Editing Sweet tea

{{short description|Style of iced tea}}
{{other uses|Sweet Tea (disambiguation)}}
[[Image:Iced Tea from flickr.jpg|thumb|180px|A glass of iced sweet tea with lemon.]]

'''Sweet tea''', also known as '''sweet iced tea''', is a popular style of [[iced tea]] commonly consumed in the [[United States]]<ref name="AG">{{citation |last=Glock |first=Allison |title=Sweet Tea: A Love Story |date=2008-07-01 |url=http://gardenandgun.com/article/sweet-tea |publisher=Garden & Gun}}</ref><ref name="TT">{{citation |last=Tomlinson |first=Tommy |title=Sweet Tea |url=http://www.ourstate.com/southern-roots-sweet-tea |journal=Our State North Carolina|date=August 2010 }}</ref> (especially the [[Southern United States|South]]) and [[Indonesia]].<ref>
{{Cite web
 |title=Indonesians grow sweet on sugarless tea
 |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-trends/Indonesians-grow-sweet-on-sugarless-tea
 |website=Nikkei Asian Review |language=en-GB |access-date=2019-08-31
}}
</ref><ref>
{{Cite web
 |title=Enjoy these cheap eats on your ''mudik'' through Java
 |url=https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2019/05/26/enjoy-these-cheap-eats-on-your-mudik-through-java.html
 |website=The Jakarta Post |language=en |access-date=2019-08-31
}}
</ref> Sweet tea is most commonly made by adding [[sugar]] or [[Syrup|simple syrup]] to [[black tea]] while the tea is either brewing or still hot, although [[Sugar substitute|artificial sweeteners]] are also frequently used. Sweet tea is almost always served ice cold. It may sometimes be flavored, most commonly with [[lemon]]<ref name=AG/> but also with [[peach]], [[raspberry]], or [[Mentha|mint]].<ref name="KK">{{citation |last=Kinsman |first=Kat |title=Southern Sweet Tea |date=2007-06-28 |url=http://www.slashfood.com/2007/06/28/southern-sweet-tea/ |journal=SlashFood |publisher=AOL}}</ref> The drink is sometimes tempered with [[Sodium bicarbonate|baking soda]] to reduce its acidity.<ref name="KK" /> Although sweet tea may be brewed with a lower sugar and calorie content than most [[Juice|fruit juices]] and [[Soft drink|sodas]], it is not unusual to find sweet tea with a sugar level as high as 22 [[Brix|degrees Brix]], or {{value|22|u=g}} per {{value|100|u=g}} of liquid, a level twice that of [[Coca-Cola]].<ref name=AG/><ref name=JK>
{{citation
 |title=I Wish I Lived in a Land of Lipton … What makes Southern sweet tea so special?
 |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2007/08/what-makes-southern-sweet-tea-so-special.html
 |first=Jeffrey |last=Klineman |date=2007-08-08 |journal=Slate |publisher=The Slate Group
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web
 |title=Nutritional information for McDonald's large (32oz) sweet tea
 |url=http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/mcdonalds/sweet-tea-large/
 |publisher=Live Strong |access-date=6 October 2011
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web
 |title=Nutritional information for McDonald's large (32oz) Coca-Cola
 |url=http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/mcdonalds/coke-large-32-ounce/
 |publisher=Live Strong |access-date=6 October 2011
}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web |title=Nutritional information for McDonald's large (21oz) orange juice  |url=http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/mcdonalds/large-orange-juice/
 |publisher=Live Strong |access-date=6 October 2011
}}
</ref>

