Northern Girl Southern Sweet Tea

I was never a huge fan of tea ~ then again I am an 80’s girl and tea to me was mixing a powder from a can with water. Then as the years rolled along and I married ~ my hubby would make his Mom’s hot tea when I was feeling under-the-weather, so I then associated tea with being sick. And then as more years rolled by I discovered Sweet Tea from McDonald’s and then I became hooked, I love it. Now-I-know it is probably laced with sugar ~ but I love it just the same.

Recently, I came across a few copy-cat recipes for McDonald’s Sweet Tea with a ‘secret ingredient‘ thru Pinterest~ I shared about it thru the Daily Dose (here)….and I was hooked again ~ this time making my own tea using Lipton Black Tea Bags.

And I then thought I had it in the bag ~ making it from ‘scratch’ ~ I was now a cool adult ~ adulting. Only to find out from the Bakery I work for ~ the owner makes her own tea by unearthing her mint tea plant. Say What????

She shared with me that she cuts some mint tea from the garden, boils it, steeps it, adds sugar and chills it over ice. Really????

So I clipped some Chocolate Mint from my garden.

…and got busy boiling, steeping, adding sugar and chilling it on ice. And I must say it was pretty tasty….soooooooo now I can say it is from ‘scratch’…and home grown I might add.

I think I might try steeping 1/2 of the black tea bags and then 1/2 of the chocolate mint and adjust the sugar as needed and see what happens ~ I am now a tea-totaler lover……..and snob!