Well, if you want real sweet tea, yesā¦ It just doesnāt workā¦ believe me, Iāve tried! For good sweet tea, you need to add the sugar when the water is still hot. Even adding simple syrup isnāt quite the same. Itās an art, manā¦ an art!
And most southern restaurants serve both, so no worries when visiting down here. They know how to make it unsweetened as well!
Use a simple syrup; thatāll help you in adding sugar when itās iced. Just pour in the syrup.
I like my iced tea unsweetened and astringent, so I usually start with an Irish breakfast tea (like Bewleyās) brewed double strength and a couple of minutes too long, then pour over ice.
Not fully on topic, but for iced coffee I make shakeratos quite often, and that starts by adding the sugar to the ice cubes. Iāve tried dissolving the sugar in the espresso before dumping in the shaker, it is not as good.
as a restaurant vet in TN and GA, getting orders for half-and-half tea is really common. every once in a while, someone orders fully unsweet, too.
Iām generally an Earl-Grey-over-ice man, butā¦
My mom used to mix equal parts Constant Comment and Lipton, which I thought tasted pretty good.
I think the reason it never caught on with me is because my idea of sweet and the general American idea of sweet tends toward a significant difference of degrees. To me sweetness is a balancer, but never a full anchor, and should sit in egalitarian compliment to other flavors rather than steal the spotlight.
Everyone keep these awesome comments and suggestions coming! 
Why not? A simple syrup is just a premade syrup made of just sugar and water, and it works well with adding sweetness to iced tea, ice coffee and such.
Just not the sameā¦ Add sugar when the tea is still hot, or itās just not sweet tea. [ETA] Also, most restuarants Iāve been to that donāt serve sweet tea tend to not have simple syrup for the table.
Yes. I am a sweet tea extremist! 
Ah, I see. I understand. Iced tea is one thing, but Sweet Tea is Serious Business 
Exactly. Itās a science, making it right. Old southern grannies hoard that and their fried chicken and biscuit making knowledge. THEY ARE OUR GREATEST UNTAPPED CULINARY RESOURCE!
Or a religion it seems at times just see what happens happens when you get several southerners talking about it when they are somewhere north of that imaginary tea line.
I am curious what @anon61221983 thinks of @popobawa4u 's suggestion of Morrocan tea. In my mind that would be similar style but I may blaspheme. Then again I am so far north that there is an international border involved.
Talk with Michael Twitty, Iām sure he has tips to share on Southern Cooking
Iāll allow it.
Oh! I love these sorts of books, that chart a culinary history. Iāll have to check that out. Thanks for the link.
Glad to be of service! Michael is a wonderful human being, and he deserves all of the attention he can get.
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