Mighty Leaf Iced Teas & Giveaway

I recently had the privilege of sampling 4 different flavors of Mighty Leaf Iced Tea: Organic Black, Ginger Peach, Calypso Mango, and Sunburst Green Tea. Along with the 4 boxes of individually packaged tea bags I was asked to use a glass thermos/bottle and a plastic Iced tea pitcher, both crafter by Takeya. The iced teas were all quite tasty and refreshing, each with it’s own unique flavors, while the containers each made the whole experience pleasant.

Let me begin by letting you know how much I loved the plastic pitcher made by Takeya. The lid was easy to use and when opened, the pitcher poured very well, along with a quick turn the contained becomes airtight. Couple that with its BPA free construction and the fact that its made in the USA, and you have a winning combination. My only issue with the pitcher was its height. Takeya has designed the container just tall enough to fit in my fridge…barely. However its leak-proof lid allows your drink to be stored lying down, so that problem would be solved with a bit of rearranging. Once empty of any beverage (hot or cold) the shatterproof pitcher can be washed in the dishwasher, and is ready for its next use.

Each Mighty Leaf Iced Tea bag is slightly larger than the personal tea bags used for your normal mug. Which allows these larger designed bags to brew an entire pitcher of tea at a time, the tea being slightly stronger in flavor than normal because of all the ice you will be adding later. Mighty Leaf is an eco-innovator and has designed their own bags using the corn silk. The pouch is filled with whatever flavor tea you choose, and is then sewn shut using unbleached cotton. This makes the bag completely biodegradable (not even a staple is there to leave behind.)

Every flavor has the recommended length of time to steep each box, and again reminds you on the tea bag’s tag as well. I brewed each tea in my Takeya pitcher. I pouring 4 cups of boiling water in with tea, steeping it for exactly the amount shown, removed the tea bag, added a quarter cup of sugar (I like it a bit sweet) and filled the rest with ice. After a quick shake the tea was thoroughly mixed and ready to drink.

The Organic Black iced tea was the first Mighty leaf product I brewed. The tea had a very bold flavor and was quite refreshing. It’s full body and nice bite (not quite tart, not quite dry) and really made this an excellent first tea to try. I brewed the tea per the clear instructions on the box, steeping for exactly 5 minutes.

Calypso Mango was the next tea that I tried. This tea was fruitier than the Organic Black, while still keeping the black tea base. The taste of mango was not overpowering, as I feared it would be. Overall I felt as though the Calypso Mango was slightly lighter feeling than the slightly bolder Organic Black tea. As with the first the instructions on the box prompted me to steep for 5 minutes and then add ice. This tea tasted very tropical and made me feel like I was relaxing on an island in the Caribbean.

The third flavor I sampled was Mighty Leaf’s Sunburst Green Tea. As the name suggests, this tea consists of green tea leaves, with lemon and orange added for the sunburst. The first two teas I tried were both clearly marked on the box as having caffeine, while the Sunburst Green tea was marked as only “light Caffeine”, which I’m assuming means its more towards the realm of decaf. Upon opening the individually sealed package containing the teabag, I was instantly overcome (is a good way) with a strong citrus aroma.

The last tea I brewed was the Ginger Peach Iced Tea. This tea was my favorite of all the teas sampled, though it was a close race between all the wonderful flavors I tried. The peach used did not have an artificial taste. At first you do not smell or taste the ginger, but after having a sip you are left with a pleasant ginger aftertaste. Both flavors compliment the Black Tea Base very well. Since this package is marked as having caffeine, it is best suited as a mid-day thirst quencher rather than an evening relaxation drink. The instructions for this tea say to steep for 4-5 minutes, though I’m wondering if it might need to be a bit longer, as I wish this tea were a bit stronger in flavor. That could have something to do with the amount of ice I used per pitcher though.

Regardless of which Mighty Leaf Iced Tea was used, I always tried to use my Takeya Glass Water Bottle. The tag on the bottle was marked as “Classic”, which hold 16 ounces of fluid. Though this may be enough for some people, or a standard for certain water bottles, I found myself wishing the bottle held more liquid. The silicon jacket that comes wrapped around the glass water bottle does a great job protecting the bottle as it was banged around from daily use, and it was nice not having to remove it every time I wanted to place the bottle in the dishwasher. I am new to carrying around a glass water bottle. I have learned to be more mindful of BPA’s found in other plastic water bottles. However, glass IS heavier than plastic. Because of that fact I think that the water bottle has to be designed with a smaller capacity to keep the weight down. This may be a known issue with glass water bottles, but this is all new to me. I appreciate that using the glass bottle instead of constantly buying plastic water bottles or beverages and is extremely beneficial to our environment.

With the fall weather ahead of us, I am excited to try 6 flavors of Mighty Leaf’s hot teas. If they are as good as the iced teas I have sampled, I am surly in for a treat. Please check back often for reviews on this great brand, as well as other eco friendly or “green” reviews written by fabulous writers.

Now with this review behind us, I am happy to announce that one of you will win a Mighty Leaf iced tea making kit. Their iced tea kit will include one box of each flavored iced tea: Organic Black Tea, Sunburst Green Tea, Ginger Peach Tea and Calypso Mango Tea, a Takeya flash brew iced tea pitcher, and a Takeya glass water bottle. Total value is nearly $60. I enjoyed this tea and believe you will enjoy it as well.

To enter comment below about what flavor you are most looking forward to try. For an additional entry, you can tweet “I just entered to win a @mightleaf iced tea kit from @leafygreeninfo tinyurl.com/koqkaxk #brewyourown” Comment below to let us know you have a second entry. Good luck to everyone! We will announce a winner on Monday (October 21).