AMERICAN SWEET ICED TEA

Sweet Iced Tea in Tall Cup(front) and in Pitcher(back) Photo by preppybyday / CC BY Lipton Brand Sweet Iced Tea Photo by 76969036@N02 / CC BY

Sweet Iced Tea was and still a common drink for most Americans. Over time this tea had been popularized and manufactured worldwide from large tea brands and companies. Sweet Iced Tea's recipe can be as simple as it sounds: add sweetener and ice into tea. Other types of variety can be mixed with fruits such as lemon, orange, and pineapple. Sometimes people add a little bit of baking soda to take bitterness out of the black tea.  HISTORY   The oldest known Sweet Iced Tea recipe was published in 1879 by Marion Cabell Tyree. Due to the heat, sweet iced tea is particularly popular in the South (of USA) and it usually comes in a pitcher for quick refill. [1] The drink was quickly promoted and became well-known throughout North America from being the best drink for the hot summer during the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. [2]     According to Tyree’s recipe, she used green tea in her sweet iced tea. [3] See recipe below: "Ice Tea. - After scalding the teapot, put into it one quart of boiling water and two teaspoonfuls green tea. If wanted for supper, do this at breakfast. At dinner time, strain, without stirring, through a tea strainer into a pitcher. Let it stand till tea time and pour into decanters, leaving the sediment in the bottom of the pitcher. Fill the goblets with ice, put two teaspoonfuls granulated sugar in each, and pour the tea over the ice and sugar. A squeeze of lemon will make this delicious and healthful, as it will correct the astringent tendency." However, more black tea recipes were used because of the inexpensive exports from India, Ceylon, South America, and Africa. During World War II, the major sources of green tea were cut off from the US due to anti-Japanese sentiment at the time and black tea became the dominant tea for Americans. [4] In 2008, McDonald’s added their own sweet tea recipe onto their menu nation-wide. [5] Even UK tea brand, Lipton, massive produce sweet ice tea with various flavors. [6]