Summer time: Sweet Tea

Coming from the South, a glass of sweet tea is the way to welcome summer. Summer heat waves don't stand a chance against home brewed tea and fresh simple sugar.

To brew the tea:

• Black tea, such as Lipton
  
• 1 tea bag per 8 oz of water

Boil the water and steep the tea for no longer than 5 minutes, otherwise it's a bit strong (Thanks for the tip, Ben!). Cool in the fridge for about 5 hours.

For the simple sugar:

• 1 cup of water
• 2 cups of water

To make more, keep the sugar to water ratio 2:1. Make sure the water is at a full boil before adding the sugar. Stir constantly to make sure it dissolves. You'll know that the syrup is ready because it will feel thicker as you stir. Once all the sugar is dissolved, take off the heat and store in a sealed container. A word of warning, if you keep the sugar on the heat for longer, it will turn out too thick.

For a 6 cup pitcher of sweet tea, we added roughly 6 tablespoons of the simple sugar. Add more or less according to taste.

I used the same pot for brewing the tea and making the simple sugar thinking it would be tea infused. I couldn't really taste a difference, but it did make the syrup not as clear as it would normally appear.