Lipton Lemon Black Tea Review
On a hot day, I often reach for a bottle of Lipton iced lemon tea from the petrol station refrigerator section… not particularly because it tastes like tea, but because it’s sugary, refreshing and cooling.
So, when a Lipton lemon black tea bag made its way into my tea collection, I decided to wait until the hot months to try it. I’ll be honest, it doesn’t matter what time of year you brew this tea, it’s still going to taste pretty poor.
I’ve marked this tea low for a very good reason.
Lemon and Lipton Tea at a Glance
Izzy's Rating
1.8/5
- Blend: Black tea with lemon peel and lemon flavouring
- Flavour: Hint of black tea doused in lemon toilet cleaner
Unlike the sweet, palatable lemon iced tea, these black tea and lemon tea bags are not nice at all. If you happen to like the flavour of this tea (I won’t judge!) then I urge you to give other brands a chance to discover a better quality/flavour.
Full Review - Lipton Lemon Citron Tea Bags
Izzy's Rating
1.8/5
- Type: Tagged paper filter tea bag
- Tea: Black tea
- Additives: Lemon flavouring, lemon peel
- Flavour Notes: Hint of full-bodied black tea with artificial lemon
- Aroma: Light artificial lemon
- Milk or Lemon: Sweetener of your choice
- Where to Buy: Amazon
Opening the wrapper, there’s not much going on. It takes a deep breath in to detect notes of artificial lemon and black tea. It’s a pleasant aroma – although the lemon smells fake, I’m reminded of the iced lemon tea that tastes great.
Brewed with hot water, it’s not as pleasant but I’m still optimistic at this point. The black tea aroma has faded and it is just pure lemon now. But not a fresh or real lemon flavour. There’s no bite.
I take a sip and my worst fears are confirmed. It really does taste like you’d imagine lemon scented toilet cleaner would. The lemon has been stripped of all bitterness and acidity then artificially sweetened. The black tea is a ghost in the aftertaste.
I tried 3 or 4 sips, just to make sure I was getting a full flavour profile then gave up. Sorry Lipton, but this just isn’t my cup of tea.
How to Brew Lipton Refreshing Lemon Tea
Using freshly boiled water, I brewed the Lipton lemon black tea bag for 2 minutes and 45 seconds. It was a dark honey amber colour. Bright but slightly murky. The colour is deceptively appealing.
The tea liquor was quite thick with bubbles holding at the end of the cup. I would guess that the lemon flavouring is a kind of syrup thickens the liquid – just a hunch.
In general, lemon black tea is refreshing yet warming. Good for a mid-afternoon break, to clean your palate after a meal, or served iced on a warm day.
I’d suggest adding a sweetener if you’re searching for the sweet goodness of Lipton’s lemon iced teas.
Why Lipton?
I chose Lipton because they’re one of those brands that always makes me think of summer. BBQs, flip-flops and Lipton’s lemon iced tea just embody the hot sunshine that makes a brief appearance each year in the UK.
I had a bad experience with their Strawberry Black Tea but that didn’t bias me. After all, I’ve had truly delicious Pukka blends followed by disastrous blends from the very same variety pack.
Opening the tea packet, I can see very finely chopped black tea leaves. They’re not dusty. They’re slightly rounded and bead-like, rather than flake-like. I’m not sure if this is to do with quality or origin – but I can say that I’ve noticed most Kenyan black teas are visually similar. This theory would fit with the full-bodied black tea flavour from the blend, which is typical of Kenyan black teas.
There are also white, ash-like flakes. Once water is added these expand into rehydrated lemon peel pieces. The artificial lemon flavouring isn’t visible in the tea.
Summary
Things like tea quality, processing and price are very easy to score. Lipton’s lemon black tea scores average for these compared to other flavoured tea bags. But flavour is difficult. This review is very personal. My opinion is that this tea does not taste good.
But, I’d be ignorant if I didn’t acknowledge the success of Lipton and the many favourable reviews from customers. So, it comes down to personal taste. I’ve ranked this tea 1.8 out of 5. Why not try it for yourself to see how you’d rank it?
About Me
When I’m not ultra-busy writing for my clients and shopping for new tea online, I’m writing my tea reviews for my awesome readers. I’ve reviewed quite a few flavoured teas by now. If Lipton lemon black tea sounds appealing to you, try these other blends:
PMD Planters’ Earl Grey (another black tea with citrusy bergamot notes)
Ahmad Tea Apple Refresh (a similar full-bodied black tea base with delicious apple flavours)
Ahmad Tea Lemon Vitality (green tea with real, zingy, refreshing lemon notes)