Sweet Tea

By Becky Jo

Just hearing those words make ya sigh a satisfied sigh...

And... I have been told I make the BEST Sweet Tea in Texas!

Ingredients

• 5 - 8 Family size Tea Bags. (or 12 regular Tea Bags)
• ( I prefer #1 Luzianne or #2 Liptons Brand Teas.)
• 1 Quart (4 Cups) - Boiling Water
• 3 Quarts (12 cups) - Cool Water
• 1 1/2 - 2 (one & a half) - Cups Sugar.
• 1/4 teaspoon - Baking Soda (this IS the SECRET Ingredient!!)

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from cravingcomfort.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

(makes 1 gallon)

1 Quart (4 Cups) - Boiling Water

Directions -

(I use a gallon-size Mason Jar but many people have voiced concerns about pouring boiling water into a glass container, so use whatever container you'd like)

Add Tea bags to the pitcher/baking soda,

Pour Boiling water over tea bags,

Add Sugar and Stir until completely dissolved.

Add Cool Water.



This is the same recipe I've been using all my life. I never knew why I used baking soda (my mother always did, so I did too). People would question me throughout the years as to why, and I never knew what to say. It really is the secret ingredient.. makes it "smooth" somehow. I also have used 1/2 cup honey to the 1 cup sugar and that is also awesome.


I am a true "old" southerner and come from generations of coal miners. I have never heard of anyone (from church gatherings, to family gatherings and reunions to those who work in restaurants) using 6 - 8 family tea bags for a gallon of tea. We use 3 - 4. Three regular tea bags = 1 family tea bag so the regular tea bags is accurate. We have always used the baking soda to "neutralize" the tea. One thing we do different is to boil water and dissolve the sugar to make a "syrup" then add it to the tea so you don't have those annoying sugar crystals throughout it and sinking to the bottom. Tea is an "art or skill" in the south lol

As I was reading your blog I was pretty sure that the *baking soda* makes the difference. Nobody believes me but somehow the soda takes the bitterness out and makes it more smooth... all I know is that when people come over they ask is this *angie's tea*?? My friend told me to do that a long time ago. Plus she said brewing the sugar in the boiled tea makes it dissolve so that you have clear looking tea instead of grainy things floating around.

This is totally AWESOME sweet tea! The addition of the baking soda makes the difference. I've had similar great tasting tea but when I would ask the owner how it was made, there was always a vague reply and no mention at all of the baking soda. That must be the secret ingredient! I'm enjoying a tall glass of this wonderful tea right now. Thanks so much for sharing!

Here in Tennesse, Sweet Tea is like water to us. Who would have thought just a TINSY tiny bit of baking soda could make tea taste good. Boiling water right now to try it out. Looking forward to it....

Won't adding boiling water to a glass pitcher cause it to crack? I really want to make this today but I don't want a cracked pitcher.

You have to temper the glass. You pour in a little bit of the boiling water and count to ten, then pour in a bit more and count to ten. Then the whole glass should be tempered (reached about the same warmness as the liquid being poured in) that you can pour in the rest of the water.

If you want to do it a different way, have the glass sit in a sink of hot water while the kettle is coming to a boil.

Now if you just poured in the hot water into a room temp glass, then yes it would crack.

Or you can just use a spoon in the jug or glass ( It must be Metal though ) & add water slowly pouring it over the spoon Works like a charm I've been doing it for 40 years For Hot water when needed then just pour the cold slowly in a little at a time & Presto !

Honestly, pouring boiling water into a glass pitcher is a bad, bad idea and it will almost always bust or crack. I would like to nicely suggest that the author change this and encourage people to steep their tea bags in a pan or teapot and add the hot tea into cool water that's already in the pitcher. There is no need to risk breaking things or getting hot water on yourself or someone else.

It works for the author because she's using a large canning jar, which is a special jar meant to be boiled. Most glass can't take that heat.

Found this on pinterest yesterday, made it this evening, became addicted 10 minutes ago. Wow! I've never been a big sweet tea fan but I just became a believer. This stuff is truly amazing! Thank you so much for this secret recipe!

I miss Lone Star Steaks. I was just talking about that place last week.

To avoid cracking your glass pitcher with boiling water, put a metal spoon in before pouring in the water... it absorbs the heat and keeps the pitcher from cracking...

