As the weather starts to heat up I have begun dreaming of summer days, relaxing outside and enjoying an ice cold cup of sweet sun tea. In the south many of us live off of sweet tea year round, but in the summer is it a must.
Today I want to share with you a sun brewed tea that is the best tea. This method of brewing tea is as easy as it is tasty. Perfect for a BBQ on a summer afternoon out on the porch. Be sure to start it a few hours ahead of time so that it can be brewed and chilled when you are ready to serve it.
You will need :
1 glass pitcher or jar. Yes, glass is necessary to help ensure no bacterial growth. It should be very clean, scrub with soap and water before starting. I found this cute jar at Wal-Mart for only $5!
4 bags of tea. You will only find Lipton at my house ever. It gives a wonderfully rounded flavor.
Enough water to fill your jar. Try to use filtered water, better flavor and reduce the chance of bacterial growth. Mine is a gallon jar.
Sugar for after brewing and aromatics if wanted.
Place water and tea bags into your jar. Seal with a lid or plastic wrap. Place in direct sunlight, inside a window or outside on a table. I expected more to happen at first but it stayed clear for a good 10-15 minutes.
Let steep for 2-4 hours. You are looking for a deep amber color. Let it go too long and it will become bitter.
After the first 15 minutes, it had started to have a little color. 
After 2 hours I liked the color so I brought it in.
Bring inside sweeten to taste, add any other flavors you may want. Pour over ice and enjoy.
If I was making this for just me I would use a decaffeinated tea and a sugar substitute like Pyure (Stevia), or Sweet n Low. I grew up on regular delicious sweet tea, but in college realized I have a sensitivity to caffeine so the only way to enjoy my loved sweet tea was to us decaffeinated tea. Now on the THM plan, we don’t use sugar for obvious reasons but a pyure has served as a great replacement in giving me the flavor I love.
