How to Make Southern Sweet Tea at Home with the Best Sweet Tea Leaves

Using the best sweet tea leaves is the key to making the best Southern Sweet Tea, a staple beverage in many American households, especially in the South. It’s cherished for its refreshing taste and the comfort it brings on warm afternoons.

Why Use the Best Sweet Tea Leaves?

When it comes to brewing a delicious batch of Southern Sweet Tea, the quality of your ingredients significantly matters. The best sweet tea leaves provide a robust and smooth flavor that you simply can’t get from regular tea bags. The loose leaf variety, especially, allows the water to flow freely around the leaves, extracting a wide range of flavors, and resulting in a richer taste. Want to experience this? Try our Personalized Iced Tea Subscriptions to get great loose leaf teas tailored to your taste, ready to be chilled and enjoyed.

Choosing the Best Sweet Tea Leaves

The choice of the best tea leaves greatly influences the final taste of your brew. For a classic Southern Sweet Tea, black tea leaves are traditionally used. They offer a strong, full-bodied flavor that balances beautifully with the sweetness of the sugar. Do you know someone you think would love to experience the full-bodied flavor of our premium black teas? Consider one of our Iced Tea Gifts.

How to Make Southern Sweet Tea at Home

Here’s a step-by-step guide to making this beloved beverage:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of sugar
• 8 cups of water (4 cups for brewing, 4 cups cold)
• 2 tablespoons of the best sweet tea leaves (or to taste)

Procedure:

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large pot.
2. Once the water is boiling, remove the pot from the heat and add your tea leaves. Steep the leaves for about 5 minutes. For a stronger flavor, you can steep for up to 15 minutes.
3. Strain the tea leaves from the mixture using a fine mesh sieve. Discard the leaves.
4. While the tea is still hot, add the sugar and stir until it is completely dissolved.
5. Add the remaining 4 cups of cold water to help cool down the tea.
6. Pour the tea into a pitcher and refrigerate until chilled.
7. Serve your homemade Southern Sweet Tea over ice, and enjoy!

Now you’re ready to enjoy the refreshing taste of Southern Sweet Tea made at home with the best sweet tea leaves. Remember, a good sweet tea is all about balance. Feel free to adjust the sugar and tea leaves to suit your personal taste. Enjoy this classic Southern drink on a hot day, or whenever you need a sweet, refreshing pick-me-up.Get start with an Iced Tea Sampler from Free Your Tea.