Yankee Transplant's Not so Sweet Tea

Submitted by 3KillerBs

"A dozen or so years ago when we were living in New England we rented a room to a young lady whose grandmother was a Southerner. She taught me her grandmother's method for making Sweet Tea and we spent the whole time she lived with us going back and forth over how strong and how sweet tea should be. Finally, we compromised. As strong as she liked it, but only as sweet as I liked it. In time I came to love the bold flavor that stands up to all the ice a southern summer demands. But its still No So Sweet. ;-) This big batch is best made the night before so it can cool fully overnight. Note: Prep time indicated is the stove time and cooking time is the cooling/steeping time."

 

• Ready In: 4hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 3
• Yields: 2 gallons

ingredients

• 2 gallons water
• 8 family-size tea bags
• artificial sweetener (I prefer Splenda)

directions

1. Put the water into a very large pot. Tie the teabag strings together and secure them with the bags in the water and the tags outside the pot.
2. Bring the water to a full, rolling boil then immediately turn it off. No, this is not a mistake. If the tea doesn't get to a full boil this way its too weak and doesn't have that distinctive flavor.
3. Let steep until fully cooled. I find it best to just leave this big batch sit on the stove overnight.
4. Remove the teabags.
5. Add 25-30 packets Splenda and stir it in well. Adjust amount of sweetener to your family's tastes.
6. Transfer the tea to pitchers or jugs.
7. Serve over plenty of ice.

Reviews

[Darkhunter]

A very good tea. I'm on the fence between not so sweet and very strong flavor. My sister loved the strength of the tea but not the sweetness! I liked the sweetness but thought it was a tad too strong! As my mother used to say, "everyone has their own notion, said the old lady as she kissed the cow." Thnx for posting, 3KillerBees. Made for Fall 2008 My-3-Chefs.