People used to walk across the mall and stand in line for a “large sweet tea” from Natalie Keng's family restaurant. She describes how the recipe came about in her book, Egg Rolls and Sweet Tea, "It was my dad’s idea to pair egg rolls with his signature iced tea, freshly brewed in-house from premium loose black tea, then sweetened and brought to another level with a generous infusion of fresh-squeezed Georgia lemons."
Make it your own, adding more or less sugar and lemon.
Notes from Natalie Keng:
After the tea leaves and tea bag are steeped, they are no longer needed. To make extra tea, I usually add 1 cup of hot water to the leftover tea leaves and bag and steep for another 3 to 5 minutes. Steeping too long will cause bitterness. If the tea ends up bitter, try adding a dash of baking soda while it is still warm so the soda can fully dissolve before chilling. Strain and discard the used leaves and tea bag. Store this batch separately—do not add it to the first steep.
English breakfast tea is ideal, but any full-bodied black or red loose tea can be substituted. Tea bags can be used (1 tea bag per teaspoon of loose tea), although the result will not be as optimal as the distinct aromatic beverage that is rendered from fresh loose tea. Adding 1 or 2 additional high mountain oolong tea bags will add flavor (always cut off the strings and labels). Remove the bags after 4 minutes.
In a pinch, use 2 tablespoons of organic turbinado sugar per serving.
Boil a kettle of water. In contrast to the delicate leaves of Taiwanese oolong tea, which are steeped off the boil, English tea is a rich, bold black tea, requiring a full boil for proper steeping. For household preparation, there is no discernible difference off-boil or full-boil as long as the water temperature does not fall below 190ºF when poured over the tea leaves.
While the water is heating, prepare the lemons. Cut a lemon in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 3 wedges, resulting in 6 total lemon wedges, to be used for flavoring the sweet tea concentrate upon serving.
Cut the second lemon in half lengthwise. Cut a slit along the middle pith line, but don’t cut through the peel. Turn the lemon half over so the flesh is facing down. Cut off the ends. Slice the remainder of the lemon half into three equal pieces. Set aside for garnishing.
To make a full-bodied freshly brewed tea concentrate, you will need 2 (32-ounce) mason jars or 2 (4-cup) glass measuring cups. Put the English breakfast tea in 1 jar. Cut the tag and string off the oolong tea bag and drop it in with the loose tea. Pour in the boiling water, cover with a silicone cover or plate, and steep for 4 to 7 minutes. Every 30-second interval will make a difference in the strength of the brewed tea, so at the 4-minute mark, test every half a minute or so and determine the optimal brewing time to taste.
Once the tea finishes steeping, strain the liquid into the second glass jar. Add the amber rock sugar to the strained tea. Whisk or stir until completely dissolved. The tea should be dark brown and taste twice as sweet and strong as the desired finished taste.
To serve right away, pour ½ cup of the sweetened tea concentrate into each serving glass. Add the juice of 1 lemon wedge, if desired. Fill the glass with ice. Top off with filtered water. Stir briefly to mix. Garnish by clipping the slit lemon onto the rim of each glass.
To chill and serve later, pour ½ cup of the sweetened tea concentrate per serving into a pitcher. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Prepare the lemons, then follow the above instructions for serving in glasses.
