I have been a green tea junky since long before it was popular. A hot cup of green tea replaced my early morning need for coffee many years ago. Of course, I have tried dozens of the exotic and trendy green teas over the years. After a few days I usually get tired of the zing or medicine taste of the herbs or off beat flavors. I always end up coming back to what has become the standard for me, Lipton green tea bags. It isn’t exactly exciting and it doesn’t make a fashion statement but for me Lipton green tea bags have become the definition of how green tea should taste.
I get Lipton green tea bags at my local supermarket for $4.45 for a box of 40 tea bags. Certainly, most black tea bags are cheaper and more generally available but you don’t get the health benefits and reduced caffeine of green tea either. Compared to other green teas very few offer better value than Lipton green tea bags.
Availability is almost never an issue with Lipton green tea bags. It is by far the most common green tea you will find in most parts of the western world. If your local grocery store doesn’t have Lipton green tea bags then they probably don’t have any green tea bags at all.
The current popularity of green tea is no doubt linked to its many health benefits. Lipton very prominently displays these benefits on the box containing the tea bags. Each cup of Lipton green tea contains 130mg. of flavonoid antioxidants. Antioxidants are what fight against cancer and disease causing free radicals in our bodies. This is a significantly higher level of antioxidants than what you will find in most other foods and beverages. Lipton green tea has some caffeine in it but only 4mg. compared to the 100mg. you would get from a cup of coffee. Of course, you won’t find any salt, sugar, calories or fat in this green tea either. There is a slight amount of potassium, 15mg., in each cup but other than that there are no other nutrients in Lipton green tea bags. It is just a good, healthy everyday beverage.
As with any good green tea, the taste is not going to knock your socks off. This is not Jolt but then it doesn’t pretend to be either. Subtle and fresh are good words to describe the taste. I like the taste, not too high, not too low, just right. In my experience, most people “over cook” green tea and end up with bitter tea. Simply steep Lipton green tea bags for about 2 minutes and you will get a near perfect cup of green tea.
If you feel that Lipton green tea bags are just too common or bland I recommend you give them a second look. You may find they offer the taste, health benefits, and day in day out stability that your taste buds crave. Most other green tea bags are more expensive and certainly all are more exotic but Lipton green tea bags offer a stable bedrock of health for me, every morning, every day.
