I gave myself a hard facepalm after learning about Sprite + Tea.
The half-lemonade, half-tea Arnold Palmer has been around for so long that it only makes sense to combine a lemon-lime soda with tea. I’m surprised Sprite, 7UP, or The Soda Formerly Known As Sierra Mist didn’t come up with this idea sooner. To come up with the beverage, Sprite thought outside of the 12-pack box, or watched a lot of TikTok and got the idea from a 2023 TikTok trend that involved putting two Lipton tea bags into a bottle of Sprite.
Initially, I was surprised that this wasn’t a brand collaboration with Coca-Cola’s Gold Peak Tea. However, after reading the ingredients and discovering that tea wasn’t listed but falls under the “natural flavors” category, I realized it might hurt the tea brand if it didn’t contain actual Gold Peak Tea. But the synergy would have been sweet.
However, it wouldn’t have been as sweet as Sprite + Tea.
To borrow from another tea brand, I must say it’s brisk, baby. It tastes like I’ve made Lipton lemon iced tea with a powder mix, but added a little more water than what the instructions say, resulting in slightly weaker flavors than a tea drink made from a mix. So I guess if you’ve wanted carbonated Lipton Brisk Iced Tea, Sprite + Tea will give you what you want.
But its stronger-than-the-soda tea flavor is probably a problem for those wanting Sprite’s crisp citrus taste. The tea-to-soda ratio leans so heavily toward the former that if it didn’t come in a bottle with Sprite on its label, it would be hard to believe there’s Sprite in it. Maybe it needs to take a Nestea Plunge into a pool of Sprite to balance the flavors better. (What? Going too far back into iced tea commercial history? Kids, ask your parents about the Nestea Plunge. Or, better yet, YouTube.) Or maybe Sprite Lymonade + Tea would’ve highlighted the lemon-lime more prominently.
While I like the Sprite in you, Sprite + Tea, I’d like more of it. However, mainly tasting like lemon iced tea is not a reason to avoid it. It’s tasty, sweet, and refreshing, which is the perfect combination for a summer beverage.
Purchased Price: $2.59
Size: 20 oz bottle (also available in 12 oz cans)
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 230 calories, 0 grams of fat, 95 milligrams of sodium, 61 grams of carbohydrates, 61 grams of sugar (including 61 grams of added sugar), and 0 grams of protein.
Thx for the review.
I brew my own tea, 60 oz, let it cool. Then pour 2 oz bourbon + 1/2 oz mint syrup + 12 oz tea.
Cheers!
The overall color just seems unappealing to me. Light enough to not be cola or brewed tea, but just dark enough that the mind goes to sewage or muddy water.
Will you be trying the zero sugar version as well?
Yeah. The press release I saw said its available in a zero version as well. Came out May 19th in stores nationwide and should be available thru October
Oddly, I didn’t see the zero sugar version at the Target I bought this from. If I do find it, I’ll give it a try.
Thanks! For some reason I did not get a notification of a reply to my comment on this post but I am glad I saw it. 🙂
Blackberry, strawberry, and watermelon
I keep reading the logo as Sprite Flea. Anyone else see that?
Not really; I did a quick re-look and could definitely see a “+ Tea” script. Not accusing, but could you have a mild form of dyslexia?
I see “flea” too
Picked one up today. I don’t get any Sprite flavor here. It tastes more like a carbonated tea. But its still tasty enough for what is it, the flavor being similar to a Lipton Brisk exactly like the review said. I guess you could say the lemon notes are from the Sprite but plenty of other teas have lemon notes as well. I now kinda want to mix some tea with some Sprite to see if that would be better to get more Sprite flavor or if the tea will always overpower it
I was able to find the zero version finally and the Sprite comes through better and the zero version then it does in the full sugar version although it is still light. But in a rare instance I find the zero sugar has more flavor then the full sugar version and allows at least some of the Sprite flavor to come through!