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When summer's in full swing, nothing quenches quite like an ice-cold tea. While cracking open a bottle of Brisk or Snapple is OK occasionally, you'll want to limit these sugary teas from your daily menu.
Sure, you're getting some antioxidants along with the tea—but that doesn't justify the incredulous amounts of sugar in some of these bottles. Many ready-to-drink iced teas pack more than a full day's added sugar in just one serving. The American Heart Association recommends that women consume no more than 25 grams of added sugar daily while men limit their intake to 36 grams. Eating too much sugar too frequently can contribute to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.
Below, we ranked the most popular ready-to-drink iced teas in grocery store fridges according to their sugar content. See below, and then check out the 25 Unhealthiest Drinks on the Planet—Ranked by Sugar.
Tejava Lemon Black Tea
Nutrition (Per 16.9 ounces):
Calories: 0
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 0 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 0 g)
Protein: 0 g
Tejava is straight-up tea, with nothing else. That means no calories, sugar, artificial sweeteners, sodium, or preservatives. We love that Tejava sources tea leaves from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms in Java, an island in Indonesia, and its botted teas are non-GMO Project-verified. The lemon tea is bold, refreshing, and energizing—a bottle contains 70 milligrams of caffeine, about the amount in a shot of espresso.
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Bai Tanzania Lemon
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 10
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 10 mg
Carbs: 11 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 1 g)
Protein: 0 g
Now, this is a brew worth throwing a tea party with. Bai Tanzania Lemon's refreshingly bold, zingy flavor comes with just 10 calories and 1 gram of sugar. That's because Bai sweetens its tea with erythritol (a sugar alcohol) and stevia (a natural sweetener). This tea also has added antioxidants from the tea and coffee fruit extract, electrolytes, and 55 milligrams of caffeine, making it the perfect workout drink.
Gold Peak Slightly Sweet Tea
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 60
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 15 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 15 g)
Protein: 0 g
Gold Peak's Slightly Sweet Tea has about half the sugar as its original version. Still, 15 grams of sugar is more than half the daily recommended amount of sugar for women and about 42% of the daily recommended amount for men, per the AHA. If you down the whole bottle, you'll want to monitor and limit your added sugar for the rest of the day.
Brisk Lemon Iced Tea
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 70
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 105 mg
Carbs: 17 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 17 g)
Protein: 0 g
While not as sugary as many competitors, Brisk still packs a fair amount of the sweet stuff into its eye-popping artist-designed bottles. A serving of the classic lemon tea contains 17 grams of sugar, about 47% of the daily limit for men and 68% for women, per the AHA's recommendations.
Brisk Sweet Tea
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 60
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 100 mg
Carbs: 17 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 17 g)
Protein: 0 g
Grabbing a bottle of Brisk is easy—the brand is ubiquitous in most grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations. While it may seem refreshing when you're pit-stopping on a road trip or exploring a city on a hot day, Brisk's Sweet Tea isn't the best option if you're watching your sugar intake, with a 12-ounce serving packing 17 grams of sugar.
Arizona Arnold Palmer Lite
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 80
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 5 mg
Carbs: 20 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 19 g)
Protein: 0 g
Arizona's fan-favorite went through a very "lite" makeover—this bottle has just 3 fewer grams of sugar per serving than the original Arnold Palmer. While Arizona's half-tea half-lemonade drink may seem like the perfect pick-me-up during tee time (hey, it's named after the late professional golfer for a reason, right?), it's still worth noting that 19 grams of sugar per serving is a significant amount—about the equivalent of 5 teaspoons of sugar.
Just Ice Tea Half Tea & Half Lemonade
Nutrition (Per 16-ounce bottle):
Calories: 90
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 23 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 23 g)
Protein: 0 g
Just Iced Tea's slogan boasts that this tea is "just sweet enough." If you ask us, this bottled bev is a little too sweet. A 16-ounce bottle has 23 grams of added sugars coming from agave syrup. While agave syrup is natural (it's made from the sap of the agave plant), it has the same effect on blood sugar levels as regular sugar, so you'll want to treat this drink as a, well, treat.
