Outside of the Southern United States, there is nothing more
coveted by a Southerner than a good glass of sweet tea. Sweet
tea is an art developed over the centuries to comfort the poor
sweaty people of the South, despite what you will hear the
native English say.
To make a good glass of sweet tea, you must remember four
principles:
It must be strong. It must be sweet. Sugar does not dissolve in
cold water. Brand matters! Don't use fancy tea bags - Lipton and
Tetley make the best tea and can normally be purchased for under
a dollar a box.
After that, the rest is easy.
To make the concentrated tea:
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. 2. Add 4-6 Lipton or Tetley
family sized tea bags to the boiling water and reduce the heat.
3. Let the tea bags steep for at least 10 minutes. 4. Remove the
tea bags, squeeze them out (but don't break them!) and discard.
5. Add at least 2 cups of sugar to the concentrated tea and stir
until it is all dissolved. 6. Turn off the heat and let the tea
cool for at least 30 minutes.
To make the sweet tea:
1. Fill a pitcher halfway full with ice. 2. Add the sweet tea
concentrate to the halfway point of the pitcher. 3. Fill the
rest of the pitcher with cold water. 4. Refrigerate until cold.
To dispense the sweet tea:
1. Get a large glass and add ice cubes. 2. Pour the sweet tea
into the glass. 3. If you want to be fancy, garnish with a lemon
or a sprig of mint. If you are Hispanic, garnish with a lime.
In the South, sweet tea is the ultimate equalizer. You can be
dirt poor or filthy rich, but if you are in a home in the South,
you will probably find a pitcher of sweet tea in the fridge. It
doesn't matter if it's served from a jug from Mrs. Winner's or
from a crystal decanter, it all tastes the same. It's even more
popular than The Varsity Restaurant, fried green tomatoes, and
fresh vegetables. Sweet tea has made its mark on the world, and
no self respecting Southerner can travel without it.
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