Cold-Brewed Mixed Berries

Like the other cold-brewed tea I reviewed, this one is by Twining's.

Flavor: It is a basic berry tea, with caffeine. Once again, I marvel at the ability for this to "brew" without hot water. It is so easy! Although I put the tea bag in the glass and left it for a few hours, it does not taste too strong, although the color did darken a lot.

Suggested Additions: I recommend leaving this bag to steep for an hour, although just a few minutes will do the trick if you are in a rush. The reason for this is the longer it sits the more the berry flavor comes out. Regarding sugar: because I was lazy, I tried to pour a tiny dash of sugar without using a spoon. A large clump came out and plopped into the glass, so today's tea tastes a lot like southern sweet tea with a berry twist. It is pleasant and refreshing, but I usually try to use a lot less sugar. I did like the taste of the tea before I added sugar, but if you are sensitive to the tannic acid taste, a spoonful (not a large clump) will help take the bitterness away.

Ingredients: Tea, natural cherry, blueberry, blackcurrant, raspberry, and tea flavorings with other natural flavorings, water, tea extract

Purpose: In my case, today it would be to channel the south with the Sweet Tea method of preparing it. But because it is an iced tea, it is refreshing and flavorful because of the berries. Also, it is a black tea, so even if you want a refreshing drink in the hot, late afternoon, don't drink it unless you are prepared for the caffeine content.

White Peach

White Peach is made by Inko's, and the white refers to a white peach AND to white tea.

Flavor: This tea has a light, almost nutty flavor. It is very faint on the peach taste at first, growing stronger with more sips from the bottle- yes, its a bottled iced tea. It is not overbearingly sweet, and is quite refreshing.

Suggested Additions: I am drinking it at room temperature, and even when it is not chilled, it is still refreshing. It could be beneficial to serve it chilled, however, I like it as is. Do not add anything to it, or the flavor will be lost.

Ingredients: White tea, filtered water, fructose crystals not from corn syrup, white peach extract, citric acid.

Purpose: To refresh. It is SO hot today, even at 10 AM. A tiny bit of caffeine due to the white tea, which will help keep me alert since heat makes me really drowsy.

Peony White Tea

Peony White Tea is made by a company called Prince of Peace.

Flavor: Although it is clearly flowery, it has a pretty indeterminate taste. I cannot say for sure that it tastes like peonies since I do not know what one tastes like. The aftertaste is definitely a less delicate grade of white tea. Although it is not unpleasant, it may take some getting used to.

Suggested Additions: adding to it, you may lose all the original flavor of the tea. A teaspoon of sugar is all I added and did not stir it yet. I believe that the sugar may help ease the unusual taste of the tea.

Ingredients: It simply says, "peony white tea."

Purpose: Some amount of caffeine as with any other white tea, but the bag said "healthful solutions" on it. I am not sure if the peony in the tea has any health benefits. According to Wikipedia, the root of the peony is used in ancient Japanese medicine as a treatment for convulsions, but because of the very flowery taste of the tea, I don't believe the root is used in this particular tea. I chose it because today is a "white tea day."

Pomegranate White

This white tea is made by Trader Joe's.

Flavor: This tea tastes like a red tea such as a berry or the popular Red Zinger. The pomegranate flavor is not incredibly present but the tea still has an enjoyable taste, which includes the light taste of white tea.

Suggested Additions: This would make a good iced tea, but today I am drinking it hot. I added 1 tsp of white sugar but did not stir it yet so all the sugar is on the bottom. After half a mug, I will stir so that I can observe the differences in the flavor. If there is anything new, I will note it here.

Ingredients: Unknown, as I do not have the box it came in.

Purpose: Just a hint of caffeine to go with my breakfast, but mostly just a pleasant and fruity way to wake up.

White Tea Blueberry

Another bottled iced tea, this one is Inko's White Tea Blueberry. The name says it all.

Flavor: This tea is heavy on the blueberry but not so much on the sugar, so it doesn't taste like blueberry juice, it tastes more like blueberry water. There is a faint green tea flavor which adds a touch of bitterness to it, but the delicate taste of white tea is still very evident.

Suggested additions: None. Chill the tea before drinking. Don't drink after brushing your teeth.

Ingredients: White tea, filtered water, fructose crystals not from corn syrup, all-natural blueberry extract, citric acid.

Purpose: Refreshing beverage. Less than 6 mg of caffeine per bottle. I like that the bottle clearly states the caffeine content. Very few other bottles will do that.

Lemon Tea

A bottled tea by Snapple called Lemon Tea.

Flavor: There is a mild tea taste, followed by a citrus flavor. It is plain, simple, not complex, no frills. A tea a man can drink without feeling girly.

Suggested Additions: No lemon or sweetener needed, it is there already. Good when chilled. Many hot teas are drunk with sugar and milk. I have been curious about drinking iced teas with sugar and milk, and this one appears to me to be the best option for that experiment, however, I did not try it this time around. Perhaps I will revisit this tea later with my conclusions.

Ingredients: Filtered water, sugar, citric acid, tea, natural flavor. (Note: On the label, green and black teas are listed but in the ingredients list, it just says "tea." Also note that tea is #4 on the list.)

Purpose: I was in the home of one of my massage clients. As I was leaving, I was offered a beverage for the road, since it was such a hot day. I declined, since I had a bottle of something in the car. I was told, "Take a Snapple, or I won't call you again for another massage!" So I took a Snapple. And it was quite good, and quite refreshing. There is a moderate amount of caffeine in black tea, but that did not stop me from dozing off later in the afternoon on the back porch with a cool breeze. I swear this summer is going to feel like a vacation whether I'm on vacation or not.