# Bottled iced tea brands **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 1, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604 "2014-03-01T16:01:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/1 "2014-03-01T16:01:00Z")
I’m having a “Pure Leaf, with lemon” right now. It’s not bad. Not great, but not bad. Back in high school I used to get a brand called “Tradewinds”; it came in a tall, glass bottle IIRC. Hadn’t seen it for years but then it showed up on my local supermarket’s shelf. Wasn’t as good as I remembered, but I’m not even sure it’s the same company. Had a Peach Snapple last summer for the first time in ages. Wasn’t a fan (even made [a thread about it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=692413)). Think my favorites are Honest Tea, because it’s just about the _perfect_ sweetness for me, and, oddly, an ice-cold Nestea in a can, but that’s really just for chugging on a really hot day (but, on said really hot days, it’s _really_ good). What do you like? What’s good? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/2 "2014-03-01T20:51:19Z")
Gold Peak Diet. Perfect sweetness and so clean and crisp. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/3 "2014-03-01T21:12:21Z")
I buy the gallons of Tradewinds. I like the regular unsweetened. I also like the Arizona green teas. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/4 "2014-03-02T00:13:44Z")
Honest Tea is yummy! I also like Sweet Leaf teas…theirs tend to be sweeter than Honest Tea, but they do have an unsweetened lemon-line tea that is actually refreshing. ---
**Author:** ![Nightsong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nightsong/32/3083_2.png) [@Nightsong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightsong)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/5 "2014-03-02T01:09:08Z")
Either the Wegmans generic (they have a good selection: Earl Grey black, green, etc.), or anything by Ito En (a Japanese company). None of the Wegmans are sweetened, and only some of the Ito En are, but that’s fine by me. I’d rather add a bit of simple syrup to get it to the sweetness I want. * * * \<\< Cat fur is a condiment. \>\> ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/6 "2014-03-02T19:57:48Z")
_ **TeJava** _ is aces. It’s unsweet, has no additives, and it’s brewed right–by which I mean it’s plenty strong and has a lovely medium-dark-amber color about it. I’m drinking a lovely tall glass of it right now, all sweaty on the outside and with just enough ice to make faint music. _Damn_, does that taste good. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/7 "2014-03-02T20:00:01Z")
TeJava is the only bottle tea I drink. I don’t generally care for flavored or sweetened iced tea; TeJava is simply black tea in a bottle. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2014, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/8 "2014-03-02T21:19:47Z")
Tejava for me, too. No citric acid, no sweeteners, nothing. ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/9 "2014-03-05T02:09:19Z")
Gold Peak and especially Red Diamond sweet tea taste like homemade sweet tea that I would make. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/10 "2014-03-05T02:28:18Z")
Before Safeway decided to shut down all the Dominicks around here, I would sometimes buy their organic spearmint tea. I also like Pure Leaf, but I hate Gold Peak. It’s way too sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/11 "2014-03-05T03:03:05Z")
Another vote for Tejava. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/12 "2014-03-05T03:23:22Z")
I’m on the East Coast. Never seen or heard of Tejava. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/13 "2014-03-05T03:39:48Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I’m on the East Coast. Never seen or heard of Tejava. I also am on the East Coast. Try Trader Joe’ s or Harris Teeter. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/14 "2014-03-05T03:50:52Z")
Over here we have Oishi brand, a sideline of a chain of successful Japanese restaurants in Bangkok. I like the Black Tea Lemon, and we both like the Green Tea Honey. Green Tea Peach is not bad either. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/15 "2014-03-05T21:14:14Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Gold Peak Diet. This. Plus, [Inko’s unsweetened hint-o-mint white tea](http://www.healthywhitetea.com/flowers_hint_omint). I haven’t seen it in a while, but I get it whenever I’m somewhere that sells it. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/16 "2014-03-05T21:26:30Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > I also like Sweet Leaf teas…theirs tend to be sweeter than Honest Tea, but they do have an unsweetened lemon-line tea that is actually refreshing. I’m partial to their Mint & Honey green tea. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2014, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/17 "2014-03-05T21:33:31Z")
I miss Snapple Orange Iced Tea and Snapple Mint Iced Tea, both of which vanished over 15 years ago. Trader Joe’s has a mint iced tea that’s very good, but it’s only sold in gallon jugs. I’d prefer 16 or 20 oz. bottles. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/18 "2014-03-06T00:53:10Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > I’m partial to their Mint & Honey green tea. Mmm, spearmint! I like that one too. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bottled-iced-tea-brands/682604/19 "2014-03-07T20:29:12Z")
I like my iced tea pretty sweet (1 1/4 cup sugar per gal) with fresh lemon squeezed in each glass. I have never had a bottled iced tea that I even remotely enjoyed. They are are all terrible. I don’t know they can even call that stuff iced tea. Of course, YMMV.