More Average Than Anything Else, Peach Delight Tea Zingers To Go Aren't Worth Buying!

The Good: Tastes fine, Easy to make
The Bad: Light on peach flavor, Extraneous tea garbage.
The Basics: A thoroughly mediocre beverage, the Zingers To Go Peach Delight tea from Celestial Seasonings is anything but delightful.

It has been a while since I was seriously disappointed by my favorite tea brand, Celestial Seasonings. In fact, as I prepare for my annual sojourn to the Celestial Seasonings factory, I am eager to see what they have new. Still, that didn't stop me from giving the Tea Zingers To Go Peach Delight Green Tea a shot. Previously I had only tried the Blueberry Splash and that had left a sour taste in my mouth. The Peach Delight is a little better, but not enough for me to recommend.

Basics

Unlike most Celestial Seasonings teas, Celestial Seasonings Zingers To Go Green 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 Peach Delight 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 (iced, but not as cold) 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

Here, 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 Peach Delight 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 Peach Delight green tea they wanted. Preparation is easy and once the envelope is emptied it may be disposed of properly.

Taste

Here is where fans of Celestial Seasonings and their products are bound to make this a nationwide clearance rack product. Indeed, I did get my Peach Delight from a clearance shelf at the local grocery store ($1.50 for the box of ten). The taste of the Peach Delight is nothing to write home about. The smell of the tea powder (and beverage) is only faintly of tea. There is nothing especially peach about the scent.

The Peach Delight tastes like old powdered tea beverages I had as a kid. It is slightly more sweet than it ought to be and tastes nothing like tea. As well, there is a dry aftertaste that makes this anything but a thirst quencher. In fact, the peach flavor manifests itself most as a slightly sour and citrusy aftertaste. Ultimately, the beverage does not taste much like peach, though it tastes like what most Americans recognize as iced tea. It is less herbal and more chemical to my palate, though. Fortunately, it is sweet enough that it does not require sugar to be added to it and it is not entirely unpleasant to drink.

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 is usually an environmentally responsible company making great products that taste good and are worth the money. Unfortunately, Peach Delight Green Tea mix from the Zingers To Go line is a disappointment. It is not flavored enough like tea to satisfy tea drinkers and not flavored enough like Peach to satisfy fruit beverage consumers. Ultimately, it is easy to pass by as a result, though those who get it are not likely to hate it.


4/10

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© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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