Sweet tea is a style of iced tea commonly consumed in the United States, especially the Southern United States. Sweet tea is made by adding sugar to bags of black tea brewing in hot water while the mixture is still hot. Sweet tea can also be made with a simple syrup and is sometimes tempered with baking soda to reduce the acidity of the tea's tannins. The tea is served ice-cold and plain but may also be flavored, traditionally with raspberry, lemon or mint.
Sweet tea is typically brewed with a lower carbohydrate and calorie content than most fruit juices and sugary sodas, but it is not unusual to occasionally find sweet tea with a sugar level as high as 22 brix (percent weight sucrose in water), twice that of Coca Cola. An important part of the tradition of the South, it is often consumed daily as a staple drink.
Famous quotes containing the words sweet and/or tea:
“When one by one our ties are torn,
And friend from friend is snatched forlorn;
When man is left alone to mourn,
Oh! then how sweet it is to die!”
—Anna Letitia (Aikin)
“There is not enough exercise in this way of life. I try to make up by active gymnastics before I dress when I get up, by walking rapidly in the lower hall and the greenhouse after each meal for perhaps five to ten minutes, and a good hand rubbing before going to bed. I eat moderately; drink one cup of coffee at breakfast and one cup of tea at lunch and no other stimulant. My health is now, and usually, excellent.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)