Name: Agave-Sweetened Orange-Orange Pekoe Tea
Yield: 12 to 14 servings
Ingredients: 12 cups cold water; 2 2-inch cinnamon sticks; 12 tea bags orange-flavored black tea; 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice; 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1 1/2 cups agave nectar; Ice cubes; Thin orange wedges, for garnish

photo of Bryant Terry's sweet tea with orange in a mason jar.

Agave-Sweetened Orange-Orange Pekoe TeaSara Remington

Ma'Dear, my maternal grandmother, would sun-brew gallon jars full of Sweet Goodness on sweltering hot summer days. Recollections of those containers full of cinnamon-colored tea sitting on her back porch bring back sweet memories of simpler days. This version will satisfy the snootiest of Sweet Tea connoisseurs (read: my mom) and won't give drinkers an insulin spike since it is sweetened with agave nectar.

Soundtrack: "Mississippi Goddamn" by Nina Simone from Protest Anthology

Recipe information

Yield
12 to 14 servings

Ingredients

12 cups cold water

2 2-inch cinnamon sticks

12 tea bags orange-flavored black tea

2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 cups agave nectar

Ice cubes

Thin orange wedges, for garnish

Preparation

Step 1
• In a stockpot, combine the water and cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately add the tea bags, orange juice, lemon juice, and agave nectar. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.
Step 2
• Remove the lid, allow the tea to cool, and remove the tea bags with a slotted spoon.
Step 3
• To serve, ladle into pint-size canning jars filled with ice and garnish with orange wedges.

From Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine by Bryant Terry. © 2009 by Bryant Terry. Published by Da Capo Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Reprinted by permission.