Sweet Tea!

Has anyone out there watched Steel Magnolia's? Other than being a chick flick and a good movie there is a line that goes something like this "Sweet tea. The table wine of the South". That statement is not far from the truth, it seems that no matter what time of day it is you can find yourself a glass of sweet tea.

With the following exceptions of Texas and parts of Florida and Louisiana you will not find sweet tea unless you visit one of those restaurants that look like a log home, that is the only establishment that I have visited outside of the South that serves sweet tea.

Making a good pitcher of tea is not difficult just as long as you follow a few easy steps.

1. Never use a metalic pitcher.
2. Never use lipton tea.
and
3. If you tap water tastes odd than your tea will taste odd. Use filtered or bottled water.


Now! Pull out your favorite tea pot, hotpot or what it is you like to ues to heat water and get your water boiling!

Once water is boiling remove from the heat and pour into 2-quart pitcher followed by two 1-quart bags of either Lusiana or Red Diamond tea bags (no substitutions!) and let steep. The amount of time is dependent on your tastes. I let mine sit for 30-40 minutes or longer if you like.

Once the steeping period is complete remove but do not squeeze to get the excess tea from the bags and discard; add sugar (just under 3/4 cup more if you like) stir until completely dissolved followed by cold water to fill the remainder of your pitcher.

There you have it! A half-gallon of sweet tea, now all you have to do is place the pitcher in the fridge and leave until it is nice and cold or you can pour your fresh brew over a glass full of ice.
Enjoy!