How to make Sweet Ice Tea

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July 4, 2009 49 Comments

Making sweet ice tea that is served in so many restaurants takes a knack. While it isn’t difficult it does take some special steps in making the iced tea. Our suggestion would be to start with an iced tea such as Lipton’s or Luzianne.

Sweet Tea

How to make Sweet Ice Tea

Author: Copy Recipes
Recipe Type: CopyKat Recipes, Drink Recipes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves: 1

Sweet Ice tea is a wonderful treat on a hot day!

Ingredients

2 cups water
4 small bags of tea or 2 family sized bags of tea
1/2 cup sugar
ice

Instructions

Boil water and once the water is boiling add to a pitcher (2 quart) and add tea bags. Steep for 1 to 2 minutes only. If the tea bags are left in longer the tea may become bitter. Remove tea bags and stir in sugar mixing completely. You may want to adjust the amount of sugar that you will add. Fill the pitcher with ice and then cool water to fill the picture. Enjoy your iced tea.

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nene

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Kelly from MN

The big thing is adding sugar while tea is hot. It’s the only way it thoroughly dissolves. And you don’t need to even boil your own water. I make my tea in the coffee pot with a couple tea bags. I fill whatever container I want to use 2/3 the way full, toss in the sugar and stir then fill the rest with ice.
Really Needed Some Sweet Tea

You don’t even know how badly I needed some sweet tea right now. To everyone in the comments who had some helpful hints and tips, and to whoever posted this recipe, thank you so much. This is absolutely amazing. Never even made sweet tea before.
Phaustinad

shoo i wants sumn iced tea man i love the wendys iced tee and golden corals its so gud
Sn331509

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Xcguitarman

i needed this in my life
http://profiles.google.com/makellbird Makell Bird

A trick to cutting the bitter taste is to add a PINCH of baking soda (no more than a pinch or it will taste funny). I’ve read in a lot of other places it’s best to steep for 4 mins not 2. 1/2 cup of sugar doesn’t seem sweet enough. I agree with most that it takes 1 to 1 and a 1/2 cups to sweeten.

Another little trick for those that don’t know is to use tea bags for canker sores or tooth aches in your mouth. Black Tea (like lipton) works best. Tea has a natural sedative that heals the pain in your mouth. I’ve done this twice and it works like a charm, better than canker sore medicine that only numbs your mouth for about 10 mins and has a NASTY taste. The raw tea bag is a nasty taste too but it works.
a southern girl

all this over tea! ya’ll are funny, i’m 24 and i love sweet tea, being from the south myself i came here looking to learn to make good tea. my husband had to make it up til now cause i just couldn’t get it right but all of ya’lls advice did me some good, i just made some killer tea! thanks everyone and ya’ll calm down
- Shackleford
  
  Are you really a southerner? I’m from the Pine Belt here in Mississippi and I have not known one southerner, no matter how deep a redneck, type “ya’ll.”
  - http://www.facebook.com/Eyes.on.Jesus Trish Anna
    
    Well, I grew up in Louisiana, and live in Texas now. I don’t think I’m that “deep a redneck” (though my family a few generations up was) … but I type “y’all” quite often in online conversation, depending on who I am talking to. And in fact, I had quite a discussion with a friend one time whether “y’all” or “ya’ll” was correct — I still maintain that “y’all” would be proper, since it is short for “you all” and the apostrophe stands in for the ou and a after the y, so should be placed there.
    
    I had to wonder if she was really a southerner if she could reach 24 years of age and not know how to make sweet tea. To be honest, I’m pretty surprised there’s a “recipe” or “instructions” as well, though I know a trick or two that aren’t part of the regular simple steps. I came here out of curiosity to see if any such “tricks” were mentioned, and they weren’t. I make my tea similar to what is talked about here, except I DO steep it for at least 15 minutes (it never gets bitter) and I use less sugar (there are other tricks to making it taste sweeter). And I never make less than a full gallon at a time, unless I don’t want to wait and make some in a quart-sized mason jar while I’m also making the gallon.
Hairy

epic failure
Raised on Nothing but TEA!!

