Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Tea Review 10 - Lipton Green Tea to Go

Green Tea to Go
Lipton Tea

Some ideas are pretty lousy in theory, but turn out to be okay in practice. Other ideas are just lousy all around.

I've never worked for a giant food conglomerate, so I can't say for sure, but I'd be willing to bet that the new products division is constantly under the gun to come up with nifty new gimmicks that will sell by the boatload. Which may go a long way toward explaining a product like Lipton's Green Tea to Go - or maybe not.

The gimmick here is a single serving foil pack of tea mix that you drop in a 16.9 ounce bottle of water, shake and drink. What could be more convenient? And, of course, it's green tea, so you know it'll make you live to about two hundred years old, cure your leprosy and - for the guys - enlarge your you know what until you have to wheel it around in a cart.

Actually, the primary health claim Lipton makes for the product is that it contains eighty milligrams of "protective flavonoid antioxidants," which help guard your body against free radicals - molecules that can damage your precious little cells. Well, gee whiz, I'd better get me some of them and, by the way, that's more flavonoids than broccoli or cranberry juice and twice as much as orange juice, so flavonoid fans rejoice.

The ingredients are instant green tea, maltodextrin (yum), citric acid, sucralose (double yum), natural flavors and - what tea would be complete without it - silicon dioxide.

To say that I wasn't expecting much from this health-giving elixir, would be putting it mildly, but I grabbed a bottle of water and plunged boldly ahead.

The verdict? Well, my mother always told me that if I couldn't say anything nice, I shouldn't say anything at all. But since I never listened to my mother too well, I'll say that if you're looking for a cough medicine/Kool Aid type flavor that's heavy on the artificial sweeteners, you're gonna flip for this one. As for me? Straight down the drain.

Contents: Ten packets per box.
I paid: NA

3 comments:

japlok said...

I actually think the stuff tastes great, but found something interesting. If you sprinkle a VERY slight amount of a packet into water, it looks like there are little tiny creatures swimming in it. I originally thought it was the dissolving of the powder, but I don't think it is. I have to do further investigation, but for now I won't drink it any longer. If anyone would try that and see what you find, I would be interested to know. I hope I am completely wrong about it.

Unknown said...

I agree, I like the taste. The problem is getting it to dissolve. Nothing like shaking a bottle for 10 minutes, then taking a drink 5 minutes later and seeing brown lumps all over the bottom.

Ron said...

They make a mango flavored green tea as well. It's pretty good. For the most part - I think you guys are being overly critical. It's not that bad. (LOL)