Southern Style Sweet Tea
by Erin Fletter
Photo by Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock.com
prep time
5 minutes
cook time
7 minutes
makes
4-6 servings
Southern Style Sweet Tea
For an authentic Southern-style sweet tea, the sugar is dissolved in the boiling water before black tea bags are added, then steeped for a few minutes to make a strong black tea that keeps its bold flavor even after adding cold water and ice. It's a sweet, refreshing beverage to accompany any food!
Happy & Healthy Cooking,
Chef Erin, Food-Geek-in-Chief
Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills
- boil :
to cook a food in liquid heated to the point of gas bubbles and steam forming (boiling point is 212 F at sea level).
- dissolve :
to stir an ingredient, like sugar, into another ingredient, like water, until they become one substance; or to melt or liquefy a solid food, such as butter, chocolate, or sugar.
- steep :
to soak a food, like tea, in water or other liquid so as to bring out its flavor.
Equipment Checklist
- Saucepan, kettle, or microwave for boiling water
- Pitcher
- Liquid measuring cup
- Dry measuring cups
- Wooden spoon
scale
1X
2X
3X
4X
5X
6X
7X
Ingredients
Southern Style Sweet Tea
- 4 decaf black tea bags
- 4 C hot water
- 3/4 C granulated sugar
- 2 C cold water
- ice
Instructions
Southern Style Sweet Tea
1.
boil + dissolve
Boil 4 cups of water. When the water is boiling, add 3/4 cup of sugar and stir until sugar has dissolved, forming a simple syrup. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn off the heat.
2.
steep + cool
Add 4 bags of decaf black tea to the simple syrup, swirling them around as the tea begins to steep in the liquid. Let the tea bags steep for 5 to 10 minutes, then remove them and carefully pour the tea into a pitcher. Add 2 cups of cold water, then serve over ice!
Photo by Sun Shock/Shutterstock.com
Hi, I'm Tea!
"I'm a drink made from plant parts, like leaves and flowers. I like to think I'm sweet enough, but some tea drinkers like to add honey or sugar to me, and some add milk to black tea to cool it down. You can drink tea hot or iced!"
History
- The history of tea began in China as far back as 5,000 years ago.
- An old Chinese legend says a man was out walking one day when he accidentally tasted the juices from a tea plant leaf. He thought it tasted great and felt the tea had unique medicinal properties.
- Another legend suggests it was a mythical emperor called Shennong who discovered tea when a tea blossom fell into a cup of hot water he was drinking.
- At that time, tea was drunk fresh with the new leaves being mixed with hot water. In those days, the tea leaves were not allowed to oxidize (to combine with oxygen, causing darker leaves), so the leaves remained green. It was only later that oolong and black or red teas were developed. Black tea is fully oxidized, and oolong is semi-oxidized.
- Tea drinking grew in popularity and became a pastime for the rich. Fine teas were only available to those who could afford them, and green teas were even used as currency.
- Elaborate tea ceremonies developed involving large sets of tea-making equipment. Tea houses sprung up, and tea connoisseurs prided themselves on the quality of their leaves and their tea-making skills.
- In the 1600s, merchants brought tea to Europe and the United States. Since then, tea drinking has blossomed.
- Tea is the most-consumed beverage on the planet, other than water. It is even more popular than coffee and cola!
- China is the largest producer of tea, followed by India and Kenya.
Anatomy & Etymology
- Tea comes from the cured or fresh leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, an evergreen growing mainly in warmer and humid climates.
- Although the plants can grow up to 52 feet, they are usually kept no higher than waist level to make picking the tender leaves at the top easier.
- Tea should be kept dry and stored in an airtight container, away from light and heat if possible. Black teas last longer than green teas. Teas made from flowers have an even shorter shelf life.
- The word "tea" comes from the mid-17th century Malay "teh" or the Chinese (Min) "te."
How to Buy & Use
- Tea can be purchased in various forms. Tea bags are often used today; however, you can still buy loose tea. Cans and bottles of brewed tea, sweetened or unsweetened, are also available, with fruit flavors sometimes added to the tea.