My Family only drinks Sweet Tea were from the South.We go threw 2 gallons a day.Here’s how we do it in in our family Ole style Tea. For 1 gal. of tea. You will need. I gal jug. 2 1/2 cps.sugar,10-14 reg.size tea bags what ever brand you like.bring water to boil turn off stove drop in tea bags stir after 1 min. let set 1-2 more min. then take out tea bags are you get bitter tea. add your sugar while the tea is still warm it make it real sweet.pour into container of your liking .If the container isn’t full fill to top with water.You can have one gal. plan sweet tea or 1 with lemon make sure you add real juice not the fake stuff.Use common thinking people its not that hard..
- mrsolu
  
  2 1/2 cups of tea in a gallon of tea???? OMG!!! That is EXTREMELY sweet tea!!! I use 1 cup of sugar for one gallon of tea and about 7 tea bags……………NOT 10-14!!! Wow!!! Never knew it was done that way in the south.
  - Juicydreaming@gmail.com
    
    one person, does not equate to the entire south. just saying.
    - Anonymous
      
      What I was amazed at more than anything about this post was the response that it created. I mean every point I made in my version, someone had an issue with. I don’t I wrote a radically poor way of making tea, but rather, this is such a personal topic, that it people feel the need to respond.
      - Shackleford
        
        That’s the fun thing about the internet. People either use it for reference, bash people, or try to prove each other wrong. Just because people make their sweet tea different makes you wrong. However, you do have to have a pretty bad sweet tooth to put 2 1/2 cups sugar in a gallon of ice tea. =P And by your recipe, 1/2 cup isn’t sweet tea. See, that’s MY opinion, but not bashing yours. You like it the way you do.
      - stephaniemanley
        
        I never realized it, that sweet tea was so personal. But, yes, folks love to bash each other online. It’s so easy to do, I know that 99% of these people wouldn’t say such things to someone in person. Being anonymous enables people to behave in ways they wouldn’t every day.
  - Juicydreaming@gmail.com
    
    one person, does not equate to the entire south. just saying.
- Westside779
  
  Wow, your tea must be really sweet with all that sugar. I use 2 family size tea bags per two gallons of tea. I steep the tea for 5 minutes before adding it to the other water and sugar.
- Westside779
  
  Wow, your tea must be really sweet with all that sugar. I use 2 family size tea bags per two gallons of tea. I steep the tea for 5 minutes before adding it to the other water and sugar.
  - Westside779
    
    I forgot to mention, I only use 1 1/2 cups of sugar to the tea, and I miswrote, it is to one gallon of tea, not 2.
Joe M.

Miss Aletha’s Iced Tea
(Thanks, Mom, I miss you!)

2 cups water
4 family size tea bags
1-1/2 cups sugar or 3/4 cup Splenda blend

Put water in appropriate size pot and put in tea bags
Heat until just boiling
Remove from heat and remove tea bags, squeeze out gently with tongs
Add sugar to hot tea and stir until dissolved
Put concentrated tea in 1-gallon pitcher and add cold water until full and stir to mix
Enjoy over ice and refrigerate until cold
Someone from Alabama

OMG, I can’t believe someone needs a recipe to make tea. I’m from Alabama and tea down here is like breathing air, its a part of life. Just boil your water with however many bags you want with as much sugar you want in whatever kind of pitcher you want. I will add its best to let water boil add tea (I use 3 family size for a gallon)because bags will bust. I let it get to room temperature. I put 1 1/2 cup sugar in a plastic pitcher add the tea then fill with water to top. Simple.
- CC
  
  OH MY I so heartedly agree with you, I do have to admit when I read your note I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants. But then again I do have a friend who follows a recipe to make boiled water. CHEERS, CC PS You don’t have to be from Alabama to make Sweet Tea, I live in California and you and I use the same ‘recipe’.
  - http://www.copykat.com Stephanie
    
    There are folks out there with skills better than us, and far worse than us. You would be surprised at what I get requests for. Thankfully it hasn’t been toast yet.
http://www.copykat.com Cindy Bailey

Never ever ever cover a pitcher of hot steaming tea.Let it come to room temperature before covering and refrigerating.If you cover a pitcher of tea while still steaming it will taste like pond water later!!
plastic

