Sargent Family Sweet Tea

Sargent Family Sweet Tea

Ingredients

  • 4 “Family Size” tea bags (or 16 regular tea bags)
  • 1 gallon water
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 198 g white sugar (1 cup)

Method

  1. Bring 8 cups (½ gallon) of water to a boil.
  2. Remove water from heat, add tea bags and baking soda, then cover and let steep for 15 minutes.
  3. After 15 minutes, dispose of the tea bags, slowly whisk in the sugar and stir until combined.
  4. Put 8 cups cold water into a pitcher, then add the tea and let chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Notes
  • We use the Lipton Family Size Iced Black Tea bags, but any black tea will do.  Just make sure you’re not getting any pre-sweetened or otherwise blended teas — the only ingredients on the box should be black tea and, in some cases, orange pekoe.
  • It’s not critical to put a lid on the tea while it’s steeping, but I find that it helps maintain a higher temperature, which makes it easier to dissolve the sugar.
  • The baking soda in this recipe is there to help cut down on bitterness often found in mass-produced tea bags.  If you’re using a higher quality tea leaf, you might try omitting the baking soda altogether.
  • Don’t squeeze your tea bags before throwing them out!  After 15 minutes steeping, you’ll already have gotten all the good bits of the tea.  What’s left in the bags will be very bitter.