Turkey Hill Green Tea
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 100
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 10 mg
Carbs: 24 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 23 g)
Protein: 0 g
While there are more sugary options in Turkey Hill's iced tea lineup, this bottled green tea contains a fair share of sugar. One 12-ounce serving gives you nearly an entire day's worth of the sweet stuff, according to the AHA's recommendations for women. Instead, brew a batch of unsweetened green tea and pop it in the fridge for a cool, refreshing drink rich in antioxidants instead of sugar.
Lipton Iced Tea Lemon
Nutrition (Per 16.9-ounce bottle):
Calories: 100
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 180 mg
Carbs: 25 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 24 g)
Protein: 0 g
When life gave Lipton lemons, it made tea and added 6 teaspoons of sugar. The second ingredient in this classic iced tea is high-fructose corn syrup, while black tea is the seventh ingredient. In addition to sugar, Lipton sweetens its iced tea with the artificial sweetener acesulfame potassium, which adds even more of a syrupy flavor.
Red Diamond Southern Sweet Tea
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 100
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 10 mg
Carbs: 25 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 24 g)
Protein: 0 g
We commend Red Diamond for its sweet tea's short and simple ingredient list. Unlike many other ready-to-drink iced teas, Red Diamond doesn't sneak in any preservatives or colors—it simply makes its tea with water, cane sugar, orange pekoe, and pekoe-cut black tea. Still, the sugar count is high, providing 6 teaspoons' worth. Remember, the AHA recommends no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar for women and 9 teaspoons for men for an entire day.
Pure Leaf Honey Green Tea
Nutrition (Per 18.5-ounce bottle):
Calories: 100
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 5 mg
Carbs: 25 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 25 g)
Protein: 0 g
We commend Pure Leaf for boasting the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal, which means its teas are grown and harvested sustainably. And with its serving size (18.5 ounces) being larger than the standard 12 ounces, Pure Leaf's iced tea contains less sugar per ounce than many other options on our list. Still, if you're watching your sugar intake, swap this honey green tea for one of Pure Leaf's zero-sugar or unsweetened teas for fresh flavor plus antioxidants.
11 Highest Quality Teas On Grocery Shelves
Milo's Famous Sweet Tea
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 110
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 3 mg
Carbs: 27 g (Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 26 g)
Protein: 0 g
Milo's Tea is named after Milo Carlton, the man who brewed his first batch of iced tea back in 1946. Apparently, his beverage has been a hit ever since. If you ask us, this sweet tea is best served in moderation—one serving has a staggering 26 grams of sugar, which is a gram more than the maximum amount of sugar the AHA recommends per day for women.
Subtle Tea Craft Subtly Sweet Organic Tea
Nutrition (Per 16-ounce bottle):
Calories: 98
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 10 mg
Carbs: 27 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 27 g)
Protein: 0 g
We wouldn't call 27 grams of sugar "subtle"—with nearly 7 teaspoons of sugar, this tea's syrupiness is unmistakable. If you're craving a sweet treat in the form of iced tea, try diluting a third of the bottle with water and pouring it over ice.
Snapple Lemon Tea
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 110
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 10 mg
Carbs: 28 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 27 g)
Protein: 0 g
One of the OG iced tea brands, Snapple, has been around since 1987—and its legacy all started with Lemon Tea. This classic flavor has been a fan favorite because it's simple, refreshing, and sweet—emphasis on the sweet. A 12-ounce serving has 27 grams of sugar, but if you drink the entire 16-ounce bottle, you'll take in a staggering 36 grams.
Snapple Peach Tea
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 110
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 10 mg
Carbs: 30 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 30 g)
Protein: 0 g
Peach brings a welcome fruitiness to classic iced tea, but Snapple goes a little overboard with the sugar here. One 12-ounce serving packs 30 grams of sugar—to put that into perspective, that's the equivalent of eating about 55 M&M's. You're better off with Snapple's Zero Sugar version, sweetened with aspartame.
Moonshine Original Sweet Tea
Nutrition (Per 16-ounce bottle):
Calories: 140
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 30 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 30 g)
Protein: 0 g
Moonshine started brewing tea in 1946 in the small town of Mason, Texas. The brand prides itself on using black tea leaves, filtered water, and 100% pure cane sugar. But where Moonshine lacks additives, it makes up for it in sugar. A 16-ounce bottle has more sugar than a full-size bar of milk chocolate.