When I use a glass pitcher, i place a knife in the pitcher prior to adding the hot water so the pitcher will not crack.
Nay

Woody, your method seems WAY too complicated for a simple tea. I agree with the plastic pitcher though…no way. My grandmother always would steep the tea bags in the pot after boiling the water, then pour it into the ice filled glasses, then let everyone else sweeten their own tea. What’s bad, is if you use sugar, it doesn’t dissolve very well in a gold glass, but if you use sweet n low or splenda, it dissolves just fine.
- http://www.copykat.com Stephanie
  
  I have to make a follow up comment on this. I never realized everyone was so passionate about tea making. I learned a lot of my tea making from the folks at http://www.teamerchants.com , I love their tea, it is fabulous. I have gone onto purchase a special water heater that dispenses hot water at three different temperatures for perfect tea. I appreciate so many of your comments. So regarding the plastic pitcher, I had glass one there, people complained, people complained over plastic, so I am curious what type of container do you put your tea into?
La Guera Preciosa

All of you missed the most important ingredient of all… LOVE!! My mom always tells me that if you cook in a kitchen without putting a little love into it, it just won’t turn out right… =) NC Born and raised…I still enjoy home made sweet tea with my family. It’s tradition. Thanks for sharing your secrets…
Woody says:

I put about 2 inches of water in two pans. Pan one gets three large or six small tea bags and I bring this to a boil and remove from heat. While pan one is heating up, I put a Tsp of baking soda in pan two along with 1 cup of Splenda. Stiring soda and splenda together till water is clear. When pan one comes to a boil I take it off and heat the mixture of pan two. When it comes to a boil I just turn off the burner. Take the Ice Tea jug and fill half way with ice. Then pour tea and sweetner in the jug over ice. As for my tea jug I have to add water to the top.
Michael Wood

I have been making sweet tea all my adult life and I am 54 years old. First of all I have never found that leaving the tea bags in the hot water for more than 1 to 2 minutes makes the tea bitter. I do know the longer you leave them to steep the stronger the tea, and have left mine in for hours and to me it is just fine. Once the water begins to boil you must remove it from the stovetop burner after adding the tea bags.My mother told me what makes it bitter is if you have the bags in the water and boil them or leave them on the burner after the water has come to a boil. Also the video shows a plastic pitcher, this is a big no-no. Adding hot water to a plastic container will give it a plastic taste as the hot water causes something in the plastic to be released into the water. I always use a glass pitcher, fill pitcher 1/3 with ice, add sugar to ice, and then pour in semi-hot to warm steeped tea
- http://www.facebook.com/Eyes.on.Jesus Trish Anna
  
  Now here’s a man who knows how to make tea … lol I’ve steeped mine for hours before too. I’m always surprised when people say not to steep more than a few minutes. That’s true for many herbal teas, but not black tea, in my experience. But … just as he said, I NEVER let the tea bags boil in the pan. Really, I try to catch the water just as it’s beginning to boil, but if I miss that, I use it anyway with no problems. Only difference is that I dissolve my sugar in the hot steeped tea instead of putting it over ice … I want the sugar well-dissolved before it gets too cold.
  
  Hehe, coming in to this convo after it’s a few years old, it really is funny to see how passionate people can be about their own way. It’s understandable though … down here in the south, sweet tea is a big thing!
Someone :)

“The only difference is, if you make it at home, it’s likely to be made with table sugar, and not high fructose corn syrup, as you find at so many restaurants.” — Rob

Rob is mistaken. The only high fructose corn syrup you’ll find in restaurant tea is if you order the flavored Lipton brands. Even in the corporate places (Applebees, Ruby Tuesday), sweet tea is brewed with tea bags and sugar.
jess

my husband puts that much sugar (1 to 2 cups) in a HALF gallon of tea.
- Stefanie
  
  Um…2 quarts=Half gallon. Just sayin’
  Wonder why many recipes, and even a Kool Aide package tells you to get a 2 quart container. Go figure Just sayin’ ~Stephanie
kevin

I think it’s funny somebody actually has a recipe for sweet tea.

