The Good: Tastes fine, Easy to make
The Bad: Light on tea flavor, Extraneous tea garbage.
The Basics: A good - but average-at-best - beverage, the Zingers To Go line has a drinkable powdered beverage with the Wild Berry Chill!
Sometimes, even when I like something, I have to admit that it is not the very best thing in the world. I mention this at the outset of my review of Celestial Seasonings' Tea Zingers to Go Wild Berry Chill flavor because I do enjoy drinking this drink. I also have to admit that with a vague flavor like “wild berry,” there was a temptation in me to bump the rating up. After all, the name is vague enough that no specific berry is being maligned through the generic fruit flavor of this drink. But it was more the “Herbal Tea” reference that actually upset my sensibilities. Celestial Seasonings knows how to make tea, but this drink – geared toward the summer movers and shakers who want something better than soda, more flavorful than water or Crystal Light to drink during the summer.
And more than any of the other Tea Zingers To Go, unlike Peach Delight (click here for the review!), Wild Berry Chill actually is worth tasting and tastes good.
Basics
Unlike most Celestial Seasonings teas, Celestial Seasonings Zingers To Go Herb Tea mix is a collection of ten single serving packets of powdered drink mix. The plastic packets house a fine powder, much like Kool-Aid or Crystal Lite. The .07 oz. packets are made of a stiff plastic designed to keep the contents fresh and they have a perforation that makes them easy to get into. The Wild Berry Chill Zingers To Go comes in a small box of ten .07 oz. packets, which pretty much undermines Celestial Seasonings' otherwise wonderful environmental track record. This is designed to be a cool tea drink for those on the go who have the desire to drink cold tea, but lack the time to properly brew it.
Ease of Preparation
Celestial Seasonings clearly attempts to capitalize on the market that has been untapped of people who have been drinking bottled water instead of their tea. Preparing the Wild Berry Chill Zinger On The Go is easy. Simply tear open the plastic envelope with the powdered mix, an easy feat considering that there is a perforation in the package, and dump the powder into a 16.9 fl. oz. bottle and shake. Celestial Seasonings calibrated the packaging of the mix to fit ideally into the standard size water bottle. Celestial Seasonings is hoping when one refills their water bottles, they will add the Zingers To Go.
It is that easy to make this drink; add the powder to water, seal the bottle up and shake it. A few good shakes and the powder will dissolve and one has the Wild Berry Chill herb tea they wanted. Preparation is easy and once the envelope is emptied it may be disposed of properly.
Taste
To date, the To Go line has not been one of Celestial Seasonings' bestsellers, but Wild Berry Chill makes the argument that it ought to be. First, the beverage smells more like fruit and tea than any of the others in the line. The scent is vaguely like blackberries and raspberries (or at least the scent we are conditioned to believe is raspberries.
The taste of Wild Berry Chill is not at all unpleasant. The flavor is very much the taste of a berry-based fruit punch. However, because the drink is supposed to be a tea beverage, the consumer may be surprised by how the fruit dominates this. The berry taste is about 90% of the flavor and it is refreshing (especially when chilled). Anyone who likes generic berry-flavored drinks will likely enjoy this.
The problem, however, comes with the aftertaste or for those looking for a strong tea-flavored beverage. The Wild Berry Chill has a primary flavor that is all berry, but when the aftertaste kicks in, the berry flavor is not sublimated, it just tastes . . . off, like the drink was made with bad water. The aftertaste only lasts a second or two, but it is all the representation the tea has in the flavor.
Nutrition
To its credit, Celestial Seasonings attempts to make its Zingers To Go product with natural elements, which might be why the it expires so quickly. There are recognizable ingredients like hibiscus, orange peel and rosehips. Unfortunately, unlike most Celestial Seasonings products, the ingredient list degenerates into preservatives and sugars that are usually absent from their products.
Nutritionally, this product is devoid of it just like most teas are. It is carbohydrate free and has no calories. This drink does have antioxidants and an apparently negligible amount of caffeine. It is not enough to keep one up from the caffeine (the taste, on the other hand . . .). There is nothing bad in this and it can encourage people not inclined to drink water to do that. Or, it could if it were better.
Storage/Clean-up
The individual packs remain fresh so long as they are unruptured and the individual serving size for each powder packet insures the rest of the mix will not get stale. Humidity seems to be the greatest enemy of the Zingers To Go, but the packets keep it from getting moist.
Cleaning up this product is easy when it is in powder form. Should you spill it, simply sweep it up or wipe it up with a damp cloth. If it is in liquid form, it is a bright purple liquid that will stain light colored fabrics. Consult a fabric guide on how to get tea out for cleaning up after spills from this tea drink. Generally, though, it cleans out of mugs and cups easily.
Overall
Celestial Seasonings finally has a Zingers To Go winner with Wild Berry Chill, which is still pretty average, though it tastes good.
For other beverage reviews, please check out:
Yogi Berry Detox tea
Republic Of Tea Earl Greyer
Duff Energy Drink
5/10
For other food reviews, please check out my index page!
© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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