Always start with cold water and four family size Lipton tea bags. Bring tea to a simmer, add approximately 1 gallon cold water and 2 cups sugar. Use less water if desired, and adjust sugar to taste. Stir well and refrigerate.
When you make sweet tea for pot-luck dinners or family picnics, a great way to carry it spill free is to cover the top with plastic wrap, put the lid on the container, wrap again with plastic wrap and secure with a rubber band.
No more spilled tea in your car!
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In this sweet tea, the lemon has been infused and is very refreshing. I attach my three tea bags to the side of the pot with a large black paper holder and put it on the handle of the pot.
Take a plain glass measuring cup and fill it to 1 cup of water and add 1 single tea bag (I like Tetley round family size). Microwave a couple of minutes until boiling.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I need a good recipe for southern sweet tea. When I add sugar to my glass I get a raw feeling in my bottom throat. I was thinking down south they melt the sugar and then add it to the tea. Also is there a way to brew the tea in the microwave?
Hey! I am from Maben, Mississippi and here's how we do it! Bring one quart of fresh cold water to a rolling boil, drop in one family size tea bag, cover the pot and remove from heat. Let sit for ten minutes. Put one cup of sugar into a gallon pitcher (more or less according to taste). Remove tea bag from and pour over sugar, stir until dissolved. Fill pitcher with cold water and stir. I have made tea in the microwave by boiling the water in it first, then following the above recipe (I put a dinner plate on the microwaveable bowl to cover it).
i use 2 qts. water and 4 single use tea bags. put both in a tea kettle or large sauce pan and bring to a boil. let set for just a few minutes before pouring into a pitcher with 1 c sugar. make sure the tea is still hot when adding the sugar otherwise it doesn't disolve as well.
I'm from Pennsylvania so this might be a northern way to make iced tea. I ONLY use Lipton Tea Bags.
This makes a gallon.
Boil a pot of water and add 7 or 8 tea bags, shut off the heat and let it cool a little. I make my tea in a clean empty milk jug. Add about 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar. Then pour in your tea. Shake it well so the sugar dissolves and fill up the jug the rest of the way with water. Put it in the fridge or you can drink it right away with ice cubes.
I've also made it in the coffee maker. Tastes the same as if you made it on the stove. Just fill your coffee maker with water -- a full pot. Put the tea bags in the pot and turn it on. When it cools make your tea.
My husband lived in Georgia for 2 years before we got married and became hooked on sweet tea! To make in the microwave I "boil" 4 cups cold water in a pyrex measuring cup and let 8 regular tea bags steep for about 10 minutes or so depending on how strong I want to make the tea. Then add 1/2 to 1 cup sugar, again more or less to taste, to the bottom of a pitcher and pour the hot tea over and stir to dissolve the sugar and add 4 cups cold water.
You can also make "liquid" sugar by mixing equal parts sugar and water, bringing to a boil just until the sugar disolves. I make a batch and keep in a squeeze bottle in the fridge for sweeting tea and coffee. Especially when I get a craving for sweet tea in Janurary and don't want to make a big jug!
Hope this helps!
Rebekah
I use a gallon size pitcher. Fill 3/4 full with hot water, put desired amount of sugar into hot water in pitcher, stir until dissolved. I only use Luzianne brand tea bags, I put three tea bags into cold water in small saucepan and bring almost to boil. Remove from heat before boiling. Pour into pitcher of hot sugar water, holding tea bags with wooden spoon to prevent them from falling into pitcher, stir well, put in fridge.
I am a GRITS [Girl Raised In The South] and I use only Lipton Tea. The simplest way to make yummy sweet tea is to use 3 Cold Brew tea bags in a gallon pitcher. After the short brewing time, simply add
1 1/4 cups sugar. For less sweet tea, cut back slightly on the sugar. Then, refrigerate.
