Lipton Orange & Spice Flavored Black Tea Review

A Very Enjoyable Tea That Actually Does Taste of Oranges

Summary : Hey...if you like orange flavored or cinnamon flavored teas, guess what, you have found a tea you'll like. The strong black tea taste is also very subdued, too.

Review : I'll confess. I was NOT looking forward to sampling this tea. Indeed, the whole idea of sampling this tea was rather unsavory. The reason for this is because I have found nothing to like in any other Orange Spice tea I've tried before. In other orange spice teas I've tried, I've NEVER once actually tasted orange. Instead, all I tasted was the overpowering taste of black tea. As such, straight out of the gate, I had a really bad attitude about this creation from Lipton.

Yet, my job as a "tea reviewer" is to plow into new frontiers, where few have ever gone before - if only to help people so they don't follow my errant ways. As such, I willed up the courage and gave this tea a try.

There were few things to get my hopes up when opening the tea. The aroma was, well, there...and didn't do much to inspire confidence.

Liptons Orange & Spice Flavored Black Tea contains the following ingredients : "Fine imported black tea leaves, clove, natural orange flavor with other natural flavors (contains soy lecithin)."

Here is how Lipton describes this tea on their website : "Take the taste of juicy oranges, a touch of spice and all natural LIPTON Black Tea and you have a delicious tea that’s as inviting as it is natural. It’s a combination you’ll crave. In addition to great taste, LIPTON Tea provides a healthy dose of protective flavonoid antioxidants."

So far today, as I write this review, I've had two surprises. The first was the realization that I'm now allergic to beef - bummer, a lesson only learned by having to beat a hasty retreat into the baby aisle of my local Albertsons after nearly losing my breakfast while looking at a heaping tray of taco meat.

And the second surprise, and a good one, was the taste of this tea. I really, truly was expecting to hate this tea. Yet, I was so wrong! Happily. This tea, in fact, is the only orange & spice black tea that I've liked so far - and I've tried several bagged and loose-leaf varieties. Here's why I like this tea.

First, the flavor of this tea is "spot on." In other Orange & Spice teas I've tried, you really need to stretch your imagination to find the "orange flavor", or even the "spice flavor." Truthfully, I've never tasted either orange or spice in any other Orange & Spice Black Tea that I've tried. By contrast, in this tea, the flavor of both orange and spice (in this case cinnamon) REALLY jumps out at you.

I suspect this is happening for several reasons. The first is most likely Lipton somehow heard my pleas and infused extra orange/cinnamon flavor in this tea. And secondly, Lipton probably isn't using the highest quality of black tea leaves here either, subduing the usually strong taste of black tea that typically overwhelms anything that gets added to the it.

But, whatever the reason, I'm very happy Lipton came up with this formula. The tea is enjoyable to drink, has a great taste (of both orange and cinnamon) and has no bitterness. The tea even has a pleasant after-taste. In short, kudos to Lipton for breaking my hatred of Orange & Spice Black Teas!

Recommendation : Yes. If you like orange flavored teas, or cinnamon flavored teas for that matter, I strongly suspect you'll like this tea. This tea somehow mixes orange and cinnamon and produces a great taste. Even people who don't enjoy black tea will probably like this tea too, since the usual strong black tea taste here is happily absent.

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