- Crushed tea leaves and brewed tea can be used in savory and sweet recipes.
- Herbal teas are made from the various parts of edible plants, including fresh or dried flowers, fruit, roots, or seeds.
Nutrition
- Teas from the Camellia sinensis plant (white, green, oolong, and black) have high levels of antioxidants which help prevent cancer. Flavonoids in tea help heart health by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. Another health benefit of tea is improving gut health by promoting good bacteria and inhibiting harmful bacteria.
- Teas from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant contain varying amounts of caffeine. Black tea has the most, followed by oolong, green, and white.
- Most herbal teas do not contain caffeine; however, they are not necessarily more healthy than black tea. Always check for plant allergies and herb and drug interactions before ingesting herbal teas.
History of Iced Tea!
Photo by Teri Virbickis/Shutterstock.com
- The first mention of iced tea was in 1823, when Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington, an Irish journalist and novelist, wrote about sipping iced tea in Naples, Italy.
- The oldest recipes for iced tea were in cookbooks printed in the 1870s.
- Iced tea is hot tea that has been chilled, and then ice is added. It can be made with any flavor of caffeinated, decaffeinated, or herbal tea.
- Black tea is used in many varieties of iced tea. In the Southern United States, heavily sweetened iced tea or "sweet tea" is popular. Lemon juice is often added to iced tea. At Thai restaurants, you can order Thai iced tea made with Ceylon black tea sweetened with coconut or condensed milk and sugar.
- Iced tea can be made by steeping tea bags in boiling water for a few minutes and then chilling the tea. "Sun tea" is steeped for a longer period in the sun. However, this method may not kill potential bacteria. "Refrigerator tea," brewed in the refrigerator overnight, avoids this problem and has the added benefit of already being chilled.
- An "Arnold Palmer" or "half-and-half" is a popular drink that the golfer Arnold Palmer created, consisting of half iced tea and half lemonade. A "Boston iced tea" is half tea and half cranberry juice.
Let's Learn About the Southern United States!
Photo by In The Light Photography/Shutterstock.com
- The southern region of the United States is also referred to as the Southern States, or just "the South." The area lies between the Western states and the Atlantic Ocean. Midwestern and Northeastern states are to its north, and Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico are to its south.
- From west to east, the states included in the South are Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware.
- The term "Deep South" usually applies to Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina.
- Native Americans inhabited the region as early as 11,000 to 9,500 BCE. They lived on food they grew, hunted, and fished.
- Eleven Southern states seceded from the Union from 1860 to 1861 and became the Confederate States of America. Their secession and the dispute about the expansion of slavery caused the Civil War (1861-1865), the war between the North and the South. At the war's end, the Southern states returned to the Union.
- Southern culture was influenced by indigenous peoples, immigrants from England, Spain, and France, and enslaved Africans. As a result, the area's language, food, music, architecture, and literature may include one or more of these influences.
- The climate in the region is diverse and depends on a state's proximity to the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricanes and tornadoes are extreme types of weather seen in the South.
- Animals that are unique to the South include the nine-banded armadillo, the cottonmouth (snake), the roseate spoonbill (wading bird), and the American alligator.
- Stock car racing got its start in Southern states. NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Racing) was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
- There are a wide variety of foods in Southern cuisine. Cajun and creole dishes originated in Louisiana. You can find Caribbean cooking influences in Florida, including Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican.
- Various types of barbecue are popular in the South, and each state has its own cooking or smoking techniques, dry rub, and BBQ sauce that make its barbecue style unique.
- Other well-known Southern dishes are Southern fried chicken, red beans and rice, fried catfish and hush puppies, and Hoppin' John, a black-eyed pea and rice dish commonly served on New Year's Day.
Lettuce Joke Around
What is the Alphabet’s favorite drink?
T, of course!
The Yolk's On You
What do teapots wear to a tea party?
T-shirts!
