Welcome back to FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.
I’m not a seltzer guy. But I am a tea guy, so when Spindrift expanded its lineup of bubbly, fruit-flavored drinks, I perked up. Sure, the idea of a carbonated iced tea was weird, but Spindrift is the brand that saw La Croix’s complete lack of flavor and decided to do something about it. This gave me some hope — and led me to give it a try.
It turns out, yep, it’s still mostly a seltzer experience. The bubbles are dense and there’s never a doubt you’re drinking a sparkling water. But the tea is there as well and the flavor is powerful enough to stand out.
That works … unless it all falls apart. So read on to figure out which flavors are solid and which feels like one of those trick Jelly Belly flavors your friends hand out in an effort to convince you to stop spending time with them.
Half tea and half lemon: B-
True to form, this pours with vigorous carbonation — something I wouldn’t typically associate with iced tea. I like my teas to be a little thick and smooth, while sparkling water is more thin and crisp. And I’m a little worried the inherent near-bitterness of seltzer water is going to be a problem as well.
The first taste is bubbles up front, and that strong carbonated current lingers through the full sip. The tea is there, but it’s overpowered by the tart, acidic lemon — which feels much more of a relic brought over from carbonated water than the complementary taste you’d get with a squeezed wedge in your iced tea. The end result is about what you’d expect; a little flavor, a lot more seltzer.
Your mileage will depend on how much you like Spindrift or La Croix and its ilk in the first place. If you love a hint of flavor and a sea of bubbles, great news! If you don’t, a full can is a little taxing to drink. It’s not bad, it’s just not what I expect from an Arnold Palmer.
Mango black tea: B
This is way better. The tea is front and center and the mango — and lemon — make complementary but minor appearances in each sip. As expected, there’s heavy carbonation to wash it clean as it clears your tongue, snapping off each gulp with a very seltzer-y exclamation.
Despite being unsweetened, that mango adds a little extra sugary depth that’s lacking in the other two flavors. The bubbles are still a little foreign in an iced tea, but the drink underneath is solid. I’d like it more if it weren’t carbonated, but I know that’s not Spindrift’s thing. This is tea for people who want sparkling water. Mango black tea is the best of the bunch.
Mint green tea: F
It’s not a great sign that the first thing I think of after cracking the can is the aroma of spearmint toothpaste. And yet, that’s exactly where I landed. No tea, no subtlety just, whooosh, clean those teeth, dummy.
Woof, there’s a lot going on here. The tea barely registers, as you just get floral notes and overwhelming mint. This is carbonated Crest, only not quite as sweet. It’s not undrinkable, but it’s too potent to be any good.
Update: I’m halfway through the can. I cannot finish this. It is, in fact, undrinkable. I’m not sure words can express how much I hate this tea, partially because I’m not convinced there’s any tea in there to begin with. This is a baking soda and mouthwash experiment aimed at cleaning oil stains from garage floors. It is not consumer grade.
Would I drink it instead of a Hamm's?
