Do you take it Sweetened or UnSweetened? Does your palate crave the sugary, cold, crisp Southern delight that is known as sweet tea? Or, do you prefer the more bitter original that you sweeten with packets and spoonfuls to your own tongue tantalizing taste?
Heather, Maria and I take ours sweetened. Meghan thinks this is blasphemy.
I want to know what you Aiming Low lovelies think? How do you take your Tea?
and perhaps, if you ask really sweetly, I’ll share my True Southern Texas Gal recipe for Sweet Tea that’s so good it’ll make you say Hell Yes.
Unsweetened!
I’d never even heard of sweet tea until I moved here to Florida! In California, we’re raised on tea sans sugar so yah, I may be biased. :)
I love looking at your avatar ;) Yeah, I’m thinking you might be a smidge biased :-) LOL
I am a born and raised Californian, and I didn’t know that people DIDN’T put sugar in their tea until six months ago. And my parents are born and raised Californians, too.
Sweet tea all the way!!!
Twitter Name: mamaspohr
Definitely unsweetened! Preferably mixed with a little lemonade! Love that Arnold Palmer, it’s like liquid crack!
I love regular tea when it’s mixed with orange juice and lemonade and served ice cold. That’s the only way I’ll drink un-sweetened!!!!! Liquid Crack {heh}
I prefer the sweet stuff. In the form of Firefly Sweet tea vodka. It’s da bomb.
I’ve never heard of that. hmmmmmmmmmm… I used to love Long Island Ice Teas and Texas Teas.. but I’ve never heard of the Sweet Tea Vodka…
I don’t think you can even buy unsweetened cold tea in Canada…
Twitter Name: Amy_Urquhart
And why would you want unsweetened cold tea???????
UM….You could MAKE IT. DUH.
Twitter Name: AMomTwoBoys
I used to love it unsweetened until I vacationed in the south and now? Oh my holy heck, I’m addicted to sweet tea. I’m ashamed to admit that I buy it in a gallon jug at the grocery store though.
hee hee hee :-) Amen girlie! Do you buy the Red Diamond Sweet Tea? It is by far the BEST store bought Sweet Tea. Want me to give you a how to for making it at home? It’s super easy and waaay cheaper xoxox
I’m a Georgia native and altho’ I don’t drink tea (I know, blashphemy! But my mom is from Minnesota, so I’m a half-breed. ANYWHOO). I do know that SWEET TEA is a must for a true Southern gal.
Yes ma’am! Sweet tea is definitely a must for any true Southern Belle :-) LOL.
I have lots of friends who don’t drink tea but, they serve it :-)
You mean tea comes without the sweet? Ewwwwww!!!
Twitter Name: give_me_a_latte
LOL!!! I know, right!!!!
Sweet tea isn’t the original?
I only drink sweet tea, adding the packets never works right because it never quite mixes.
I judge restaurants by the quality (and availability) or sweet tea.
I judge them by their salsa (we eat a lot of Mexican) and by their sweet tea, too!
I take mine unsweetened. My fav is a Starbucks passion tea lemonade
Twitter Name: agirlnamedmel
passion tea lemonade just sounds good…and, I’m of the opinion that flavored teas are kind of like sweetened :)
UNSWEET. that. is. all.
SWEET. That. is. all.
It’s a good thing I love you, you unsweeter you :-)
In South Mississippi it’s traditionally sweet tea, and there really is nothing like a glass of perfect sweet tea. Of course! Sweet iced tea has been around FAR longer than artificial sweeteners have been around, so that, after all, was the ONLY way to make iced tea for years.
That said, since lots of folks are watching their sugar these days, unsweetened tea … or artificially sweetened tea would be more appropriate to say really, since I don’t think most folks drink iced tea without any sweetener in it … is popular too, so at most restaurants down south you will have a choice – sweetened or un-sweeteened.
Oh, no. My tea will have no sweetner what-so-ever. Unless it’s hot, in which case it will have a teaspoon of honey and a splash of milk.
Twitter Name: AMomTwoBoys
Yeppers. Sweet Tea goes way back. I know a lot of people who will abstain from many sugar laden things.. but never from their sweet tea :-)
I’m an unsweetened girl. I like it the same as I like my beer, the more bitter, the better! Give me a glass of the 80s trend ‘sun tea’ that tends to be super concentrated and bitter, or a big glass of IPA. I’m equally happy with both. Well, almost. But being pregnant, I’ve had to settle for iced tea, and I’ve drank nearly 2 qts of the unsweeted stuff per day.
I like sweetened tea but it needs lemon, lime or mint. Sweetened tea without any of the aforementioned is an abomination!
Twitter Name: izzymom
This Canadian girl firmly believes that tea should be served hot – the way God intended! My relocation to the South has forced me to smuggle quality hot tea across the border every chance I get. Can’t stand iced tea in any way, shape or form. Yuck!!
despite the fact that i am currently drinking hot tea, im all for sweet tea. I tasted if for the first time a few months ago and i’m SUPER hooked. So tasty!
I am typing this with my trusty large Chik-fil-A SWEET tea with lemon beside me. Team Sweet all the way. The only time I don’t like sweet tea is when my kids spill it on the floor because that is super hard to clean. :)
Twitter Name: LaurinEvans
I sweeten myself with the pink packets, but if not then I would rather have it sweetened. I just can’t do the straight up variety.
