The Trader Joe's Tea That You Should Leave Off Of Your Shopping List

Trader Joe's is the place to go for all your snacks — and your beverages. From seasonal favorites like the Organic Jalapeño Limeade to its Fresh-Squeezed Tangerine Juice, Trader Joe's has exactly what you need to quench your thirst. But, not all of the drinks are as good as others, and that's especially true as it pertains to the teas — Tasting Table's taste testers would know, seeing as they tried and ranked 16 of them. While there were a few winners in the tea aisle, our researchers found that some of the teas in Trader Joe's selection weren't as good as others, and there was one, in particular, they believe you should leave off of your shopping list: Cold Brew Iced Tea Black Tea + Lemon.

With just a tea bag and a pitcher of cold water, Trader Joe's Cold Brew Iced Tea is an ideal shortcut to summertime sipping — requiring no boiling water or lemon squeezing of any kind. Only, this Trader Joe's tea doesn't come out tasting like the homemade iced teas of your summer's past. In fact, upon your first sip, you might reconsider how much of a hassle squeezing the lemons really is, because rather than tasting light and fresh like it would if you did it by hand, our testers found that the lemon comes out tasting bitter and artificial. Others have found that the bags are too weak, requiring multiple in a single brew to achieve something flavorful. 

Unfortunately, the Cold Brew Iced Tea Black Tea + Lemon was the only iced tea featured on our taste tester's ranking — but it's not by any means the only option found in-store. If you're a fan of iced black tea, Trader Joe's offers Cold Brew Black Tea Concentrate. The concentrate is just plain, unsweetened black tea, which means you still get to skip all the time and hassle of boiling water and steeping the tea. All you really have to do is add water, fresh lemon, and sugar to taste, and you have a quick serving of iced black tea.

Unless you live somewhere that's hot all year long, you're likely swapping out your iced tea for something hot in the cooler months. For that, our taste testers have plenty of recommendations, with the Well Rested Herbal Tea, the Organic Earl Grey Tea, and the Organic Chamomile Herbal Tea, all ranking highly. But, you can always take any one of these teas and make them into an iced tea. Some Trader Joe's fans even like to mix different bags when they do so to create something all their own, making everything from iced chais to half green and half Red Refresh iced teas. You can always squeeze your own lemons in to elevate your homemade iced tea, too.