Sweet tea Addicts

When we lived in Florida we discovered that Northern Sweet Tea is NOT the same as Southern Sweet Tea.  My family quickly became addicted to Sweet tea.  It got even worse when we discovered a little place in Fort Walton Beach called Yardbirds.  Not only did they have AMAZING chicken, but their sweet tea was so good we bought it by the gallon!  When we moved up to Idaho we realized that we would never be able to find tea as good as Yardbirds.  I was on a mission.  I HAD to find a recipe that was good enough for my family!  I tried and tried.  I tested all kinds of recipes.  I went through A LOT of tea.  I even tried different kinds of tea bags, sugar and water!
I finally found it!  The recipe of a lifetime! My family loves it & I now make it by the gallon - almost every single day!
I have to say though that when I first read that the water is the most important key to goo southern sweet tea I laughed, but I tried it anyways.  Yup, filtered water makes better tea.  A lot of people swear by spring water, but our filtered water from the fridge and the spring water from the store made the same tasting tea.
Sooooo....Here it is - you MUST try it!

First - get 1 gallon of your best water. 
**Boil 2cups of that water and 2cups of sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved & remove from heat and set aside.
**Get 8 regular size Black tea bags, or 4 family size (Luzianne makes the best, but I am currently using a generic black tea and my family didn't notice a difference) put them in a large pot but tie them off to the handle or something so they don't touch the bottom.  Pour the rest of your water over them.
**Bring tea to a simmer (DO NOT BOIL) for 5 minutes.
**Remove from heat & cover & let steep for 20to 25 minutes until you get a nice dark color.
Meanwhile - I stir in my secret ingredient to the 2 cups of sugar water - 2 to 3 tablespoons of honey.  Stir until it's all dissolved.
**Pour you sugar water into your gallon container, then pour your tea over.  Give it a good shake and put in the refrigerator until you just can't stand it anymore.
Fill your glass with crushed ice and pour your tea over it & enjoy!

It looks like I may have to start making 2 gallons because I just went to get some for myself and its ALL GONE!!! Be aware, you may be creating a habit you can't break!