I’ve been traveling around for a few weeks and moving in and out. And I neglected my email.

I was asked for a more specific recipe for making (un)sweet tea, The Right Way.

Well, bless your heart for asking, and please do forgive the late reply. Now let me give y’all a southerner’s guide to tea, take No. 2:

• Hot water (not at all optional)

• One pitcher (large, that looks like it belonged to your grandmother; will taste better if it DID belong to your grandmother)

• Stove (unless you’ve got a witch’s cauldron set up)

1) Have something to complain about. Hot weather or a loved one acting up (whew child!) are traditional choices. For best results, pick something mild and only slightly irritating, not something that keeps you up at night.

2) Mutter to yourself and/or shake your head as you fill up a tea kettle/pot with water. Do not use one of those electric kettles. That makes you look like a Yankee! (They also don’t usually get hot enough to brew tea well.) Use enough water to fill your pitcher about halfway.

3) Boil the water. Fan yourself with the nearest piece of paper or an actual fan. Shake your head again, with one hand on your hip. “Thank goodness,” you must tell yourself, “I don’t need to turn the oven on to make a decent drink!”

Note: Although your stove should really be gas (traditional in the South thanks to frequent storms/hurricanes shutting off the power), you can’t be expected to run out and replace a perfectly good appliance just because it’s electric.

4) As the water boils, set up your tea bags. The number you need will depend on how big your pitcher is. You can’t ask for help, because southerners take their tea as seriously as the Brits, and refuse to believe their preferred ratio would be anything but perfect (they feel sorry for you for getting it wrong; it’s too bad your Mama didn’t raise you better, but bless her poor heart for doing her best). Odds are good you’ll need between 4-6 tea bags for your pitcher. Go up or down to make it stronger (or for really large/small amounts).

5) Pour the boiling water over the tea bags. If your pitcher has a lid with a vent, hold the strings of the tea bags in one hand as you pour and secure the lid so the strings hang out, keeping the bags in place. In a pinch you can tape them down or remove any paper and let the strings hang out in the tea.

6) Let the tea sit at least 10 minutes, but ideally much longer. 30 minutes to an hour is great.

7) (Optional) Add sugar to taste if you like. Most southerners will rot their teeth or keep it unsweet. There is no in-between. You can also add sugar later to each individual glass, but it takes longer to stir in when not hot.

8) Fill the pitcher with room temperature water or ice. To be really southern, leave the tea bags in to get stronger the next day (or two or three).

9) Serve over a full glass of ice with lemon (sugar optional). If drinking the second day be sure to pompously proclaim how much better tea is when it’s been sitting and brewing stronger overnight.

Make this recipe more authentic by pairing with real vinegar-based barbecue or fried catfish.

Elena Johnson apologizes to reader Bobbie and hopes this recipe makes up for the delayed response. Say howdy at ejohnson@cdapress.com.

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