How to Make Sweet Tea With Loose Leaf (Plus Its Southern History)

In the American South, ask for tea and you will usually get a tall glass of sweet tea: strong black tea, sweetened while hot and poured over plenty of ice. It is the drink of porches, family dinners and long summer afternoons. And it is easy to make at home, even better with loose leaf tea.

Where Sweet Tea Came From

Iced tea recipes started showing up in American cookbooks in the 1870s. One of the most famous, in Housekeeping in Old Virginia from 1879, called for green tea, steeped through the day, sweetened and served over ice. Iced tea became a national favorite after the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, and cheaper black tea soon replaced green as the standard. You can read that story in Who Invented Iced Tea?

In the South, the tradition settled into its own style: brewed strong, sweetened generously while hot, and kept in a pitcher in the fridge all summer. The town of Summerville, South Carolina, near Charleston, calls itself the "Birthplace of Sweet Tea." It was home to one of the country's first large tea plantations in the late 1800s and holds a trademark on the title, though food historians point out that sweetened iced tea was popular in many places at the time. Wherever it started, the South made it famous.

Why Loose Leaf Makes Better Sweet Tea

Most sweet tea is made with tea bags full of tiny broken leaves, which turn bitter fast. Whole loose leaves release their flavor more evenly and stay smoother, so your tea tastes rich instead of harsh, even when brewed strong. If you want to know more, see Loose Leaf Tea vs Tea Bags.

How to Make Sweet Tea With Loose Leaf

Makes about 2 quarts.

• 3 tablespoons loose leaf black tea, such as Organic English Breakfast
• 4 cups boiling water
• ½ to 1 cup sugar, to taste
• A small pinch of baking soda (optional)
• 4 cups cold water
• Ice and lemon slices to serve

1. Brew strong: pour the boiling water over the tea in a heatproof pitcher or teapot. Steep for 4 to 5 minutes. Longer makes it bitter.
2. Strain: pour the tea through a strainer into a large pitcher.
3. Sweeten while hot: stir in the sugar until it fully dissolves. Sugar will not dissolve well once the tea is cold.
4. Add the pinch of baking soda (optional): an old Southern trick. It softens any bitterness and helps keep the tea from turning cloudy in the fridge.
5. Dilute and chill: add the cold water, stir and refrigerate until cold.
6. Serve: pour over a full glass of ice with a slice of lemon.

Sweet tea keeps well in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. After that, the flavor starts to fade.

Tips for Perfect Sweet Tea

• Do not over-steep. 4 to 5 minutes is plenty. Bitterness comes from steeping too long, not from strong tea.
• Adjust the sugar. Classic Southern sweet tea is very sweet. Start with ½ cup and add more if you like.
• Try simple syrup. If you forget to sweeten while hot, stir in simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, heated until clear) instead.
• Cold brew it. For the smoothest tea, steep the leaves in cold water in the fridge for 8 to 12 hours, then sweeten with simple syrup. See How to Make Cold Brew Tea.

Sweet Tea Variations

• Peach sweet tea: add sliced fresh peaches or peach puree to the pitcher.
• Mint sweet tea: add a handful of fresh mint while the tea steeps, or brew with Moroccan Mint.
• Citrus sweet tea: brew with Citrus Blend Tea, black tea with bergamot, tangerine and orange.
• Half and half: mix sweet tea with lemonade, a classic summer combination.
• Caffeine-free: use a fruity herbal like Tropical Harvest for a kid-friendly pitcher.

Sweet Tea for Portland Summers

Portland is not the South, but our summers are dry, sunny and warm, and a pitcher of sweet tea in the fridge fits right in. It is perfect for backyard dinners, park days and long evenings when the sun stays up past nine.

Our Teas for Sweet Tea

Organic English Breakfast Tea

Bold, malty organic black tea. The classic choice for a traditional pitcher.

Citrus Blend Tea

Black tea with bergamot, tangerine, orange, lemongrass and hibiscus, for sweet tea with a bright citrus twist.

Moroccan Mint

Gunpowder green tea with peppermint and spearmint, for a cool, minty sweet tea.

Shop Organic English Breakfast Tea

Steep intentionally. Sip with intention.

Related Reading

Read Who Invented Iced Tea? A History of Tea in America, find more ideas in The Best Teas for Iced Tea, or go back to The History of Tea.