Thursday, August 23, 2007

Making Iced Tea...


Many of us Southerners LOVE iced tea. For fun, I would love to know...

-which brand of tea does your family prefer to drink?

-how much sugar do you add to a gallon of tea?


This should be fun and interesting!! :)

Oh, I suppose I should answer, too! We currently use Luzianne (decaf) and I prefer 1 1/2 cups of sugar, but Mr. U prefers only 2/3 of a cup of sugar in his gallon of tea!! LOL!!

32 comments:

Unknown said...

Actually, I LOVE iced tea, but I have the hardest time finding the right method. Please tell me how many tea bags, sugar, method, etc. I want details! Thanks. ;-)

Anonymous said...

We drink Lipton and Luzianne. Personally, being from Louisiana, I like to buy Luzianne and support our economy in this state, but if all I can find is Lipton on grocery day, that's what I buy.

I use the gallon size bags, and boil a large saucepan of water. When it boils, I turn it off, and put in the bag. I let it steep for about 10 min., then pour the tea off into a gal. pitcher. I like between 1 1/2 and 2 cups of sugar for a gallon of tea, but if you make it at night and let it sit, it gets sweeter, if you want to use less sugar.

Mrs. U., I don't see how your husband can drink tea with only 2/3 of a cup per gallon....why that's just dark water, lol!

Lynn said...

Thank you so much for your encouraging post! I have been visiting your site for quite some time now and I just love it!

To a Northerner there is only one way to have your tea... NO sugar! We use Lipton Cold Brew for everyday.

We have tried many new teas for hot tea since we started our adoption. I love browsing in the Asian food section and picking a new one!

~*This Mama*~ said...

Hi there. Jen, from Alabama here. Though I'm originally from Florida. You just can't live here and not make iced tea.

I normally like to get Lipton or Luzianne, but when in a crunch I will buy the store brand (Kroger). I use the regular sized bags too. I bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. As SOON as it begins to boil I take it off the burner and toss in 7 tea bags tied together. I usually only let it steep for about 3 or 4 minutes. Depending on if I have kids running around my feet needing me for something. haha. Then I add 1 1/2 Cups of sugar to the pitcher. Pour in the hot tea and then keeping the tea bags in the pan I fill it up with cold water and pour it into the pitcher until it's almost full. Then I top it off with ice.

Enjoy! =)

Tammy said...

The only iced tea I make is when we have company. I use Crystal Light Peach Tea. Yes, I know, it's a MIX but it makes really good tea!

Tracy said...

I use two family size Decaf Lipton bags and 1 1/2c. sugar per gallon.

Anonymous said...

Lipton ahs a Mandarin Orange Green Tea that is YUMMY!
We do suntea w/ half of that and half black tea. No need for sugar here...

Heather said...

I love iced tea, and usually make it either on the stove, or in favorable weather I make sun tea. I use Luzianne family size bags, and often will toss in another individual size flavored teabag for an added bit of punch - Republic of Tea's Ginger Peach is a favorite in our house. No sugar, though!

Sibyl said...

I'm not a tea drinker but my husband is. i purchase the family size Luzianne tea bags. I use an electric tea pot and get the water boiling. I put 3 of the family tea bags in my 1/2 gallon pitcher. I add 1/3 cup of sugar---yea I know some of ya'll think that isn't enough---but I make it for him. I then let it steep for about an hour or until I remember to finish it up. I then add water to make 1/2 gallon, take the tea bags out and squeeze the last bit of water out of them. He says it's really good.

Sibyl

Susan P. said...

You are so right about us southerners loving our sweet tea! In our house it is only Luzianne (decaf). I put water in my pot and add one cup of sugar and then I let it go to a nice little simmer. Then I take off burner and add my tea bags and let "steep" for about 20 minutes. Put in a pretty pitcher, add LOTS OF ICE, and it's almost heaven;o)

Anonymous said...

Being a desert dweller, we can't be heating things on the stove top during the day!

Tea Maker
Let’s Do Tea brand of tea (1 Tb of this real tea makes a pitcher of tea)
Stevia (1 dropper full)

Lately we’ve been drinking a lot of Peach Blossom Ginger, Blueberry Green, and Mango Green.

Yum!

Anonymous said...

Well, here in the West we don't have tea as sweet as Southern Tea. I love to make Sun Tea. I just use mason jars but you can buy a special pitcher for use. I usually put one or two tea bags in each mason jar and usually do three mason jars for one pitcher. Fill with cold water and put out in the sun for a couple of hours. I use a variety of tea bags and usually combine three different kinds. (My favorite combination is peppermint, blueberry green tea, and a black tea). Also, I don't add sugar to the pitcher I just add sugar to the individual glasses. However, usually we only add one teaspoon to each glass! We then garnish our teas with lemon wedges and chocolate mint sprigs.

It is so refreshing!

Wendi said...

I use Lipton decaf and 3/4 cup of sugar. Even though I am not a southern girl my mom is from Virgina. She grew up on ice tea which means I grew up on ice tea.

Finally restaurants in the midwest are learning what sweet tea is!

Paula said...

I love iced tea, but I've turned into a water-only girl. Mr. C drinks tea with every meal. Although he prefers it loaded with sugar, I've switched him over to Celestial Seasons Decaf. Green Tea with 1 3/4 C. suger per gallon. He's so "sweet." :)
Blessings,
Mrs. C

Lynette said...

