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.