Anyone that has gone out to eat with me knows that 98% of the time I order sweet tea at a restaurant. So, I guess you could say that I am a sweet tea connoisseur. With that being said, I am going to let you in on my secrets and tell you the best places to get sweet tea as well as how my mom makes her sweet tea.
So, Texas Roadhouse, McDonald’s, The Craft House, and Eat n Park are my personal favorites. These are also strictly centralized to Western PA! The Texas Roadhouse in Butler, PA is first and will always be. I drink like three glasses of tea when I go to Texas Roadhouse and the tea is perfect. I am a SWEET tea lover, so it is the perfect amount of sweet and tea flavor. Next, we have the Craft House, this is in Kittanning, PA. The Craft House sweet tea is so good. It is homemade and has the perfect tea flavor. Now, I will say that my friends add sweeteners, but I think it is good. You may need to add a pack or two but if that is the only complaint, I will take it.
The lower-end chains on the list that have the best sweet tea are McDonald’s and Eat n Park. Eat n Park is hit or miss. So, I have noticed some days their sweet tea is “doggy”, and what I mean by that is that the water smelled weird in it making it smell like a wet dog which is not a vibe. However, I have also had really good, sweet tea from there that was elite. I think it just depends on the day. One thing that I have found with all sweet teas is that if you can drink them warm, they are good. If you know what I mean, I am talking when they bring you a glass and the bottom is warm you know that is homemade.
This brings us to McDonald’s. I have a love-hate relationship with McDonald’s sweet tea. I have heard so many rumors about their tea it is so controversial, and it makes me cringe. I have been drinking their sweet tea since I was a child, and it has always been good, but it is sweeter than tea. It is good because we as humans love and crave sugar, but I want to taste the tea in it as well!
Overall, the more hometown vibe places give the better sweet tea because of its homemade aspect. You can again, recognize this by the warmth at the bottom or if you are like me, how it tastes. So, I am going to share with you my mom’s (Stacy) recipe for the best sweet tea:
Stacy’s Sweet Tea
Ingredients:
Pitcher
Lipton gallon tea bags
Tap water
2 cups of sugar (or more to taste)
Pot to boil and a big spoon to stir
Steps:
Step 1: Boil a whole pot of tap water (a normal-sized pot, not giant or too small, just medium)
Step 2: Put tea bag (gallon portion ones) in boiling water and boil until the water is dark brown from the tea
Step 3: Take off burner and mix the 2 cups (or more) of sugar in the hot pot and mix the tea and sugar
Step 4: Add this to the pitcher and then add cold tap water to fill it to the top
Step 5: Stir and add more sugar if needed until sweet
Step 6: Put it in the fridge and serve with ice
Things to keep in mind:
-The added water will dilute it so make sure the boiled portion is that dark tea color
-Sugar is a key aspect, no one wants unsweetened tea
-Putting the sugar in while the tea is hot is essential for the recipe
-Sweet tea comes from the heart, make it with love