The taste is just plain dreadful. Not only is it bitter, the whole “sweet” part doesn’t even taste like the usual sweet you think of. Like lemonade, yes it is perfectly sweet. Soda beverages, THAT’S sweet. But TEA, awful. And it’s like no matter how many sweetener packets you put in it, it doesn’t at all help. It’s one of those drinks where you might give it another chance if it’s available thinking it might be better but it always lets you down.
If you’re using “sweetener packets”, you’re not drinking sweet tea.
If you’re talking about northern restaurant iced tea, yeah, it’s awful. Have you ever tried to reheat hot black tea gone room temperature in the microwave? Refrigerate that horror show and you’ll have northern restaurant iced tea.
To make it worse, some people try to mix granulated sugar into this iced cold mess, where it doesn’t dissolve, but sinks to the bottom of the glass instead.
OP is right, this is garbage. But OP likely hasn’t had real sweet tea. It’s brewed such that the bitter, tannin taste isn’t there. The sugar is added when it’s still hot.
This. Real sweet tea is like if caramel and diabetes had a baby and tea was just the midwife. It’s not really tea in any sense except the academic, but when you want it you want it, and it’s definitely sweet.
That was part of my confusion until I read about the sugar packets. Sweet tea tastes mostly of sugar, garnished with tea.
Carmel and diabetes and a wet forest floor.
Isn’t that where Clint Eastwood was mayor?
Curses!