Iced (Sweetened) Tea Recipes*

[SGT Dave]

* First off-if it wasn't you those da** yankess and pretentious types confusing the issue, I wouldn't have to specify-all tea is drank cold and sweetened!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


ANYWAY, so as not to take Pipers thread this far off topic (I'd never want to be accused of taking a thread off-topic, and I DON'T want another one of those "visits" from Piper ) I started a new one.

What is your best recipe for sweet tea?

Mine is NEVER as good (too bitter, too stong, etc) as good restaurant tea. I would like to do better, so I found one on the Internet that sounded good, and tried it. I may have left the bags in to long, but it was not good.

And please note:

DO NOT use the word "steep" in this. Articulate what you mean-I am never clear on "steep." Does it mean leave the bags in, or remove them? On the heat or not?

Also, I don't have a tea machine, or use a coffee pot. I use POTS.

Looking forward to trying new recipes!

[Mitzi]

Can't have sweetened tea...I am now a diabetic Like you, I steep tea in a pot and add to a gallon of water til I like the color. Since I can never have sugar again, I use Splenda. I like Sweet N Low better, but Splenda is better because it comes from a sugar molecule. Thus, your body recognizes it as a nitrient. All the other stuff gets stored somewhere until it causes your body harm. They are finding that aspartmane stores in the brain and find that many people who die from Lupus (an inflammatory disease)have high levels of aspartemane in their brain.
Ok, now, do you like my sweet tea recipe! lol

[dkiefner]

Hmmm, hot tea unsweetened with lemon.

Cold tea unsweetened with lemon.

I use a tea machine for a 3 qt pitcher of very tasty tea that I can pop into the fridge.

Steeping means leaving the bags in the liquid - the result is an infusion. Are you confused now?

If you use pots, shut the water off right after it boils, then throw the bags in for about 10 mins, then remove them. Don't use aluminum pots. Never boil a tea bag.

For an intersting twist, try sun brewing - leave bags in a jar of water on your back porch (or wherever the sun DOES shine) for an afternoon, then remove the bags.

[Mike Tx]

I have never cared for tea in any way. I suppose that speaks volumes about me!

[207]

"Steep" usually refers to how long one leaves the tea bag in the hot water. This time period varies from the type and cut of the tea used. Generally it's no longer than five minutes at the most, too long and it can become bitter.
Me, on the other hand I will leave 'em in there all day! I like tea strong & bitter.

I cheat when making a large volume of iced tea.. I take a whole bunch of tea bags, stuff 'em in the Braun coffee maker, add the water and let it drip through just as if I was making coffee.

Now for the "sweet tea" part. Since ice tea/cold tea does not dissolve sugar very well you take a saucepan of water, heat it up on the stove until the sugar dissolves (you can also add lemon slices if you like). Once this mixture cools down you add the sweetner into your ice tea to your taste buds desires, and also pour it into another container to keep in the refrigerator for future tea use.

How's that for a Yankee?

[Mitzi]

I love to make sun tea. But, getting diabetes has changed how I eat. No more sugar, no more candy bars....yuck. It definitely is a pain in the ***.

[Mike Tx]

Candy bars a pain in the ***? ... you're taking them wrong!

[David]

Sgt Dave,

Maybe I can help here a little, brother...

I make very good sweet tea and have been complimented on it many, many times. If it helps you make a good glass of cold sweet tea then the time taken to answer this thread will have been well spent...

If it doesn't taste good to ya...

then obviously, you screwed up the making of said tea

I always use filtered water, Brita and several other companies make fine inexpensive filters for water. Mine cost $6.95 for a picture and filter good for about 200 gallons of filtered water. The filters are replacable by the way...

Get the Luzianne brand tea in the family size bags.

I always use a tea kettle to bring the water to smoking hot, not full boil. If it does go to boiling just let it cool a little first.

Place 4 of the family size tea bags in the water after you have poured it into the coffee pot or picture for final preparation, with the strings out to make the removal of the tea bags easier to get hold of.

Do not pour the water over the teabags, just let them soak into the hot water. You can dip them into the water to get them started in the soaking process but do not apply any pressure to the bag as it is soaking...

Usually I pour the hot water into my Mr. Coffee pot to let the tea bags soak (steep) and set the microwave timer to 25 minutes.

At the end of the 25 minutes remove the tea bags from the hot water...

DO NOT SQUEEZE THE TEA BAGS

All that will do is to add the bitterness from the tea into your end product.

