Luzianne Black Tea Review

A black tea lover for over twenty years, we often enjoy cups of Luzianne Black Tea, and did so in preps for this review.

They poured orange pekoe versions of black tea everyday during meals at my high school that tasted very much like this tea, and Mom drank it daily as the sibs and I grew up.  Occasionally, Mom brewed a pot of iced tea made from this product for us, when we behaved ourselves exceptionally well.  A wonderfully rewarding drink for good manners indeed.

For a name brand tea, this black tea is priced exceptionally low. A little money goes a long way with Luzianne.  Plus, it keeps well on the shelf as long as you do not remove the cellophane, for years, in a cool, dry closet or warehouse.

Note that orange pekoe tea is a particular rendition of black tea in this Luzianne tea product.

Benefits, Advantages, Features, and Pros

Tastes As Good as Other Black Teas.  This tea resembles the   National Cup Original Tea  in terms of taste, aroma, and appearance in the mug.  For most intents and purposes, this tea appears to be priced on par with National Cup.  These two teas are virtually equivalent.

Lasts Nearly Forever.  Luzianne black tea keeps for years without noticeable flavor degradation, as the box comes wrapped in virtually air-tight cellophane.

Sweetens Well with Just a Bit of Sweetener.  This blended tea sweetens quickly with stevia.  Stevia sweetens without destroying the signature orange pekoe black tea essence.  Unlike the green teas I’ve sampled, you can put lots of honey into this orange pekoe and pekoe cut black tea without obliterating its not-so-delicate and indeed muscular flavor.  Adding a bit of half and half also compliments the flavor here.

Excellent Caffeine Buzz Potential.  This high quality yet low-cost tea has considerable caffeine, at 42 milligrams per 8-ounce serving (one teabag). So it will indeed jerk you awake in the morning, or save you from those 2:30 PM after lunch work blues.

Cheap to Buy.  This is a low-priced yet excellent tasting beverage for both hot tea and iced tea situations.  Each serving costs less than three cents. The package provides brewing instructions for iced tea as well as the traditional hot serving recipe.

Tea Bags Have Tags and Strings.  The teabags are carefully arranged into four rows in the 100-bag box.  They also have strings and tags, for easy removal from the hot mug, with little risk of burning one’s self.

Natural and No Gluten.  This product contains no artificial colors or flavors, and is gluten-free.

Low Bitterness.  The taste seems unaffected by long steeping times except that it simply becomes stronger and darker in the cup.  However, bitterness does not increase, unlike in most green teas.

Cons, Disadvantages, Problems, and Concerns

Can Leave Difficult Stains Behind.  Being darker in color than most green teas, especially when you steep it for  many minutes, this beverage can stain clothes if you accidentally spill it on yourself.  If this happens, rinse it out with clear water right away if the affected clothing can be washed.

No Airtight Teabag Wrappers.  This tea may not stay fresh as long as others, that feature the individually wrapped bags.  These bags are not air-sealed.  But then again, individual wrapping seems to benefit black tea less in this regard than green tea or the herbal teas.  Probably no big deal, unless you store this opened product near strong odors, which could enter the teabags and alter the black tea flavor.

Can Create Dizziness.  Particularly when I’ve not taken any tea in recent days, I can become “wired” when I again consume it, and can feel sick when riding in a car after drinking it.  It can make me feel quite nauseous when I’m gone without it for several weeks.

Teabags can Tangle.  No rigid paper or cardboard dividers are included between each row of teabags in the box.  So, particularly as you use more of the bags, the rows pile up on one another, and the tag-tipped strings can become knotted and tangled.

Brewing Instructions 

Each tea bag makes one cup (eight ounces) of delicious black tea.

By The Cup

1. Boil enough fresh water for the number of cups of this tea you wish to brew.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, get out one teabag for  each cup you’re making.
3. Put the bags into each cup.
4. When water boils, immediately but gently pour it into the cups, right on top of each teabag.
5. Steep for three to five minutes or until it becomes strong enough for your taste.
6. Remove and discard the teabag(s).
7. Sweeten tea as desired and/or add lemon to taste.  Serve either hot or over ice.
8. Enjoy.

By The Pot

1. Use hot water to rinse out tea-pot prior to brewing, to warm it.
2. Again, determine how many cups of black tea you wish to make.
3. Put the desired amount of fresh, filtered water in your kettle or pot.
4. Put the kettle on your stove and turn up the heat to maximum.
5. While waiting for the water to come to a rolling boil, place the desired number of  teabags into the teapot.  Allow one teabag for every eight ounces of tea you intend to brew.
6. When the water achieves a rapid boil, immediately add the teabags into the pot.
7. Remove pot from heat and turn off the burner.
8. Allow bags to steep in the pot for three to five minutes.
9. Remove the teabags from the pot with a straining spoon and discard.
10. Pour the tea into cups, sweeten to taste, add milk, cream, lemon, lime, or orange as desired, and enjoy.

For Iced Tea

1. Follow the above instructions for brewing by the pot, up through step 7.
2. Steep for five minutes.
3. Remove and discard the teabags with a straining spoon.
4. Add sugar, stevia, lemon, orange, and/or lime as desired to the brewed tea.
5. Fill desired number of glasses with ice.
6. Pour steeped tea into these glasses.
7. Enjoy.

Our Rating

In closing:  This beverage costs little, is simple to brew, easy to flavor, and quite pleasant tasting and smelling.  It’s a perfect calorie-free beverage and a great buy.  So I’d therefore rate it at 99 out of 100.

Where To Buy Luzianne Black Tea

Look for this black tea in the red box with the white lettering, and a picture of the tea being poured over ice, at larger grocery stores.

References

• Orange Pekoe Tea  on Wikipedia
• Luzianne Tea     Official Web Site
• Where to Buy   Luzianne Black Tea

Revision History

• 2014-12-02: Added pictures and whitespace, and tweaked the content..