Just in case you missed it, the final challenge of this year’s The Celebrity Apprentice involved the creation, promotion, and product launch of a new Snapple tea product.  Checkout all the coverage and teas at NBC or snapple.com.

Bret Michaels’:

• Charity: American Diabetes Association
• Tea: Diet Trop-A-Rocka™ Tea

Holly Robinson Peete’s:

• Charity: HollyRod foundation (focus on Autism and family)
• Tea:  Compassionberry™ Tea

I can’t wait to try the new teas not only to taste the creation, but to support both foundations.

marTEA

I was looking forward to trying a SoBe ready-to-drink tea product.  I went with the Honey Green Tea to start.  The label states “all natural” and “0 calories.”  That certainly sounds like a winning combination.  The problem for me from the start with this RTD was the sweetener.  My tongue is immediately hit with this blast of sweetness that just simply does not taste natural to me.  I can detect the green tea in the bottle; which is a nice find.  A hint of honey is also present.  I just can’t get past the sweetener.  I think that’s what this tea comes down to – can you enjoy the sweetener (Erythritol)?  I’ve read a little about Erythritol – it’s natural, etc….It just doesn’t appeal to my sense of sweetness.  The aftertaste wasn’t pleasant and it did not quench my thirst.  Having said that, I did find the product more enjoyable with food.  Drinking it with a healthy lunch, helped to balance out the sweetness.

I give SoBe a ton of credit for coming out with a zero calorie green tea.  I’m sure a lot of consumers will enjoy this product.  I tried the product on multiple days to make sure I wasn’t being overly critical of the sweetener.  If you are trying to watch your calorie intake, and you are used to SoBe or similar products – you might enjoy this green tea.  Did I mention it has Z-E-R-O calories?

• Visit SoBe

marTEA

My wife and I have been very busy in the best possible way after the birth of our son. We are extremely blessed and happy.  It was a very important time for me to take a break from blogging.

Ito En | Peach

Today, I did want to write a note about Ito En’s peach flavored RTD.  I’ve been a big fan of Ito En’s authentic and healthy ready-to-drink teas (here are some of my favorites): Oi Ocha, TEA’S TEA, and Sencha Shot

Ito En’s Peach flavored ready-to-drink tea:  This is a black tea that is sweetened with natural cane sugar.  It is not too sweet (15g sugar per fl oz).  The natural peach flavoring is well balanced and it makes the beverage very refreshing.  The black tea flavor definitely takes a back seat to the fruit flavor.  So if you are looking for a strong black tea flavor, you will not find it in this RTD.  This tea is all about fun.  It’s not nearly as serious as some of their other brands.  As a consumer, I appreciate their variety.  I’m not always in the mood for a Sencha Shot.  Sometimes I want a flavorful iced tea from a trusted brand and that is what Ito En offers.  This tea makes for a good lunch time companion.  Again, if you are looking for a serious black tea with a recognizable black tea flavor, this is not going to do it for you.

Vist Ito En

marTEA

Sweet Leaf | Mango

My local grocery store has been well stocked with Sweet Leaf products.  My last Sweet Leaf adventure was with their Mango Green Tea.  As usual, Sweet Leaf did not disappoint my taste buds.  Lately, my first test is to try a ready-to-drink tea regardless of the flavor compliment and see if I can actually taste the tea that is advertised on the bottle (if it’s on the bottle, I want to taste it in the bottle).  In the case of Sweet Leaf’s Mango Green Tea, I could easily detect the green tea in both scent and flavor.  Sweet Leaf put just the right amount of organic cane sugar in the bottle to sweeten the green tea to a level that would appeal to most sweet(er) tea drinkers (26g sugar/120 calories/ per 16 fl oz).  The mango fruit flavor is perfectly balanced in this mix.  I truly expected this product to taste like mango fruit juice.  I was pleasantly surprised.  The mango flavor shines through without being overpowering, and it is well supported by the green tea.  This might now be my number two favorite Sweet Leaf tea (Mint and Honey Green Tea is my favorite).  If you are interested in a deliciously sweet green tea with many organic ingredients – give this a try.  You will not be disappointed by the lush mango flavor and perfectly sweetened green tea.

