wilkes

4 family size tea bags
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbls sweet n Low
boil 2 qts water(start from cold), add tea bags, let steep until cool
remove tea bags,add sugar & S weet n Low, stir until dissolved
add enough cold water to make 1 gallon. Let sit in refrigerator for at least one hour before drinking(if you can resist it) Yum! Yum!

I use Luzianne Tea- I have tried other brands and I have found that Luzianne is the best. Cheaper too.

I've had a lot of success with this recipe.
First, I keep my tea bags in the freezer. If they're cold, I've noticed that they keep their flavor a lot longer. It's good for me since I buy tea in bulk.
I start with cold water, bring it to a boil, and let it stop boiling before I put my tea bag in the water. I then let it steep for 20-30 minutes. To be honest, I've never timed this. Then I pour over sugar (to taste) and water. Every time I've served this to someone new, I'm asked to give up the recipe. 8)

Personally I don't like many restaurant teas, but I drink tea at home daily.

Two of the best tips about making tea to your preference that I can give is
to always start with cold water. Water heaters contain sediments which build up over time, so the hot tap water can have a negative flavor impact on your tea.

Secondly, do not boil the tea bags. Heat the water to boiling and then place the tea bags in the water off the burner to steep. I find this method allows you to get great tea flavor without the bitterness that boiling can make.

As always, tastes vary, and the best thing you can do is experiment until you find the balance of sugar and tea bags which suits your taste buds.

Cheers!

baking soda will also assure that the tea is crystal clear and not cloudy.

Thanks Ebee, I have never heard of adding soda to tea or coffee to help the bitterness. Will give this a try. :)

THANKS BUSHMAN, YOU ARE EXACTLY RIGHT.

Don't let your tea boil let it simmer ,I will taste better ,the soda is to take out the bitter taste it works in coffee also.

I love sweet tea but everytime i make it it tastes funny to me. What am i doing wrong??

Ebee, what is the purpose of baking soda? I have never heard of this in tea.

I make my sweet tea by putting 4 tea bags (family size) in my coffee maker; and while it's dripping, I get cold water put it into a pitcher along with 2 cups of sugar +. I love mine very sweet. Then I mix that up real good, and then pour in the tea. Mmmm. Gotta love that tea.

I USE 8 SMALL TEA BAGS. BRING THEM TO A BOIL AND REMOVE FROM THE HEAT. ADD A PINCH OF SODA TO THE TEA, IT WILL FIZZ UP,LET SET. PUT IN 1-1/2 CUPS OF SUGAR IN A GALLON CONTAINER. POUR TEA IN CONTAINER WITH SUGAR AN STIR UNTIL SUGAR IS MELTED. ADD ICE CUBES UNTIL TEA IS COLD THEN FILL UP CONTAINER WITH COLD WATER.

the way i make my sweet tea is to take 4 to 6 tea bags,put em in my coffee maker.make just like i would coffee..i re-use my gallon milk jugs,fill em almos half way up with cold water,when the tea is thru dripping,i put in 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar,and stir.pour this into the milk jug,shake,..walla. my hubby can drink almost a gallon a day.if ya dont want to wait for the tea to cool,fill the jug earlier and sit in the fridge. ive made tea like this for years now. i do this with the herbal teas as well.ya dont really need a tea maker unless ya just want to spend the money.

Coach, I drink about a gallon of sweet tea every 2 days...just love it. I make mine much like Bushman does, but I use 2 cups sugar for a gallon of tea and it's a little sweeter than Bojangles too. Also, I like to use a littlel fresh lemon in mine, but use it after I have poured a glass. If you will go back about 2 or 3 pages here, there is several recipes for sweet tea.

Get yourself an Iced Tea Maker at Wal-Mart...best tea and easiest to make by far!

4 qt size tea bags (your choice)
1 gallon cold water
1 1/2 cups sugar
Heat half of the water and tea bags to simmer and hold for 5 minutes to steep .Don't boil it takes away from the taste .Then pour over sugar and other 1/2 gallon water
stir well and pour over ice.Add lemon and enjoy.
Store in refrigerator.

As someone who moved down to NC from Illinois, I fell in love with Sweet Tea. I really want to make some of my own. I love Bojangles' tea, does anyone have a recipe to make something like it?