I’m a southern man born and raised, and I run on sweet tea. Lately I’ve been experimenting with lowering the amount of sugar (or splenda) I make it with. What I’ve found is that I like the reduced sweetness, but tea bags are so low quality and bitter that I need the sugar to cover it up. Cold brewing and adding a pinch of baking soda help a lot, but I still want more. I think a higher quality tea is going to get me the flavor I’m looking for. So, any suggestions on any part of the process are welcome! What teas to try, brewing methods, etc. Less caffeine is better, I have a lot of heart failure in my family history so I try to minimize caffeine intake.
Ignorant european here: what is the classical recipe for sweet tea? I would love to try it.
Hard to go wrong with Alton Brown’s recipe. Luzianne is the most popular brand. Another popular method (and simpler) is to make a concentrate by steeping about 6 tea bags in half a gallon of water, adding a cup of sugar after removing the bags, and mixing in another half gallon of water. Serve cold or over ice. Note that a full cup of sugar makes it pretty strong, if you’re not used to it you may want to ease off. If using raw sugar instead of a simple syrup it must be added while the water is still hot, or it won’t dissolve properly!
If no more sugar will dissolve I’d take that as a sign that it’s time to stop adding sugar. I mean, the water is saying so.
Also, if you make big batches to store, I recommend to add sugar to each serving rather than the main batch. Everyone can sweeten to their preference and the main batch will last longer without souring. I find sweetening with a simple syrup to be easier than using granulated sugar.
I can’t wait to do it. Well… I might way for spring but I’m expecting it already. Thanks !