History Oldest Sweet Tea Recipe In Print

[donna]

Since question about beginnings of sweet tea, thought do some research.

The oldest sweet tea recipe was in 1879 from "Housekeeping In Old Virginia" by Marion Cabell Tyree. It reads: " Ice tea after scolding the teapot, put into it one quart boiling water and 2 teaspoonfuls green tea. Do this at breakfast time for supper. Strain, without stirring. Let it stand till tea time and pour into decanters, leaving sediment in bottom of pitcher. Fill goblets with ice, put 2 teaspoonfuls granulated sugar in each and pour tea over ice and sugar. A squeeze of lemon will make this delicious and healthful. as it correct the astringent tendency."

 

[Bonny Blue Flag]

Wondering if ice from a lake or river was used in the tea. Interesting recipe. Thanks, Donna.

--BBF

 

[nc native]

I'm surprised that this is the oldest sweet tea recipe that's been found so far. I love making sweet tea and I love drinking sweet tea.
I thought people in the South had been drinking at since at least the Colonial days.

Back in my care free and foot loose days, I was dating this pretty girl from New York who had some good Irish ancestry. One of her direct ancestors was an officer in the 5th New York Zouaves during the Civil War. I remember that I had gone over to see her on one of our first dates. I was thirsty so she told me to help myself to anything in the refrigerator. So I see a pitcher of cold tea sitting in it and I poured a glass and I took a gulp. It tasted terrible! I asked her why her tea was so bitter and she told me that where she came from they drank unsweetened tea. That was culture shock to me being a Southerner I had never heard of anyone not sweetening their tea.

 

[DaveBrt]

This is not sweet tea --- it is sweetened tea.

I managed a Bojangles restaurant many years ago. The sweet tea was made by the book -- 4 gallons water, brought to a boil, add 4 2-pound packages of sugar while on the burner, stir the sugar in, wrap the strings of 10 family tea bags together and throw into the pot, remove from the burner and let cool. At my restaurant, we made 4 batches of tea in the morning and it usually lasted the day.

UNsweet tea was the same, without the sugar.

The sugar residue was very hard to get out of the gallon pots, so the sweet tea pots were marked so that they were not used for unsweet tea -- the customer would definitely let you know if there had been a screw up. Same with the dining room dispensers.

The reason for adding the sugar while the water was boiling was to increase the amount of sugar absorbed in the drink.

 

[Sheltowee]

This is not sweet tea --- it is sweetened tea.

I managed a Bojangles restaurant many years ago. The sweet tea was made by the book -- 4 gallons water, brought to a boil, add 4 2-pound packages of sugar while on the burner, stir the sugar in, wrap the strings of 10 family tea bags together and throw into the pot, remove from the burner and let cool. At my restaurant, we made 4 batches of tea in the morning and it usually lasted the day.

UNsweet tea was the same, without the sugar.

The sugar residue was very hard to get out of the gallon pots, so the sweet tea pots were marked so that they were not used for unsweet tea -- the customer would definitely let you know if there had been a screw up. Same with the dining room dispensers.

The reason for adding the sugar while the water was boiling was to increase the amount of sugar absorbed in the drink.

Yeah….. two teaspoons just don't quite cut it. But I reckon sugar was pricey.

 

[Sheltowee]

Wondering if ice from a lake or river was used in the tea. Interesting recipe. Thanks, Donna.

--BBF

I would expect cut from a lake/ river, and stored in an icehouse.