Here in southeast Missouri we might be more midwest than we are southern, but we still love our sweet tea. Some soda dispensers offer sweet tea as a option. It's no joke. And summer time is the best time of year to enjoy a tall glass of ice cold sweet tea. 🙂
There are all sorts of variations on sweet teas but here is one of my favorite recipes. The addition of a little honey adds another depth of sweetness/flavor. I love oranges but any citrus you prefer could be used here instead (like lemons or limes). Oranges are sweeter, but lemons could add a little zest kick, so you do what you like.
Zest kick. Hmm. I don't know what I'm talking about sometimes.
Honey & Orange Sweet Tea, makes one large pitcher
64 ounces water (or about 2/3 full in a large pitcher)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 cold brew tea bags (I used Lipton)
1 orange
In the pitcher stir together the water, sugar and honey until dissolved. Add the tea bags and allow to brew for 3-4 minutes (check your package for directions as different brands may have different suggestions). Remove the bags.
Slice the orange very thin, removing any seeds. Add the orange slices and enough ice to fill the pitcher.
If you can't find cold brew tea bags, or prefer to use regular you could try making sun tea. 
Serve cold. Sit on your front porch. In a rocking chair. With a banjo. Whittling wood. Reading a book on outdated, southern stereotypes.
Too far? Ok, then just enjoy the tea. 🙂 xo. Emma
73 Comments
I am going to make this right now!!!
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mmmm YUM!
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this looks so refreshing for a hot day like the one i’m experiencing right now!! xo
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Fantastic blog!
A lots of inspiration!;)
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Phwoar. Yes please
This looks so refreshing !!
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Oooh, this looks delicious. The oranges and honey in there must taste amazing. I’ll have to give it a try!
-Becca
http://ladyfaceblog.blogspot.com
Perfect! It’s bloody hot over here so I’ll definitely be making this as a cool refreshment!
http://sincerelylara.com
Looks so refreshing ! Great tip !
XX Luba
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Hee hee I moved to the South (SC) from Ireland a few months ago and while I don’t quite have the banjo and whittling wood down yet I do love me some iced tea!!
Summer evenings on the porch with some iced tea = perfection. I’ll give this recipe a go 🙂
Martina
http://snapshotsandwhatnots.typepad.com
i looks so tasty i will try it soon. 🙂
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I use any tea bags I have on hand (which is about 40 different kinds) and brew them in a to-go mug of hot hot water for 10 minutes or until I remember they are sitting there. That way I can use any tea and don’t have to wait for the sun to brew them. Then, pour the tea water into a pitcher and fill the rest up with water.
I would never think of doing anything like that, I’m going to try it as here in the UK it’s bloomin boiling right now x
Girl About Chelts
Mmmm! Gotta love some iced tea in the summer! How long can you leave the orange slices in before they start to make the tea bitter tasting? I have a feeling it won’t last me that long, but just in case it would be good to know.
Oh yummy! This looks SO good, I have been wanting to make sweet tea, but up in Maine not many people do! This recipe looks ideal, and I’m excited to make it 🙂
xoxo
Juliette Laura
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I love reading your posts….so witty! And, as a fellow southerner, I LOVE sweet tea 🙂 Orange and honey sounds great!
Great recipe! This week I made some cold tea too – I boiled the kettle, and poured hot water over one green tea bag and one strawberry tea bag into a jug. I left them to brew for a few hours (!) whilst cooling, then took the bags out and chilled.
It tastes seriously good! Especially half and half with lemonade! 🙂
sounds so yum! I could definitely go for some right now!
Yum! I love making different flavored teas in the summer. This looks so good!
<3 dani
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Ohh goodness this sounds wonderful! Being a northwest girl, I visited the south an had legitimate sweet tea for the first time this summer, and am hooked.
I’ve been really into making sun tea this summer, this sweet tea seems like it takes a little more effort though. Probably worth the effort though, huh 🙂
Erin
a clover & a bee
Mmm this looks delicious! Would be perfect for the heat wave we’ve been going through!
♥Brooke
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I love sweet tea. Here in NC its a most.
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That looks yummy!
CELIAROSE
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I´ve never tried sweet tea but this sounds delicious!
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this looks deliciously refreshing – oh so perfect for this time of year!
xx
This sounds so wonderful. I like how you used honey instead of sugar.
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It’s the hottest day of the year here in Germany and this looks just what I’m longing for after a long day of work!
Yummy- thanks for the inspiration!
Sunny greetings from Germany,
Birdy and Bambi
http://lasagnolove.blogspot.de/
They’re not THAT outdated! LOL. I grew up in Georgia and my grandmother is really an expert at sitting out on her porch, drinking sweet tea with old Southern gospel playing in the background while we talk about antiques and our family stories. Not exactly the same stereotype, but hey, just as lovely. Thanks for sharing this great recipe! As a Southerner, I’d say you got it just right :).
true blue southern girl here. Making the sweet tea was my job before dinner while growing up, and now it’s just second nature. My mom always told me to put a pinch of salt in with the hot water and tea bags while they steep. The salt helps extract the flavor and natural sweetness of the tea. Try it!
