I ordered sweet tea from Chick-fil-A, Zaxby's, and Raising Cane's, and the best balanced flavor with sugar

As a Texan, I'm no stranger to the Southern delicacy known as sweet tea, an iced beverage typically made by adding sugar or simple syrup to black tea when it's boiling or still hot.

I decided to order sweet tea from three chains in San Antonio, Texas, to find which restaurant offered the beverage with the right amount of sweetness, a great flavor, and the best value.

I compared tea and the ice in my beverages from the Southern-based chains Chick-fil-A, Raising Cane's, and Zaxby's.

When I ordered and dined at Raising Cane's and Zaxby's, I poured my own tea and portioned ice from a self-service station in the lobby. The tea from Chick-fil-A was poured for me.

Founded in 1946, the Georgia-based chain has over 2,600 locations across the US. Chick-fil-A is best known for its chicken sandwiches and being closed on Sundays.

I remember Chick-fil-A best as "mall food" from my teenage years and have been to the chain numerous times.

A 16-ounce medium iced sweet tea at Chick-fil-A cost me $2.39.

Though I like sweet tea I still don't want it to taste like sugar water. Chick-fil-A's sweet tea was perfectly balanced, which didn't surprise me because I usually have a positive experience with the chain's beverages (especially the lemonade).

I ordered through the drive-through so my tea and ice were portioned out by a staff member. I didn't look at the ice in my tea but it didn't feel like my cup was packed full of ice, which I think my beverages usually are when I order in the drive-through.

Chick-fil-A's sweet tea seemed fresh and had a strong tea taste but it wasn't too overpowering. Sometimes, stronger tea has a bitter aftertaste but this didn't. It had just enough ice to make the drink cold but not so much that my cup had barely any tea — to me, it was perfect.

Louisiana-based Raising Cane's has about 630 locations in the US and a relatively simple menu that's mostly chicken fingers and fries. Though Texas has nearly 200 locations (the most Raising Cane's restaurants in any state), this was my first time eating here.

A 22-ounce drink, or what Raising Cane's calls a regular size (a large is 32 ounces), cost $1.59.

Since Raising Cane's current spokesperson is Ice-T, the chain had a display in which the rapper was depicted smiling and posing with sweet tea and scowling alongside unsweet tea.

Raising Cane's uses nugget ice (the chain calls it Cane's Ice), or layers of ice frozen together, which I think is trendy. Nugget ice is supposed to be more satisfying for ice chewers.

As a non-ice chewer, I personally don't get the hype and know this isn't going to impact my enjoyment of the drink. However, some people place greater importance on the ice.

I thought Raising Cane's sweet tea was too sugary and on the weaker side because I like stronger tea. My husband, who is a bigger fan of sweet tea than I am, thought it was fine and didn't think it was weak or too sweet.

If you like your tea on the really sweet spectrum of sweetness, you might enjoy Raising Cane's tea.

Zaxby's is a Georgia-based chain with over 940 locations in 17 states. It has a large menu, focused on fried chicken: Chicken sandwiches and tenders, salads, and appetizers like fried cheese and pickles.

I first tried Zaxby's years ago in Alabama and was thrilled to see it eventually come to Texas. There's a Zaxby's near my house, which I often visit for a chicken finger and Zax sauce cheat-day meal.

Its medium sweet tea is served in a 32-ounce cup and cost me $1.89.

The ice in my sweet tea resembled nugget ice but was larger and more coarse than what I had in my drink at Raising Cane's.

The pieces of ice in my drink also weren't uniformly sized.

Zaxby's tea was sweeter than Chick-fil-A's but I didn't think it was nearly as sugary as Raising Cane's was.

It was somewhat strong without being bitter and it seemed fresh. However, there was nothing about taking a sip from my glass of tea that made me say, "Wow, now that's an exceptional beverage." It tasted like tea but didn't really stand out for me.

None of the sweet tea at these Southern chains made a particularly negative impression on me but no beverage would be the deciding factor on whether I'd go back to each chain.

Zaxby's sweet tea was fine, but I wouldn't go there just for its tea as I would at some restaurants. I thought Raising Cane's tea was overly sweet but this could be easily solved by pouring only half a glass and filling the rest up with unsweetened tea.

This was my first time trying Chick-fil-A's tea and it was pretty solid all around with a good flavor and balanced sweetness. I wasn't surprised since I usually enjoy the chain's drinks. But, though the sweet tea was tasty, I prefer the chain's lemonade more and will probably stick with that instead.