Yum! Must make this! My husband and I are from that area. He went to Dickinson high school. Thanks for sharing!

The true best way to save your tea from getting bitter it to watch the temp of you water, too hot of water will burn the tea leafs and make your tea bitter; as will brewing it too long. 3-5 mins at 200 degree water.

I have been using baking soda to neutralize the acid in the tea for a few years now, and you are right, it really makes a difference. Don't try this with the herbal blend teas. One Thanksgiving I tried this and instead of getting a pretty ruby colored tea, it turned an ugly pea green!

You are so right, it is the baking soda that makes the difference! I am not a Southern Woman but make Sweet Tea in Ohio and when all my friends and family come over I go through pitcher after pitcher of it. Sweet Tea to me is like coffee to most : )

ahhhh, I've been doing this for years...my grandmother added the baking soda to take the cloudiness away.

just learned the baking soda secret recently and love it. Been making sweet tea all my life & it's my #1 drink besides Dr. Pepper. But that's an awful lot of tea bags, isn't it? That's 2x what I use. Just boil them for 1 minute. That's what my frugal Grandmother & Southern Living taught me. :)

If the baking soda will neutralize the tannins, I can make tea again! Had to give up my beloved "Not as Sweet Tea' due to real stomach problems from the tannins. I'll try it using decaf tea bags too. I always added the sugar to the boiling hot water to make sure it dissolved...I'm from Texas, lived in several cities, but halfway through HS ended up in League City....we had a choice of Texas City or Almeda for a movie...we liked Texas City more for the theater and I remember the Lone Star on Palmer. Boy, takes me back!

For those with diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity or are just health conscious enough to know that a cup and a half of pure sugar is not something one would want to make a regular part of their diet, consider the following as an alternative:

**(optional: Add a cinnamon stick)

Place all in a glass pitcher

Place outside in direct sunlight

Re-fridgerate, add ice

*Stevia is a non-caloric sweetener that in about 200 X sweeter than table sugar (Although not suited as a replacement for sugar in many recipes, it works well in Ice Tea.

WE MAKE TEA WITH 5 FAMILY TEA BAGS LUSIANNE DECAF. GET ABOUT A QUART PAN BRING TO BOIL, WITH TEA BAGS IN IT ,BOIL A COUPLE MINUTES .USE SWEET & LOW 20 PACKETS.WHILE WAITING, FILL YOUR PICTURE ABOUT HALF WAY WITH WATER, ADD SWEET AND LOW. POUR TEA IN PITCHER. ADD YOUR BAKING SODA, WHICH I'M GOING TO HAVE TO TRY,I'M DIABETIC& AND HAVE MADE IT THIS WAY FOR A LONG TIME.EVERY BODY DRINKS IT. RUBY IN KENTUCKY

Just how my aunt from Atlanta taught me how to make it 40 years ago! ;-)

Okay, Like any proper southern girl one of the first things I learned to make was sweet tea the next...chocolate chess pie. But baking soda???

It sounds to me that What the Baking soda is doing in just that small amount is raising the PH closer to Neutral or Ph of 7 since most common tea i have seen used it black tea. or a mix including it..

Why do so many people boil their tea??? Bad! Bad tea drinkers. This saddens me. Steep it!!!

I don't boil my tea.... I do, however, bring the water to boiling BEFORE adding it to the tea bags.

So ....what is the ph of a perfect glass of tea? guess it depends on the tasters preference, what should be the ph of tea before adding the baking soda, would that depend on the water you are making the tea with? Making Tea, just got complicated! LOL!

I love this!!! I make sun tea!! Put tea bags, sugar, water and baking soda in gallon glass jar and tighten lid. Then, sit it in the sun outside and let the sun cook it. It gets pretty hot, even to the touch. After an hour or two (depending) on the heat and color, take it in and refrigerate and discard tea. I use 4 regular tea bags, 1 1/2 cups sugar, baking soda and a gallon water.

I was born in TC and loved Lone Star Steaks! The tea was legendary and the house salad I still make! Was always a hit at our weekly church dinner.

I can't wait to try your recipe. I don't know why I haven't thought of using baking soda in tea because my mother always puts a pinch on top of the coffee that she puts in her automatic coffee maker. She says she does it to take the bitter taste away.

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