Sweet iced tea help
 

I have never been able to recreate the sweet iced tea that I had in Florida many moons ago. I don't know if it's the brewing time, or the proportions of sugar:tea:water or what. If you are a southern mama, or just an iced tea pro, tell me how you make yours, please! :)

Re: Sweet iced tea help
 

Put 4-5tea bags and water in kettle until it boils. While waiting put sugar 1/2 to 1 cup or more in pitcher with water like 1/4 full. After tea boils let it sit for a few, add to pitcher and stir. Add more sugar if needed, pour over ice in glass.

Re: Sweet iced tea help
 

I boil the water then brew in a bowl with about 4 teabags for 10 min. Add a bunch of sugar to the hot tea, stir until dissolved. Pour over ice and stir.

Re: Sweet iced tea help
 

Boil the water WITH the sugar, then brew the tea in that.

Re: Sweet iced tea help
 

Kentucky Girl Recipe

Fill your kettle and bring the water to a boil.
Add 8-10 teabags (yes, we brew it strong, here)
Remove the kettle from the heat and let it brew 12-15 minutes
Put 1 cup of sugar in the bottom of your pitcher.
Add the tea and stir till well-blended.
Add ice, fill with extra cold water as needed.

Re: Sweet iced tea help
 

Some people add a little lemon juice too.

Re: Sweet iced tea help
 

We make sweet tea daily. I just add one family size teabag to my kettle and boil. Add about 1 1/2 C of sugar to a large pitcher and pour in tea from kettle. I then add more water to the kettle with the same tea bag and boil again to fill pitcher since one kettle doesn't quite fill the pitcher.

Re: Sweet iced tea help
 

IME boiling the bags with the water makes it bitter :shrug boil any amount of cold water. Remove from heat and toss 8-10 tea bags in. Add 1 cup sugar to a gallon pitcher and fill about 1/3 with very cold water. Stir to dissolve. The tea needs to steep for at least 15 mins, but if you don't have that much time, you can just leave the tea bags in the tea, in the pitcher. Other wise, take them out. Add the tea to the pitcher, then fill the pitcher the rest of the way with very cold water or ice, but only if you know the ice doesn't have any kind of funky taste. Also, I like it less sweet than many, so if you're looking for that super sweet southern taste, up to a cup and a half of sugar is the way to go. :)

Re: Sweet iced tea help
 

So the original boiled amount of water doesn't really matter? It's just enough to brew the tea?

Re: Sweet iced tea help
 

Add the sugar when it's hot.

Re: Sweet iced tea help
 

Not sure if this was posted already, but the secret to smooth sweet tea is adding a pinch of baking soda while the bags are steeping. ;) Works like a charm!

Re: Sweet iced tea help
 

:shifty **DISCLAIMER: I am a total Northerner. Still a newbie at this "sweet tea" thing. Just sayin'. YMMV**
I just discovered refrigerator iced tea.
1) In a quart canning jar, put in four tea bags and fill with a quart or so of cold water.
2) Put the cap on the jar
3) Let it sit in the fridge overnight
4) Next day, dump the tea in a pitcher, discard the bags (...:shifty :doh).
5) Add a quart of cold water and/or ice
6) Sweeten as desired. I usually sweeten it by the glass b/c dh prefers white sugar, I use lemon flavored stevia drops (:shifty see, told 'ya I was a Northerner.)

Re: Sweet iced tea help
 

correct. to tweak the strength of the tea to your liking, either steep longer/shorter or add less/more water.:yes

Re: Sweet iced tea help
 

Right :yes it's the final tea:water ratio that's important - you dilute the strength of 8-10 tea bags into a gallon of water, regardless of how much water you use to steep initially.

Re: Sweet iced tea help
 

we use a large pitcher, 3 family size bags of tea, and 1.5 cups of sugar. :) boil the water in a kettle, pour it into the pitcher w/ the sugar, stir. add the tea bags and steep, then top off w/ cold water.