Here we are again. Another summer in the deep Deep South. It’s too hot for front porch sipping but we certainly enjoy our sweet ice tea sitting in air conditioning. We’re hitting pools, lakes, rivers, streams, creeks, water sprinklers and the Gulf as often as we can possibly work it out. I mixed up Triple Berry Southern Sweet Ice Tea for my daughter and grand young’uns this afternoon. We all thought it was refreshing with just the right amount of fruitiness. Or berriness. Or whateverness.
We’re famous for our Southern sweet tea and we’re not about to mess up that status. Making good sweet tea is easy, but there are some definite rules to follow.
- always start with cold tap water to steep the tea bags. Don’t argue with us about it. Just do it. We’re not even sure why we need to do this but starting with cold water to brew the tea comes out better than starting with hot tap water.
- use Luzianne tea. It’s not bitter and never gets cloudy. A pitcher of cloudy bitter tea will ruin your reputation as a quality Southern Sweet Tea maker. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
- don’t steep the tea too long. Five minutes are all you need.
- sweeten the tea while it’s still hot. You really don’t need to use four pounds of sugar for one gallon of tea. The sugar melts easier and becomes united with tea molecules while it’s hot.
- make small batches, about one gallon, at the time. It will keep for a couple of days, but nothing beats the taste of fresh brewed tea
- don’t be stingy with your ice. Serve it cold, cold, cold.
- serve in Mason jars. It tastes better.
If you’re a berry lover, this tea’s for you. Any summer berry may be substituted. The amount of sugar added to the purée might need adjusting if you use especially sweet berries.
Don’t cheat on the rules I laid out for you. Repairing a reputation as a bad iced tea maker is hard to overcome.
Y’all come see us!
Triple Berry Southern Sweet Ice Tea
yield: approx. one gallon
Substitute your favorite berry for the triple berry mix which contains blackberries, strawberries and raspberries.
4 cups cold tap water
3 family size Luzianne tea bags
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups berries, thawed
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water, plus more for filling up the pitcher
Add four cups cold tap water to a small saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil.
When boiling, remove from heat and uncover. Add tea bags. Cover and steep for five minutes.
After five minutes, pour the brewed tea into a gallon or short gallon sized pitcher. Add 3/4 cup sugar and stir.
Place berries, one half cup sugar and one cup water in a food processor. Pulse until pureed. Strain the purée through a fine mesh strainer directly into the pitcher containing the tea. Discard the seeds and pulp.
Add enough water to the pitcher to fill and give it a stir.
Serve over lots and lots of ice.
Triple Berry Southern Sweet Ice Tea
Ingredients
- Triple Berry Southern Sweet Ice Tea
- yield: approx. one gallon
- Substitute your favorite berry for the triple berry mix which contains blackberries strawberries and raspberries.
- 4 cups cold tap water
- 3 family size Luzianne tea bags
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 cups berries thawed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup water plus more for filling up the pitcher
Instructions
- Add four cups cold tap water to a small saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil.
- When boiling, remove from heat and uncover. Add tea bags. Cover and steep for five minutes.
- After five minutes, pour the brewed tea into a gallon or short gallon sized pitcher. Add 3/4 cup sugar and stir.
- Place berries, one cup sugar and one cup water in a food processor. Pulse until pureed. Strain the puree through a fine mesh strainer directly into the pitcher containing the tea. Discard the seeds and pulp.
- Add enough water to the pitcher to fill.
- Serve over lots and lots of ice.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
Oh I miss Luzianne tea. I don’t know why we should start with cold water but I’m sure there’s a reason. I always use cold water too when filling the pot. It’s winter but I could happily drink a jug of this right now.
Jackie Garvin says
Maureen,
I’m sure you could order Luzianne online but the shipping would cost a small fortune. I hope you’re on the mend now. You’ve been sick for quite some time.
hawkswench says
The reasons for using cold water as I have been told is that using hot tap water may add some sediments from the water heater. There by effecting the taste.
Jackie Garvin says
Hawkswrench,
That’s the only explanation I’ve ever heard. Thanks for coming to our rescue!
Marilyn m Davis says
if you use hot ,,the O2 has gone out of the water ,,that was what our since teacher told us in school
nettiemoore11 says
Looks delicious Jackie!! Can’t wait to try your tea <3 Nettie
Jackie Garvin says
Thank you, Nettie! I hope you give it a try and enjoy it.
lindygsherrod says
You are my kinda ice tea maker…perfect ice tea instructions! Lusianne Tea is my brand too, my Mama uses it too. This berry ice tea sounds SO delicious, I will have to try it. Thank you bunches for sharing some Southern with us.
Jackie Garvin says
Thank you for reading, Lindy! I always love it when you stop by.
lindygsherrod says
Jackie, I really enjoy coming here, it’s so much fun to read your blog. The recipes are so southern that it makes me smile and laugh. Bet you haven’t guessed that I’m a Southerner thru and thru too (wink). BIG huggggg
Jackie Garvin says
Gurl, I can recognize a southern soul sistah from across the country.
Jackie Garvin says
Gurl, I can recognize a southern soul sistah from across the country.
lindygsherrod says
LOL, I bet you can. I was born and raised right here in north west Florida.
Jackie Garvin says
We were practically neighbors. I’m from Mobile originally.
Jean says
Wish I had some of that right now! YUM!
Jackie Garvin says
It was mighty good, Jean. I wish I could have shared a glass with you.
Angie Dawson says
what is the best lemon tea ..
Debra Taylor says
We’ve always used Lipton teabags. Tea was just tea, never called southern tea and god forbid the word “unsweetened” be said. Just wasn’t done. Tea has sugar, end of story! I was taught to fill a regular pot, that ended up being the one only used for making tea, around half full of cold water, never measured, and as soon as the water started boiling, take it off the stove and drop in 6 regular size tea bags that you tied the strings in a knot together and pulled off tags. Don’t really have too but you could use a lid if you didn’t want to fish out the teabags, just hang the strings over the edge of pot and set lid on to keep them dropping in water. No good or bad either way. Put somewhere between 2/3 to a cup of sugar in a gallon pitcher and wait until tea water ready. After the tea has been steeping around 15 or so minutes, but before it gets cold, gently squeeze the tea bags against pot with a spoon to get all the good tea flavor in the water. Remove bags and pour into the pitcher, stir, set in the “frigealator”, what my granddaughter called it, until cold and serve in a glass full of ice. Everyone always said I made the best tea. It’s tea bags, sugar and water. How can you get that wrong?
Jackie Garvin says
Frigelator…..love that. ❤️