤🥤🥤🥤

[wagirl]

Am a northern girl--no sweet tea for me--drink it plain over ice