Rather than using straight sugar which doesn't dissolve well once the tea is made, either use superfine sugar (bar sugar, dissolves easier) or make a simple syrup (better), boiling equal parts sugar and water until dissolved then cool. Can be kept in fridge (not sure how long though). Measures just like sugar. Good Luck.
Well I am a southern gal also and I use Walmart tea bags and they are just as good as anything else to me and I have been drinking tea since I got off formula, lol. I have two ways of making tea. During the summer its sun tea. Fill a gallon glass pitcher with lid, we use a pickle jar, with water and five small tea bags or three big ones and screw the lid on tight. Sit out in the sun for about an hour till as dark as you like it. Remove tea bags and add desired amount of sugar. The rest of the year I make it in a coffeemaker, I have two, one for coffee one for tea. I fill up carafe and put tea bags in basket and brew, then pour it in a gallon jug and add desired amount of sugar to hot liquid. Fill rest of way with water. I use a cup and a half, I grew up on two cups of sugar, but have cut back as I got older.
Hey! Put 4 regular tea bags into a 1/2 gallon pitcher. Pour in 1/2 cup sugar. Pour about 4 cups of boiling water over tea bags and sugar. Stir. Let the tea bags steep until it is to your liking. Add additional cold water and place in refrigerator. Enjoy!
I put water in a glass quart measuring cup and add 6 tea bags. I put this in the microwave on power 3 for 30 mins. I then drain the water/tea in case a bag popped, it sometimes does. I add this to a gallon jug and fill with water. We use artifical sweetner but you can add the sugar to the hot tea when it comes out of the microwave and it will melt before you add the additional water. It is fast and delicious! ENJOY!
North Carolina Sweet Tea - 3 Lipton Family size Tea Bags, 1 quart water, microwave 6 minutes. Cover with what you have on hand - paper towel, plastic wrap, dish towel, etc... and let set approx 10 min. Put 1 and 1/3 cup sugar in your tea pitcher, run your tap water as hot as it will get and add to the sugar, stir until the sugar is disolved, add the tea, fill the rest of the pitcher with cold water and you're all done!
I'm orignally from Gulfport, Mississippi. This is the way I make my Sweet Tea.
Fill 1 quart sauce pan with water. Drop in 6 regular size (Lipton) tea bags into the pan. I remove the strings and tags. Bring to the boil, and turn off as soon as the boil starts. Let sit for about five minutes.
Pour hot tea into a gallon pitcher. Add 1 1/2 cups sugar. Mix to dissolve the sugar. Add cold water enough to fill the pitcher.
To make with Splenda, add one cup Splenda to the hot tea. Mix to dissolve the Splenda and add cold water. Delicious.
This is authentic Southern Sweet Tea. The best to my family and friends.
Enjoy,
Linda (who now lives in Pennsylvania)
Ok , I can't add much here.I will say I love the drip coffee maker method.I have used it for years.3 store brand family size tea bags in coffee basket,fill maker with the pot of water let run thru.I put 1 1/2 - 2 cups sugar in a gallon container (empty mayo jug) . When tea is brewed I put it in jug then fill the rest of the way with water. The reason for variation in sugar is because I use different amounts depending on who is going to be here drinking it with me.
I live in NC and consume one gallon of decaf tea almost every day and have for over 30 years. JAN
Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit, you got enough recipes for Sweet Tea that it is gooder n' grits!
Good luck on your tea experiment!
another "GRITS"
Hello, this is the way my mother, my grandmother made Southern Tea here in Lincolnton, NC. Put some water in a pot, a small pot will work, fill whatever pot you use I would say halfway, go ahead add 4 family size, or 7 regular tea bags, bring to a boil, let boil just a minute with the tea bags. This will make a gallon of tea, in your pitcher, pour your tea into the pitcher. Next add 2 cups of sugar, while hot,stir well, about a minute, finish filling the picher with water...you have to have good well or drinking water, or add bottled water. I hope this helps. God Bless...Vickie
Here is another hint from a GRITS...get a large pot and fill it with water and bring to a boil...add a couple of handfulls of tea bags...turn off the burner...then place a lid on the pot...do not let totally cool down before removing tea bags and adding at least 2 1/2 cups of sugar. Then you put it in a pitcher and enjoy...This is my great grandmothers recipe.
