I Tried 8 Pure Leaf Tea Iced Flavors—Here's the One I'd Buy Again

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When I first met my husband, we bonded over the fact that neither of us drink coffee. He typically starts work between 5 a.m. – 6 a.m. in the morning, though, so he’s always needed some form of caffeine to give him a jolt of energy. For years, he’d been drinking soda to get a quick caffeine boost first thing, but when I came into the picture, I challenged him to find a healthier option.

While searching for alternatives, we discovered Pure Leaf, a brand that sells brewed iced tea without artificial flavors. After my husband tried a few flavors, he was hooked and he’s been drinking it daily for years.

Pure Leaf recently debuted an innovative addition to its popular lineup of drinks: Pure Leaf Mental Focus. The sparkling iced teas feature caffeine from black tea and L-theanine, an amino acid that can be found in tea leaves. Per a press release, the drinks can “help support attention and focus.”

Since we were already fans of the brand, my husband and I were curious to know how the new flavors lived up to all the hype, so we did a taste test and compared them to several other popular Pure Leaf flavors. For added measure, I also reached out to a registered dietitian to get her thoughts on the nutritional value of the brand’s beverages.

Here are the best Pure Leaf iced tea flavors ranked from worst to best!

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Is Pure Leaf Tea Actually Healthy?

Suzanne Fisher, a registered dietitian and licensed nutritionist, is the owner of Family Nutrition of Florida. She notes that the primary ingredient in Pure Leaf iced tea—black tea—has plenty of nutritional benefits.

“Black tea contains a variety of plant compounds called flavonoids, which act as antioxidants and help protect our cells from damage,” she tells Parade. “Black tea also contains a unique group of polyphenols called theaflavins, formed during fermentation and largely responsible for many of its health benefits.”

Fisher says black tea can be a great addition to a healthy lifestyle.

“Research suggests that regularly drinking black tea may help reduce the risk of certain cancers, particularly oral cancers and squamous cell carcinoma,” she explains.

Black tea can also potentially benefit heart health.

“Studies have found that individuals who regularly drink tea have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease,” she adds.

Per Fisher, an eight-ounce cup of black tea usually contains 50 – 90 milligrams of caffeine.

“However, many people find that the energy from black tea feels different from that of coffee,” she continues. “That’s because black tea naturally contains an amino acid called L-theanine. The combination of caffeine and L-theanine can promote alertness and focus while providing steadier, more balanced energy with less of the jittery feeling some people experience from coffee.”

The raspberry and peach flavors of the Pure Leaf Mental Focus Sparkling Teas contain added L-theanine.

Fisher says black tea is generally a “healthy choice” but recommends reading the entire nutritional label while choosing a beverage.

“Some Pure Leaf flavors, such as lemon and sweet iced tea, contain between 38 and 42 grams of added sugar per bottle, which is equivalent to about 10 teaspoons. If you’re looking to maximize the health benefits, opt for the unsweetened or zero sugar varieties instead,” she says.

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What Are the Different Flavors of Pure Leaf Tea?

Pure Leaf’s website lists seven core flavors:

• Unsweetened Ice Tea
• Sweet Black Tea
• Extra Sweet Black Tea
• Zero Sugar Sweet Black Tea
• Raspberry Black Tea
• Lemon Black Tea
• Blackberry Black Tea

The brand also has several other varieties that can be found in different markets across the country, including these and more:

• Pure Leaf Real Green Brewed Tea
• Pure Leaf Tea & Lemonade
• Pure Leaf Honey Green Tea
• Pure Leaf Herbal Tea Mango Hibiscus

The newest additions to the Pure Leaf lineup include:

• Mental Focus Peach
• Mental Focus Raspberry

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How I Tested the Flavors

Since certain Pure Leaf varieties are more commonly found across the entire country, I tested the following eight flavors that are readily available for most consumers:

• Sweet Black Tea
• Unsweetened Black Tea
• Zero Sugar Sweet Black Tea
• Blackberry Black Tea
• Raspberry Black Tea
• Lemon Black Tea
• Mental Focus Peach Sparkling Tea
• Mental Focus Raspberry Sparkling Tea

Both my husband and I tested a different flavor each day and took notes on how they compared to each other.

