| Product: |
Lipton Iced Tea |
| Date: |
07.10.07 (173 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: You might like this acquired taste.
Disadvantages: Too sweet, and lasting after taste.
Not everyones cup of Tea!
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***Liptons Iced Tea***
Love it or Hate it, it's just one of those Drinks that you just have to try. The very concept of 'Iced' and 'Tea', just doesn't seem to go 'Hand inHand' for us as a Nation of serious Tea drinkers. The very notion of icing up our daily hot beverage fills us with Horror, and that is the first obstacle we have to overcome before curiosity makes us purchase this drink to sample!
***I first came across 'Iced Tea' in America when I lived there as a child, and I sat down to my first meal time in my new house, far away from the safety and familiarity of all I had grown to know in England. There was a large jug in the centre of the table full to the brim with ice-cubes, and decorated with lemon wedges, and I wondered what soft drink it contained. My Father started to pour me a glass of Amber coloured liquid and I enquired " What is that"? - To my Horror, "Iced Tea" came the reply, and I froze to my chair in disgust! I was already digging my heels in to any thing American, and this was the final straw! ~
ICED TEA.
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***Iced Tea originated in America and was popularized and believed to be created at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis by Richard Blechynden. (Though recently disputed.) I'm not sure who by...It is mainly drunk in the Southern States of America, where the climate is very hot, and it is served in Large Jugs, with ice and slices of Lemon on the rim. It is widely available in restaurants, convenience stores, and vending machines. It can be purchased in bottles or cans, and is freshly made in Cafes and Restaurants, and it is available at many self-serve soda fountains.
The Method.
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***To make Iced tea at home you can use any variety of dry tea, or Tea Bag of your choice. All one has to do is brew the tea and then chill it . You should allow iced tea to cool at room temperature before refrigerating it to prevent the formation of condensates, which will give the tea a cloudy appearance and a chalky taste. Add Cane Sugar to taste as this will dissolve better then Granulated, and garnish with Lemon. When serving up, fill to the brim with ice cubes. A popular way to vary Iced-Tea is a mixture the Americans call 'Half and Half', being half Iced-Tea and half Lemonade, it gives the drink a sweeter taste with the ' bite' of Tea.~ So this is very much a part of a way of life in America where it originated. The main manufacturers of bottled or canned iced tea are Nestea, Lipton, Snapple and AriZona Beverage. ~
Liptons iced Tea.
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Liptons IceTea has 35% less sugar than most regular soft drinks. It has no preservatives, sweeteners or artificial colours. Lipton Tea is also a source of antioxidants...Antioxidants~ Beneficial or not? ~
*** The medical research undertaken is showing that tea promotes good health .It can protect you from many illnesses that mankind is at risk from today. Tea has a very high level of of unique natural antioxidants, which can protect you against a whole range of conditions Regular consumption of tea has been recognised as supplying you with protection against some cancers, including lung, stomach, breast and skin cancers, as well as showing anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, cholestrol lowering, antivivral and antibacterial properties. There is also evidence between drinking tea and reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke . It's also been discovered recently that tea speeds up the burning of calories, and can help fight obesity. Very interesting!~
IceTea Lemon Flavour ~ The Product.
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***The Tea comes in a see-through, shaped plastic bottle with a Yellow cap. There is a cheerful Yellow label around the bottom half of the bottle with the word Liptons surrounded by bright green leaves. Underneath this it has ICETEA and the picture of a succulent Lemon oozing Citrus juice. There is a round label with the letters AOX within and a dewy leaf beside it. Encircled around this are the words 'Source of Tea antioxidants.' To the side of the label it states 'No artificial Colouring', No Preservatives', No sweeteners.~All looking pretty good so far! It also states it is a still soft drink with Tea extract and Lemon juice. It says to refrigerate after opening and drink within five days! It also states it tastes best when chilled~ I bet it does ;0 The date on my bottle unopened is 05/02/08, and the bottle contains 500 ml and cost £0.85p from Sainsburys. It also tells us to recycle this bottle ( Of course! ) It has a picture of a person putting it in the recycle bin. All in all sending out good messages, and seeming to appear a natural product.
The Appearance.
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***The appearance of the Tea is rather cloudy. I think Iced tea looks better when it is clear, it gives the impression of a much more refreshing drink. This cloudy appearance is not making it look too inviting. It appears flat, but on shaking, a lot of bubbles are appearing to the surface, and staying there, making it look almost effervescent. On the whole I do not like the look of the liquid. It is pale golden brown in colour, rather cloudy, and uninviting. It is doing nothing for my taste buds at this stage.
The Smell.
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***As I open the product, which has a twist cap, the first smell to assault my olfactory senses is that of a very strong smell of Citrus, it is of Lemon, but much stronger somehow. It is actually making my eyes water. The Lemon is definitely overpowering the smell of Tea which is very subtle, in fact I can barely detect the smell of Tea at all. I note the Lemon juice is taken from concentrate, as stated on the reverse of the bottle, and I feel they have been a little heavy handed in the strength of the Lemon concentrate added. It also smells very sweet. The smell is not unpleasant but not entirely natural in it's odour. I can't describe the Tea smell as it is so faint, I can only say "It's in there somewhere".
