Porch-Pitcher Southern Sweet Tea

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The real thing: a full gallon of deep amber tea sweetened while it's still hot, so the sugar melts in completely instead of sinking to the bottom of the glass. A pinch of baking soda knocks out the tannic bite you get from oversteeped tea, and a short 8-minute steep keeps it smooth rather than bitter. Serve it in a tall glass packed with ice and a lemon wedge, the way it's poured on screened porches from Charleston to Memphis.

Ingredients

• 16 cups cold water, divided
• 6 family-size black tea bags (or 14 regular-size), orange pekoe or Ceylon
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 pinch fine sea salt (optional)

• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 1 handful fresh mint sprigs (optional)
• ice, for serving

Instructions

1. Bring 4 cups of the water to a full rolling boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, then immediately remove it from the burner. Boiling water that sits and boils for minutes goes flat and makes dull tea, so pull it the moment it rolls.
2. Sprinkle the 1/8 teaspoon baking soda into the hot water and swirl once to dissolve. Add the tea bags, pushing them under the surface with a spoon. Cover the pan and steep exactly 8 minutes — set a timer. Steeping past 10 minutes is what makes sweet tea taste harsh and cloudy.
3. Lift out the tea bags and let them drip for a few seconds, but do not squeeze them; squeezing releases concentrated tannins straight into the pot.
4. Add the sugar and the pinch of salt to the hot tea concentrate and stir for 30 to 60 seconds, until you can no longer feel any grit when you drag the spoon across the bottom of the pan. Sweetening while hot is the whole trick — this is what separates real sweet tea from tea with sugar floating in it.
5. Pour the sweetened concentrate into a 1-gallon pitcher. Add the remaining 12 cups cold water and stir well. The tea should look clear and deep amber.
6. Refrigerate uncovered for 20 minutes to let the steam escape, then cover and chill at least 2 hours, or until thoroughly cold (about 40°F). Do not add ice to the pitcher to speed this up — it will water the tea down.
7. Fill tall glasses to the rim with ice, pour the tea over, and finish each with a lemon wedge and a mint sprig. Keeps covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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