Being from the south, I grew up drinking sweet tea. For every home you visit, the tea will have a different level of sweetness. I tend to fall on the side of ‘spoons stand up in’ sweet tea level. But, you can adjust the sugar to your liking!

In general, people use family size black tea bags, either caffeinated or decaffeinated. I prefer decaf because it doesn’t taste as bitter. My favorite brand is Luzianne, but I’ve been know to get store brands too. However, along with the black tea bags, you can add an individual sized bag of a different flavor choice! A few of my favorites are: mint, peach, and berry.

Since the tea is brewed and steeped hot, you want to be sure to use a glass jar to make your tea in. You can transfer it to a plastic pitcher later once it’s chilled if you prefer. But, we definitely don’t want toxins from the plastic leaching into our tea, which can happen when plastic is heated (remember this for reheating leftovers in plastic ware- eek!).

I like to use cane sugar. It is unrefined and therefore a better choice than plain white sugar. Our bodies can process unrefined sugar without the repercussions that white sugar can cause. Aldi and Costco both offer nice options!

Lastly, let your tea sit overnight for best results. The longer it sits, the better the flavor! If you need it for a party on Saturday, be sure to make it sometime Friday. But, another ‘for best results’ includes drinking your tea within about a week. Otherwise, it begins to turn to vinegar! The coldness of the fridge helps slow this down, but it will begin to turn after a week or so!

Homemade Sweet Tea (Southern Style) Makes 1 gallon

• 3-4 family size black tea bags
• 2 quarts water
• 1-2 cups of cane sugar

Heat water on the stove in a tea kettle or sauce pot. Steep tea bags for 10 minutes. If you are using a flavored tea bag, you may consider only steeping it for half the time. Take tea bags out. Put your desired amount of sugar into a glass jar (Yes, I use 2 cups of sugar per gallon). Add hot tea and stir to mix thoroughly. Fill remainder of the gallon jar (approximately 2 qt) with cold water. Place in fridge and let sit overnight before serving.

Variations:

• add mint leaves as a garnish
• add lemon quarters for serving
• serve tea with berry-filled ice cubes for a summer treat
• add pineapple juice (2 qt) instead of water to fill remainder of gallon

How do you like your tea?