Description
A classic Southern-style Sweet Tea recipe that is perfectly balanced in sweetness and strength, ideal for warm days. Made by steeping black tea bags in boiling water, sweetening with granulated sugar, and served chilled with fresh lemon slices and ice.
Ingredients
Scale
Tea Base
- 6 cups cold water
- 3 (0.25 ounce/7g) black tea bags
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 cups cold water (added after steeping)
For Serving
- Sliced fresh lemon
- Ice
Instructions
- Prepare the Water and Heat: Add the first 6 cups of cold water into a medium saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Bring the water to a rolling boil to ensure proper extraction of tea flavor.
- Steep the Tea: Turn off the burner and immediately add the 3 tea bags to the hot water. Let them steep for 3 minutes, stirring gently a couple of times to evenly distribute flavor. For stronger tea, steep an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute, but avoid over-steeping to prevent bitterness from tannins.
- Sweeten the Tea: Remove the tea bags carefully and gradually stir in 1 cup of granulated sugar until completely dissolved. Adjust sugar quantities if you prefer sweeter or less sweet tea.
- Cool the Tea: Remove the saucepan from heat and let the sweetened tea cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes to reach a warm but not hot temperature.
- Combine and Chill: Pour the steeped and sweetened tea into a large pitcher. Add an additional 6 cups of cold water to dilute and balance the flavor. Refrigerate until well chilled.
- Serve: When ready to serve, add ice cubes and fresh lemon slices into the chilled tea. For best flavor, add lemon and ice about one hour before serving if prepared ahead of time, or immediately if serving within a few hours.
Notes
- Use high-quality black tea bags for best flavor—orange pekoe or black Assam varieties work well.
- Do not over-steep tea bags to avoid bitterness.
- You can adjust sweetness by varying sugar quantity to taste.
- Add lemon slices and ice just before serving or an hour prior for the best chilled taste.
- Recipe yields approximately 3/4 gallon or 12 servings (1 cup each).
