It’s just a few ingredients, but every step matters.
When it comes to Southern sweet tea, nothing tastes as good as the fresh brewed stuff.
It’s like being served a glass with someone else’s lipstick still on the rim."
Credit: Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist Christine Keely
What Is Sweet Tea?
Each of the three key components in Southern sweet tea matter greatly.
Iced green tea is delicious, but it’s an entirely different drink.
Credit: KENDYLL HILLEGAS/SOUTHERN LIVING
Sugar:Southern-style sweet tea relies on granulated cane sugar, which can be adjusted to taste.
Granulated sugar, either white or unbleached, works better than water-based simple syrups, which dilute the brew.
Steer clear of distilled water, which is too bland and can make your tea taste flat.
Credit: KENDYLL HILLEGAS/SOUTHERN LIVING
This kitchen staple is the secret to perfectly clear, smooth sweet tea.
Microwave ovens do not heat up water as evenly, which affects the tea’s flavor.
Steep:Pour boiling water over the tea bags instead of adding them to the hot water.
Credit: KENDYLL HILLEGAS/SOUTHERN LIVING
Let them steep until the liquid is strong, dark, and deeply flavored.
Sweeten:Dissolve the sugar in the warm tea as soon as the bags come out.
If sugar is added before then, it will interfere with the steeping.
Cooling:Steeping the tea in a smaller amount of boiling water makes a double-strength brew.
Then add cool water, which begins the chilling process required before refrigeration.
Why Is Sweet Tea Southern?
It turns out that sweet tea is a more recent Southern tradition than you might think.
Tea drinking started to become more popular during the era of Prohibition.
Loyalty to this beverage remains strong in many Southern restaurants, as well.
Ingredients
2family-size (7 g each) black tea bags
14tsp.
Steep for 15 minutes.
Remove bags and gently squeeze; discard bags.
Stir in sugar until dissolved.
Stir in remaining 2 cups water.
Refrigerate, uncovered, until chilled, about 30 minutes.
Store covered in refrigerator up to 2 days.
If following our recipe, no more than 15 minutes.
Sweet tea is served chilled over ice.
It can also be spiked, for a grown up refreshment.
