When I saw this sign hanging on a tea dispenser I knew it couldn't be anything farther from the truth. The first giveaway is the fruit. People in the South don't like fruit in their tea. Not all, but most don't. People in the South would also never drink a tea mix. It has to be brewed Orange Pekoe and there is actually a method to brewing it perfectly.
Here is some important stuff and how to brew Real Southern Iced Tea:
- Pour one quart of just boiled water over six standard sized tea bags (there will always be a debate over Lipton or Luzianne, Lipton for me) and a pinch of baking soda and allow to steep for 5-7 minutes. "Just boiled" means the water has just come to a boil, overboiling will cause the tea to taste flat. The baking soda draws out the flavor, removes the bitterness of the tea leaves and gives it a rich dark color.
- Now add 1/2 to 1 1/4 cups of sugar. Yes, you read that right, we like it sweet.
- Add a quart of room temperature water. Not cold but room temperature. Cold water will cause it to become cloudy.Â
- Allow tea to cool to room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator. Again cooling too fast will cause the tannin to settle out and also make it cloudy. If you have cloudy tea, adding a little more just boiled water should clear it back up.
- Never add ice to the pitcher, only place it in your glass before pouring.
- Offer lemon wedges on the side for guests as a gesture and for determining where they are from.
- In the South Tea is served all year around and at most meals. In my travels I have found that it is seasonal up north (much more north than Kansas City) and even forsaken bottled tea is not distributed in the Winter.
- In the South if you order tea or regular tea it will be sweet. If you want the other stuff ask for un-sweatened tea or just get a Coke and that's a whole other story too.
App: Cropulator then Film Lab with Polapan - Blue film.