Southern Sweet Tea

Ah, 'sweet tea' is dear to a Southerner's heart (yes, there is a difference.  If you've iced  or cooled the tea before sweetening it, give up now.  You're never going to have the iced tea taste like it's supposed to taste.  And Twinings teas, British teas, etc.  won't work for Southern Iced Tea.  They're great for hot tea, but iced?  Not so much.  My sister and I tried when she lived in London.   Don't bother.  It really does require Red Diamond, Luzianne, or Lipton.  Straight Orange Pekoe will have you in the ballpark, though).

Anyway, I laughed when reading the article (and still more when reading the comments).  My family has lived in the South just short of forever, and I've never seen anyone make sweet tea this way (though, I wonder, is this why Milo's tea doesn't become progressively sweet with storage? )  It amused me that most of the comments agree that this a 'Yankee' making sweet tea.  (I'll even argue with the "store overnight."  Oh, shudder.  It gets sweeter with storage and by the time it's been around over 24 hours it's vile and disgusting.  Old tea is awful.   In my little world, good sweet tea is hot, strong, just fresh from brewing, and served over ice.   I want to hear those ice cubes crack and break as the liquid is poured.  Any other way, and you're bastardizing it (and don't even speak to me about cooling it then sweetening.  That's, quite simply, a crime.  Ineffective as well.  Bleurgh.)  It's tactile and auditory in addition to sweet and strong.  There should be strong tea with melting cubes that are diluting the heat, the strength, and the sweet.  The time when it is 'just right' is brief and to be savored.

At any rate, the contention over exactly how it should me made (and what actually constitutes 'sweet') amused me.

Southern Sweet Tea

Ah, 'sweet tea' is dear to a Southerner's heart (yes, there is a difference.  If you've iced  or cooled the tea before sweetening it, give up now.  You're never going to have the iced tea taste like it's supposed to taste.  And Twinings teas, British teas, etc.  won't work for Southern Iced Tea.  They're great for hot tea, but iced?  Not so much.  My sister and I tried when she lived in London.   Don't bother.  It really does require Red Diamond, Luzianne, or Lipton.  Straight Orange Pekoe will have you in the ballpark, though).

Anyway, I laughed when reading the article (and still more when reading the comments).  My family has lived in the South just short of forever, and I've never seen anyone make sweet tea this way (though, I wonder, is this why Milo's tea doesn't become progressively sweet with storage? )  It amused me that most of the comments agree that this a 'Yankee' making sweet tea.  (I'll even argue with the "store overnight."  Oh, shudder.  It gets sweeter with storage and by the time it's been around over 24 hours it's vile and disgusting.  Old tea is awful.   In my little world, good sweet tea is hot, strong, just fresh from brewing, and served over ice.   I want to hear those ice cubes crack and break as the liquid is poured.  Any other way, and you're bastardizing it (and don't even speak to me about cooling it then sweetening.  That's, quite simply, a crime.  Ineffective as well.  Bleurgh.)  It's tactile and auditory in addition to sweet and strong.  There should be strong tea with melting cubes that are diluting the heat, the strength, and the sweet.  The time when it is 'just right' is brief and to be savored.

At any rate, the contention over exactly how it should me made (and what actually constitutes 'sweet') amused me.

Southern Sweet Tea

Ah, 'sweet tea' is dear to a Southerner's heart (yes, there is a difference.  If you've iced  or cooled the tea before sweetening it, give up now.  You're never going to have the iced tea taste like it's supposed to taste.  And Twinings teas, British teas, etc.  won't work for Southern Iced Tea.  They're great for hot tea, but iced?  Not so much.  My sister and I tried when she lived in London.   Don't bother.  It really does require Red Diamond, Luzianne, or Lipton.  Straight Orange Pekoe will have you in the ballpark, though).

Anyway, I laughed when reading the article (and still more when reading the comments).  My family has lived in the South just short of forever, and I've never seen anyone make sweet tea this way (though, I wonder, is this why Milo's tea doesn't become progressively sweet with storage? )  It amused me that most of the comments agree that this a 'Yankee' making sweet tea.  (I'll even argue with the "store overnight."  Oh, shudder.  It gets sweeter with storage and by the time it's been around over 24 hours it's vile and disgusting.  Old tea is awful.   In my little world, good sweet tea is hot, strong, just fresh from brewing, and served over ice.   I want to hear those ice cubes crack and break as the liquid is poured.  Any other way, and you're bastardizing it (and don't even speak to me about cooling it then sweetening.  That's, quite simply, a crime.  Ineffective as well.  Bleurgh.)  It's tactile and auditory in addition to sweet and strong.  There should be strong tea with melting cubes that are diluting the heat, the strength, and the sweet.  The time when it is 'just right' is brief and to be savored.

At any rate, the contention over exactly how it should me made (and what actually constitutes 'sweet') amused me.