Seems to me like a perfect beverage while reading ‘The Help’ by K. Stockett 😉
I’m really hoping some day that I start liking tea and wine. It’s a staple in grown-up life, right?
Vintage Amore
Sweet tea has always been a fave of mine since I was a child. This so delicious!! 🙂
Lulu xx
http://luluslittlewonderland.blogspot.com
Ice tea is the bomb digity!
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Whittling wood…. I laughed out loud. Ha.
It is SO hot here. This tea sounds refreshing.
It’s funny because “sweet tea” is supposed to be such a southern thing but here in Canada it’s the only kind of iced tea we drink! Recipe looks great. 🙂
Yum!This looks delicious! I love oranges, I definitely want to try it in my sweet tea! x
I love drinking tea like this! 🙂
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I love tea, but I actually don’t like my tea as sweet as some people do, I usually order unsweetened. And I’m from Kentucky originally and they do consider themselves southern there, so I’m just an outcast all around, lol.
Mana
http://www.fashionandhappythings.com
This looks so refreshing! I love making sun tea in the summer time, the addition of orange will be perfect!
I love tea so much! this is a great recipe. will be trying it very soon. thanks for sharing it! xx. gigi. http://www.gigikkitchen.blogspot.com
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This is lovely!
I work in a tea shop so in the summer, we serve different iced teas every day. It’s so much fun to make and it’s great trying out our favourite teas served cold.
xx
Celina | The Celution
I am so making this when I get home. Why I didn’t think of orange slices instead of lemon, I don’t know. Must be that rut I get stuck in.
Thanks for sharing!
Oh my days, it is so hot here right now this would be PERFECT! Thank you for such a fab idea 🙂 xo
Looks delicious. I love me some sweet tea. It was definitely one of my favourite parts of visiting my family in the Southern States (a long way from Toronto, Canada) in the summertime. A great way to beat the crazy heat wave we have going in the city.
Alex from http://www.polkadottedpixels.com
These photo’s are stunning! And the recipe looks delicious I might add!
Looks refreshing and yummy – perfect for summer!
M.
I’m Irish so I love tea too, but usually warm tea! this looks so refreshing though 😉
Cathy
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Mmmm, I’m very picky about my sweet tea. I’ll have to try this out, it sounds delicious.
We’ve been living off lilikoi green tea, but we’ve finally used up all the fresh lilikoi from our vine. This looks absolutely beautiful. It will be wonderful until our lemon tree grows up.
This looks so refreshing and perfect for summer!
This looks divine! Will make this at my next bbq!
Thanks so much for sharing, x http://chictrends.co.uk/
This is why I love this blog!!! Mouth-watering!!
Up in Canada we just call it “Iced Tea”, tea that we make in the sun we call “sun tea”. When we go to the states and order iced tea for the first time it’s really shocking because it’s just cold tea.. without sugar. (There’s 10 year old me, pouring sugar packet after sugar packet into my cup of sad, cold tea) It wasn’t until years later that I learned you guys call it “sweet tea”. Looks delicious though, no matter the name 🙂
Haha! Made me laugh there at the end! 🙂 Can’t wait to try the recipe!
Ah this looks lovely and refreshing!
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Haha I like the visual Emma!
Rocking chair, front porch, banjo, ice cold sweet tea… it’s perfect.
xo Miriam
http://mivasophia.blogspot.ca
Yum! This looks so delicious and a very welcome reprieve from the hot Florida sun! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I wonder if this would be good spiked? – Leah, leahwise.com
i LOOOVE a delicious iced tea in the summer. and with the heat wave this week, i think this would definitely hit the spot.
Yummm- I’ve been drinking good ‘ol crystal light but this seems much more impressive!
Xo
Dana Ivy
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Growing up in Missouri myself, I can’t remember a house that didn’t have both sweet tea in the fridge and sun tea on the porch during the summer months. Sometimes, my mom would add sliced lemon or orange or fresh mint leaves. Aw, memories. Thanks for the reminder of the good ol’ days. 🙂
Can’t wait to try this version!
Yum!!
Wow! Were we on the same brain wave or what!?!
❤Sara
http://sunnyblondestudio.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/lets-make-sun-tea.html
This looks amazing! Anything with honey seems to be good
One of the things I always look forward to when I visit the south is the sweet tea!!! This looks so refreshing.
My two favorite flavors! I’ve gotta try this!
“Some soda dispensers offer sweet tea as a option.” Umm…it didn’t occur to me that sweet tea in coke machines wasn’t a normal thing for the rest of America (but I guess it makes sense). Definitely going to try out your recipe!
Sounds really lovely, I might have to try it when it gets warmer. I’m the ice tea maker in my house. 🙂
I’m always looking for new tea ideas! Love this one!!
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Honey & Orange Sweet Tea – A Beautiful Mess