In SC, we normally have 1 to 2 cups of sugar per gallon of tea!
Jem

Let me make a correction to Lisa’s comments. If you put the sugar in the pitcher of room temp water, it won’t dissolve. Pour the hot water over the tea bags in a Pyrex bowl. Add sugar and let sit for about five minutes. Strain out the tea bags, squeezing the bags to get the most out of the tea. THEN add it to the room temp water. ( I already have the ice in the pitcher at this point but its not important) I suppose that means the only correction to the original post would be to not add water into a glass pitcher. Enjoy!
http://www.copykat.com admin

Gail says:
I have a suggestion for this recipe that will take all of the bitterness out and you only have to use 1 family size teabag, because it draws the tea from the tea leaves. I go ahead and put the teabag in when you put the water on to boil, but the trick is to add a pinch (1/8 teaspoon or less) of baking soda. I always keep baking soda by my stove anyway (in case something catches on fire), but I sprinkle it on top of the teabag as I drop it in the cold water to boil. It can steep as long or as short as you would like, but there is no bitterness. The trick is to not put too much baking soda.
http://www.copykat.com admin

I never anticipated the responses on this either. I personally love bulk tea leaves from http://www.teamerchants.com, and that is what I use in my ice tea. I can’t understand why so many people buy prepared iced tea from the grocery store, it is so easy to make at home.
Alex

BDW…I usually use one small bag of tea per 300 ml water and three tea spoons of sugar. this seems to be as good as it can and if u add some lemon juice it’s perfect! This is for those who are not sure how much of everything goes in the tea
Alex

Wow…I never thought that making ice tea was such a mystery for some people. Don’t take it the wrong way, I don’t mean to offend anyone, just that when I read about those “special steps” I was expecting something mode…complex. I was making ice tea when I was 7 and I used plants my grandmother picked, packaged tea was a luxury ) Well, Lipton is good and no garden herb has that flavor. Ice tea is easy to make and a delicious healthy refreshing treat! U can use honey instead of sugar and if your throat is sore, drink warm tea with honey and chew bees wax. You’ll be better in no time! Cheers!
eowyn

can’t find leroy hill up here in the north!
Zach

Lisa, like your ideas… how much water should be boiled though.. obviously the main recipe here is showing 2 cups.. um, yeah, that makes no sense.. approximately how much water and sugar in your recipe? I’d love to make it your way. Thanks =)
Lisa

Don’t add boiling or hot water to pitcher, especially a glass pitcher — the pitcher may shatter and you’ll have a mess. Use 2 quart pitcher and fill 1/3 way up with room temperature tap water. Instead of putting tea bags in the pitcher put them in the water after in has come to a boil and heat has been turned off. Add the sugar to the room temp water before pouring tea steeped water into pitcher — use a spoon to keep tea bags from dropping into pitcher and to press the tea bags up against the side of the pan to get the last bit of good flavor from your bags. After this fill the pitcher to two or three inches from the top. Don’t add ice to pitcher but instead serve the tea over ice cubes in your tea glasses. It is always best to use a glass pitcher and serve tea in glass, plastic can and will give it an off flavor. The tea will also stain plastic. I know I’ve done a good job if I look through the pitcher and see a lovely translucent red/brown color, if the tea does not have the red color and is just brown or if it is foggy you’ve overcooked your teabags.

Sweet tea has been on the evening meal, we call it supper, table every single day since my first memories. If you steep the tea gently like this and never boil it you need much less sugar to sweeten.
http://www.buildabetterbodytoday.com jT.

I grew up drinking tea almost every day. It’s pretty much expected that with your dinner you’re going to have sweet tea rather than a soft drink. Back home in Alabama we never used the Lipton stuff…it was unheard of.

For the best sweet tea you have to go with Leroy Hill.
http://www.dscomic.com Rob

The only difference is, if you make it at home, it’s likely to be made with table sugar, and not high fructose corn syrup, as you find at so many restaurants.
http://www.onehealthonelife.com/blog/main/ tea

Long time I am expecting this topic, I like cold tea very much
http://www.tea-diet.net/ leftfoot

Pitcher. I really don’t want to add boiling water to any pictures
P.S. – Sorry, forgot to tell you great post!

How to make Sweet Ice Tea

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