Southern Peach SWEET TEA

This sweet tea recipe is special to me. For one, my blog, Orchids + Sweet Tea, is named after this drink because it is tied so heavily to my Southern roots. Secondly, sweet tea has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember; therefore, every sip of this drink brings back amazing memories. This refreshing home-brewed tea boasts notes of peach and lemon and a whole lot of sweetness—just as they like it down South! A true Southern staple, where conversations cannot happen without a glass of sweet tea. Cheers

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% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

1. Bring the water, tea bags, lemon slices, and peaches to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Remove the pot from the heat and let steep, covered, for 15 to 30 minutes.

Step 2

2. Once fully steeped, remove the tea bags, lemon slices, and peaches from the pan and whisk in the brown sugar and baking soda until fully dissolved and the tea is sweetened to your liking.

Step 3

3. Pour the sweet tea into a gallon-size pitcher and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until it’s well chilled.

Step 4

4. To serve, pour the tea into ice-filled glasses. Garnish with sliced peaches and mint leaves, if desired.

Step 5

Tip:

Step 6

Adding baking soda to sweet tea prevents the tea from getting cloudy and bitter. If you’ve ever left your leftover sweet tea in the refrigerator only to find that after a day or so, it’s become bitter and less enjoyable, know that adding a small amount of baking soda will do the trick.

Step 7

The longer the tea bags are steeped, the stronger the tea flavor. You can let them steep for up to 30 minutes; longer than that, the tea will start to become bitter.Leftover tea can be stored in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Step 8

I like to use brown sugar in my sweet tea as opposed to the traditional choice of white because of its taste and greater health value. You can always substitute organic cane sugar or stevia or allulose for an even healthier option.