Sweet Tea Recipe

Sweet Tea

1. 1

   Make simple syrup

   Bring 2 cups of water to a rolling boil in a small saucepan or kettle. Add 1 cup granulated sugar to the boiling water, stir until completely dissolved, then remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. (Using hot simple syrup helps the sugar incorporate fully into the tea without graininess.)

2. 2

   Brew the tea concentrate

   Place 6 black tea bags into a heatproof pitcher. Pour the remaining 6 cups of hot water (about 175–200°F/80–93°C) over the tea bags and let steep 5 minutes for a strong brew or up to 8 minutes for a bolder flavor. Avoid steeping much longer to prevent excessive bitterness. After steeping, remove and discard the tea bags, gently pressing them against the pitcher side with a spoon to extract flavor but not squeeze bitter tannins.

3. 3

   Combine tea and syrup

   While the brewed tea is still warm, pour the hot simple syrup into the pitcher with the brewed tea and stir thoroughly to combine. Taste and adjust: if you prefer sweeter tea, add up to 1/4 cup more sugar dissolved in a little warm water, or if too sweet, add up to 1–2 cups cold water to dilute to taste.

4. 4

   Chill

   Allow the combined sweet tea to cool to room temperature (15–20 minutes), then refrigerate uncovered until well chilled, at least 1 hour. For faster chilling, add 4 cups of ice directly to the pitcher; this will both cool and slightly dilute the concentrate—stir and taste, adding more cold water if needed.

5. 5

   Serve

   Fill glasses with ice. Pour sweet tea over the ice. If using, slice the lemon into wedges and add one wedge per glass or squeeze a bit of lemon juice into the pitcher for a bright finish. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs if desired.

6. 6

   Storage

   Store leftover sweet tea in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Stir or shake before serving if separation occurs. Do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours.