Geri B

Yup! I do the same for my coffee...it's the chicory in the coffee that makes it bitter..at least that's what I was told a long time ago....now I have a Keurig one cuper andI use my own coffee rather that prepackaged and still put a few grains of salt in that coffee basket. But I must mention I did break down and bought a box of folgers prepacked baskets and that coffee tasted excellent.
Will have to go back and buy folgers can again

KwiltyKahy

I thought I was the only one.

rural01

Wow, never heard of using baking soda in tea. I often make sun tea. I'm trying to cut out the sugar so I put a little honey into it instead--one generous squirt for each teabag. The honey dissolves as the tea warmly brews in the sunshine. I generally use four tea bags in a quart of water in a glass container. I keep it in the fridge and it tastes great for just as long as I need it.

donnamcr

I come from a long line of iced tea drinkers, die-hard. We drink it unsweet. Reputedly, my daddy's family drank iced tea year around, which was apparently unusual for a farm family before the advent of electric refrigerators.

At our family table, my daddy considered it the heightof hospitality to keep the guest's tea glass filled. And he would come around and add ice to your glass, whether you wanted it or not.

My mother did not refrigerate leftover iced tea, as she said it would turn cloudy. And in those days, I think she was right. This was before Tupperware.

So for years I didn't. However, now I do with no problem. In fact, it will keep more than one day.

I have read not to squeeze tea bags, because I might cause bitterness, and I don't.

I do use tea bags today, although my mother never would even in her 90s.

These days, we enjoy one small Ginger Peach black tea decaffeinated tea bag (Republic of Tea) for each family size decaffeinated black pekoe tea (Tetley or Lipton). I just serve it and don't say it's decaffeinated. They can't tell the difference. Using decaffeinated, flavored, tea bags would scandalize my daddy (who, thankfully, isn't here to see it). :-0

kay carlson

I always store my tea in a glass container, if not using the specialty material found for the Mr. Tea or Brita water containers. A pinch of baking soda is the trick.

NanaCsews2

I have believed for years that tea should be made in a large mason jar in the sun, green tea flushes out fat, cloudy tea is still full of antioxidants, decaffeinating tea should only be done by the CO2 method, and a pitcher of tea doesn't last in our house long enough to end up overnight in the fridge. I also know that fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies go very well with day old tea. Other than that, I know nothing. About tea.

Billi

Its so funny how different we all our in making our beloved Tea We like our ice tea unsweetened

Mostly I make sun tea 1gallon glass container filled with filtered water 12 tea bags and sunshine 4-8 hours. When I bring it in and remove the tea bags I leave it on the counter till its cool or room temp before putting it in the fridge. It will last 48 hours easy without getting cloudy. I have also found if I use just off the boil water I only need 8-9 tea bags again if I let it cool on the counter before refrigerating it does not get cloudy.

I have never heard of using baking soda in tea.

BuzzinBumble

This is all so interesting - now I have to give all your wonderful suggestions a try! Glad you asked Ruby.

GrammieJan

I grew up in the South and most people there made sweet tea. My mother made it way too sweet, yuck. Because of rationing during WW2, we had to use saccharine for sweetener.
When I came to NM at age 18 I learned to like tea unsweetened, that is the way most folks like it here.
Like one person mentioned here, fresh ice cubes makes the refrigerated tea taste fresh.

loisf

My husband makes tea with tea bags and hot tap water. He just lets it sit on the counter for a few hours 'til it's cool and dark, and then into the frig. There is nothing better than an Arnold Palmer - 1/3 to 1/2 lemonade and the rest tea. Oooh, I could go for one now.