Related: The Simple Way To Make the Best-Ever Iced Tea, According to a Tea Sommelier

8 Pure Leaf Iced Tea Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

We ranked these eight popular Pure Leaf iced tea flavors, and discovered some surprises.

8. Pure Leaf Zero Sugar Sweet Tea

My husband and I both agreed that the Zero Sugar Sweet Tea was our least favorite of the eight varieties we tested. The consistency of the drink was slightly less light than the other flavors, for starters.

It contains sucralose, a sweetener that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration describes as being “about 600 times sweeter than table sugar.” The food additive certainly lives up to its name since this tea had an artificial sweetener taste. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t have the same appeal as the other flavors we tested.

Related: The Southern Way to Make Iced Tea 10x Better

7. Pure Leaf Mental Focus Raspberry Sparkling Tea

I’m not typically a big fan of sparkling beverages, but this one was just fizzy enough without feeling like bubble overkill. The taste of raspberry was refreshing and the drink was light and airy, making it perfect for summer.

The drink does have sucralose in it, so it definitely had an artificial sweetener aftertaste, but if you’re used to drinking beverages with sucralose, you likely won’t notice it.

Despite our skepticism, the drink did make us feel a bit more awake thanks to the added L-theanine. It reminded my husband of the effects he’s gotten from drinking a Mountain Dew Voltage in the past.

6. Pure Leaf Mental Focus Peach Sparkling Tea

When my husband and I tested the two Mental Focus beverages, they were neck and neck in the ranking.

Similar to the raspberry flavor, the peach variety has a similar consistency and amount of flavor. It was also light and carbonated, with a slight sucralose aftertaste, and offered the same boost to our focus and energy.

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5. Pure Leaf Sweet Iced Tea

As its name suggests, this flavor is definitely sweet, but it goes down easily. My husband and I both thought it was a good option for anyone who’s just starting to drink iced tea since it doesn’t have a strong flavor. Plus, the sweetness masks any bitterness that’s typically noticeable with plain black tea.

4. Pure Leaf Raspberry Iced Tea

When we took a whiff of this flavor, my husband and I both smelled the iced tea scent first, then a faint raspberry scent. Similarly, you taste the iced tea flavor first, then get a pleasant and subtle raspberry flavor. The taste also doesn’t linger, which is nice.

3. Pure Leaf Unsweetened Iced Tea

If you’re looking for the benefits of black tea without any extra flavor, this unsweetened iced tea is a solid option.

There’s not much of a taste to it, to be honest, and it’s slightly bitter, but not in a bad way. It was nice and refreshing.

2. Pure Leaf Blackberry Iced Tea

Both my husband and I immediately agreed that this flavor reminded us of those plastic freeze pops everyone enjoys as a child.

Flavor-wise, it doesn’t have the tartness of blackberries, which is appreciated in a drink format. Instead, it almost has a grape-like flavor and was equally light as the other varieties we enjoyed.

1. Pure Leaf Lemon Iced Tea

This has been my husband’s go-to Pure Leaf flavor for years, and it held its ranking, even after we tested seven other flavors.

It’s sweet without being sickly sweet, and has a refreshing finish. Lest you think it tastes like lemonade, it doesn’t. It certainly has hints of lemon, but the tea taste is more dominant. Overall, it’s a great entryway into flavored iced tea—and we’ll definitely continue buying it over and over again.

Related: The Best Way to Sweeten Iced Tea, According to Ina Garten

Final Takeaways

Before this taste test, my experience with Pure Leaf teas was limited to clipping coupons to buy my husband his favorite variety and taking a curious sip early on when he first started drinking the brand’s beverages. Now that I’ve tested several of the brand’s teas, I understand why my better half loves them.

Chocolate will still remain my preferred jolt of caffeine, but I can see myself drinking Pure Leaf iced tea in the future if I ever need more sustained boosts of energy. As for my husband? Well, he’s found a few new go-to flavors, even if lemon remains his number one.

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Source:

• Suzanne Fisher, registered dietitian, licensed nutritionist and the owner of Family Nutrition of Florida