Visit Sweet Leaf

marTEA

Sweet Leaf | Pomegranate Green Tea

Hopefully by now you’ve tried something that is flavored using Pomegranate.  If you haven’t, you can start with a beverage such as Sweet Leaf’s Pomegranate Green Tea.  Sweet Leaf has been on the tea scene for over ten years and their product line is steadily evolving.  Their distribution growth has been the topic of many tea related news stories.  I’ve had mixed reviews of various pomegranate flavored teas, but Sweet Leaf knows how to make tea – S-W-E-E-T.  There’s no holding back on the sweetness.  The pomegranate green tea is USDA certified organic.  This beverage does have a slight fruity tartness to it, but the organic cane sugar helps to balance the flavor.  At times, I pickup an almost sweet/tart apple flavor from the green tea.  I do appreciate that I can tell I’m drinking green tea with each drink.  One of my complaints about many fruit flavored RTDs is the fact that you can’t taste the tea.  That’s not the case with Sweet Leaf’s product.  Clearly the sweet fruit flavor of the pomegranate is the focal point of the beverage, but the green tea makes for a good base.  With most organic bottled teas, you need to give this one a good shake before drinking to get all the ingredients mixed up.  There are about 28g of sugars and 120 calories per 16 fl oz.

Visit Sweet Leaf

marTEA

Tazo | Chai Latte

For those of you new to tea (chai), Chai is an excellent introduction to the tea world.  Although the word “chai” translates to the word “tea”, most of us refer to Chai as a specific blend of herbs and spices with tea (originating from India’s famous Masala Chai).  It’s often spicy, sweet, and creamy.  Most Chai suppliers have a flavor that will appeal to you.  Concentrates make it easy and convenient to prepare the beverage and enjoy the experience of chai.  I’ve been drinking chai for years, but I still enjoy a good concentrate for its convenience factor.  My family and friends really like chai prepared this way.  Tazo’s Chai Tea Latte surprisingly has an authentic chai flavor.  I only say “surprisingly” because most ready-to-drink chais tend to lean toward the overly sweet side.  Tazo wasn’t afraid to add some spice to the mix.  It had a nice balance of spice and sweetness.  With each drink, there was a slight tingle on my tongue that was mellowed by the sweetness and cream that quickly followed.  The chai concentrate is very simple to prepare.  I go with about 55% concentrate and about 45% milk (you can use your favorite milk substitute).  I pour the concentrate into a microwave safe cup for about one minute.  Then I add milk.  At that point, I put it back in the microwave for another 30 seconds (shake carton before pouring and stir the chai as you add milk).  There’s no exact science to it, just heat the chai to your liking.  The more concentrate you add, the spicier the chai.

Ingredients: Black Tea, Black Pepper, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, Natural Flavors and Star Anise, Cane Sugar, Honey, Ginger, Natural Flavors, Vanilla and Citric Acid.

The box label states about 70 calories per 4 fl oz (to make an 8 fl oz drink).  I highly recommend this product if you are in the market for a convenient way to make an extremely flavorful cup of chai.  Again, you have to enjoy the spices listed above.  They are well-balanced in this mix and shouldn’t be too much for you.  Keep in mind you can always mellow the beverage by adding less concentrate and more milk (or milk substitute).

Visit Tazo

marTEA

Fuze | Black/Green Acai

Black tea and green tea mixed in the same bottle – I like the concept.  I wasn’t sure how it was going to taste, but I assumed Fuze would make it tasty based on my past experiences with Fuze products.  Keep in mind, this is also Acai flavored…

It literally took me three drinks to figure out what I was tasting.  One thing I can say for sure about this beverage, you’re not going to be bored drinking it.  The first drink is just a super sweet berry blast (grape-like).  I’m talking big-time sweetness in every drink of this beverage.  I was really stretching to taste any tea in this mix.  The big tea flavor just wasn’t present.  I’m getting a light black tea flavor, but I can’t find the green tea.  The sweet berry flavor (Acai Apple flavor) just totally dominates this beverage.  You have to be in the mood for a sweet drink when you grab this bottle. There are more than 30g of sugar in each bottle (Crystalline Fructose).  The bottle label  boasts 133mg of Polyphenols, 225mcg Folic Acid, 138mg Vitamin C, 17 IU Vitamin E, 37mg Vitamin B Complex (for the label readers).  For me, this is a fun ready-to-drink beverage.  It has an enjoyable smooth berry flavor with soothing sweet notes, but the tea flavor was really missed by this consumer.

Visit Fuze

marTEA

As I blog about ready-to-drink teas, I’m always looking for the authentic flavor of the tea.  If the bottle label says it’s black tea, white tea, green tea, or oolong – I should taste it with every drink.  Having said that, I’ve drank a lot of RTDs that taste like juice.  Typically the particular fruit that compliments the tea just dominates the bottle.  Maybe it’s just me, but when I drink tea (even from a bottle), I want to taste the tea.

marTEA