Have you ever tried to make sweet tea before? While it might not be the healthiest drink, this iced beverage containing normal brewed tea and a boatload of sugar is one the most refreshing pick-me-ups, especially when served with a slice of lemon. Making good sweet tea at home isn’t easy, however, and there are some things that you should do in order to ensure that it turns out tasty. Here are my top tips.
Use More Sugar Than You Think is Needed
Sweet tea takes the first word of its name very seriously. If you think about the proportion of sugar you’d use to sweeten a normal 6-8 oz cup of tea (4-5 grams), you want to at least double that to make sweet tea. Use about two grams per ounce of water in your sweet tea to make an authentic product.
Use Mineral Water
The type of water that you use for your sweet tea is important, too. It’s not the best idea to just use normal faucet water to make sweet tea, as it can contain unpleasant aftertastes and impurities. The best water to use, in my opinion, is bottled mineral water as it lends a better taste to the final product.
Double the Strength
As is the case with sugar, you should use at least twice as much loose-leaf tea as you would when brewing a normal cup of tea when making sweet tea. Use quality, loose leaf black tea that you can use liberally without any fear of making the tea too bitter. The sugar will cancel out this effect.
