The Best-Tasting (And Healthiest) Bottled Green Teas Slideshow
Green Tea no. 6: Snapple
Snapple might be familiar name brand, but think twice before buying their version of green tea. Not a single one of our tasters had a positive thing to say about this sample. "Mothball flavor," "bland," and "syrupy" were all descriptions that came to the minds of our editors. The taste might be pretty "funky," but the nutrition facts aren't appalling. With 60 calories, 5 milligrams of sugar, and 15 grams of sugar per 8 ounces, it could be worse.
Sample Tasting Notes:
"bad, not much tea flavor" "mothball flavor" "bland" "something funky going on here" "syrupy" "weird, earthy, not pleasant"
Green Tea no. 5: Teas' Tea
Teas' Tea might have been ranked as one of the least appealing iced green teas, but this brand makes the healthiest version, with absolutely no calories, sugar, or fat. Unfortunately, the 20 milligrams of sodium might put a few health nuts off, if the "pine needle" taste doesn't. When choosing Teas' Tea, the consumer must decide if the health benefits outweigh the "earthy and flat" flavors.
Sample Tasting Notes:
"a bit umami" "BAD" "tastes healthy, refreshing, but slightly off – more for Japanese palate, than American" "straight up tea" "most pure tea sans sweetener" "did you brew pine needles?" "earthy, flat"
Green Tea no. 4: Lipton
Lipton Green Tea definitely packed some fruity flavors into the bottle. A majority of the judges labeled this sample as something other than iced tea, ranging from "apple juice" to "lemonade" to some sort of "peachy" blend. At 50 calories per serving, Lipton's iced tea is pretty middle-of-the-road when it comes to health benefits. If you're looking for a green tea beverage with distinctly green tea flavors, I would steer clear of Lipton Green Tea.
Sample Tasting Notes:
"peachy" "apple juice" "organic juice box" "lemonade, not tea" "peach-flavored"
Green Tea no. 3: Honest Tea
Our number three tea, Honest Tea Honey Green Tea is not a brand to be overlooked. The "light," "nice and dry," "pleasant green tea flavor" impressed all of the tasters. The entire 16.9-ounce bottle of Honey Green Tea has 70 calories and 18 grams of sugar, making it one of the healthiest choices in our roundup.*
Sample Tasting Notes:
"light, a bit grassy" "tastes Japanese, not sweet, which is good" "nice and dry at the end and not too sweet" "watery" "pleasant green tea flavor"
*The original caption mistated the number of calories and grams of sugar in the 16.9-ounce bottle; changes have been made to reflect the corrections.
Green Tea no. 2: AriZona
The runner-up to the number one green tea was the "sweet" and "lemony" AriZona Green Tea with Ginseng and Honey. Beating out Honest Tea very slightly, the tea flavor was described as just a little "blandish" and "imperceptible," which appears to be how our editors prefer to take their iced green tea.
Sample Tasting Notes:
"not too sweet, blandish, but good" "imperceptible" "sweet, green tea-esque" "ice tea flavor more than brewed tea" "sweet, lemony"
Green Tea no. 1: Tazo Tea
Tazo earned praise as the best iced green tea in our group, but by a slim margin. With hints of mint and tea flavors, the "stronger taste" of Tazo beat out the other candidates for the top spot. At 70 calories, 16 grams of sugar, and no sodium, Tazo Organic Iced Green Tea isn't the healthiest, but it's also not the worst for you. But according to our judges, it must have the best flavor.
Sample Tasting Notes:
"sweetened" "minty, good, but too sweet" "sugar water" "very sugary, honey taste, stronger taste" "gum + tea"