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Red and Black Tea

Southern Sweet Tea recipe

Here are Chef LeeAnn's instructions for black tea, green tea and herbal tea. Try all three versions for peak summer chill!

Course Drinks
Cuisine American, Southern
Keyword Tea
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 16 servings

Ingredients

  • 6-8 bags Equal Exchange black tea
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 16 cups water
  • fresh mint optional
  • sliced citrus optional

Instructions

  1. Combine the granulated sugar with two cups of water in a medium-sized saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring continuously with a large spoon until the sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool.

  2. Over medium heat, bring another saucepan with four cups of room temperature water to 212 degrees F, or just to boiling, (not a rolling boil).

  3. Remove from the heat, and place the 6-8 bags of tea in the saucepan. Cover with a lid and let the bags steep for 4-5 minutes.

  4. Remove the tea bags and let the brewed tea cool to room temperature. Leaving the bags in for much longer than five minutes can result in a bitter taste!

  5. When both mixtures are at room temperature, combine them in a gallon size container and add the remaining 10 cups of water.

  6. Place in the refrigerator for at least eight hours to allow the tea to cool sufficiently.

  7. Once the mixture is prepared and chilled, you can add fresh mint, sliced oranges, or sliced lemons. Serve cold over ice. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Variations on this theme:

Try substituting Equal Exchange Organic Green Tea! Bring the water to boil, then let cool to 170-180 degrees and steep for just 2-3 minutes before removing tea bags and continuing with the recipe as written above. Or use a caffeine-free Organic Herbal Tea from Equal Exchange such as Rooibos, Peppermint, Ginger or Chamomile. Bring the water to boil, 212 degrees F. Immediately add teabags, but steep for longer, 8-10 minutes.