An energy drink? Yes, really! Today I’m taking a tangent from my usual premium tea reviews to focus on something a little different. You might recognise Perfect Ted from their Dragons’ Den appearance, or from the supermarket shelves where they’ve popped up in the meal deal section.
Perfect Ted Juicy Peach Healthy Energy is a highly caffeinated beverage that will trigger the age-check-police at the self-service checkout. But (spoiler) I think it might be worth the hassle. Let’s dive in.
Perfect Ted Juicy Peach at a Glance
Izzy’s Rating
- Ingredients: Sparkling water, fruit juice from concentrate, matcha, B-vitamins and tea extract
- Flavour: Juicy and refreshing (but quite clearly from concentrate) peach with an energy drink vibe
Energy drinks have a certain chemical tang, even the natural ones. Perfect Ted doesn’t quite escape that underlying chemical flavour, but they do present a supremely refreshing and energising beverage. The flavour may fall slightly short of the mark, but the functionality hits the nail on the head.
Full Review – Perfect Ted Peach Matcha Energy Beverage
- Type: Ready-to-drink canned energy beverage
- Tea: Ceremonial grade matcha
- Other Ingredients: Sparkling water, juices from concentrate (peach and mango), lemon juice, green tea extract, vitamins (B3, B5, B6, B2, B1, B12, B9, B7), natural flavourings
- Caffeine Content: 80mg
- Flavour Notes: Juicy, refreshing, subtle peach, astringent, light sweetness
- Aroma: Peach concentrate, potent, chemicals, metal
- Serve: Over ice
- Where to Buy: Perfect Ted or Amazon UK
I don’t review ready-to-drink beverages often, so my process isn’t precisely laid out. The aroma seems like the logical place to start. After the satisfying click-pshhh sound of the can opening, the aroma that swirls out is potent, that’s for sure! There’s a strong note of peach concentrate (like opening a bottle of peach squash) and a hint of chemicals and metal – I often get this smell with beverages that contain added vitamins.
Is that just me? Let me know in the comments.
The colour of the energy tea once poured over ice is yellow with warm notes – no hint of green to indicate that this tea actually contains the matcha powder us tea-fanatics are accustomed to. I wonder if they’ve removed the colour or just rely solely on green tea extract. Either way, it was puzzling. As the tea is labelled as “no artificial ingredients” I was expecting a naturally verdant green glow from the matcha.
The flavour is juicy and refreshing. Though the peach aroma from Perfect Ted Juicy Peach was potent, the flavour is perfectly balanced under the bubbles. It’s peachy but the sweetness is at just the right level – it’s naturally sweet, rather than concentrate sweet.
There’s an astringency and underlying flavour that I can only describe as “energy drink” – if you frequently consume energy drinks, you’ll know what I mean. From Monster to Relentless, though the flavours might be different, there’s an underlying taste that’s the same. Perfect Ted has that too.
But they do win back points for the mouthfeel. It’s bubbly and bright, coating your mouth in long-lasting moisture that genuinely hydrates you. If you want to be refreshed, this is the one.
How to Serve Juicy Peach
Over-ice or fridge-cold is a must. Beyond that, it’s up to you.
I would describe this beverage as an energy drink with a note of tea, rather than a tea beverage that’s got the power of an energy drink. If you’re looking for the latter, I’d direct you to my reviews of Zest Tea.
To make it a little fancier, try adding sprigs of mint or actual peach slices. But as most people will be grabbing this drink off shop shelves to consume immediately, it is already perfectly balanced and ready-to-go.
Why Perfect Ted?
At the time of writing, Perfect Ted currently boast that they’re the number one matcha brand in the UK and the fastest growing energy drink in the UK, based on UK retail distribution. But being mainstream is rarely a sign of quality, so let’s look a little closer at the ingredients.
Aside from lemon juice, all the fruit flavour in this beverage is from concentrate. This means the natural fruit juice has been boiled down to a syrup and then rehydrated. It has benefits, sure. The product lasts longer, and the brand has more control over the flavour, guaranteeing a good level of peachiness in every can. But the downside is higher levels of sugar than natural peach juice and far less nutrition.
Perfect Ted Juicy Peach is loaded with B vitamins to naturally aid your energy levels, but it’s the green tea extract that I assume is doing all the heavy lifting. One can of this energy beverage contains 80mg of “matcha green tea caffeine” despite having no tea flavours whatsoever.
Let’s call it what it is.
This is an energy drink that happens to source its caffeine from tea leaves rather than synthetic sources or coffee like other caffeinated beverages. Make no mistake – it is NOT a tea drink.
Summary
Compared to a standard cup of black tea (50mg of caffeine) and a standard energy drink (Jon’s most recent Monster can had around 160mg of caffeine), Perfect Ted Juicy Peach falls more toward the tea category. But flavour-wise, it’s an energy drink all the way.
If you are hunting for a cleaner energy drink and want to try Perfect Ted, you can find them in the supermarket for a taster. Online, you can buy them from Perfect Ted directly or Amazon to get boxes of 12 cans (or more).
Tea Recommendation
Note that this is a tea recommendation. If you want a high caffeine hit without the energy drink vibes, take a look at my review of Pure Leaf Matcha next. It’s at an affordable price point and gives you a good amount of energy, if you’re prepared to do a little whisking.