Lipton is a Unilever brand, which is also the maker of Hellmann's mayo (a top of the line condiment), detergents, Pond's beauty products, and...Axe body sprays and grooming products for boys. Besides Lipton, Unilever also has the Slim-Fast weight loss products, which at some point we'll review here.
Lipton is one of the largest tea maker in the world with deep market penetration in the USA and Europe and significant parts of the Middle East and Asia. The wikipedia entry gives plenty of historical and current market information, so no need to repeat it here.
The tea under review today is a ready-to-drink cold tea from the Lipton PureLeaf line. What drew me to this particular bottle was the additional flavor of tangerines and the fact that the sweet versions of these teas are made with sugar and not HFCS.
Presentation/Appearance - 7/10 This has a lovely natural crystal clear green tea appearance. The brew is a blend of white and green tea leaves. Sold in glass bottles with a pressurized resealable cap.
Nose/Aroma - 7/10 Pleasing tea odors that are pushed out of the way by the tangerine aroma. This smells good and inviting. Hot teas usually have a stronger nose and score higher than this. An iced tea will be hard pressed to score above a 7.
Taste/Flavor - 7/10 If you like sweet teas, this might score higher for you. It is by no means treacly sweet like typical southern USA sweet tea, but there isn't a smidgen of bitterness to be found here. The tea appears very early in the taste before being demolished by the sweet tangerine flavors. No juice is used to make this tea, but the flavor company that created the tangerine taste has done an outstanding job with this one.
Finish/Satisfaction - 6/10 The tangerine lingers for just a moment. There isn't much and the tea leaves no lasting memory. This is a fine drink while it is in your mouth, but you won't be tasting tangerine or tea afterwards.
Overall - 6.7/10 This is a fine beverage that drinks very easily. I paid $1.69 for a 16 oz (473ml) bottle. If you want anti-oxidants but don't care for the bitter flavors of tea and you aren't interested in brewing and sweetening your own teas, then this is a perfect way to go. Clearly not intended to be the end all be all of teas, it is still a refreshing drink and only 120 calories per bottle.
I'm going to have to start down the tea brewing road soon. Any recommendations on where to start? Tea seems to be incredibly popular judging by the number of brands and the sheer size of the shelf space it takes up in the supermarket aisle.
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