For me the water I use makes a difference. Some cities' tap water has minerals that taint the taste. I use bottled spring water when I want "Snobby" tea. Even if I just use the bottled water to boil & soak the bags then top it off with tap water. I saw a post one day from a restaurant employee and it said they put 1/4 tsp of baking soda in a gallon of iced tea while brewing & they said it is the best.

I am a tea snob, so welcome to the club. I use only tea that comes from England. Ahmad tea company, expensive but worth the cost. And it is available on Amazon now.

I bought a coffee pot for tea only. Not hard to do, just 1 bag per cup.

I have found that as long as I keep my tea in a covered container it does not get that old tea taste but it does in an open pitcher

Tesspug is correct that using a plastic pitcher will make the tea taste old (and even rank). Tea without sugar tastes bad quicker, tea should go into the fridge and in a glass pitcher. If you use a plastic pitcher you have to soak it in Clorox every couple of weeks. Being raised in the south means drinking sweet tea starting in your baby bottle:o We joke that tea without sugar is just colored water!

My friend was born and raised in CA - she married a man in the Navy and was sent to North Carolina. Mary had an afternoon tea at her home and one of the things she had was iced tea. Being from So Cal she was not familiar with Sweet Tea, and she heard one of the other ladies whisper, "Poor dear she forgot to add the sugar, should be tell her?" Mary had no idea what they were talking about because she never heard of making it with sugar, it was something you added to your personal taste. She did learn to make it after that day.

Another thing I would never want to make for the folks in the south is my peach pie. One of those items best to leave for the locals. :D

Pinch of baking soda in boiling water (add sugar at this point if you use it and stir, while boiling, until melted)
steep in glass jar, pouring boiling water over tea (I use a huge Mason jar.)
remove tea bags after 10 minutes or so, do not squeeze them
let cool quite a bit on the kitchen counter, then
refrigerate, covered with lid.
I drink mine into the 3rd day without noticing an off flavor. But I also use sugar AND lemon.

Jan in VA

i'd drink tea at your house anytime!

Several years ago I worked at a nursing home where the kitchen staff made iced tea by the same method as sun tea but the jar was placed in the refrigerator the night before and by noon the next day the tea was made and ice cold. It was a very pure taste. Nowadays I heat the water containing a tea bag in the microwave, fill a large cup with ice and then pour the microwaved "concentrate" over the ice. Works for the immediate consumption and for just myself.

OMG! I never thought of sun tea turning rancid while sun brewing! How many yrs have I been doing that! Well, this year a new method.....sun tea jar goes in fridge overnite with those Cold Brew tea bags and mint from my garden, and simple syrup for sweetening......it will just sit in there along with my cucumber water!

I fill a gallon pitcher with water filtered thru the fridge, add 9 teabags, and put it on the shelf in the fridge. Make it as strong as you like. 4-5 hours of steeping is right for us. We like plain tea, so sweet at all. This will keep for several days with no "old" taste.