Lipton

Sampler Sipdown September! So, this is probably the most non-traditional tea review on this site? Maybe? Because I have a confession… other than using this in a batch of iced tea once (and it was mixed with some Stash Lemon Ginger), I’ve never drunk this stuff. (For the record, that was one of the worst quarts of iced tea I’ve ever had to put myself through, and I had put absolutely gobs of honey in the thing trying to make it palatable).

Truth of the matter is, I’m not really a fan of plain ol’ black assam and ceylon teas to begin with, so a plain ol’ Lipton bagged black tea? Hell na. This box was gifted on me by a former volunteer in my department at the library, who handed me a bag of her tea cupboard de-stash of boxed teas, and I took it all home to sample. I never really wanted this, but I have a hard time throwing tea away (I did end up having to throw away the Traditional Medicinals Raspberry Leaf she bestowed on me after sampling it, though… that stuff was just too nasty.)

So I’ve now used this up with hardly any of the stuff having to actually touch my tastebuds. How? I’ve been using it up making black tea hair rinses! Yes. The boatloads of medications I’m on for migraine coupled with my PCOS-hormonal-rage cause a ton of shedding, and apparently black tea is a natural way to help with that (yes, I’m one of those weird “natural” people when it comes to my hair, I won’t put any weird chemicals/dyes/what-have-you in it). I’m also hoping that it might naturally color my grays (I have a ridiculous amount for only being 36), but haven’t seen any results in that department, yet.

My regimin has been three of these teabags plus four teaspoons of loose sage herb (which is supposed to naturally help with the grays) steeped in boiling water for five minutes. I strain and let it sit in the fridge when I go to wash my hair, and by the time I’m done, I take the tea out of the fridge and it’s still warm but cool enough to apply without fear of scalding. I pour half in an applicator bottle and half in a spray bottle and thoroughly soak my hair in the black tea. I let it sit for at least ten minutes, then do a two cup rinse that is one part apple cider vinegar and 3 parts water since the apple cider vinegar helps act as a sealant. Because the caffeine in the tea can be drying, I put a nice honey and sage deep conditioner on, let it sit for about 20 minutes, then do a luke warm rinse. Hair is very soft afterwards.

Shedding is still pretty bad when I wash, but is already noticably better day-to-day when the hair is dry, and breakage/split ends is much better too. No coloring of the grays yet, though. The Lipton is gone now, and this was a great way to get it out of the cupboard. Now I’ll just start using my “less loved” loose leafs (those more bitter/astringent blacks that I rarely feel like drinking!) up this way!

Got Lipton? Making a hair rinse out of it is always an option!

Very strong citrus flavour, rich and sweet, some flowery notes in the background.
Really fresh in taste, not bland, although the base green tea is absolutely devoid of bitterness.

It’s plain, it’s boring, it’s on a grocery store shelf near you: Lipton Earl Grey

I think I took this from a hotel room or something. I didn’t buy it/seek it out. Anyway, with a lot of milk and some sweetener this is a drinkable cup.

Before you judge me, this was a free teabag from a hotel I stayed at. Since enjoy EG with milk and also use it in recipes sometimes, I figured a poor quality EG would be fine in a pinch. Since I don’t have any EG blends at the moment, apart from 52Teas’ EG Cupcake, it made sense to take the teabag for future use. I intended to use this next time I made EG and lemon muffins or blueberry EG banana bread, but I felt like a latte this morning and bergamot seemed like a good choice.

This is more floral than most EG blends I’ve tried. The base is mediocre, but with soy milk added I don’t taste most of the subtleties. The bergamot is the perfect potency, but backs that citrus flavour I enjoy in most other brands. Surprisingly, when I sipped it before adding milk, I could taste a think, malty black base. Normally Lipton’s black teas are acrid and bitter.

I have found a new contender for “worst berry tea”. It is sickening how artificial the berry flavour it. It is overpoweringly purfumed and almost seems soapy. If you have ever wondered it what hair shampoo flavoured tea tastes like, it is this.

I should have known better because it is Lipton.

Pretty much just lemon and ginger. One benefit of the tea is it seems hard to over steep it.

Certainly the default, generic tea, though it’s not necessarily bad. I consider it on the strong side, with a bit of a peppery taste. If you have not noticed already, I actually quite like it!

Before brewing powdered matcha in the traditional Japanese way, I decided to try this Lipton tea. It was sold at Walmart and was fairly priced at $2.98 for 15 tea bags. At this point, I’ve never had matcha or really tried any green tea, but was surprised to find the tea having a unique aftertaste after all the bitterness. If you’re on a budget or cannot make matcha traditionally, then this tea is a good alternative.

good

As far as Lipton teas go, this sachet is fancy. Whole leaf green with lots of room for the leaves to expand.

Slightly acidic and definitely mandarin orange flavour. The green doesn’t present itself, so it is quite difficult to taste. I would never buy it, but as the only decent tea at a breakfast buffet, I would drink it again.

This tea is surprisingly tasty and refreshing for Lipton brand. As a fan of matcha, this is a simple and easy take on the classic drink. I recommend this tea due to its availability, low price and easy brew method.

One of the finest tea. The color and flavor of this tea is very delicious.

I normally avoid Lipton, even if it is free, however I had been curious about the “yellow label” variety for a while.

I steeped the teabag in 250 mL hot water + soy milk ~1 minute. It is lightly floral, I think it would have been bitter if I hadn’t added milk. Typically English breakfast flavoured, it doesn’t have much to comment on other than the obvious floral notes.

Nice fruity aroma.
The taste is a mixture of decent green tea and fruits, warming and refreshing at the same time. Rather watery, but passable.

253/365

I’m finding I’m drinking a lot of mint tea at the moment, even though it’s usually not a favourite of mine. I’m pretty sure it’s because it’s just so, so hot at the moment – mint, at least, has a kind of cooling effect thing going on even if I drink it hot. So. Mint it is.

This one’s pretty nice, and I think on the whole I prefer it to some other bagged brands (Twinings in particular, and possibly even Teapigs). It’s not too dank and heavy (I suppose it is called delicate…), and it retains a pleasant sweetness. My sample sachet doesn’t say, but I’m pretty sure it’s a spearmint/peppermint blend. It’s very similar to the Hampstead Tea I drank a few days ago.

I’d probably not actively seek this particular tea out in the future, since mint doesn’t generally do it for me, and because it’s nothing super special. It’s good, though; especially on a day like today when it’s at least 29 outside, and more like 34 in the office.

Can I go home yet?

I think this is just a marketing/packaging update to Lipton’s conventional English breakfast, but I do like the notion of a tea that is daring, even if this isn’t.

Departing coworker left a wrapped box of this on the “pay it forward” table at work; I snagged it for iced tea purposes. (Missouri has had August weather since May.)

But…considering all the ribbing and ripping I have extended to poor ol’ plain black Lipton over the years, I decided to give it legit consideration this morning before I threw ice in it.

This particular blend is less acidic and a little more smooth than I remember the plain black bagged stuff. No particular personality trait stands out. It’s just tea. But some 98-degree days, that’s really all you need.

Dries the mouth

Too spicy with a pepper undercurrent

3-9-2018 Early afternoon Soothing Vanilla Caramel from Lipton, Great to Relax Wtih