1. There must always be sweet tea
2. The tea must be very sweet
3. The tea must be in the front of the fridge with nothing in front of it
Needless to say, there is always sweet tea in the front of our refrigerator. If we are out of tea for some reason or another, it is a family crisis.
Black tea is beneficial to health. There are those who would argue that black tea is more healthy than green tea, because of the dark the flaviniods which contribute to the color of the tea. Regular consumption of black tea has shown to reduce the risk of strokes. Vegetables are a good source of flaviniods, but 70% of them come from black tea. Flaveniods help reduce bad cholesterol and had a reduced amount of heart attacks and strokes. However, it took more than 3 cups of tea a day to see an impact.
Black tea also contains antioxidant, which help purify the body's system and reduce the risk of cancer in men, but could increase the risk of breast cancer in women. Unsweetened black tea has also been shown to reduce the risk of diabetes. Studies have also shown a higher amount of diabetes in the southern states and some attribute that to the fact that southerns drink A LOT of sweetened black tea.
When my husband and I moved north, it took a while to adjust to the fact that, when asking for tea at a restaurant, it won't be sweetened. In fact, most restaurants don't even carry sweetened tea in the north. In the south, asking for tea with a meal is expected and it sweetened, unless one specifies that he does not want it sweet. Sometimes, restaurants in the south don't even serve unsweetened tea. Sweet tea is a staple in the South.
"2003 - Georgia State Representative, John Noel, and four co-sponsors, apparently as an April Fools' Day joke, introduced House Bill 819, proposing to require all Georgia restaurants that serve tea to serve sweet tea. Representative John Noel, one of the sponsors, is said to have acknowledged that the bill was an attempt to bring humor to the Legislature, but wouldn't mind if it became law. The text of the bill proposes:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/IcedTeaHistory.htm(a) As used in this Code section, the term 'sweet tea' means iced tea which is sweetened with sugar at the time that it is brewed.(b) Any food service establishment which served iced tea must serve sweet tea. Such an establishment may serve unsweetened tea but in such case must also serve sweet tea.(c) Any person who violates this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature."
Sweet tea is a sugar nectar mixed with strong black tea and chilled over ice.
I make a gallon of sweet tea every other day and interestingly I rarely drink a glass because I try to watch sugar and caffeine. It is a mystery where it all goes...
How I make sweet tea
3 cups sugar
18 cups water
7 Lipton Tea bags
Mix sugar and water together and bring to boil
Turn off heat-steep 7 tea bags - the longer the better - overnight is good
Chill and serve cold or over ice
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