Turkey Hill Lemon Iced Tea
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 120
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 25 mg
Carbs: 31 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 30 g)
Protein: 0 g
The makers of the ice cream tubs you grew up on apparently have more overly sweet offerings in their grocery lineup. This lemon-flavored bottled iced tea from Turkey Hill comes with 30 grams of sugar per 12-ounce serving from high-fructose corn syrup and sugar.
Great Value Sweet Brewed Iced Tea
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 120
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 30 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 30 g)
Protein: 0 g
Walmart's signature iced tea boasts that it has "a little sugar," but we'd argue that 30 grams is quite a bit more than "a little." To put things into perspective, 30 grams is more than 7 teaspoons of the sweet stuff. Instead of pouring a glass of Great Value's Sweet Tea, try the brand's unsweet version for a dose of antioxidants minus the sugar.
Gold Peak Sweet Tea
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 120
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 32 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 32 g)
Protein: 0 g
Gold Peak's sweet tea has a relatively straightforward ingredient list: brewed tea, cane sugar, and phosphoric acid. Still, the brand was pretty heavy-handed with the second ingredient on the list (sugar). A serving of this Southern-style tea has just 7 fewer grams of sugar than a can of co*ke.
Arizona Green Tea
Nutrition (Per 16.9-ounce bottle):
Calories: 130
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 35 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 34 g)
Protein: 0 g
Many of us remember these classic green, cherry blossom-decorated bottles from childhood. They may have seemed like the perfect lunchtime treat during high school, but these days, we know it's not in our best interest to sip Arizona Green Tea with Ginseng and Honey often. A 16.9-ounce bottle contains 34 grams of sugar, about 136% of the daily limit for women and 94% for men, per the AHA's recommendations. (It's worth noting that Arizona's serving size is a little larger than the traditional serving size for iced teas, usually around 12 ounces.)
Luzianne Sweet Green Tea with Honey
Nutrition (Per 18.5-ounce bottle):
Calories: 130
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 34 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 34 g)
Protein: 0 g
Luzianne has been family-owned and brewing tea since 1902, but we can't help but wonder if the brand has always saturated its brew with so much sugar. One 18.5-ounce bottle packs 34 grams of sugar, which is 8.5 teaspoons worth of the sweet stuff.
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Turkey Hill Lemonade Tea
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 140
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 15 mg
Carbs: 36 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 34 g)
Protein: 0 g
This bottled lemonade tea from Turkey Hill packs a lot of sugar. The first two ingredients after water are high-fructose corn syrup and sugar. Sip on a 12-ounce glass, and you'll take in 34 grams of sugar, which is like eating 8 1/2 sugar cubes.
Arizona Lemon Tea
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 150
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 10 mg
Carbs: 37 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 35 g)
Protein: 0 g
Walk into any drugstore or gas station, and you'll likely spot a bottle of Arizona's lemon tea. These famous 99-cent cans come with a price: Every time you grab one, you'll take in 35 grams of added sugar per day—that's more than the AHA recommends women consume in an entire day and just 1 gram shy of the maximum limit the AHA recommends for men daily. We all know the risks of too much added sugar, so it's best to leave this lemon tea for an occasional treat.
Turkey Hill Raspberry Tea
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 150
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 10 mg
Carbs: 39 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 37 g)
Protein: 0 g
Turkey Hill's raspberry tea might feel like the perfect refreshing treat on a sweltering day, but you'll want to think twice before pouring a glass. One serving contains a staggering 37 grams of sugar and none of the fiber in real raspberries. The sky-high sugar coupled with the non-existent fiber content means this fruity beverage will likely send your blood sugar spiking and crashing shortly after.
Milo's Extra Sweet Tea
Nutrition (Per 12 ounces):
Calories: 120
Fat: 0 g (Saturated fat: 0 g)
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbs: 39 g (Fiber: 0 g, Sugar: 39 g)
Protein: 0 g
Just when we thought Milo's traditional sweet tea was sweet enough, they spiked it with even more sugar. The result? An extra-sweet sweet tea that packs a staggering 39 grams of sugar—that's like drinking nearly 10 teaspoons of sugar or a whole can of co*ke. Skip this sickly sweet tea and go for Milo's Zero-Calorie Sweet Tea (sugar-free and sweetened with sucralose) or, better yet, Milo's Famous Unsweet Tea when craving a refreshing brewed beverage.
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