Southern Sweet Tea

Ok, so here's the truth. I am a tea snob. Very seldom can I order sweet tea when dining in a restaurant and enjoy it. Tea should be silky, sweet and smooth. To me there is nothing more disappointing than strong , over brewed tea. It's awful. Tea is a tender thing. A delicate approach must be taken. I'm going to teach you how to make true southern sweet tea. The secret to a perfect pitcher of tea is not to boil the tea bags. You ruin the tea when you do that. It tastes bitter and burnt. Good tea must be done with patience although it is a very simple process. Sweet tea is supposed to be sweet ya'll! At our house we are either going to drink sweet tea made sweet, or we will do unsweet tea and sweeten it with sweet and lo. Now ya'll don't start fussing at me about how much sugar is in my tea. My boys like it that way. We don't keep sweet tea at our house, it's not a daily occurrence . But if I'm making sweet tea, baby it's gonna be right. Here's the low down. First of all get good tea bags. To make a gallon of sweet tea I use 2 Luzianne Family Size tea bags. You must have a designated tea boiler ( ha .. I do!)​

You really don't have to, but I do. I know just how much water to put in it to make the perfect amount of tea for a gallon. Grab a small boiler, and bring about 3 cups of water to a rolling boil. DO NOT- I REPEAT, DO NOT ADD YOUR TEA BAGS BEFORE THE WATER IS BOILING!​ That's wrong. Like cussing in church. It's just not right ya'll. You can't do that. Ya hear me? Don't you do it. Once your water is rolling nice and hot..throw in your 2 tea bags ( family sized) and poke them under the water. Here's the tricky part. Keep on the stove for 1 minute. No longer.

 

See my pretty tea boiler. It's the only one I use. Now keep an eye on that tea. Turn the heat off after it has boiled one minute. Cover it with a tight lid and let the tea steep. That's what makes it perfect. If you boil the tea too much it becomes bitter because of the tannins. So you coax the tea out not boil it to death. If you are in a hurry the tea can be poured up after about 15 minutes but the longer it sits the better it'll be. Ya'll didnt know that did ya? So always start your tea for supper ( dinner to you yankee's ) at the beginning of your prep time for a meal. Here's what the tea should be doing while you are cooking.. steeping gently on a warm burner.

Now grab a one gallon pitcher and put in 2 cups of regular white granulated sugar. Once your tea has steeped for a long time, pour it into the pitcher and fill with water. Mix well with a spon and cool in the fridge. That is the best tea you will ever taste. Ya'll come pour you a glass and lets sit out on the back porch and watch the sun set. We have the best view of the sunsets here at our new house. Tell me how this works for you. Simple but people can tell if you are a real Sassybelle by the way you make that tea . I promise! Stay Sassy ya'll!​

Ingredients:

2 family size black tea bags, Luzianne is my preference​
2 cups of sugar​
​1 gallon of water
Bring 3 cups of water to a rolling boil, add tea bags. Poke under the water and boil for exactly one minute. Turn off heat and steep 15 mins or more on warm burner covered. Add 2 cups of sugar to a 1 gallon pitcher. Once tea has steeped add sugar and tea , mix. Fill with water and mix again. Cool in Fridge. Makes one gallon of southern sweet tea.​