Black Folks Southern Sweet Tea
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Black folk’s sweet tea is a beloved Southern beverage that’s a must-have in every kitchen and restaurant across the South, year-round.
What is Southern sweet iced tea?
For starters, Southern sweet tea is a delicious blend of refreshingly sweet and tangy flavors. (Mostly sweet flavors when making Southern-style sweet tea the Black way!)
But sweet tea is more than just a thirst-quenching beverage. It symbolizes Southern hospitality and good company,enjoyed throughout the deep South.
As Ruby from Blackish exclaimed in the series finale when she thought Bow and Dre were going to move to Atlanta,
“All that sweet tea and cobbler!”
Drinking sweet tea on a hot day is the epitome of comfort, and it’s a great meal starter, too—especially when served with fresh cookies and tea cakes!
Many Southerners believe there’s no better way to cool off than with a glass of sweet tea! So I’ve got the low-down on making Southern sweet tea the Black folks’ way. That’s the only way you’ll want to make it every time!
My motto is…“Soul food recipes easy enough for anyone to make and everyone to love!” Even if you’re not from a sweet tea and cobbler state.
Southern iced tea ingredients
Southern sweet iced tea is typically made from black tea, sugar, and water, then poured over ice. In the South, and for this Southern sweet tea recipe, we prefer a bit of tea with our sugar, LOL!
The main ingredients in Southern sweet tea usually remain the same. However, my family has a not-so-secret ingredient: baking soda, which I reveal in this recipe.
Measurements for the recipe can be found in the printable recipe card below.
- Tea bags – The black tea bag is the star ingredient for brewing this Southern sweet tea recipe!
- Water – It’s best to use filtered cold water, as using warm or hot water may result in cloudy tea.
- Sugar – You can use granulated, unrefined, or refined sugar – all are suitable for this sweet tea recipe.
- Lemon – Optionally, garnish with a few lemon wedges for a refreshing, tangy flavor.
What does baking soda do in sweet tea?
Ever wondered why baking soda is added to sweet tea? This versatile ingredient, Also known as sodium bicarbonate, is a master at neutralizing acids, including the tannic acid found in tea. This unique property of baking soda not only enhances the taste of the tea but also extends its shelf life.
Baking soda improves the taste of tea and, more importantly, makes it last longer.
Does sweet tea have caffeine in it?
Sweet tea contains caffeine. The amount of caffeine varies depending on the strength of the teabag used and the serving size.
On average, an 8-ounce serving of tea contains 20 to 50 mg of caffeine. But don’t worry too much about the drink’s strength; the added ice will dilute it a bit.
How to make Southern iced tea
This is my North Carolina family’s recipe for making Black folk’s Southern sweet tea. Like many of my Southern recipes, they’re older than me! Tried, true, and trusted for many, many years.
Step-by-step instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
- Cut the strings off the tea bags, taking care not to cut the bags open.
- Bring the cold water to a boil in a large pot over high heat.
- Remove the pot from the heat and steep for 15 minutes, dunking the tea bags several times.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the tea bags and stir in the sugar and baking soda.
- Pour the tea into a pitcher and let it chill for a few hours in the fridge.
- Then, optionally garnish with lemon slices, serve, and enjoy!
Use my Instant Pot recipe for faster Southern iced tea!
Best tea bags for sweet iced tea
Black tea is the preferred choice for Southern sweet tea. Four large family-size tea bags or the equivalent of eight small ones.
How is Southern sweet tea served?
Southern sweet tea is a versatile beverage that can be enjoyed hot or cold. However, it’s most commonly served cold over ice with a refreshing lemon slice. This versatility allows you to tailor your tea experience to your preferences, whether you prefer it hot or cold, sweetened or unsweetened.
Unlike English tea, Black folks’ Southern sweet tea is never served with milk or creamer but is always served over ice.
It’s also not uncommon for restaurants to serve unsweetened tea over ice so you can add your desired amount and choice of sweetener.
There’s a significant problem with this, though. It’s hard to sweeten tea when the beverage isn’t hot because the sugar quickly dissolves in hot water. As a result, most of the added sweetener simply falls to the bottom (womp-womp).
What to serve with Southern sweet tea
In the South, fried foods are prevalent. People relish foods like Southern fried chicken, potato salad, or fried fish, perfectly complemented by a glass of Southern sweet tea!
What is the Southern origin of iced tea?
The oldest known iced sweet tea recipe in print comes from a community cookbook called Housekeeping in Old Virginia, my home state. This is a testament to the rich culinary heritage of the South.
The book is a collection of recipes and domestic ideas by distinguished and notable homemakers of Old Virginia. Perhaps the first of The Real Housewives franchise—The Real Housewives Of Old Virginia?
How long is sweet tea good?
If you want to have the very best of Southern sweet tea, you should drink and serve it fresh. Or refrigerate for about 8-10 hours, so it’s perfectly refreshing over ice when serving.
Like most homemade drinks, sweet tea lasts about five days in the fridge. Refrigerator temperatures are best for keeping the tea fresh.
Equipment
- Large 8 quart pot
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 8 tea bags small black teabags or 4 large (family-size) black teabags
- 5 quarts water cold
- 3 cups sugar granulated
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Cut the strings off the tea bags and set them aside, taking care not to cut them open, as you don't want bits of tea floating around in the water.
- Then, bring the cold water to a boil in a large pot over high heat.
- Remove the pot from the heat, turn off the stove, and add the tea bags to the hot water.
- Steep for 15 minutes, dunking the tea bags several times.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the tea bags and stir in the sugar and baking soda until it's dissolved completely.
- Pour the tea into a pitcher, and for iced tea, allow the tea to chill for a few hours in the fridge.
- Once chilled, pour the Southern sweet tea over a glass of ice, optionally garnish with lemon slices, and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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Will Lipton Green Tea will make a nice cold sweet tea?
Yes! You can use green tea with these same instructions for soul food Southern sweet tea.
Since you skip from Step 2 to 8 for stovetop recipie, do you only add baking soda when using Insta Pot?
Thanks for asking – if using the stovetop, still add all of the ingredients, and then go onto step 8 where you remove the teabags. Enjoy!
Since you skip from Step 2 to 8 for stovetop recipie, do you only add baking soda when using Insta Pot?
Thanks for asking! Yes, still add the baking soda to this Southern sweet tea if you are using the stovetop or Instant Pot. Enjoy!
Love your dress in the bio picture. What is the brand, where Did you buy it?
Thanks for the compliment! My dress is from Anthropologie –> HERE
This tea is amazing! Just a quick question for clarification; skipping to step 8, do you boil the tea bags for 30 mins or after it’s boiling do you turn the stove off and let the tea bags soak for thirty minutes? Just making sure because after 30 minutes of boiling with the tea bags the water evaporated rather quickly for me. TIA!!
I’m so happy you love this Southern sweet tea recipe!! If using the stovetop, boil for 10 minutes.
Boil tea bags with other ingredients in the pot for 10 minutes? Or add to boiled water and steep 10 minutes?
For this Southern sweet tea recipe stir in the sugar, baking soda, and add the tea bags, then steep.