Call me unadventurous, but the first box of tea I bought when I moved to China was this box of Lipton. I had no language skills to speak of when I first got here (still don’t!) and I needed a box of tea. I felt a little bad as I am in the tea capital of the world, but sometimes you just need something a little familiar.
Also, with my powers of deduction I could tell (from the giant picture on the box) that this had lemon and mint in it–two of my favorite ingredients. This tea is a little expensive for tea in China (a box of 20 tea bags costs 14 yuan, about $2—it doesn’t sound like much but it is more costly than the average bag of tea here.)
Lipton Tea describes this tea as:
*Actually, I have no idea since I don’t read Chinese…yet*
I asked some of my students to translate the ingredients for me, and they told me it was lemon, mint, black tea and sugar. I had guessed all four because you can taste each ingredient. Actually, I was a little unsure about the sugar before they told me but there is a definite sweet taste, not overly sugary but more like an artificial sweetener aftertaste. This tea is almost sweet, like a candy, but not so overpowering that you feel like you are getting cavities after one cup. It’s great for an afternoon pick me up.
The lemon is the strongest scent when you first pour a cup. The lemon and mint tastes mix about equally with neither being more powerful. What I especially like this tea for is to drink when I have a sore throat as I find the two main ingredients very soothing. The black tea is pretty subtle and just makes a great base for the mint and lemon taste.
Just to give you an idea of how much I like this tea, I’ve been living in China for 3 months now and I have gone through 2 boxes. As for “authentic Chinese tea” this falls far from the mark as it is made by a major corporation and sold only in bigger supermarkets. But as for “delicious tea to drink” it gets a thumbs up from me.
"![[Google]]( http://www.teareviewblog.com/wp-content/plugins/easy-adsenser/google-light.gif)
Recent Comments
"When I was a kid, in the middle of winter, my friend Penny and I eachbought a quart of ice cream, skated to the island in the middle of our lake and ate them. Soooo good and soooo naughty. It keeps us young to be naughty sometimes. I would just go for it an enjoy!"
marlena said, in reply to Better Belly Blend from Two Leaves and a Bud on August 30, 2010 at 12:35 pm
marlena on:
Better Belly Blend from Two Leaves and a Bud
"Well, as someone who has tasted a lot of chai tea, I can attest that this really is not very similar in taste to Chai. Chai tends to focus on the spices, whereas this tea’s focus is on the orange, with the spices being very gentle and more of an accent to the orange."
liber-teas said, in reply to Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea on August 25, 2010 at 11:00 pm
liber-teas on:
Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea
"How fun! I love drinking tea so I love that you have a whole blog related to reviewing them. One brand that I really love that I don’t see on your list is the Portsmouth Tea Company. When I lived in Boston I used to buy lots of their teas and they were oh so unique. They had some really great fruity and floral blends. It’s interesting that..."
Kelly said, in reply to Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea on August 25, 2010 at 11:25 am
Kelly on:
Harvest Orange Spice from Octavia Tea
"Haha!! My co-worker told me that she purchased this tea after having purchased the Matcha Latte at Seattle’s Best, and her and another co-worker purchased this because they believed it was what was served there. She stated to me today that “it didn’t seem the same exactly…it felt like their was something..."
The Tea Guru said, in reply to Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea on August 20, 2010 at 8:55 pm
The Tea Guru on:
Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea
"I’m not absolutely certain, but I believe that this is the concentrate that Seattle’s Best coffee shops use to make their matcha latte. The lattes I’ve enjoyed there were sweet with a definite melon flavor… and I have noticed that they sell other Tazo teas there. If it IS the concentrate that they use… I am..."
liber-teas said, in reply to Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea on August 20, 2010 at 8:47 pm
liber-teas on:
Matcha Latté with Honeydew from Tazo Tea
"I Love this tea!! This flavor is my favorite. I am so addicted to it! Thanks
"
Betsy said, in reply to Raspberry Earl from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea on August 20, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Betsy on:
Raspberry Earl from Zhena’s Gypsy Tea
"Steph: Thank you for your information about the naranquilla. I didn’t find the flavor to be very tart at all – which is what I would have expected from the combination of lime and rhubarb. Perhaps the maraschino sweetened it up a bit and made it much more peach-like. It reminded me a bit of candied apricots or peaches."
liber-teas said, in reply to Easter Tea from Dammann Frères on August 19, 2010 at 7:42 pm
liber-teas on:
Easter Tea from Dammann Frères