This is the easiest,best-tasting,NO fail tea! Place 2 family size tea bags in a drinking glass of water. Microwave 2 min on high. Cover glass with a saucer and let sit for 10 min. Have 1-1 1/2 cups sugar in the bottom of a 2 quart pitcher. After tea in glass has sat for 10 min, pour hot tea onto sugar,stir til melted. Fill pitcher up with cold tap water, stir and enjoy.
WE FILL A QUART JAR WITH WATER, PUT IN 1 GAL. TEA BAG, AND MICROWAVE FOR 5 MINS. YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING AND THE CLEAN UP IS EASY.
Being a good southern girl, and a Texan to boot, I have been making sweet tea for 35 years now. First you heat water in a medium pan until it just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add 4-5 family size tea bags and let steep for a bit. Don't boil the tea because that makes it bitter. Meanwhile, put ice in large metal or plastic pitcher up to brim (don't use glass because it will crack). When tea has steeped remove bags and add 1 1/2 to 2 cups sugar and stir till dissolved. Pour tea mixture over ice in pitcher. Most of the ice melts and cools the tea but doesn't water it down. Pour into glass and enjoy.
I'm from Maryland - just south of the Mason-Dixon line - but still in the South. :-)
Anyway, I also boil a small pot of water (about 2 qts), but put the sugar in the pot as it comes to a boil. Then just as it reaches a rolling boil (by which time the sugar has dissolved) add the tea bags (3 or 4 family size bags, depending on how strong you like it) and at the same time remove the boiling water from the burner. Let it steep for about an hour, and then remove the tea bags (squeezing out the liquid still in them).
Pour the strong tea and sugar mixture into a gallon pitcher (plastic or pyrex only) and fill with cold water.
Refrigerate and in a few hours you'll have delicious sweet tea.
I make my tea in my coffee maker. I put 5-6 tea bags in the coffee filter. Then fill the water reservoir with cold water. Turn coffee maker on and let it brew. When done, fill a one gallon container with ice cubes and pour the hot tea over the cubes. Add cold water, if necessary. If you MUST have sweet tea, add the sugar to the hot tea, stir, and then pour over ice cubes.
I use 3-4 lipton bags in a tea machine (I'm lazy like that) With 2 cups of sugar. Brew, stir, cool, enjoy.
What you want to do is this:
Put one cup of sugar and one cup of water in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. This is called simple syrup. Add this to a gallon of tea to sweeten it. The sugar melts in the water so you don't have that "gritty" taste from the sugar.
To make tea:
Put 8 regular or 4 family tea bags in 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and immediately cover and remove from heat. Let sit for 15-20 minutes. Pour into your pitcher with the simple syrup and add water to fill your gallon container.
Now that is Southern Sweet Tea :-)
Can you do this in a microwave? Do you have a big enough container? :-)
I make iced tea by the gallon. I use Luzianne family size tea bags. I put 1 1/3 cups sugar into a 4 quart pitcher, fill half full with hot water, and stir to melt and mix sugar. Then I put in 4 tea bags and let it sit for 1/2 hour. Then I remove the tea bags, and fill with ice. So good and oh so refreshing.
I'm from South Central PA but I make southern tea in the sun, using 6 of what ever tea bags I can find, 1 clear gallon jar, fill jar about 3/4 full of the best water you can find, let steep in full bright sun about 4 hrs,use five scoops of sugar and a generous blop of honey to a quart mason jar, add boiling water to jar turning granules of sugar to a liquid. After tea has steeped add liquid sugar and honey mixture, pour over ice and enjoy.
