In honor of National Sweet Tea day, I decided to review a cool new product I was introduced to whilst shopping at my local Publix store (where I always spend too much money…that’s not just me, right?). I’m a Southerner at heart, but it took me well into my college years to finally develop a love for the South’s great nectar: sweet tea. Although I’ve never been able to brew my own version that tastes as good as Chick-fil-a, that doesn’t stop me from trying (although I never seem to be able to get the sugar ratio right).
Like this kid.
Which is why I was so intrigued when I learned about Southern Breeze Sweet Tea, which claims to “sweeten as you steep” so you don’t actually need any sugar. Even better, the teas are all zero calorie so I can drink as much as I want without worrying about breaking my diet! Excited, I bought all the flavors I saw to go home and try them. You start the same way you would with any other tea: boiling water.
I may not be a 5-star chef, but this I can do, no problem.
Once you boil your 2-quarts of water, you let 2 tea bags steep for about 3-5 minutes.
*turns on Gilmore Girls*
Then you remove the tea bags. I put mine in the fridge for a little while to cool down a bit so it didn’t get too watered down when I added the ice. Once it’s cool, just pour over ice like your normally do and enjoy!
Ahhh… tastes like home!
Here’s a rundown of the flavors, in order of my favorites:
Original Sweet Tea
There’s no beating a classic!
It has that classic flavor you look for in a sweet tea. Refreshing, cold, full bodied, and sweet enough to make you smile.
Raspberry
Fruity and delicious.
Raspberry tea is my guilty pleasure. I love the one that Turkey Hill makes because it has enough sugar in it to rot your teeth out immediately. This one has a similar flavor without me feeling like I need to brush my teeth immediately afterward.
Lemon
Think “Arnold Palmer”
I like this one because it packs a pretty strong lemon punch. It’s a little stronger than just squeezing a lemon into your tea, but not quite as strong as an Arnie Palmie is. If you’re not a fan of lemon with your tea, I’d try one of the other flavors.
Peach
Like the Mario character, Peach tends to be my least favorite.
To be fair, peaches are one of my least favorite fruits (betraying my southern roots again), so this shouldn’t really be a surprise. I also felt that this was the one that tasted the least authentic. But that may just be my peach bias.
So many flavors, so little time.
General comments: they use artificial sweetener, so your first sip has that tinniness that tends to come along with that (think about diet coke). Once you get past that, it’s delicious; you can’t even tell the difference. I’ll be bringing this along to Sean & Christine’s Annual Farmstravaganza Fourth of July party, so people can enjoy it regularly (or maybe with a little liquor mixed in).
