How to Brew Delicious Tea, Iced or Hot

The weather is beautiful with perfectly blue tinted skies, fluffy clouds, and cool mornings in the 60s here on the South Carolina coast. It’s late September, the American football season is in full swing, and the fish are biting. The day is new and it’s almost heavenly here, but first, tea! 🫖

No matter what time of day it is, it’s teatime in the Carolinas. Hot tea is a perfect cuppa for cool mornings. As the sunny days give way to 80 degree afternoons, a refreshing iced tea perks me up from the slump giving a caffeine boost to push through whatever the day brings. Charleston county is home to Wadmalaw Island, a rural area out past John’s Island. Wadmalaw is where you’ll find American Classic tea plantation which host events and tours regularly. They provided tea for the Bigelow tea company as well as their own American Classic black and green teas.

I live in the historic city of Summerville which claims to be the “birthplace of sweet tea”. Pre-sweetened iced tea is a Carolina and Southern American staple beverage for year around enjoyment. We make a pitcher or gallon and keep it cold in the frig for any meal. All restaurants from McDonald’s to the most prestigious steakhouses, Mexican and Chinese restaurants will serve sweet tea any time of the day in the South, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Come along with me as I make a hot tea and a pitcher of sweetened tea for later today. If you have ever tried tea from a can or plastic bottled green tea then you probably recognize the difference in quality and flavor from freshly brewed tea. It’s easy to make a pitcher of tea at home and pour a cup to go with you out and about. There’s health benefits like antioxidants too!

Loose teas are a nice treat occasionally but today I’m using convient tea bags. I’m utilizing both a chrome kettle for heating water and an electric kettle. They both work well for the minutia of tea making. You can always use a sauce pot to boil water as well. The classic kettle has an alarming whistle and that tends to bother younger kiddos at home. The plastic electric kettle has an automatic thermostat that turns off once the water starts boiling. It features a solid interior bottom that’s easier to clean than the coil bottom kettles. I have city water and use a Brita brand water filter pitcher to fill the kettle of choice. I also use filtered water for practically all cooking needs. My husband made the lovely wooden tea box as a Christmas gift and the tea cup was passed down from family. These personal touches add to the experience, keeping me grounded and adding your personal touches will enhance your experience as well. So let’s get brewing. How do you like your tea?

You can’t beat a classic chrome kettle. I’ll probably end up giving it to my kiddo when she’s setting up her first apartment and we’ll share tea together there one day, God willing.

Glass pitcher holds 2 quarts (1.6 liters) for iced tea, uses two family sized or 5 personal tea bags, and just under 1/2 cup of sugar adds the perfect sweetness. Steep tea 3-5 minutes. Remove the bags and allow tea to cool before refrigerating. This prevents it from turning cloudy. Pour over ice when serving. I use black tea which produces a beautiful golden brown hue and bolder flavor without bitterness.

Costs:

1 box of American Lipton tea family size tea bags is usually $5 or less in this part of the country. 1 make makes 1 quart or 946 ml of tea. Each box has 24 tea bags at about 0.22 cents each. If you like sugar or an artificial sweetener, add around 0.70 cents to that.

Freshly brewed tea cost under $1.50 US for up to four tall glasses or hot cups.