Recipe & Tips for Making True Southern Sweet Tea
Sweet Tea done right
We all know that crackling sound and delicious aroma of freshly brewed tea being poured over ice. And there’s someone in every Southern family who “makes the best sweet tea.” But what is the perfect sweet tea?
Well, it’s clear (not cloudy), smooth tasting (not overly bitter), at the perfect brewing strength (not too strong and not too weak) and, if desired, flavored with something citrus and/or something sweet.
And while brewing iced tea is a pretty simple process, there are definitely a few tips and tricks, passed down in Southern families (including ours) for generations, that will help you make the best iced tea, every time.
Tips (and the recipe) for making perfect Sweet Tea
Be picky about your tea.
High-quality tea that’s specially blended for iced tea is your best option. Luzianne® Iced Tea contains orange pekoe black tea, which is the preferred tea type for the classic Southern iced tea we’re talking about in this article.
Use good quality, “soft” spring water or filtered water.
Tap water is often “hard,” with minerals that can cause the tannins and oils in the tea to separate out, often resulting in iced tea that’s cloudy, especially after it’s chilled.
Don’t add tea to actively boiling water.
The temperature at which you steep the tea does make a difference! Steeping tea in water that’s still boiling will get you some bitter tea. Black “iced tea” tea, like our orange pekoe blend, is best steeped at 200-212°F.
Watch the clock. (Don’t let the tea steep too long.)
Check your package instructions, but typically 3 to 5 minutes of steeping should be enough for any black tea being used to make iced tea. Beyond that, you’ll lose some of that delicate tea flavor and might get into bitter tea territory.
Add sweeteners while tea is still warm.
If you want real, bona fide Sweet Tea, that’s how it has to be. Sugar, honey and other sweeteners (and subtle flavor additions such as orange or lemon zest) dissolve and disperse evenly when you add them to warm tea.
Cool to room temperature before refrigerating & store in a sealed glass container.
Putting hot, freshly brewed tea straight into the fridge is another surefire way to end up with cloudy tea. For best results, refrigerate after it’s been cooled to room temperature, about one hour.
Your delicately flavored, perfect pitcher of iced tea can easily pick up flavors, such as pungent garlic, from foods in the fridge and from previously used plastic containers. For best tasting tea, store it in the fridge in a glass container with a sealed cover, and consume it within 48 hours.
