OT Sweet Tea

After some years of work I have finally got DH off of those instant
iced tea mixes, and drinking iced tea that is actual iced tea. The
only thing is he prefers sweet tea. He makes it by infusing the tea
into a sugar solution to make a concentrate, but I am wondering if
anybody has a recipe that calls for a little less sugar? A cup of
sugar to a quart of concentrate is a bit too much for me. Being as he
knows darn well I don't know spit about sweet tea (I generally drink
my iced tea black), I seek the voice of experience.

I've distracted him by picking up a jar of Bama jam at the dollar
store and showing him gramma's peach tea, but that isn't going to
last.

NightMist

--
I'm a little teapot, short and stout
here is my handle, here is my...other...handle?
Bloody Hell!!
I'm a sugar bowl!

After some years of work I have finally got DH off of those instant
iced tea mixes, and drinking iced tea that is actual iced tea. The
only thing is he prefers sweet tea. He makes it by infusing the tea
into a sugar solution to make a concentrate, but I am wondering if
anybody has a recipe that calls for a little less sugar?

I don't think it's possible. Cold tea always tastes less sweet than
hot tea with the same amount of sugar.

In hot weather, hot tea will actually cool you down more effectively.
Something to do with triggering the temperature regulation system.
And it tastes a lot better. (I like the Turkish way of doing it,
where you keep a samovar going for hours and dilute it as needed -
Turks drink weak tea all day long in summer).

============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ==============
Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760
http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/ for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975
stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557

When I was training racehorses, in the summertime [105 degrees in
Sacramento, CA, or high humidity/heat index in Chicago] I would make a
pot of coffee at noon time to drink. You're right Jack, it was to keep
me cool.

Ginger in CA
remembering those days of summer spent in the brick barns, and looking
forward to icing the horses' legs fo a chance for me to cool off!

On Aug 5, 4:11 pm, Jack Campin - bogus address
wrote:
After some years of work I have finally got DH off of those instant
iced tea mixes, and drinking iced tea that is actual iced tea. The
only thing is he prefers sweet tea. He makes it by infusing the tea
into a sugar solution to make a concentrate, but I am wondering if
anybody has a recipe that calls for a little less sugar?

I don't think it's possible. Cold tea always tastes less sweet than
hot tea with the same amount of sugar.

In hot weather, hot tea will actually cool you down more effectively.
Something to do with triggering the temperature regulation system.
And it tastes a lot better. (I like the Turkish way of doing it,
where you keep a samovar going for hours and dilute it as needed -
Turks drink weak tea all day long in summer).

============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ==============
Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760
http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/ for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975
stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557

Hi NightMist
I don't know anything about making a concentrate, but..... I'll tell ya
the way my mom makes iced tea, and it's delish!

She uses 12 tea bags (black tea) per gallon of water. Throws the tea
bags and a gallon of cold water on the stove. She brings it just to a
boil, then takes it off the heat and lets it "steep" in the hot water
for about 5 mins. Then, she takes the tea bags out, adds her sugar while
the tea is still hot, and then puts in a jug and refrigerates it. You
can make it as sweet as you like, and it's really good over ice with a
lemon wedge. You can also make "tea" ice cubes, before you add sugar.
That way, the ice doesn't water the tea down. And, as a special treat,
if you have any spearmint growing in the garden, bruise some fresh
picked leaves and put them in the ice cube trays, then add the tea and
freeze. As they melt, they release a delectable minty taste into the
tea..... so you don't need much sugar. It's a wonderful summer treat.

Patti in Seattle

I realize this is probably heretical, but I make my sweet tea with the
sugar substitute stuff. Not only do I skip all the sugar calories,
bugs are not attracted to it when I take it outside. My "recipe" uses
an electric iced tea maker, and for 2 quarts I use 5 tea bags, and
sprinkle 8 to 12 of the little pink packets of sweetner over the ice
in the pitcher.

On Aug 5, 8:44 pm, (Patti S) wrote:
Hi NightMist
I don't know anything about making a concentrate, but..... I'll tell ya
the way my mom makes iced tea, and it's delish!

She uses 12 tea bags (black tea) per gallon of water. Throws the tea
bags and a gallon of cold water on the stove. She brings it just to a
boil, then takes it off the heat and lets it "steep" in the hot water
for about 5 mins. Then, she takes the tea bags out, adds her sugar while
the tea is still hot, and then puts in a jug and refrigerates it. You
can make it as sweet as you like, and it's really good over ice with a
lemon wedge. You can also make "tea" ice cubes, before you add sugar.
That way, the ice doesn't water the tea down. And, as a special treat,
if you have any spearmint growing in the garden, bruise some fresh
picked leaves and put them in the ice cube trays, then add the tea and
freeze. As they melt, they release a delectable minty taste into the
tea..... so you don't need much sugar. It's a wonderful summer treat.