When you remove the tea bags, just let the tea drip enough into the coffee pot so as to not make a mess getting rid of the used bags. Usually I just let thim dry in the sink until they can be trashed.

Each tea bag will make appox one quart so having the 4 tea bags in a Mr Coffee pot will make enough concentrated tea to make a gallon of lip-smacking tea.

Usually a cup to a cup and a half of sugar will be enough to satisfy you sweet tooth. Otherwise add or subtract to taste.

When the tea has cooled off, pour over ice and enjoy...

Do not put the tea into the refrigerator until it has cooled so as not to cause it to possibly sour from cooling too fast.

Giggle if you want to folks, but I ran a Mrs Winners Restaurant before Jane died and I went back into Law Enforcement. I have had several people tell me that my tea tasted better than they had ever dranked.

Plus, if the truth be told, Mrs Winners did not leave anything to chance on their products... I actually had to take training on the preparation of sweet tea for my restaurant.

If your tea has tasted bitter in the past...

Think back to the preparation and you will probably remember squeezing the tea bags after finishing the tea boiling.

Tetley tea has a history of tasting bitter if my memory serves me right. I have to admit that it has been years and years since I dranked any of that brand so I may not be accurate in that assumption.

I just pretty well stick with what works for me and have not been dis-satisfied.

E-mail me if you want any additional details or questions...

Oh! Hope it does what you want it to and enjoy...

[ 04-10-2002: Message edited by: David ]

[Don]

Man, after David's thesis, there isn't much to add. But that's never stopped me before. . .

Anyway, one thing that I seem to run into ALL THE TIME in restaurants is "DIRTY" tasting iced tea. For the love of heaven, clean the damn ice tea container between fill ups!

As David does, I often use the Luzianne brand (if I can get it, it's not always available in this part of Arizona), if not then Lipton. Family size bags save a LOT of hassle.

I prefer "Sun Tea", but if I don't have time, I'll use my Mr. Coffee to make it. As David said:

never squeeze the tea bag!

Never, ever, under any conditions. It makes it BITTER as the dickens.

I want my tea iced. Hot is for coffee, cold is for tea. I DON'T want any type of sweetner in either. I sure as hell don't want any of that "flavored" tea crap.

Oh, and if I had wanted lemon??? Then I'd have ordered lemonade! Ice Tea, On The Rocks, No Lemon, No Sugar.

Now is that too much to ask?????

[Piper]

Originally posted by SGT Dave:
so as not to take Pipers thread this far off topic (I'd never want to be accused of taking a thread off-topic, and I DON'T want another one of those "visits" from Piper ) I started a new one.

You know you saying all that is like an open invitation for me to come over here.

I don't care for iced tea...I like hot tea with finger sammiches and cookies.

[RachelR]

Mmmmm iced tea, my no caffeine diet weakness I don't like to drink caffeine but I love iced tea.

I like mine plain, without sugar or lemon (lemon=yuck).

[Don]

Originally posted by Piper:


I like hot tea with finger sammiches and cookies.

Whose finger do you prefer to be in the sandwich???????

[Fastie]

Here's my favorite recipe for iced tea.

1. Take Glass and add ice cubes.
2. Choose flavor, lemon, peach, or raspberry.
3. Open bottle of Snapple
4. Pour into glass over ice.

Enjoy !!!

[RoadWarrior]

I found some good bottled tea. Mike's Hard Tea, Lol. Well that's not for everyday sippin', but it is pretty good.

My tea has been referred to as, "very good".

I use Lipton tea. No substitutes! Luzianne tastes funny to me.
A stainless steel pot. No teflon coated or aluminum pots.
Real sugar. (artificial sweetener = the work of the devil)

Bring the water to a boil.
Turn the stove off, leave the pot on the burner and add 3 family sized tea bags.
Let that sit for at least 15 minutes, or until the water turns pretty dark.
Remove the tea bags (without squeezing, as was stated earlier).
Pour the hot tea into a gallon container.
I then add 4 scoops (approximately equal to 2 cups) of sugar.
Start stirring as you slowly add cold water. Doing it this way I've never had a problem dissolving the sugar.

My tea tends to be on the sweet side, but what the he!!, it's SWEET TEA!

[Joseph]

OK Mitzi, What color is that perfect color. Must be a pleasure to be around with you going through withdrawal from sugar and all the good things in life. Take care