Sweet tea and traditional iced tea are both served cold across the Southeastern United States. Southern-style sweet tea is brewed double-strength and sweetened while still hot or warm so sugar dissolves and integrates into the brew. Some makers remove the pot before adding sugar, while others simmer sugar with the tea as it steeps. Adding sugar when warm produces a smooth, integrated sweetness, bolder flavor notes, and a velvety mouthfeel that cannot be replicated by sweetening after cooling. Both sweet and unsweetened iced tea are common at home and restaurants, often served with lots of ice and a long stirring teaspoon.
As a born and raised Southerner, I know a thing or two about iced tea - notably that a glass of classic iced tea is definitely not the same as sweet tea. That's true regardless of whether both are sugared up, served with lots of ice in a tall glass, and accompanied by a very long spoon for stirring (yes, there's a specific "tea spoon" for this, and it has nothing to do with a measuring teaspoon).
Sweet tea is the gold standard, and here's the defining factor: Southern‑style sweet tea is not merely iced tea with sugar dumped in afterward. The sugar instead gets added while the tea is still warm, giving it a smooth, integrated sweetness. Waiting until after the liquid is cold to incorporate sugar just can't replicate this effect. The process affects everything from the tea's sweetness level to its bold flavor notes and velvety mouthfeel.
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