Hey,
My wife brought home a store bought green tea. Its flavored with honey and lemon. Is this as good as just a plain green tea bag?
If not, can someone suggest where and what brand I can use?
If it’s not actual teabag tea, better check the nutrition facts. Some instant teas are full of sugar and other stuff you don’t want - especially chai teas.
If it’s in a teabag, you’re probably fine as this really isn’t “honey” but other leaves and spices that make it taste that way. Same with chai - get the spiced teabags not the stuff in a jar or bottle. That’s often worse than drinking a sugared cola.
Most “honey” green tea in teabags is really green tea, orange peel, chamomile, lemon grass, etc. These should contain no calories, no carbs etc.
Here’s my only worry with teabag, flavored teas. To get the other flavors in there, they have to take out some green tea. So if you’re drinking green tea for the antioxidants and other benefits, you may not be getting as much. I like mint green tea for example, but I’m probably not getting as much green tea benefits because it’s also full of peppermint and spearmint leaves.
I’m just assuming all this, but it makes sense that when they stick other stuff in there, it replaces some of the green tea.
The brand of green tea I’ve tried with the most actual tea in the bag is Lipton 100% Natural green tea. Just because there’s a lot of leaves in there doesn’t mean it’s dense with the good stuff, but there’s no way of knowing without testing. Also, I’ve noticed most “delicate Japanese” green teas are basically just a teabags without much tea in them, hence the “light” or “delicate” flavors. Seems like a rip-off to me if you’re drinking green tea for the health benefits.
Just some observations.
Hey Shug, you trying to win “Soldier of the Week” 
Just use standard green tea and put about 1/2 tsp cinnamon in it, which improves the flavor and also helps to control insulin.
Better to stick with the straight bulk organic leaves. Those instant tea bag ones with flavorings have undesirable ingredients. “natural flavors” in a product ie. “natural honey or lemon flavors” is an FDA approved term for MSG, a known exito/neurotoxin.
You might want to check Arizona Diet Green Tea.Per 8oz serving it has 0 calories,0 fat,20mg sodium,less than 1 gram of carbs and is sweetened with Splenda.It has Ginseng.It also tastes awesome.
Why not flavor your green tea with honey/lemon YOURSELF?
It’s cheaper, and it only takes a few seconds tops.
I’m skeptical of any ‘flavors’ added to any product.
diesel23 – Because adding real honey adds calories. Drink five cups a day and the sugar adds up. Flavored teas are flavored with natural ingredients usually, and have no calories. I go by Berardi’s suggestion of not drinking anything with calories.
Lipton makes a pretty good green tea and also mint flavored green tea. The mint is made with green tea, spearmint leaves, peppermint leaves and lemon grass, and it tastes great! Also it contains 0mg sodium as opposed to some of the others out there.
The Flavoring is in the bag, lots of info here. I may try that lipton next.