It's almost that time again! Sweat tea...

[Quiver0f10]

How many tea bags do you use for 1 gallon of tea? How much sugar? I remember someone once said to put the sugar in with boiling water and the tea bags or something like that? Thanks!

[j.griff]

I use two family size tea bags for a 2 qt pitcher- so I'd use 4 for a gallon. I use one cup of sugar for 2 qt, so 2 cups for one gallon. I just put the bags in a pot on the stove, cover them with water (about 2 cups for 2qt, LOL), and bring to a boil. After it has started to boil, I turn off the burner and pour the "tea" into the pitcher, mix in the sugar (it dissolves really well with that hot tea), and then add cold water to fill the pitcher.

[Chris in VA]

I make my sweet tea by putting 5 tea bags in my coffee maker's basket, then brewing 12 cups. I add roughly 3/4 c of sugar when it's done, then pour it into a 2 quart container filled with ice. Then I fill the container the rest of the way to the top with water.

[genie]

I use 4 of the family-size bags and a heaping cup of sugar. I just boil the water, remove from heat, add bags and let steep until the water looks deep brown. Then I pour it into the pitcher, add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved. Then I fill the pitcher the rest of the way with water.

[mcconnellboys]

Whew! You scared me for a minute, LOL.

 

I still officially live in the South, so drink iced-tea year-round, but not sweet. I do require my hot tea to be sweet, however; I guess that's sorta weird.

 

We like to use Luzianne family sized tea bags and use about 4 for a gallon. If I'm sweetening for my children, I only add about 3/4 - one cup for that much tea, but we don't like it too, too sweet. The sugar will melt beautifully in the hot water. It's just not the same if you add it after the tea is cold, as it never completely dissolves.

[Mamagistra]

I use two family size tea bags for a 2 qt pitcher- so I'd use 4 for a gallon. I use one cup of sugar for 2 qt, so 2 cups for one gallon. I just put the bags in a pot on the stove, cover them with water (about 2 cups for 2qt, LOL), and bring to a boil. After it has started to boil, I turn off the burner and pour the "tea" into the pitcher, mix in the sugar (it dissolves really well with that hot tea), and then add cold water to fill the pitcher.

 

I use four family-size bags, too, but only half the sugar. I prefer it sweeter, but I drink too much tea. :D

 

Once in a while, I like to sub a couple of herb/flavored tea bags for one of the family-size bags to give a subtle flavor. My favorite is Celestial Seasonings Blueberry.

 

Fyi, agave nectar makes yummy sweet tea, too.

[j.griff]

I've wondered about adding one odd flavored bag. I love the peach raspberry tea at some restaurants. Now I'll have to try a bag of raspberry with my regular iced tea bags. We don't "do" sweet tea very often, but I bet if I decreased the sugar it wouldn't give my a tummy ache when I have two glasses. :D

[Danestress]

How many tea bags do you use for 1 gallon of tea? How much sugar? I remember someone once said to put the sugar in with boiling water and the tea bags or something like that? Thanks!

 

4 of the family sized bags of Luzianne. I boil the water, steep the bags, remove them, and then add the sugar after I take them out. I usually add about a cup of sugar.

 

I will drink it year round, but I am trying not to so much because of the sugar. But it's good:)

[Quiver0f10]

Thanks for the recipes! :)

[Aubrey]

How many tea bags do you use for 1 gallon of tea? How much sugar? I remember someone once said to put the sugar in with boiling water and the tea bags or something like that? Thanks!

 

Would it be too horrible to tease you *just* a little for making "sweat" tea? Ya know, imagine we're standing in the corner together, & I just bump your shoulder a little, & say, "Ya want some of my sweat tea?"

 

Recipe: it's like sun tea, but you have to stand out there & sweat in your tea. :D

 

Going away now....:leaving:

[Rhonda in TX]

We drink sweet tea every day - 365 days a year. Literally.

 

DH makes great tea. 2 family size Lipton tea bags in about 1 liter of water. Microwave 9.5 minutes. Let steep for 30 minutes or so. Add 1/3 cup sugar (it will still be warm enough to dissolve). I add another 1/6 cup, but he calls my tea "sticky tea". Add 1 large drinking cup of ice.

 

Yum!

[Quiver0f10]

Would it be too horrible to tease you *just* a little for making "sweat" tea? Ya know, imagine we're standing in the corner together, & I just bump your shoulder a little, & say, "Ya want some of my sweat tea?"

 

Recipe: it's like sun tea, but you have to stand out there & sweat in your tea. :D

 

Going away now....:leaving:

 

 

Oh, my I am dying here! I never noticed my typo LOL! Where is the crawling under a rock smiley?

[JFSinIL]

Sugar only belongs in an iced mocha latte ;) NEVER TEA! And cold tea is nasty :ack2: - it must be HOT and PLAIN unless one has a cold - then a shot of rum or scotch is permissible.

 

I have spoken (ok, written)!!

 

 

 

Don't kill me, oh Southern Ladies!

[j.griff]

No killing allowed... I've got the rope gals! Let's go! LOL

[Lorna in the boonies]

Well, the way dh likes it is 4 bags and 2 cups of sugar per gallon.

 

The way dh gets it is 3 bags and 1/2 cup sugar per gallon.

 

I boil the water, drop the tea in when it whistles, immediately turn off the heat, and let it steep for 10 minutes. Then I pour it over the sugar and fill the pitcher up the rest of the way with cold water.

 

I like it his way best, too, but we drink far too much of it around here (year round). I usually make at least one gallon every day.

[Laurie4b]

Well, the woman who made the best southern sweet tea I ever had said that she kept adding sugar to the hot water until no more would dissolve! :tongue_smilie:

 

Sure to be a hit!

