Red Zinger

Forgot to add this tea this morning. Celestial Seasons’ Zinger teas make really great cold brews. I especially find them refreshing after my runs. This one is particularly refreshing because the peppermint and licorice are very cooling.

I didn’t just drink this, but wanted to log it as I was thinking about my first hot tea experiences. My parents had a box of this in the cupboard (as well as another box of Celestial Seasonings that I can’t recall other than it was yellow) most of my growing up years. They weren’t big tea drinkers—other than iced sweet tea—so when I did want hot tea, I always returned to this box. If I recall, though, I didn’t particularly love it as much as I loved having a hot beverage. Good thing they picked up some good black loose leaf tea for me when visiting Oxford, opening up a door into the larger tea world. :)

This is another one of my favorite herbal teas. I believe this was the first cup of herbal tea I ever had. I remember my aunt brewing it and it just tasted perfect. A warm mix of tart, sweet and herbal flavors. I always think fresh raspberries when I drink this tea. I don’t drink this every day, but when I want to be reminded of good memories or am feeling under the weather, its just perfect.

After much trial and error with teas containing hibiscus, I finally tried one that is not only tolerable but manages to actually taste good! Yesterday I made a pitcher of iced Red Zinger and ended up finishing the whole thing- I was well hydrated, to say the least! I didn’t add any sugar- it’s just sweet enough on it’s own for me but the directions say you can add it after steeping and before you add the cold water. I made another pitcher of it to have with dinner tonight and even the kids like it, which is nice. This would be awesome to have in a container at the beach in the cooler. If you don’t like it hot, try it iced and you may be pleasantly surprised!

Wish I could find this closer to my house, will travel for this one

Blech!!!!!

So I left the tea bag in for maybe half a minute and the water was still clear.

But then I took a chopstick to stir it a bit and an oil spillage of fuchsia happened. Not two heartbeats later, the scent blasted into my face as if a jet stream made of cotton candy scent.

The taste was exactly what those harbingers of doom warned: in-your-face, sweet to a point of nausea, maybe a little bit tart, and cough syrupy in a distinctly synthetic range. I noticed the hibiscus scent for maybe fifteen seconds, and the flavor for an even shorter amount of time, before it succumbed to the avalanche of undercooked cranberry pie flavor.

It sure has a zing, but do not drink this unless you want the taste of hyperglycemic levels of sugar on your tongue.

Red Zinger. I have been faithfully drinking Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger since the early 1970’s. I’d be quite upset if they ever stop making it and I’ve noticed that it is becoming more and more difficult to find. Most of the grocery stores used to carry it but now I can find it in only a handful of places.
For the past seven or eight years the only way I have made Red Zinger is as an iced tea. I usually had a pitcher of it in the refrigerator so my grandchildren would have something cold and nutritious to drink. It never hurt that it was also inexpensive.
My method for making this iced tea is simple. I boil a 2 quart pot of water on the stove. After it reaches a boil I pull the pot off the burner and let it cool slightly, less than a minute. Then I place 6 Red Zinger tea bags into the water and place the lid on the pan. I leave it like that until the tea reaches room temperature, then pour it into a pitcher and leave it in the refrigerator until it is cold. That’s all there is to it!
We drink it either with or without ice. Sometimes I’ll add lemon and a sweetener, but usually not.
In any event, this is what I am drinking at the moment. I love the hibiscus and the fruitiness of this tea; for me it is better than any of the similar teas on the market and I’ve probably tried them all.
There are also good memories attached to this tea. I drank it with my son when he was a small child, and now he is in his mid-forties and he still enjoys it. What could be better than that?

Strong and fruity; better iced than hot.

Sweet and tangy!

I love to brew this with loose black teas or earl grey!