Description
Strawberry Sweet Tea is a refreshing summer beverage combining bold black tea with a sweet, homemade strawberry syrup. This recipe balances the natural sweetness of ripe strawberries with brewed tea, creating a perfect drink served chilled over ice.
Ingredients
Scale
Tea
- 8 cups water, divided
- 8 black tea bags
- 1 tsp baking soda
Strawberry Syrup
- 4 cups strawberries, chopped
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- Boil Water and Brew Tea: Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once boiling, remove from heat and add the 8 black tea bags. Steep for 5 minutes.
- Remove Tea Bags: Take out the tea bags using tongs, squeezing any excess tea back into the saucepan for maximum flavor.
- Combine Tea and Water: Transfer the brewed tea into a large pitcher. Add 4 additional cups of water and 1 teaspoon of baking soda, stirring gently.
- Simmer Strawberries and Sugar: Using the same saucepan, add the remaining 2 cups of water, chopped strawberries, and 1½ cups sugar. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes to create the strawberry syrup.
- Cool and Strain Syrup: Remove the saucepan from heat and allow the syrup to cool slightly. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a small cup or pitcher, pressing gently to extract the juice from the berries.
- Mix Syrup with Tea: Pour the strawberry syrup into the large pitcher with brewed tea and stir well to combine.
- Serve: Pour the strawberry sweet tea over ice in individual glasses and enjoy cold.
Notes
- Store strawberry sweet tea covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- For a less sweet option, reduce sugar by half to enjoy a fruitier flavor.
- Add lemon juice if you prefer a zesty twist.
- Use very ripe strawberries for the most intense strawberry flavor; best during strawberry season in summer.
- Start with cold water to prevent tannins from making the tea cloudy.
- Do not steep tea too long to avoid bitterness.
- Add ice to each glass individually rather than the pitcher to prevent watering down the tea.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 35 g
- Sodium: 10 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 39 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
