Recipe

Really Southern Sweet Iced Tea Recipe

Add Step-by-Step Photos	Knoxcop / All my dishes 1 year, 9 months ago I learned to make this tea from my Aunt Josephine Gentry when she was alive. I have been making it for my family since I was 11. The thing that makes "Southern" tea taste so good to other people is the WATER. If you don't have TN spring water to use,... More Prep:15m Cook:45m Servings:8	Knoxcop
	cold refreshing sweet southern ice tea sweet tea

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sandygales

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momo_55gra

saltymike

rml

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Ingredients

2 cups sugar

2 cups cold spring water

5 family sized tea bags (I prefer Luzianne decaf, but go your own way here)

Tennessee spring water to make one gallon (you may use bottled spring water just as well)

FRESH lemons and limes to serve (those squeezy bottles are blasphemy in the South)

Directions

Pour 2 cups water from your gallon jug.

Using a small, non-reactive saucepan (such as stainless steel) boil the 2 cups water and 2 cups sugar. Remove from heat after it comes to a boil. Stir well until sugar dissolves, and allow to cool while prepping tea.

Using another larger non-reactive pan, wrap tea bag holders around handle of the pot, allowing them to fall into the pan but not touch the bottom.

Pour the rest of your spring water over the tea bags.

Bring the water to a steady steam (do not boil--ruins the tea) and let steep for 5 minutes on the stove top.

Turn the heat off under the tea bags, but let it sit on the stove and steep until the tea is of the desired color. You're looking for a deep amber color here, not light. Remember---this will be poured over much ice, and you don't want honey-colored iced tea. You want your tea nice and dark and flavorful!

After the tea has reached a dark amber color, (about 25 minutes) gently remove the tea bags from the water, being CAREFUL NOT TO SQUEEZE the bags. Squeezing the bags brings out the tannin and sediment---you don't want that, it causes bitterness and grittiness in the taste. You're going for a dark amber clarity in your tea.

Pour your sugar syrup into the bottom of your gallon jug, using a funnel, if you use the store jug, or if using a pitcher just pour it in.

Pour your warm tea into the same jug.

Cover and shake gently. Place in refrigerator.

To serve:

Get out the hammer and make good use of it. There's just something about crushed ice in tea that makes it truly "Southern." Back in the day, we'd have hunks of ice from those big ice blocks, but these days, "block ice" is hard to come by. Do the next best thing by crushing up the ice cubes in a ziplock baggie.

Pile up the crushed ice in a tall glass until it's full.

Remove the tea from the fridge, give a good shake to blend up the sugar syrup, and pour it over the glass full of ice.

Place a couple slices of lemon and lime around the rim of the glass and hand it to the already-entranced waiting party.

Watch as they take their first sip of heaven and their eyes as they slowly close and enjoy this true Southern treat.

Enjoy!!

(remember to shake your jug every time you get ready to pour a glass, otherwise your last few glasses will be too sweet.)

--Kn0x--

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Comments

saltymike 1 year, 9 months ago said:
Thanks for posting this. Too many people can't properly make Southern Iced Tea and don't have a clue what "tannin" is. I will argue that water from South Carolina wells makes excellent iced tea, too. I think the chlorine and other chemicals in "city water" is the culpret that spoils the taste of tea. A good cold glass of sweet tea makes even balony sandwiches a feast!

rml 1 year, 9 months ago said:
Hi Knox, you're right about the water. I'm not impressed with Virginia Beach water. (tastes funny). The best water I've ever had came from Washington State. Yes, it even topped TN. The worst - Mississippi, sorry Mississippians, but you know it's true. By the way, great post!

momo_55grandma 1 year, 5 months ago said:
Great tea recipe thanks

sweetthing1953 1 year, 3 months ago said:
Great ice tea recipe. I'll try it. Another reason our tea is so good is that we use so much sugar. Also, our water is soft down here. I'm from Georgia and I make my tea like my mother did. There's nothing like a glass of good ole Southern sweetened ice tea in the summertime! Thanks for your recipe.

sandygalesmith 2 months, 2 weeks ago said:
Sounds easy to me.

wholelottarosie62 3 weeks, 5 days ago said:
Saltymike you got that right about tea and a bloney samich...lol I make tea like my Grandmaw did, not exactly like you Knox, but very similar. I will try your method one day to see the difference. thanks

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