Southern Sweet Tea

Tea by the gallon I like to use green tea with pomegranate Heat 8 small tea bags in 5 cups of water in the microwave for 8 minutes stirring it after 4 minutes. Remove from microwave and let sit for a half hour. Remove bags from water squeezing each tea bag with 2 spoons. Add to a gallon container with a cup of sugar. Fill to top with water and shake well. Refrigerate to get cold.

No one mentioned Luzianne tea? Bring about a quart and a half of water to a boil, remove from heat and add 6 “family size” bags of LUZIANNE tea bags. Let it steep for an hour or so. Add about 2 cups of sugar to a gallon jug, pour tea over the sugar and stir until dissolved. Top the jug off with water and ice cubes. For sun tea, Use a half gallon jar filled with water and 4 family size tea bags, set the jar in a sunny spot all day. Take out tea bags, Add a heavy cup of sugar til dissolved and pour over ice.

As a Southern girl weaned on Sweet Tea, I have a few hints for real Tea Texas style. I was in college before I knew anyone drank Iced Tea that wasn't sweet. Momma alway used Lipton loose leaf that was added to a pot of boiling water( no sugar yet.) She turned the flame off and put a lid on it to steep the tea at least 5 minutes. Then the sugar was added to the still hot tea. This was strained into a pitcher then more water was added to the pot and poured through the tea leaves in the strainer to get all the flavor using less tea leaves. I am lazy and use tea bags. For a gallon of good strong tea, I use just 3 family size bags( 3 small ones equals 1 family size.) I remove the bags before stirring in the sugar but save them. After pouring the hot sweet tea into Gallon pitcher, I add cool water to the pot and dunk the tea bags in it a few times before adding it to the pitcher. This keep the tea strong to go over ice. This house wine of the South is best served with lemon and sprigs of mint.

Lipton makes a tea bag with this name and takes 2 family size bags. I tried it and it was to sweet for me so I added more water to weaken it. Being from the south, I'm still not a tea drinker but trying to get off diet soda so gave this tea a try. It already has sucralose in it so no need for sugar unless you like extra sweet. I prefer the real way!!

I have made this tea with stevia and loved it. Do you think the taste is different to the version made with sugar? Any recipes for peach tea? Charlene..all the way from Malta in the Med