Cooled and aged prior to serving
DW enjoys fresh tea but prefers the smoothness of cooled and aged tea.

Combination with ice just before serving
After combination the ice begins to melt diluting the sweet tea. The recommended formulation plans for this initial melting. Since it is not carbonated and does not go flat, the sweet tea will last until it becomes (drinkable) tea flavored water. At room temperature the sweet tea should be good for up to half an hour.

DW fills at least half the glass with ice before filling with refrigerated sweet tea. The result is about one third ice and two thirds sweet tea. DW recommends filling the glass near the top with ice when drinking room temperature fresh sweet tea.

There is a quality difference between ice. Store bought ice is almost always better than refrigerator ice. Home ice makers are available that make high quality ice cubes. Crushed ice, while not generally available, changes the nature of sweet tea in a positive way.

Combination with lemon just before serving
DW cuts lemons into 8, 10, and rarely 12 slices depending on size. The slices are placed into a coffee cup and stored next to the sweet tea pitchers. Only one lemon is used at a time so the slices do not dry out. Be careful not to cut yourself! Dull knives can be more dangerous than sharp ones because you have to use more pressure and they can slip on the rind.

DW uses one slice of lemon per 20oz glass. The lemon is squeezed onto the ice and the rind is discarded before the sweet tea is added. This evenly mixes the lemon when the tea is poured. Adding the lemon after pouring usually leaves the bottom unlemoned.

Glass serving container
While glass is the recommended serving container, there are many reasons to use plastic (pools, parties, automobiles, sporting events). See hardware for recommended sweet tea glasses.

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