This easy single serve subtly sweet tea recipe is just what you need to cool down and relax during those hot summer months – or even when you need a taste of summer when the weather is chilly!

sweet tea with lemon, background of a blurry chair and some green grass

I am from Michigan and my husband is from Ohio. Around these parts, we don’t really have sweet tea. However, we lived in Kentucky for 2 years and sweet tea was my go to drink at every restaurant. In the north, if you ask for sweet tea, they’ll give you unsweetened tea with a packet of sugar – um, no ma’am, that just isn’t right. In the south, it’s oh so delicious and each place had their own variation. Sometimes i’d enjoy it plain, while others i’d add lemon – and if I was really feeling adventurous, adding a little mint made it oh so tasty.

We are back in Michigan now and I get a craving for sweet tea every now and then. It’s not something I like to drink a whole lot of and I certainly don’t need to whip up a whole pitcher, so this subtly sweet single serve version is all I need to satisfy that craving.

Some notes on the ingredients I used

Filtered Water – I used to be in the tap water camp – I would always say “what’s so bad about tap water?” and drink it like it was no biggie. Then, after a rabbit hole of research, I graduated to using the Brita, then fridge water and eventually we invested in a counter top reverse osmosis filter. One day we’d love to have a whole house reverse osmosis filter, but until then, this will do! Here’s the one we use.
Tea Bags – I ordered organic black tea bags off of Amazon. The kind I used are decaf because I am currently pregnant, but here is a link to the caffeinated version.
Sugar – I used Thrive Market Organic Cane Sugar here. You could absolutely use a substitute, although I’ve never tried. There’s nothing quite like the real thing. This recipe isn’t overly sweet, so I tell myself it’s okay because i’m not using TOO much.

Add your sugar to your heat safe mug

sugar added into a heat safe mug, sugar and a spoon are also pictured on a white countertop

Add your desired amount of sugar into your heat safe mug. I used one tablespoon of Thrive Market Organic Cane Sugar.

Boil your water and dissolve your sugar

hot water being poured into a coffee mug with sugar in it

Add in your boiling water. Give your sugar and boiling water a good mix until the sugar has dissolved. This takes seconds!

Add in your tea bags

two tea bags being added into a mug filled with boiling water on a white countertop

I used two decaf black tea bags. I used decaf because I am pregnant, but once I am able to drink some caffeine again I will definitely switch back over to caffeinated black tea. Here you can find the exact tea I used.

Let cool and transfer your tea to a glass with ice

cold glass of tea with a lemon slice in the cup and lemon on the side of the cup on the table

Add ice, your tea, lemon or even mint! Give it a good stir and enjoy!

How sweet is this subtly sweet tea?

It’s just that, subtly sweet. It’s not overpoweringly sweet, like the kind of sweet that hits you when you drink a soda or a canned tea like Brisk.
If you’d like your tea to be a touch sweeter, I’d start by adding more sugar in 1/2 tablespoon increments until you get your desired sweetness.

How long should the tea sit before I add ice?

I recommend steaming your tea for at least 5 minutes. This gives your tea time to disperse and your water a chance to cool down.
Sometimes if I have the time (and patience) I will stick this in the fridge after a few minutes and come back to it 30 minutes to an hour later. By that time, your ice cubes won’t melt right away. You want to be sure you don’t put your ice cubes in right away because then your tea will become diluted and may be less sweet than you want.

Why single serve?

For me personally, if I have a whole jug of this stuff in my fridge, it’ll be gone in a day. This helps me to stay on track while still enjoys sugary drinks that I love!
For hot summer days, there’s really nothing better than subtly sweet tea – but that’s just my opinion 🙂

Single Serve Subtly Sweet Tea

This single serve iced tea is subtly sweet and oh so yummy!

Print Recipe

Cuisine American

Servings 1 person

Equipment

Kettle either stovetop or electric

Ingredients

8-10 oz boiling water
2 black tea bags
1-2 tbsp sugar 1 for subtly sweet, 2 for more sweet
Ice

Instructions

Measure out about 10oz or 1&1/4 cups of water and add it to your kettle. Being to boil the water on the stove top. You can also boil your water in the microwave for an easier option, just be sure to use a heat safe cup with a handle!
Prep the other ingredients – Get out your 2 black tea bags and 1 tablespoon of sugar. In a coffee mug or cup, add in your one tablespoon of sugar. NOTE: if you want to turn this from subtly sweet to really sweet, add two tablespoons of sugar instead of 1.
Pour and stir – pour your hot water into you mug with the sugar. Mis the sugar until dissolved, this typically takes about 10 seconds or less. Then, add in your tea bags.
Steep the tea bags for AT LEAST 4 minutes or until you are ready to drink your tea. O typically leave mine out until I'm ready to drink it and this gives it sufficient time to become lukewarm instead of piping hot.
Serve! When your tea bags have steeped for your preferred amount of time, remove them. Then, you can add ice cubes directly to this mug, or transfer to a pretty glass. Store add lemon if you'd like, and enjoy!

Was this your cup of tea?

Let me know in the comments what variations you made to your single serve tea!

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Single Serve Subtly Sweet Tea for Hot Summer Days