Patti in Seattle

Thanks for the recipe, Patti. I've been trying to replicate my Mum's
iced tea recipe. Unfortunately, it never tastes the same as when she
makes it. I can't wait to give this a try!

- dlm. in Central MA

So MAry, I guess we won't call you a traditionalist when it comes
to iced tea? LOL

Every morning I toss 4 tea bags in a gallon glass jar and set it out
on the patio. Makes a good iced tea. None of us in the house here
drink sweetened tea so that makes things easy. I guess my kids were
drinking sugarless iced tea when all the other kids were drinking a lot
of sugared colas. Not a bad thing.

My dad doesn't drink coffee only tea. He tosses some loose leaves in
the bottom of a cup and pours boiling water over. That's how I grew
up drinking tea. He was in india during the war. I don't know if that
is where he picked that way up or not. Anyone else drink tea like that?
Taria




Mary wrote:
I realize this is probably heretical, but I make my sweet tea with the
sugar substitute stuff. Not only do I skip all the sugar calories,
bugs are not attracted to it when I take it outside. My "recipe" uses
an electric iced tea maker, and for 2 quarts I use 5 tea bags, and
sprinkle 8 to 12 of the little pink packets of sweetner over the ice
in the pitcher.

Anyone that remembers the Food News out of LA and Jackie Olden might
remember her saying you can't cook a memory. Trying to recreate the
whole feeling of food can sometimes be a tough thing.

My grandparents were Czech and did sauerkraut. Mom never much cooked
that with dumplings like g'ma did. Once in awhile I get everyone
together at dad's house and cook up a mess of the stuff. My brother
walked in last time and said walking in reminded him of g'ma's house.
Oh boy, success.
Keep messing with the tea and you just might hit on the memory : )
Taria

-dlm. in Central MA wrote:

Thanks for the recipe, Patti. I've been trying to replicate my Mum's
iced tea recipe. Unfortunately, it never tastes the same as when she
makes it. I can't wait to give this a try!

- dlm. in Central MA

On Sun, 05 Aug 2007 20:44:28 GMT, (NightMist)
wrote:


After some years of work I have finally got DH off of those instant
iced tea mixes, and drinking iced tea that is actual iced tea. The
only thing is he prefers sweet tea. He makes it by infusing the tea
into a sugar solution to make a concentrate, but I am wondering if
anybody has a recipe that calls for a little less sugar? A cup of
sugar to a quart of concentrate is a bit too much for me. Being as he
knows darn well I don't know spit about sweet tea (I generally drink
my iced tea black), I seek the voice of experience.

I've distracted him by picking up a jar of Bama jam at the dollar
store and showing him gramma's peach tea, but that isn't going to
last.

NightMist

That would depend on how much water he eventually adds to the
concentrate. If he doubles the amount of water to make 2 quarts of
tea, well that's about the usual sweetness for the south east US. If
the concentrate gets used to make a gallon of tea, then it's not very
sweet at all. Mostly it comes down to personal taste. You could just
do what I do--one pitcher is labeled for me and another pitcher is
labeled for DH. I just can't drink the tea he mixes because it is too
sweet at a cup of sugar to 2 quarts of tea. My own preference is for
half a cup sugar to 2 quarts tea, or no sugar added to green tea with
citrus.
Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere

On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 07:16:41 -0700, "-dlm. in Central MA"
wrote:

On Aug 5, 8:44 pm, (Patti S) wrote:
Hi NightMist
I don't know anything about making a concentrate, but..... I'll tell ya
the way my mom makes iced tea, and it's delish!

She uses 12 tea bags (black tea) per gallon of water. Throws the tea
bags and a gallon of cold water on the stove. She brings it just to a
boil, then takes it off the heat and lets it "steep" in the hot water
for about 5 mins. Then, she takes the tea bags out, adds her sugar while
the tea is still hot, and then puts in a jug and refrigerates it. You
can make it as sweet as you like, and it's really good over ice with a
lemon wedge. You can also make "tea" ice cubes, before you add sugar.
That way, the ice doesn't water the tea down. And, as a special treat,
if you have any spearmint growing in the garden, bruise some fresh
picked leaves and put them in the ice cube trays, then add the tea and
freeze. As they melt, they release a delectable minty taste into the
tea..... so you don't need much sugar. It's a wonderful summer treat.

Patti in Seattle

Thanks for the recipe, Patti. I've been trying to replicate my Mum's
iced tea recipe. Unfortunately, it never tastes the same as when she
makes it. I can't wait to give this a try!

- dlm. in Central MA

My tricks a
Always start with cold water.
Never let it actually boil.
Debra in VA
See my quilts at
http://community.webshots.com/user/debplayshere