Review: Honest - organic flavoured herbal teas
Honest - an organic flavoured herbal tea brand founded by the two friends, Seth and Barry, in America in 1998 - was finally put on the market in the UK (first country in Europe) last year and now, it is the turn of the Netherlands. I have always wanted to find more not too sweet, but still delicious drink options, as I often either buy a bottle of Lipton ice tea green or a bottle of Sourcy Vitamin water. Honest organic flavoured herbal teas, which are sweetened by a little bit of organic honey, fruit juice, and cane sugar instead of artificial sweeteners, are exactly what I have been looking for. Now, let's hope I like how they taste.
It tastes like a refreshing, diluted green tea with a lemony, sour end taste, followed by a tiny hint of honey. The lemon and honey are really subtle (respectively not too sharp or sour, and not too sweet or fragrant) and you mainly taste a slightly bitter green tea, which I like a lot. It is very thirst quenching and it cannot be seen as a lemonade, as it first and foremost is a tea. You can easily distinguish the different elements (herbal tea blend, honey, and lemon) and the herb, in this case, the lemon myrtle, isn't too overpowering. The Honest lemon flavoured herbal tea with honey also doesn't leave a sweet aftertaste in your mouth, as you end up with a clean, albeit a bit bitter, aftertaste.
It smells and tastes like an AA energy/sports drink, but this isn't that sweet. It tastes a bit similar to the Sourcy vitamin drink - Mango guave. I am surprised to not taste much tea flavor, but then, I remembered that these are herbal teas and that the lemon flavoured herbal tea with honey has some organic green tea in it, is just an exception. The different fruit juices made it taste more like a tropical fruit juice and lemon melissa blended right in.
You can taste the slightly sour pomegranate and the sweet blueberry very well, but I am not really sure if the two fruits taste that well together. It tastes similar to a forest fruit syrup diluted with water, but I think raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and/or blueberries are better together. This herbal tea flavor doesn't really taste bitter from the herb at all and it gives me the least tea feeling of the three.
If you were scared away by the words "herbal tea", don't be. You really don't taste much of the herbal tea flavor. The Honest organic flavoured herbal teas have pretty mainstream flavors and everyone would probably like it.
Honest Lemon flavoured herbal tea with honey*
Kind of herbal tea: Organic lemon myrtle tea
It tastes like a refreshing, diluted green tea with a lemony, sour end taste, followed by a tiny hint of honey. The lemon and honey are really subtle (respectively not too sharp or sour, and not too sweet or fragrant) and you mainly taste a slightly bitter green tea, which I like a lot. It is very thirst quenching and it cannot be seen as a lemonade, as it first and foremost is a tea. You can easily distinguish the different elements (herbal tea blend, honey, and lemon) and the herb, in this case, the lemon myrtle, isn't too overpowering. The Honest lemon flavoured herbal tea with honey also doesn't leave a sweet aftertaste in your mouth, as you end up with a clean, albeit a bit bitter, aftertaste.
Honest Orange & Mango flavoured herbal tea*
Kind of herbal tea: Organic lemon balm/melissa tea
It smells and tastes like an AA energy/sports drink, but this isn't that sweet. It tastes a bit similar to the Sourcy vitamin drink - Mango guave. I am surprised to not taste much tea flavor, but then, I remembered that these are herbal teas and that the lemon flavoured herbal tea with honey has some organic green tea in it, is just an exception. The different fruit juices made it taste more like a tropical fruit juice and lemon melissa blended right in.
Honest Pomegranate & Blueberry flavoured herbal tea*
Kind of herbal tea: Organic hibiscus tea
You can taste the slightly sour pomegranate and the sweet blueberry very well, but I am not really sure if the two fruits taste that well together. It tastes similar to a forest fruit syrup diluted with water, but I think raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and/or blueberries are better together. This herbal tea flavor doesn't really taste bitter from the herb at all and it gives me the least tea feeling of the three.
What do I think?
Depending on your preferences, the ranking can be different, but I like the lemon flavored herbal tea with honey the most, the Orange & Mango is second, and the Pomegranate & Blueberry is the third. I like bitter teas, so I like that more than a sweet lemonade flavor. I must be pretty strange, as in America, the Pomegranate & Blueberry flavoured herbal tea is the most popular.If you were scared away by the words "herbal tea", don't be. You really don't taste much of the herbal tea flavor. The Honest organic flavoured herbal teas have pretty mainstream flavors and everyone would probably like it.
Availability
Honest is currently available at the Marqt supermarkets in temporary 500 ml bottles and from this year's summer, it will be available at other supermarkets and stores in the Netherlands in a 375 ml bottle.
Here, are some cool quotes that I found on the inside of the sticker on the bottles:
