Description
A refreshing homemade Strawberry Sweet Tea combining rich black tea with a homemade strawberry syrup for a perfect summer beverage.
Ingredients
Scale
Tea
- 2 cups water
- 8 black tea bags
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp baking soda
Strawberry Syrup
- 2 cups water
- 4 cups strawberries, chopped
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- Boil water and steep tea: Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once boiling, remove from heat and add 8 black tea bags. Steep for 5 minutes.
- Remove tea bags: Remove the tea bags using tongs, squeezing out any excess tea from the bags.
- Combine tea and water: Transfer the brewed tea into a large pitcher with 4 additional cups of water and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Stir gently.
- Make strawberry syrup: In the same saucepan, combine the remaining 2 cups of water, 4 cups chopped strawberries, and 1½ cups granulated sugar. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
- Cool and strain syrup: Remove the strawberry syrup from heat and let it cool. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a small cup or pitcher, pressing out all the juice from the berries.
- Combine syrup and tea: Add the strawberry syrup to the large pitcher with tea and stir to mix well.
- Serve: Pour the strawberry sweet tea over ice in individual glasses and enjoy.
Notes
- Store strawberry sweet tea covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- You can reduce the sugar by half for a less sweet, fruitier flavor.
- Adding lemon juice adds a nice zest to the tea.
- Use very ripe strawberries for the most intense flavor, especially in summer when they are juiciest.
- Start with cold water for brewing to avoid cloudiness from tannins.
- Do not steep tea too long to avoid bitterness; 5 minutes is optimal.
- Add ice to individual glasses instead of the pitcher to prevent watering down the tea.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 35 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
