Lipton's Cranberry-Pomegranate Green Tea

Review

When I was working at The Book Gallery, I would as often as not drink Lipton at work. Theirs is an affordable, no-hassle tea that I have no problem sticking in my pocket and drinking where-ever I can get hot water. Both their "standard" blend and their Earl Grey blends are not bad and readily available at pretty much any place food is sold. They are worth the price.

This blend, however, is a mistake. It is weak green tea with a strong citric flavor (and bright red but presumably natural color) that overpowers everything. It has the same color and rough flavor (though admittedely better) as unsweetened Kool-aid. With a good sweetener (honey works), it is not unpleasant, but it is not really for tea lovers so much as "sweet fruity drink" lovers. In fact, in my half dozen or so glasses that I have tried of this, I have yet to pick up even a hint of green tea. There are those to whom this has appeal, I am sure, but I am not one of them.

This is one of the blends that I will use to prove my suspicion that many of these new flavored teas are actually poor-quality tea being pushed off with cheaper ingredients on top. They are cashing in on a green tea craze by using it as a background ingredient to people who do not actually like tea, but like the idea of decreasing cancer. According to the site, it only has 75mg of antioxidants, as opposed to Lipton green's standard 190, so this implies that is actually only about 2/5 tea. I would much rather have it be about 4/5 tea with a light flavoring on top.

The part that ultimately bugs me is the fact that the ingredients do not list either cranberry or pomegranate unless "natural flavors" covers that. But if you list hibiscus flowers and cinnamon, why not things that the bits that are supposedly the flavor the tea.

Go with some Lipton black tea. Even their Green Tea (100% Natural) isn't bad. I would definitely say to avoid this. The only good thing that I can say about it is that it does not appear to stain, as similarly colored things have a habit of doing.

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