Hacker News Reader

I don’t know but it’s one of my favorite rituals, when northerners come down here and innocently order tea and then gag at first sip.

View on HN

There is some unpalatable concoction served as "sweet tea" in various chain sit-down restaurants in the greater deep south area that I assume either uses some non-sugar sweetener or some instant tea mix. I now order unsweetened iced tea, and add sugar to taste. see also: "If this is tea bring me coffee, and if it is coffee bring me tea." https://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/11/11/coffee-tea/

It's not sweet tea if you put sugar in cold tea. It's tea with sugar.

Or so I've been told by my southern relatives. I can't really taste a difference.

You put the sugar in when the tea is hot because it allows you to super saturate the room temperature/cold tea with sugar and the tea is more like a syrup. If you just stir in sugar, you can't get the same amount, especially if they bring you chilled tea.

You can practically feel the diabetes when you drink sweet tea in the south.

> You can practically feel the diabetes when you drink sweet tea in the south.

That’s the South I know and love. I salute you.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com