Honest Tea

Honest Tea has been in beverage news a lot lately. The company's investment partnership with Coca-Cola has raised a lot of eyebrows, despite Honest Tea's efforts towards not giving in to marketing demands made by the corporate giant, and a lot of hasty accusations and assumptions have been made about Honest Tea "selling out." But, I would recommend that those who would dismiss the beverage outright because of unrelated political quandaries within the beverage industry should give Honest Tea a try. The taste will speak for itself.

I had been unintentionally avoiding picking one of these up for my own reasons. I must ashamedly admit that the packaging did not draw my attention enough to inspire me to select Honest Tea over other options during my beverage shopping trips. However, a friend of mine recently gave me one of these to review, and I was very impressed. Honest Tea is essentially exactly what is advertised: tea. The tea has a very natural, green tea taste (several other tea blends are available, as well) that is unimpeded by the added flavorings. The tea pictured above was flavored with passion fruit, and the taste was evident and distinct, but was not so strong as to mask the flavor of the tea. And the disclaimer at the bottom of the label is dead on. The beverage really is "just a tad sweet." The ingredients are balanced perfectly, and the sweetness adds just the right amount of drinkability without spoiling the "healthy beverage" motif. The sediment in the bottom of the tea also adds a bit of body to the fluid without thickening it, making this a unique and wholeheartedly recommended choice amongst pre-bottled tea options. Honest Tea is offered in a wide variety of flavors and blends (several of which I have had at this point), and I have a hard time imagining someone who could not find something to like with at least one of their products. Definitely give this one a try.

Verdict: Highly recommended

Purchased: Earth Fare [Columbia, SC]

Size: 16 fl. oz. [473 mL]

Price: $1.69