If you happen to live in the South, like I do, you know sweet tea. It’s a tall refreshing glass of extremely sweet ice cold tea. Jokingly described as the house wine of the South, every G.R.I.T. (Girls Raised In The South) knows how to make a good glass of sweet tea.
But what about hot tea? Lots of people also like their hot tea sweetened and that opens up a lot of possibilities. You might add a teaspoon of white sugar or honey to your cup. Perhaps you prefer brown sugar. Sugar cubes are nice when you want to show off those antique silver sugar tongs. I like to use amber rock sugar crystals in pretty bowls for holiday teas. You could even try a light pure maple syrup as a natural sweetener for your breakfast tea.
Agave and stevia are popular options for those who shun processed white sugar. Agave syrup is made from the juice of the agave cactus, while stevia is an herbal sweetener that has been used for centuries in Latin America. It is many times sweeter than sugar, and has the added benefit of being calorie free. Both are becoming increasingly easier to find at your local supermarket. Another unusual option would be jam. In Russia strong black tea is sometimes sweetened with fruit jam, instead of sugar or honey.
Here in the United States people tend to develop a sweet tooth at a very early age, hence the popularity of sweet tea in the South. I prefer the moderate approach and drink my tea unsweetened most of the time. A nice dollop of honey is an occasional treat, like a dessert after a meal. Whatever your preference is (sweet or unsweet) there are plenty of choices, not only for sweeteners, but also for an immense variety of tea.
Make sure to stop the parTEA lady’s blog, Tea and Talk!
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