If you live in the South, you are aware of the sugary goodness that is sweet tea. If you are obsessed with it like I am, you know that not all sweet teas are equal. These are just a few signs that may lead you to discover your sweet tea addiction.
1. You visited the North once. It didn’t go well.
The farthest north I’ve gone is Washington D.C and they do not have a lot of sweet tea up there. I had gone all week without and life flooded back into me when I saw the beloved Golden Arches of McDonalds in the Smithsonian. I can’t recall a time where I have been more excited to see a beautiful golden brown liquid in a Styrofoam cup.
2. You appreciate any and all sweet tea, but you have become well aware that they are not all equal.
Every sweet tea follows a basic recipe: water, tea, and sugar; however, those ingredients can be combined in many different ways and many different brands. My dad taught me how to make sweet tea when I was in the eighth grade and that changed my life. He is also a sweet tea perfectionist and through trial and error he has concocted the perfect system. He uses a brand of tea bags, but not the 48 count, it has to be the 100 count because they are smaller. He cooks the tea and then filters it into the sugar water with paper towels; coffee filters don’t work and unless you want the last glass of tea to contain all the junk you need to filter. Also, different drive thrus have different tea. Do not give me Chick Fil A nuggets and expect me to drink McDonalds sweet tea with it.
3. Some people use coffee, you use sweet tea.
My roommate gets up in the morning and drinks her coffee while I get up and have a cold glass of sweet tea to start my day. Some people wait in line at Starbucks, here in South Georgia I wait in line at Zacadoos. (Seriously people look it up, it is a gem).
4. You never have to worry if a restaurant serves Coke or Pepsi products.
You just have to hope they have good sweet tea. Let’s face it, even bad sweet tea isn’t so bad.
5. Unsweet tea is honestly just an insult to this delicious beverage, might as well heat it up and hold out your pinky.
Seriously people, give me sweet tea or give me none at all. And trust me, adding sugar to unsweet tea is NOT the same.
