6 Store-Bought Cold Brew Iced Teas, Ranked

As a former barista, I have an affinity for tea; I've made and tried many a cup of iced tea before. If you're looking to make the perfect cup of iced tea yourself, one simple tip I can offer is to purchase tea bags that are meant to be cold brewed.

You've probably heard of cold brew coffee — and cold brew tea is just as easy to make at home. Instead of boiling hot water, steeping the tea, then adding ice (or just throwing it all in the freezer and waiting for it to cool down), cold brew tea is exactly what its name implies: You can brew it in cold water. To me, this makes the iced tea-making process a whole lot easier — especially if you're trying to whip up a huge batch for a party.

If you've never heard of cold brew iced tea before, or you just want to make sure you're getting the best of the best when it comes to iced teas, you might not know which brands to look for. I tried all of the cold brew teas I could get my hands on so you don't have to. I ranked them based on their strength, how well they achieved the flavor they were going for, and how layered the flavors of the tea were. And no, I didn't add anything to the teas before trying them — not even sweetener.

I was almost biased against this tea because the bag fell apart as I was brewing it, which resulted in the entire pitcher being filled with ground-up tea leaves. But I pushed forward and threw out the initial batch. Then, I remade it without any incident. So, now I can safely say I'm biased against this tea because it tastes like water.

I was initially impressed by the strong color of the batch, as it was much darker than most of the other teas I tried. But it just doesn't have the tea flavor I was looking for. I think it could be really delicious if you were planning on serving up a pitcher of sweet tea with lemons. Honestly, that's what the box recommends, so that was probably the intention here anyway. As a plain tea, it has a tiny hint of flavor in its aftertaste. But it's just not strong enough for someone who genuinely wants a cup of iced tea.

Oddly enough, I noticed that Lipton's cold brew had almost no flavor when I tasted it the first time. I felt like I was drinking plain water up until I swallowed the tea. The aftertaste of the beverage, however, is much more apparent. It has some variety to it, like a slightly grassy profile and a little strength. It's definitely a promising tea flavor — I just wish that same flavor was there from the beginning.

Lipton does mention on the box that you can brew the tea overnight in the fridge for a stronger flavor. If you're hoping to achieve a more iced tea-like drink, this would probably be the best option. I brewed it for five minutes and found it wasn't strong enough.

The aftertaste of the Lipton cold brew was pleasant and I think it would have been very refreshing if it had been stronger. As it is, it reminds me more of flavored water; it's nice to drink, but it's not what I was looking for.

Twinings tea was not bad — although it admittedly wasn't great either. It was stronger than both Lipton and Signature Select. This beverage tasted partially of water and partially of tea — like the tea notes were able to shine through at some points but missed the mark otherwise. I didn't get much of a hint of tea flavor initially. The aftertaste was nice, but it's just a plain black tea — not too strong and with a slight hint of sweetness at the very end. There weren't many layers to the flavor, and I would venture to call Twinnings' taste "basic."

For a pitcher of tea at a party, Twinings is a good way to go. It's super basic, which means there are plenty of ways to dress up your iced tea if you do so choose. It would go great with some sweetener, too. I found it to be a bit weak, but inoffensively so.

I would consider my baseline for a cup of stellar iced tea to be stronger and a bit more flavorful. But I will give Twinings props for being the only cold brew tea I tried that allows you to brew a single cup at a time — rather than a full pitcher.

The base flavor of Republic of Tea's tangerine yuzu cold brew was cranberries and florals. This cold brew tea is made with hibiscus (rather than green or black tea), which often carries heavily fruity and floral flavors along with it. This herbal iced tea was strong, acidic, and tangy — which made it extra refreshing.

I ended up trying two Republic of Tea flavors, both of which were hibiscus-based. I thought that the tangerine yuzu flavor was delicious, but it fell a little short; the cranberry flavor overpowered the acidity of the tangerine and the yuzu. I got a hint of both in the tea's aftertaste, but it was drowned out by the tangy berry flavor. Honestly, I don't think this is a huge downside; it's expected with a hibiscus tea. But, it was still a fresh, bright brew that deserves a high spot on this list. Granted, it wasn't quite as good as the other Republic of Tea flavor.

This concentrate carried the classic tea flavor I was looking for. It was strong without being overwhelming, and I found it to be quite refreshing. 

Do I think that Trader Joe's tea could have been made a little stronger than what was listed on the instructions? Honestly, yes. But the difference with this cold brew — and a small part of the reason why it's ranked highly — is that it comes in a liquid concentrate form rather than a bag. The instructions indicate that you should continue adding extra concentrate if you prefer a stronger tea. I appreciate this because it's much easier to adjust every cup to be exactly how you want it. Rather than needing to use multiple tea bags at once or risk over-brewing and making your tea bitter, you can just add a little more concentrate.

The base flavor of this concentrate was still much stronger than the other black teas I brewed. I think that the Trader Joe's concentrate will hit the mark, in terms of flavor, for most people. This is the cold brew tea I would recommend to anyone who wants a refreshing cup of cold brew for themselves. It's also easy to whip up delicious drinks for a lot of people with. 

This brew had a fabulous color after it finished brewing, so I had high hopes for it. I was also very impressed by its strength and delicious smell.

I thought the first notes of this tea, which was labeled as "pineapple coconut," would be tropical. But it was a lot more acidic than I anticipated — likely due to the fact that this is a hibiscus tea. However, I can genuinely say that the notes of the pineapple and coconut that came through — mostly in the aftertaste — were genuinely very pleasant.

As you drink, the brew transforms from the lemony, bright berry notes that first hit your tongue to the milder, sweeter pineapple and coconut flavors. I was impressed that the Republic of Tea managed to achieve the notes they were going for — despite how overpowering the hibiscus was. 

The pineapple coconut beverage was absolutely the best cold brew tea I tried on this list, in terms of both strength and flavor. I will, however, acknowledge that hibiscus teas have a very specific flavor to them — which may not suit all drinkers. If you love a fruity, floral tea, don't hesitate to buy this flavor. But if you're not a fan of hibiscus, I can assure you that Trader Joe's cold brew concentrate will be a better option for you.

It's surprisingly difficult to find bags of cold brew iced tea. I searched far and wide for the few I reviewed and tried to select brands that were easily accessible to most consumers. I did not use any teas that were advertised as hot teas or iced teas — only those that were labeled as cold brew teas.

I brewed all of the teas according to their individual instructions, which meant the brewing times, temperatures, and amounts of water all differed. I stirred them all gently while brewing them to ensure an equal distribution of flavor. I also tried the teas ice cold immediately after I was done brewing them. I added nothing to the brews before I tasted them. If you love tea, you might already know the trick to making sure you squeeze all the flavor you can from your tea bags — literally. So, to make sure every brew was properly finished off, I squeezed all the water from the tea bags I used into each cup.

Lastly, I ranked brews primarily based on their strength and flavor. I was looking for the flavor notes listed on the package, as well as the overall flavor and strength of the brew. I did not rank these teas based on my individual preference — only on whether or not they met these criteria.