[Tammy]

Are you sure you use 2 cups of sugar for one gallon of tea? I like mine sweet....but that is over the top, LOL!

[Kelli in TN]

Ours is two family size tea bags and 1 cup of sugar per gallon.

[Mamagistra]

I boil the water, drop the tea in when it whistles, immediately turn off the heat, and let it steep for 10 minutes.

 

I was going to mention that I don't let mine steep too much longer than 10 minutes because it gets somewhat bitter. Luzianne, that is. Other brands may be better.

[Aubrey]

Oh, my I am dying here! I never noticed my typo LOL! Where is the crawling under a rock smiley?

 

Oh, I hope you mean dying laughing! I wouldn't have said anything if it hadn't struck me as so funny, given the context. Forgive me? :001_wub:

 

The crawling under the rock smiley's on the extra smiley list.

[Lorna in the boonies]

Are you sure you use 2 cups of sugar for one gallon of tea? I like mine sweet....but that is over the top, LOL!

 

(I think somebody else said they like 2 cups per gallon, too, so I'm not sure if you're talking to me or to her. Just in case: oh, absolutely 2 cups per gallon. My dh likes a little tea with his sugar.)

 

But, yes, it is like drinking syrup. Very, very tasty syrup.

[Sharon in SC]

4 Family Bags (5 if using flavored lipton raspberry or peach tea) in 2 cups water with a plate over the top (for steeping purposes) to the microwave for as many minutes as it takes it to start to boil. Leave in the microwave for about 5 mins. Pour over 1.5 cups sugar in 1 gallon pitcher (sugar dissolves instantly) and then add water to fill.

[j.griff]

Yes, I am quite sure. I use one whole cup of sugar for a 2 quart pitcher of tea. 4 quarts = 1 gallon, so I just double the recipe to make a gallon of tea. Some people think it's "too sweet", but I don't like their tea because it's too bitter. *I* don't think it's over the top, but then we don't drink it every day either. Also, I was raised drinking Pepsi out of a baby bottle, so my tastes are probably much different than others'. :D And no, I'm not happy that I drank Pepsi as a baby- I had REALLY bad teeth. I don't think 1 cup per quart (what I read on Kool-Aid packets growing up) is any more sweet than drinking regular soda. <shrug>. I haven't "tried" it with only one cup per gallon, I will do that one day soon (next time I make tea). I'm not sure I'll like it though. I'll try to remember to post about it when we try it. :D

[dalynnrmc]

We use 2 family sized bags plus 1 1/2 cups of sugar.

[JWSJ]

Well, the woman who made the best southern sweet tea I ever had said that she kept adding sugar to the hot water until no more would dissolve!

 

That's how my dw likes it... Mostly sweet, less tea.

 

I'm more of an equal sweet/tea ratio person.

 

I avoid restraurants that do not serve sweet tea...

 

It's my only "bad" habit...

[Fourmother]

We love sweet tea at my house. I can't stand unsweetened tea served in restaurants. To me it's like serving food cooked without seasoning. :lol: I used to put 2 cups of sugar in a gallon of tea, but now I used 3/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of stevia.

[Oak Knoll Mom]

I boil about 1 qt of water and add 4 family sized tea bags (Tetley is my favorite) as soon as it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and cover pot with lid. Brew for 5 minutes. (If you brew for a longer time then the tea will start to become bitter and you'll have to add more sugar to counteract that.) Pour the tea into a gallon pitcher along with 1 1/2 c. of sugar and then top it off with cold water. If you remember to make the tea ahead of time, you can get by with less sugar.

 

I love to sub one or two of the tea bags with with a mango tea.

[finding_sanctuary]

How I make mine depends on whether Dh is home or not. He doesn't like his as sweet as I do, so I have to limit the sugar to less than 1 cup when he's home. Otherwise, it's two cups all the way.

 

Usually, I fill my whistling teakettle to almost full, bring the water to a boil, and pour it into the pitcher over the sugar and teabags. I let it steep until it's the right color, then add water to top off the pitcher. Chill and enjoy.

 

If I'm in a real hurry, I use my great-grandmother's super-sweet sun tea recipe. Similar amounts of sugar and teabags, but much less active effort.

 

One trick I like to do in summer is to use 3-4 family sized teabags and add one single-size bag of a mint tea/blend (spearmint, spearmint/peppermint). I've actually cut the sugar to less than half a cup this way and it's still sweet enough for me. It also gives a subtle cooling feeling on the way down, great for those weeks of day after day after day of 100+ degree temperatures!

[Scarlett]

How many tea bags do you use for 1 gallon of tea? How much sugar? I remember someone once said to put the sugar in with boiling water and the tea bags or something like that? Thanks!

 

 

IF you boil the tea it will make it bitter. Boil water, steep tea. Place desired amount of sugar in pitcher and pour hot tea over the sugar. Mix well, Then add water.

 

p.s. Sweet tea is just gross. :tongue_smilie:

[Montana Peach]

I grew up in the deep South too and no one believed unsweeted tea was drinkable :)

 

I tend to use the small bags, 6 for a gallon, 9 if I am making 2 gallons, which I usually do. For a gallon about 1 /34 cup of sugar, I usually use 3 cups when I make two gallons as actually doubling it makes it too sweet , oddly enough. I boil the water , let the tea steep. Put the sugar in the pitcher, pour the hot tea over it and stir then add cold water.

[E_Edgerton]

I do 4 black tea bags of your choice and 4 green tea bags. I like adding the green. As for sweetening...I prefer my tea unsweetened and my DH prefers his very sweet...we just make a simple syrup to keep on hand. That way we both get what we want from the same pitcher! :)