I have just come across your blog and I love it. I am a California girl and I drink my tea with no sugar! My husband likes it with one full cup of sugar per pitcher, we use Lipton tea for plain ole iced tea but I love all sorts of flavored teas!

Anonymous said...

I normally make our iced tea with Lipton, regular ol' Lipton; but I will occasionally make a batch of Stash Peach (black) tea.

We sweeten by the glass, but we do like it really sweet!

Paula said...

I'm the only one in the family that will drink iced tea and usually make a glass at a time--Lipton, no sugar, and it can't have much tea in it because the darker it is, the worse it tastes. LOL

Mrs. Pear said...

Oh Mrs U! I am from Canada, and as all good Canadians know iced tea comes from a mix! We are currently using Crystal Light, but Nestea is good too.

Mary Ann said...

I like to use Luzianne, but the store brands work fine, too. I am not a Southern girl, but since I live in South Carolina, it's important to know how to make good "slurpin' tea" as they say down here. For a gallon of tea, I use almost 2 cups of sugar. I'm not much of a sweet tea drinker but I make it occasionally for guests and my husband! I grew up on fresh mint tea, so that's what I prefer!

Anonymous said...

Hello from Pennsylvania! What a nice easy, but interesting question!

We prefer our tea with Splenda since I had to watch my sugar intake during a pregnancy and my husband was on a diet. We use one and a half cups per gallon and that is equivalent to the same amount of regular sugar.

I have a teamaker from Mr. Coffee that I have used for 9 years; and I make sun tea in a gallon jar. Both ways I use 5 tea bags.

We mostly use Lipton, but are open to most kinds - usually just black tea. My husband likes peach tea, green tea, and peach mixed with raspberry.

Have a great day!

NHizName said...

We live in Mississippi....I think it may be the sweet tea capital of the world! LOL! We love Luzianne and I use about 1 1/2-2 cups of sugar per gallon. My dh doesn't like it as sweet as I do either.

theups said...

Oh y'all!!! I am now dying to make sun tea!!!! I have to ask, though, does it take a long time in the sun??

Also, I am very interested in making iced tea with some of my flavored teas!! I have never thought of that before!!! I've always used them for hot teas. Hmmmm... mango flavored iced tea DOES sound delicious!!

Thank you all! What fun this has been!

His,
Mrs. U

Jthemilker said...

I buy the cold-brew from Lipton, but I make it very infrequently. I too drink it sugarless.

What's really good is making iced tea with Starbucks Refresh (a touch of minty) or Starbucks Wild Sweet Orange. YUMMY!

Amy said...

My mom would put out her sun tea in the morning and it would be ready in the afternoon. Then she would leave the pitcher in the fridge so we could drink it when we liked. (We had the big pitcher with a pour spout).
That was the only way I thought iced tea was made until I moved to Colorado (since no one is originally from here you're bound to find a good southern sweet tea!).

Julieann said...

Mrs. U--your posts were so cute over at my blog...LOL...what can I say, we had some great ideas today...:)

As for the chocolate chip cookies----I can't have chocolate right now, because I am nursing or I just might have had one or two.

Julieann

Anonymous said...

I put my covered jar (I think it holds two quarts or so) filled with cold water and six regular size tea bags on the porch rail in the morning. If I place it on the sunny side of the house, the tea is ready (I like it fairly strong) in about three - four hours. If I put it on the shady side, it takes longer. I put it in the fridge after I take out the tea bags. I love tea, hot or cold. The sun tea gives a very pleasant brew, with no bitterness or aftertaste for those that object to that.

Yes, by all means, try some of your flavored teas iced!

Arlene said...

We use... well, whatever tea is cheaper -- Lipton, etc. Once on "The Shopping Bags" they did a blind taste test on the teas, and almost all testers agreed one brand tasted best... and it was just the plain ol' cheap stuff! So, after that, I quit buying the more expensive brands; they are ALL made the same way!

Anyway, I use 6 bags, and about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of sugar for a gallon. I know, I know... I like it sweet, LOL! I also make a simple syrup so that it dissolves more readily.

Mary Isabella and Kiley too! said...

Ever made sun tea. I put 4 lipton family size bags in a gallion jar with 1 cup sugar some lemon slices and a few sprigs of mint and set it outside on my picnic table for several hours.

The Hamilton's said...

Hi! Kelly from Tennessee here...found your blog through Chrissy at Mother Moments....we make our tea almost just like you. I prefer Luzianne (but will buy store brand--if I have too) and we put 1 1/2-1 3/4 cups sugar in it. Hubby says I make the best around! So I guess he would love yours too!

Anonymous said...

I grew up in Canada too where Good Host Iced Tea from a mix was our favourite. Recently I tried iced tea from China Mist. It was the best tea I have ever had. It tasted sweet without any sugar at all!

Sharon said...

We love iced tea and sweet, too! We use 2 family size Luzianne (decaf) teabags and put 1 cup of sugar in a gallon pitcher.

Mom-E said...

Lipton here. 9 teabags, 1 gallon tea, generous 1/2c sugar. :) Sometimes I like to toss in two teaballs worth of dried spearmint for mint tea :)

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