If you've spent any time in the South, you know that sweet tea can be sacred to some. It's even found its way into another Southern delicacy, fried chicken . And for that reason, it's also a staple at many a fast-food chain.
However, if a fast food chain has bad sweet tea, whether the sugar ratio is off, or the tea clearly didn't steep long enough, or for too long, that chain can lose a customer permanently. And let's not even touch the lemon debate . To find the best and worst sweet teas so you don't have to, Daily Meal sent a certified Southerner to 15 fast food chains to do some reconnaissance.
There were plenty of big chains represented, including McDonalds and Burger King, and a few more localized ones, such as Bojangles and Culver's. At the end of the trial, it was a major chain that took the top prize: Popeye's. Becki said Popeye's "Cane Sweeeet Iced Tea" was "both strong and sweet with a definitive tea flavor and a good amount of sugar.
No one flavor overpowers anything else, but it's clear that you're drinking real, fresh brewed sweet tea." Why Popeyes has the best sweet tea When a dish or drink has a short list of ingredients, it's exponentially more important to use the best ingredients you can get. That's how Popeye's comes away with the best sweet tea, starting with the tea it uses.
It's a blend of black teas, including orange pekoe, a medium-grade black tea. Even better, it's brewed fresh at each restaurant rather than delivered in concentrate or a similar metho.