Is that near Detroit?

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Is that near Detroit?

They are remarkably similar.

I bought some down-home. Luzianne Iced Tea

This takes me back.

I settled on a simple and quite standard recipe. I'm making it a half-gallon at a time to keep it fresh.

Two Luzianne Family Size Iced Tea bags

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Four cups of water for brewing, then the equivalent of four more cups of water in the form of ice cubes, for eight cups total


Bring four cups of water to a boil in a saucepan, turn off the heat. Steep the two teabags for four minutes. Remove the teabags and refrain from squeezing them at removal.

Add the baking soda, then add the sugar and give the mixture a stir. Wait at least two minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve and give the tea a stir again to make sure the sugar is fully dissolved.

Pour the hot tea over ice cubes in a half-gallon pitcher, adding tap water as needed to bring the volume up to measure and give it a stir. The ice will melt in no time and the tea will be cold and ready to drink then, but I put it in the fridge for a while first.

The baking soda is a neat trick and is undetectable by appearance or taste.

Dissolving granulated sugar in the hot tea allows bypassing the step of making a simple syrup.

A half a cup of sugar barely makes this tea sweet, but it's the way my wife the super-taster likes it. I bring my glass of tea to the desired level of sweetness with Splenda.

Perfection

What does the baking soda do?

Prevents the tea from having a bitter edge, and extends the freshness of the tea beyond the accepted 48 hours max in the fridge, by at least a day.

Interesting. Thanks. Never knew that.

I did hear my mama this weekend say she uses Tetley tea bags now.

The baking soda trick is interesting, generally make a half gallon of tea per day, since it rarely lasts more than a day and a half it's not getting stanky but that's good to know...

Very similar process to Para, however I'm using Luzianne Cold Brew tea bags.

Fill a half gallon container with ice and water from the fridge, since both are filtered from Floridas not so tasty tap water.

Drop in three tea bags and push under the ice, and in 5 to 10 minutes it's done, I let it sit a bit longer to be a little stronger.

I like this method since it eliminates a few steps and is ready in just a few minutes for fresh tea.

Doc says no sugar so I'm staying unsweetened

Never knew the baking soda tip, but I never found the Lipton tea bags to be bitter.
I'd do it otherwise about the same way, minus the sugar & soda.

When I used to make sweet tea, I'd add the sugar to the hot tea to dissolve, then pour over ice in a pitcher.

Honey, I'm outta tea. Before I know it there's a half gallon in the fridge and a tall glass with lot's of ice on the table.

One gallon of tea:
1 family size bag of Lipton (4 normal bags)
Brew through a drip coffee pot dedicated for tea (2 times) almost fills up a gallon pitcher.
3/4 cup of sugar
Top off with cold water (we have well water) and refrigerate.

I like this way and don't get a bitter taste.