Review: Pure leaf iced tea - lemon, peach, mint, and raspberry
Since I really like tea and especially iced tea in the hot summers, I could not wait to try out the Pure Leaf iced teas that has launched in the Netherlands not too long ago. Currently, there are only four flavors (peach, mint, lemon, and raspberry), but in America and Canada, it is very popular and available in many flavors.
The Pure Leaf iced tea comes in large bottles of 500 ml and they are hard and sturdy. The tea leaves embossed at the bottle neck are very pretty. The unique selling point seems to be that it is made with real brewed tea and not from powder or concentrates. The color of the tea does look murkier than the clear iced tea that I normally buy in supermarkets.
I personally like lemon flavor the most. Even though it doesn't have enough lemon flavor for me, the strong tea flavor makes it up. I normally make my iced lemon tea like this too. You keep the tea bag in the water so long that it would be too bitter to drink hot, but when chilled, it would get a great and strong flavor.
The thing that bothered me the most is the flavor of the sweetener, as I am not too used to it. I think I would prefer the unsweetened version (which is available in America and Canada). That way, I could add the amount and kind of sugar that I want myself. The Pure Leaf Not Too Sweet Honey Green tea that they also have over there, looks very nice too.
Moreover, I might be a bit spoiled as I remember that I have drank a great lemon and peach tea in small plastic bottles like these in Rome, Italy, before. It was recommended to me by a class mate in high school and since then, I drank it every day while I was there.
The Pure Leaf iced tea comes in large bottles of 500 ml and they are hard and sturdy. The tea leaves embossed at the bottle neck are very pretty. The unique selling point seems to be that it is made with real brewed tea and not from powder or concentrates. The color of the tea does look murkier than the clear iced tea that I normally buy in supermarkets.
Lemon
It tastes like long drawn black tea with a hint of lemon. It doesn't have a very nice and refreshing lemon scent that I am used to with other lemon iced teas, but it doesn't influence my opinion on the flavor too much. It has the strongest tea flavor of the four flavors that I have tried.Peach
This iced tea has a fruity, peach scent. It isn't as bitter as the previous lemon tea, but more like a watery, peach juice with a tea aftertaste.Mint
I feared that it would have a too sharp mint flavor, but it has a very delicate, sweet mint flavor. The sweetness reminds me a bit of that of chewing gum or breath mints. It tastes similar to when you drink chilled tea, after you ate a mint candy. It doesn't have a very noticeable and sharp mint flavor, so if you are looking for a refreshing kick, this is not what you get.Raspberry
It has a sweet raspberry scent, which smells the best out of the four iced teas that I tried. You can really taste the sweet raspberry flavor with a little bit of sourness. Out of the four, it tastes the most like a light lemonade to me. The tea flavor is a bit on the weak side and the sweetener is more noticeable.
What do I think?
I personally like lemon flavor the most. Even though it doesn't have enough lemon flavor for me, the strong tea flavor makes it up. I normally make my iced lemon tea like this too. You keep the tea bag in the water so long that it would be too bitter to drink hot, but when chilled, it would get a great and strong flavor.
The thing that bothered me the most is the flavor of the sweetener, as I am not too used to it. I think I would prefer the unsweetened version (which is available in America and Canada). That way, I could add the amount and kind of sugar that I want myself. The Pure Leaf Not Too Sweet Honey Green tea that they also have over there, looks very nice too.
Moreover, I might be a bit spoiled as I remember that I have drank a great lemon and peach tea in small plastic bottles like these in Rome, Italy, before. It was recommended to me by a class mate in high school and since then, I drank it every day while I was there.
Pure leaf iced tea*, 500 ml, €1.29Flavors: lemon, peach, mint, and raspberry95% real brewed black tea with the Rainforest Alliance Certified sealLess than 20 kcal per 100 mlSweetened by sugar and natural sweetener, steviolglycosidenOnly natural flavorings, so no artificial flavours, colours, or preservatives