I am a sweet tea gal. But I live on Ohio. I was so happy when Mcdonald’s have sweet tea now.
I don’t drink tea in any shape or form…hot or cold; sweet or unsweet – - – but I do find it fascinating this whole sweet tea thing. fascinating.
Twitter Name: alimartell
more sugar than you can imagine.
On my island (where I grew up) Tea was hot earl Gray or orange peeko and hot, made in a teapot not a cup. I grew up knowing how to steep tea by 8yrs old. There was no “iced tea” which is what we call your cold sweet tea. Tea was served, black, white or white with sugar. The sugar free sweet stuff didn’t show up until I was in my teens. Not many people home drink sweetened hot tea. Now There’s every kind of “iced” tea on the shelves it all kind of makes me think it’s juice. Hot unsweetened with skim milk is the way I drink my tea. I had to start out with it sweetened though because originally tea =dirty hot water? I could make a great pot and serve it “right” but wouldn’t drink it.
Oh funny story when I moved to the USA my parents were coming to visit, my biggest problem was finding teabags without strings to make a Pot of tea.
I don’t drink iced tea in any form. Ick!
Twitter Name: charmedimsure
I was born and raised in the Northeast, but moved to northern Florida in 2006. I was unprepared for the SWEET that is sweet tea. I have finally adjusted to the heat and humidity, but after 3 years I still can’t manage to drink sweet tea.
I was born and raised in the Northeast, but moved to northern Florida in 2006. I was unprepared for the SWEET that is sweet tea. I have finally adjusted to the heat and humidity, but after 3 years I still can’t manage to drink sweet tea.
..
P.S. – Sorry, forgot to tell you great post!
I prefer the unsweetened with Splenda. Although, considering my whole family is from Austin, Texas, I’m sure to be disowned!
Sweet = GAG.
I take my tea sweet with lemon. And Lipton, please.
TEAM SWEET! No other way baby.
Meghan’s crazy! Nothing’s better than a cold glass of iced sweet tea. Except for maybe a glass of cold diet coke. NEITHER of which I could find readily in Chicago. :,(
I’m accustomed to unsweetened tea that I sweeten myself. With all the diabetes in my family, sweet tea simply isn’t possible. But I have tried it (I’m from an area where it’s not common to have sweet tea) and I do like it, so…I guess I go both ways. :-)
Twitter Name: CountessMo
I love me some sweet tea. It’s gotta have sugar in it, and no lemon. :]
Twitter Name: SillyJaime
You outed me already.
As a kid I wouldn’t drink tea unless it was thick with sugar. But then one fateful day, we stopped at a Taco Bell drive-thru (I remember the exact location) and I ordered tea. They forgot to give me sugar.
Since we were driving about 30 minutes away, my dad told me, for all intents and purposes, that I was SOL and I’d have to just drink it without sweetener. From that day forward, I’ve HATED sweetened tea.
The best part? My dad is now a “Southerner” (he moved to St. Louis, then to Memphis and now lives in Oxford, MS) and will only drink sweet tea. Next time he visits I’m going to tell him HE’S SOL.
Twitter Name: AMomTwoBoys
I loveeeee sweet tea! Seriously I could live on it and water. My husband when he was a child had sweet tea at his biological fathers house, when he came home he told his mom and step-dad and they didn’t believe him, said there was no such thing as sweet tea. HAHA Obviously they were not southern. I grew up with sweet tea and plain tea? BLECK!
Twitter Name: maryjors
I’m from georgia so SWEET ALL THE WAY!! Oh and the Red Diamond is good, but Milo’s is better store brand, but NOTHING beats home brewed. Oh wait maybe i’m thinking of moonshine…..LMAO!
Hmmm… out of all these comments I find it amazing that there has been only one other person who shares my opinion: BOTH. I can just as easily enjoy a glass of sweet tea as I can a glass of unsweetened tea. The same is true of iced vs. hot. They both have a place in my refreshments diet. Now, IMO, the real debate should be about Coca-Cola vs Pepsi. That’ll really get people fired up. And on THAT subject, I have a very definite opinion…
I am an unsweet drinker, but I don’t care what is is — as long as it is tea flavored tea. I really hate when I order tea and it turns out it is some Mango Jinseing crap.
Twitter Name: logicallibby
S-W-E-E-T all the way! I’m live in TX and we take our sweet tea very seriously down here. :)
When I’m being good I’ll sweeten it w/Splenda or Truvia instead of real sugar, but I hate being good…
There are only 2 kinds of Tea. Regular (sweet) or not yet sweetened (artificially sweetened with your favorite artificial sweetner). Hot or cold just depends on the weather outside. Drinking unsweetend tea is like eating raw meat its not ready for consumption till its done. Dont get me started oh “herbal” teas with no tea in them at all!
I strongly prefer my iced tea unsweetened and I’m rather baffled by the fact that I apparently need to further specify that what I mean is UNSWEETENED. I want it prepared without sweetener, so I can drink it without sweetener – no sweetener whatsoever. I also prefer it without lemon. If lemon (or lime) must be added, it should remain perched safely on the edge of the glass so that I can smell it, but not taste it.
well, I just read this site and I’m wondering, DID you ever post your recipe??
Love sweet tea, but had to go to less sugar :( Now I drink tea with no lemon, very little ice and add one packet of raw sugar crystals. I am a tea addict and drink it year round!!!