Chef Kevin Tate recalls his family's unorthodox method of making sweet tea, Southern style. "My grandparents would just line the porch with jars full of water and tea bags and every one of those jars would have two, three, four cups of sugar in it. It's just ridiculous. And it's strong — the color of Coca-Cola."

Some swear that sun-brewed tea is less bitter — fewer tannins are extracted sans boiling.

Unfortunately, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have warned against drinking sun tea because dangerous bacteria have been known to survive — and thrive — in the warm-but-not-hot water.

So here's a stove-top technique for making sweet tea. Southerners swear by Luzianne brand tea, which is supposedly formulated to make good, clear iced tea. You can order it online from TheCajunConnection.com. Note that the recipe calls for the larger, family-size tea bags, designed to make a quart of tea at once. If you use regular-size tea bags, double the number.

One more thing: If you want to say "sweet tea" like a Southerner, run the words together — sort of like "sweetie."

SUNLESS SWEET TEA