The Taste.
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***I am now pouring this into a glass to taste the product, and as I pour I observe the cloudy golden liquid. The bubbles are frothing up and settling to the side of the glass. On the top of the Iced Tea is a sediment floating unattractively across the glass. I can now smell a little more of the Tea, since pouring from the bottle, and it smells like regular Tea before milk is added. I have just taken a taste of the Iced Tea, and it is totally bland! It tastes like water~ and Lemon~ and sugar~ with the faintest taste of Tea. It's doing absolutely nothing for me. I am not enjoying the flavour at all. But then they say smell is linked to Memory, and I could just be reliving my earliest memories of it. Very nasty indeed! It's basically cold tea, left to stand, with Lemon added, and a 'spoonful of sugar.' But I'm afraid for me, it's not making this medicine go down very easily. I'm not sure how Children would respond to this drink!~ But I think they might say 'you're having a laugh' aren't you. And I might just have to agree with them.
Liptons The Company.
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***Liptons abide by The Rainforest Alliance. Which is an independent organisation that works with communities, individuals, and companies, their aim is to reduce environmental impacts and increase social and economic benefits. Liptons realise that Nature is their greatest asset. They take water and energy supplies very seriously. Lipton is one of Unilever's largest foods brands with sales to the trade well in excess of €2.8 billion and is the world's third largest beverage brand, and the World Leader in Tea.
Unilever.
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***Unilever joined forces with PepsiCo Beverages International in 1991, who are working hard to promote the New Age Drink. They are trying to promote the different flavours that this and other drinks offer as an alternative to bottled water or carbohydrate, which currently take up most of the Market. Also Manufacturers are having to act on findings linking artificial additive use to child hyperactivity, so the beverage industry is cleaning up it's act and reformulating their products. So with the soft drinks sector becoming increasingly stagnant, Unilever see an opening for the new age beverages, with their drinks consisting of natural ingredients, and beverages with no additives, becoming a major growth area for the future.
My Opinion.
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***My overall opinion after tasting two of the varieties of the IceTea is that of indifference really. I found the beverage to have a completely bland taste. In the case of the Lemon Tea, any actual taste of tea was killed off by the overpowering Lemon Concentrate. I found it much too sweet, and it left a dryness in my mouth after consuming, it had no real flavour, and an artificial aftertaste. It didn't quench my thirst, and it left a bitter taste in the roof of my mouth. I also tried the Peach Tea, to give me a balanced opinion. In the case of the Peach IceTea the flavour was slightly better, though the Peach flavouring tasted artificial, it was still like drinking flavoured water, and not a very exciting flavour either! I should think that unless this is consumed ice cold, it would be fairly disgusting. It's actually made me feel slightly sick, and it is still clinging to my palate and the strong Peach sweet flavouring is still in my mouth. It's not the sort of soft drink that someone is going to get excited over, at best they may be swayed by the advertising, and the hype surrounding this New Age product, enough to try it, and even buy it occasionally to appear New Age themselves. A bit like the Market that Red Bull has captured so successfully. With the European Market taken up by 40% with carbonated drinks, and the next largest seller being bottled water, which has projections for large growth, people are now realising, and becoming more aware of the health and skin benefits associated with consuming water. At best, I see the IceTea product lasting the duration of the hard sell, and advertising that surrounds it.
***This will not become a top seller on a par say with Pepsi or Lucozade. The factors which have traditionally been a strong selling point for new age beverages, ie: herb, juice based drinks, or iced tea and coffee, are being overtaken by bottled water. I know what most people carry in their hand on a hot Summers day...As for liking it... it's a case of 'Love it' or 'Hate it', as I should think that this product is very much an acquired taste. ~ And I will be recommending it for that very reason.
Liptons IceTea comes in Peach. Lemon. Mango, and Green tea and Orange. It is available from most leading Supermarkets and some convenience stores.
Ingredients.
Tea. Tea extract 4.7 %
Water. Sugar.
Citric Acid.
Juice from Concentrate. 0.5 %
Flavouring. Antioxidant.
Ascorbic Acid.
Nutrition Information.
Typical values per 100 ml.
Energy 105 kj/26 cal.
Protein nil
Carbohydrate 6.4 g.
Of which sugars 6.2 g.
Fat nil.
Of which saturates nil.
Fibre nil.
Sodium Trace.
Salt (Based on Sodium) Trace.
Contact Information.
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http://www.uni lever.com/
http://www. liptonforthefuture.com/
http://ww w.nbtea.co.uk/health-benefits-tea.php
http://www.l ipton.co.uk/
Lipton Ice Tea,
Freepost ADM3940,
London SW1A 1YR
Customer Careline Freephone
0800 389 4371
Monday - Friday
8am - 6pm
Thank you for reading.
PRINCESSPUSSYCAT 2007.
Summary: A bit of a gimmicky new age drink!
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