If you’ve spent time in the South, you know sweet tea holds a special place in the hearts of many. It’s often paired with Southern classics like fried chicken and is a common offering at numerous fast food chains. However, if a fast food restaurant serves bad sweet tea—whether the sugar ratio is off, or the tea hasn’t been steeped correctly—it can lose customers fast. And let’s not even get started on the debate over adding lemon.
To help find the best and worst sweet teas, Daily Meal sent a certified Southerner to 15 fast food chains to test their offerings. The review included major chains like McDonald’s and Burger King, as well as more regional spots such as Bojangles and Culver’s. After all the taste tests, one chain stood out above the rest: Popeyes.
According to the review, Popeyes’ “Cane Sweeeet Iced Tea” was praised for its perfect balance. Becki, the reviewer, said it was “both strong and sweet with a clear tea flavor and just the right amount of sugar. No one flavor overwhelms the other, and it’s clear that it’s freshly brewed.”
Why Popeyes Has The Best Sweet Tea
When a drink has only a few ingredients, it’s crucial to use high-quality ones. This is where Popeyes excels, starting with its tea blend. Popeyes uses a mix of black teas, including orange pekoe, which is a medium-grade black tea. Even better, the tea is brewed fresh at each location, not made from concentrate or pre-prepared in bulk.
As for the sweetener, Popeyes sticks to pure cane sugar, as the name “Cane Sweeeet Iced Tea” suggests. While there’s no significant health benefit to using cane sugar over other sweeteners, it has a more natural taste with a slight fruity note that complements the tea. For those who prefer less sweetness, some fans suggest ordering the tea half-sweet and half-unsweet to keep the flavor while reducing the sugar content.
Other Top Fast Food Sweet Teas (And Some to Avoid)
While Popeyes took the top spot, other fast food chains also made strong showings. Sonic’s tea earned second place, with reviewers describing its flavor as “earthy and slightly floral.” If you’re feeling adventurous, Sonic offers options to mix its tea with other drink flavors.
In third place was Taco Bell’s sweet tea, though the Daily Meal writer found it overly sweet. In fact, some Taco Bell employees have mentioned that large amounts of tea are often thrown out daily as part of their quality control process.
The highest-ranking sweet tea from a smaller chain came in at eighth place—Captain D’s. The first sip was described as promising, but the sweetness quickly overpowered the tea flavor. At the bottom of the list was Chipotle’s sweet tea, which the reviewer found weak and not sweet enough, leaving a dry feeling in her mouth. It’s another item to add to the “don’t” list at Chipotle, where you’d be better off grabbing your sweet tea fix from Popeyes instead.