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.
It is American, yes, but it’s not an abomination. You just brew tea (typically a black tea), add sugar, chill, and serve over ice. It makes a lot more sense than hot tea when you live in a warm climate.
Thanks! I guess we’d just call that ice tea then. We have all of that available as well, including the Asian variants, modern bubble tea or cold brew, iced coffee… But I don’t think they’re that big here. It’d be one of the countless options next to ice tea peach/lemon, juice mixed with sparkling water, lemonade or nice things closer to a non-alcoholic cocktail.
It’s kind of a staple here (Southern US). I definitely knew people growing up who, if you opened their fridge, you would always find a jug of sweet iced tea in there.
It was also a status symbol in the old South, as tea, sugar, and ice were all pretty expensive at the time.
I mean, pretty much any treat or luxury would be, yeah.
It is absolutely a disgusting abomination.