REVIEW: Sprite + Tea

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.

QUICK REVIEW: Pure Leaf Tea House Collection Organic Green Tea with a Hint of Fuji Apple & Ginger

Pure Leaf’s Tea House Collection Organic Green Tea with a Hint of Fuji Apple & Ginger has an aroma that makes me think the ginger is going to burn and a name that’s so long it makes me parched.

But thankfully the ginger was mild enough that it didn’t burn and I could take a sip of the tea that made my mouth dry after saying its name.

The ginger flavor is front and center with every sip. The apple gets lost with the ginger, but it does seem to give the tea a sweetness. Perhaps the apple is there to tone down the ginger, which itself isn’t potent flavor wise. All I could think of while gulping it down after every time I said Pure Leaf’s Tea House Collection Organic Green Tea with a Hint of Fuji Apple & Ginger was how it just tastes like a sweetened ginger green tea.

I’m disappointed the apple doesn’t stand out, but it’s still a tasty and refreshing tea. Although, maybe after saying its full name, any liquid would be refreshing to my mouth.

Purchased Price: $2.59
Size: 14 fl oz.
Purchased at: 7-Eleven
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 90 calories, 0 grams of fat, 10 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 20 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

QUICK REVIEW: Lipton Natural Energy Premium Black Tea

Lipton Natural Energy Premium Black Tea

Purchased Price: FREE*
Size: 40 tea bags
Purchased at: Given to us by Lipton
Rating: 6 out of 10
Pros: 75 milligrams of sweet, sweet caffeine per cup, which is 20 milligrams more than regular Lipton black tea and the ONLY thing that gets me excited about this tea. When it cools down a little, it makes a wonderful hand warmer while in a mug. Rainforest Alliance Certified. Drinking tea with your pinky sticking out.
Cons: Tastes like any ol’ black tea. There are tastier ways to get caffeine. Not sure if has flavonoids (if it did, wouldn’t Lipton want to let everyone know?). Not as aromatic as regular Lipton black tea. Microwaving Red Bull to have a warm pick-me-up.

Lipton Natural Energy Premium Black Tea Closeup

*Thanks to the folks at Lipton for sending me two boxes of Lipton Natural Energy Premium Black Tea to keep me caffeinated for a while.

Nutrition Facts: 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, and 0 grams of protein.

QUICK REVIEW: Nestea Half Lemonade Half Iced Tea Liquid Water Enhancer

Nestea Half Lemonade Half Iced Tea Liquid Water Enhancer

Purchased Price: $3.99 (on sale)
Size: 1.76 fl oz.
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 5 out of 10
Pros: Drinkable, but I’d rather get myself an Arizona Arnold Palmer Half & Half. No sugar. No calories. Made from real tea leaves. 26 eight-ounce servings per bottle. Being mesmerized by the liquid water enhancer being shot into a glass of water.
Cons: Lemonade and iced tea flavors are too mild. I wouldn’t call it a lemonade flavor, it’s more like lemon juice. Not for those who hate propylene glycol. No caffeine. Unlike MiO which disperses easily without stirring, this needs a spoon, finger, or whatever you have handy as a stirrer.

Nutrition Facts: about 1/2 tsp. – 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Bigelow Eggnogg’n Tea

When I saw this tea, I had a vision that was as horrifying as it was freaky. I envisioned Bam Bam Bigelow was behind this tea company. I imagined him at board meetings in his flaming leotard with a striped blue tie and sipping tea from a dainty ceramic cup with a silver teapot. And God help you if you give Bam Bam any lip or a TPS report missing the new cover. Alas, he’s not the founder of the company.

Eggnog and tea. Oh, dear God. Are we out of possible fruit tea combinations already? Last time I checked, there was lemon, raspberry, and orange zinger. No one has done durian or starfruit or kiwi tea, yet. There’s probably a gold mine in those flavors. Or how about a refreshing garlic tea? But seriously, what were the people behind this tea thinking, bringing together an egg-based beverage and tea?

Here’s an idea, Bigelow Tea.

Roasty Chestnut Tea. It’s as wintery as eggnog and you can have a picture of two chestnuts roasting over the fire on the box. “It’ll warm your chestnuts up in no time at all!” could be its slogan.

All kidding and insanity aside, this tea is actually pretty good. The tea bag pre-teabagging, smells very much like cinnamon oatmeal, but nothing like eggnog. It’s actually quite homely and uplifting. The tea itself, after the steeping process, has a color somewhere between black and green tea which isn’t a surprise since it is made with those two teas. It retains the oatmeal smell, which is quite pleasant since most teas tend to smell musky like, say, Bam Bam Bigelow’s armpit.

The taste of this tea, well, doesn’t exactly live up to its name. There’s nothing rich or custardy about this tea, but it does sort of taste creamy-ish if you consider instant oatmeal creamy. It tastes like tea with a mild cinnamon spice and notes of instant oatmeal. I liked it, but it may not be for everyone. It’s also heavier to most other teas, which definitely makes it a winter tea, but that’s like saying a dog-shaped balloon is heavier than a helium balloon. They’re both still light.

The tea is a little more expensive compared to other teas available on the market, but still a decent product. All in all, it’s a good tea that suffers from a terrible name. Now if only there was a Bam Bam Bigelow Tea that came in a black box covered in flames.

Nutrition Facts – 1 tea bag – 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 0 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbs, 0 gram of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, 0 gram of protein, and testicle-free.)

Item: Bigelow Eggnoggin’ Tea
Price: $3.49
Size: 8 ounces
Purchased at: Holiday Market
Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: Instant Cinnamon Oatmeal smell and flavor. Decent bargain. Bam Bam Bigelow Tea. Bam Bam Bigelow the Executive
Cons: Nothing eggnogg-y about this tea. Bam Bam Bigelow’s armpit. Heavier tea. Stupid name. Garlic tea.

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