Sweet tea is regarded as an important regional [[Staple food|staple]] in the [[cuisine of the Southern United States]] and [[Indonesian cuisine|Indonesia]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://gpbnews.org/post/sweet-tea-history-nectar-south |title=Sweet Tea: A History Of The 'Nectar Of The South' |last=Powers |first=Sean |access-date=2018-07-07 |language=en}}</ref>  The availability of sweet tea in [[restaurant]]s and other establishments is popularly used as an indicator to gauge whether an area can be considered part of the South.<ref>
{{Cite news
 |title=The Sweet Tea Line: The Real Border Between North and South
 |url=https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/317-tea-as-a-northsouth-litmus-test
 |last=Jacobs |first=Frank |work=Big Think |access-date=2018-07-07}}
</ref><ref>
{{Cite web
 |title=The Science of Sweet Tea: The Science of the South
 |url=http://www.scienceofthesouth.com/the-science-of-sweet-tea/
 |website=www.scienceofthesouth.com |language=en-US |access-date=2018-07-07}}
</ref><ref>
{{Cite news
 |title=The Sweet Tea Line
 |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/sweet-tea-line/
 |date=2016-04-01 |work=Texas Monthly |language=en-US |access-date=2018-07-07}}</ref>

==History==

=== United States ===
Sweet tea began as an item of luxury due to the expensive nature of its basic ingredients: tea, ice, and sugar.<ref name=AG/><ref name=TT/> Ice was possibly the most valued of the ingredients since it had to be shipped from afar at a time when access to cool drinking water was already a relative luxury. In modern times, sweet tea can be made in large quantities quickly and inexpensively.<ref name=TT/>

The oldest known [[recipe]] for sweet tea was published in a community [[cookbook]] called ''Housekeeping in Old Virginia'' (copyright 1878) by Marion Cabell Tyree.<ref name=AG/> The recipe called for [[green tea]], since most sweet tea consumed during this period was green tea.<ref name=AG/><ref name=TT/> However, during [[World War II]], the major sources of green tea were cut off from the [[United States]] due to the Japanese invasion and occupation of green tea–producing regions. As an alternative, green tea was replaced with [[black tea]] from [[British Raj|British India]]. By the end of World War II, black tea had become the tea most drunk by Americans.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whatscookingamerica.net/history/icedteahistory.htm |title=History of Iced Tea, History of Sweet Tea |publisher=Whatscookingamerica.net |access-date=2012-05-07}}</ref> 

In 2003, supposedly as an [[April Fool's]] joke, the [[Georgia State House of Representatives]] introduced a bill making it a "...[[misdemeanor]] of a high and aggravated nature" to sell iced tea in a restaurant that did not also offer sweet iced tea on the menu.<ref name=JK/> The bill never went to a vote.<ref name=LEG>{{citation |title=HB 819 – Food service establishments; serving tea; requirements |url=http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/display/20032004/HB/819}}</ref>

===Indonesia===
Tea drinking in Indonesia began during the [[Dutch East Indies|Dutch]] colonial rule. In the 17th century, the Dutch brought tea plants to [[Batavia, Dutch East Indies|Batavia]] via [[Sukabumi]] Beach. Tea plants were subsequently planted in Indonesia which were suitable to [[West Java]]. At the same time, in [[Central Java]], sugar cane cultivation was successfully introduced. The ready availability of the two ingredients led to development of sweet tea, which remains the most popular beverage in the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kumparan.com/kumparanfood/asal-usul-es-teh-manis-jadi-minuman-sejuta-umat-di-indonesia-1v10pc7PdIA/full|title = Asal-usul Es Teh Manis Jadi Minuman Sejuta Umat di Indonesia}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Drink|United states|Indonesia}}
* [[Amacha]] ({{literal translation|sweet tea}}), a Japanese drink
* [[Tortuga (cocktail)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*[https://whatscookingamerica.net/history/icedteahistory.htm History of Iced Tea and Sweet Tea]
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZxUEAAAAYAAJ ''Housekeeping in Old Virginia'' by Marion Cabell Tyree.] {{ISBN|1-4101-0508-3}}
*[https://slate.com/human-interest/2007/08/what-makes-southern-sweet-tea-so-special.html A Slate article on sweet tea]

{{Teas}}
{{Indonesian cuisine}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweet Tea}}
[[Category:American drinks]]
[[Category:American tea]]
[[Category:Blended tea]]
[[Category:Cuisine of the Southern United States]]
[[Category:Iced tea]]
[[Category:Indonesian drinks]]
[[Category:Non-alcoholic drinks]]
[[Category:Texan cuisine]]