Twinings

There are many differences from New England and the South. One of the most obvious is sweet tea. I lived in Florida the summer after I graduated college, and it's safe to say that I stopped by the McDonald's to get a sweet tea before work about 90% of the summer. This was before I became a coffee addict of course. Luckily, I knew better than to come up here and ask for a sweet tea like a redneck tourist. And honestly, I think sweet tea tastes best on those hot, southern summer days so I haven't been too tempted yet.

Lately, Patrick has been a hot tea snob. He'll brew a cup of hot camomile, honey & vanilla tea almost every night. Hey, I'm not complaining though because I get the left over hot water for my hot chocolate. Nothing seems to warm up these cold, winter New England nights like a hot drink after supper. 

Since developing this habit, Patrick has claimed his favorite tea brand is Twinings. I'm not sure if it's a Northern brand or not, but I never heard of it before moving here. So, when I saw it on sale at my favorite store, Christmas Tree Shops, it gave me an excuse to waste an hour browsing through cheap junk treasures. (If your curiosity is getting the best of you, check out my CTS findings here.) While throwing the camomile, honey & vanilla tea (hubs favorite) in the cart, I noticed that they make peach tea too. Sigh! Anything peach is a guilty pleasure of mine. So it quickly made it's way to the cart as well. It's been waiting patiently in the pantry for weeks, and tonight was it's grand debut. I made it just like I would a pitcher of sweet tea, but I didn't add as much sugar. It was a perfect blend and is easily my new favorite drink. It may not be the traditional sweet southern tea, but it's just what I needed this evening, which makes me happy.

              Sweet Peach Tea

1. Brew 8 cups of water in kettle
2. Remove kettle after whistle and add 4 tea packets
3. Let brew for 5-7 minutes
4. Meanwhile, add 3/4 cup sugar to pitcher
5. Add water to pitcher until it covers the sugar, then stir to dissolve sugar in water
6. Mix in brewed tea and ice
7. Enjoy