I spent so much of my childhood at my grandparents’ house next door. Lots of good memories! One of my fond memories is of what we called, “tea milk”. Grandma made pitchers of sweet tea every day for anyone who happened by. And the children had milk added. Sounds odd perhaps but we all loved this drink.
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Grandma’s Tea Milk
It started as a way to get us to drink more milk. As toddlers we’d get mostly milk with a little sweet tea added. The proportion of tea to milk increased over the years so that as teenagers we were just adding a splash of milk to our sweet iced tea.
I know it probably sounds odd until you realize that’s exactly what Starbuck’s iced tea lattes are. Grandma was just ahead of her time!
To make a proper glass of “tea milk” you have to start with brewed sweet tea. Here is how Grandma taught me to make it:
- Fill a small saucepan with fresh, cold tap water. Grandma had a tea-stained aluminum saucepan which was her dedicated tea pan. The lid had been missing as far back as I can remember so she used a small plate on top when steeping the tea.
- Bring to a full boil, remove from heat and add approximately 1/4 cup loose leaf tea. Grandma used nothing but Lipton’s. You can substitute 6 tea bags instead.
- Cover pan and allow to steep about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, fill 2 quart glass pitcher about 1/3 full of cold water and add sugar. Grandma used a LOT. Probably a cup and a half. Stir. (I use about 3/4 cup of sugar for “tea milk”.)
- After tea has finished steeping, strain into pitcher, stir and fill the rest of way with cold water.
- Pour over ice.
Add your desired amount of milk. I suggest about 1/4 cup. Stir and enjoy this refreshing treat!
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There may even be some good reasons to consume tea with milk:
What Are the Benefits of Drinking Tea With Milk?
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