Photo by H. Scott
Hoffmann/News & Record
This recipe is courtesy of Juanita Daniels of
Helena, Al.
Southerners swear by their traditional sweet ice tea and drink it by
the gallons. In the South, ice tea is not just a summertime drink,
it is served year round with most meals. When people order tea
in a Southern restaurant, chances are they will get sweet ice tea. Juanita's recipe is so
easy and is wonderful.
Learn about the
History of Ice Tea and Sweet Tea.
Also check out
Andra's Sweet Tea and more great
Beverage Recipes.
Juanita's Southern Sweet Tea Recipe
Recipe Type:
Beverage,
Ice Tea, Sweet Tea
Cuisine: Southern
Yields: 1/2 gallon
Prep time: 15 min
Ingredients:
3 cups boiling water
1 family-size tea bag or 3 regular-size tea bags
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar or to taste
5 cups cold water
Ice cubes
Preparation:
Pour boiling water over the tea bags. Set aside
and let steep 5 minutes. Remove tea bags.
In a large pitcher, add sugar and pour warm tea
over sugar; stirring until sugar is melted. Add 5 cups cold water and stir until well
mixed. Cool and serve in tall glasses over ice.
Yields 1/2 gallon.
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Secrets To Making Clear Tea
When tea steeps, tannins (the natural compounds that color tea
leaves) are released into the boiling water. The heat helps
dissolve them, and the brew is clear enough to see
through. Refrigeration can cause tannins to separate out again,
turning the tea murky. Generally, higher-quality tea contains
more tannins (because it is richer in solids) and is more likely
to become cloudy.
Hard water
can also make your iced tea cloudy. Also the minerals in
your water could be causing the cloudiness. Try using
bottled or filtered water and let the tea stand at room
temperature for an hour after steeping.
Do not use
cold water (use room temperature water).
Do not add
ice to hot tea, only add the ice cubes to your drinking
glass and then pour the tea over the ice cubes.
Do not put
it straight into the refrigerator after it's made. Let it
cool at room temperature first. THEN put it in the fridge.
Cooling too fast makes the tannin settle out, causing cloudy
tea.
If the tea
turns murky in the refrigerator, add a cup of boiling water
to one quart of tea - it should clear up the cloudiness.
Remember, it will also dilute the tea, so add less ice.
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