South Carolina Sweet Tea - cooking recipe

Ingredients

8 cups water
1 - 1 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 family-sized tea bags (I use Luzianne)

Preparation

Mix water and sugar gradually, tasting and adjusting as necessary. Pour into a pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
Remove from heat and add baking soda. Dunk teabags several times and cover. Allow to steep for 15 - 30 minutes (taste at 15 minutes).
Remove tea bags (do not press!) and let cool to room temperature. Then transfer to a 2-quart glass or plastic pitcher.
Refrigerate for several hours. Serve/garnish with lemon or orange slices. Enjoy! For swamp water, substitute 1 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice for the same amount of water when adding sugar.