Why do they put baking soda in their Iced tea in the south??

Answer 1

Never heard of that... only thing I noticed in the South was that the iced tea was sweetened and it was difficult to find places that had unsweetened iced tea. I wasn't used to that. The iced tea was always too sweet for my liking.

http://www.grits.com/tea.htm
According to the website, the baking soda helps darken the ice tea and takes away some of the bitterness.

It sounds like one of those old-wives tales that's carried on for generations.

Answer 2

Baking Soda In Iced Tea

Answer 3

Baking Soda In Sweet Tea

Answer 4

Okay... so it might seem a bit strange to add baking soda to iced tea or "sweet tea", but in fact there is a chemical explanation other than some folks saying it s just an "ole wive s tale". Black Tea and Pekoe Tea the one s used for iced tea contain an abundance of natural tannins. Tannins are bitter and might make your mouth "pucker" after drinking red wine. Depending on what blend of tea is used, there is a chance it can be bitter or sour because of the tannins. By adding a small amount of baking soda (1/8) tsp. the ph. level of the solution is raised effectively knocking the tannins out and thereby making your iced tea less bitter or "smoother". Before the advent of blended teas in bags where the different amounts of teas are controlled and the proportions are the same each time, this practice was far more common because tea was made with loose leaves and it was more "hit or miss" on the proportions. My apologies for the lengthy answer, however I don t always like it when someone who thinks an idea is more or less silly. They re only doing this because they don t understand the science or reason behind a certain practice so they chalk it up to a "wives tale". If you think it s STILL silly after my explanation, brew a pot the way you normally would. Immediately after you add the tea bags put an 1/8 of a tsp. of baking soda in the water to steep and see what you think??? I m willing to bet you ll be pleasantly surprised with the results.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why do they put baking soda in their Iced tea in the south??

Answer 6

I live in the south and I don't put baking soda in my iced tea, just sugar and lemon. However, my friend's mom does that and she said that it makes the tea less bitter and makes it darker. I've never noticed a real difference though.

Answer 7

It does make it darker and less bitter. It is a very old tradition in parts of the south. For you non-believers, it's easy enough to try and you will immediately see and taste the difference. Many restaurants do it so that the tea always appears to be a darker brew (hence, whether it is stronger or not, it has the appearance of such). My son just made a pot in his new Whistler. A co-worker told him about it and he wanted to try it - very easy to see in a glass kettle. He likes it and said it was a good improvement. The Lipton was a light/med hue and it turned it pitch black. Source - 50 yrs native of LA

Answer 8

My mother was from N.C. She put baking soda in her tea . How much , I do not know . Everyone who drank her ice tea tells me until this day , her ice tea was the best they drank . The brand was loose leaf Lipton tea . I do wish I would have paid more attention to how she made it . It was some of the best . I do not know how to make it like she made it .

Answer 9

If your water is acidic then the baking soda raises the ph to be more alkaline. Especially well water. It also makes the tea darker. Some bottled water is also highly acidic. You can purchase paper strips to dip in your water to test the PH. Should be about 8. To much acid is not good for you.

Answer 10

Tea has caffeine in it which causes the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to relax, which in turn can lead to heartburn. Baking soda is a natural antacid, so maybe this is why. It can also remove cloudiness and bitterness from the tea, especially if you drink black tea.