If you are looking for a beginner's guide for making your own loaded teas at home, then this post is for you!
Or maybe you're just wondering what loaded teas even are. We'll go over that, too!
What is a Loaded Tea?
A loaded tea is a drink with vitamins, aloe, caffeine and flavoring mixed with water. The majority of them, especially the super popular tea and "nutrition" shops, are made using Herbalife products.
Most of us see the brightly colored drinks in clear cups labeled with cool names flooding our social media timelines. In addition to the punch of energy, they claim to increase mental clarity, help burn fat, and boost your metabolism.
Why are they so expensive?
A loaded tea is a drink with vitamins, aloe, caffeine and flavoring mixed with water. The majority of them, especially the super popular tea and "nutrition" shops, are made using Herbalife products.
Most of us see the brightly colored drinks in clear cups labeled with cool names flooding our social media timelines. In addition to the punch of energy, they claim to increase mental clarity, help burn fat, and boost your metabolism.
The Liftoff Dupe
On the quest to make our version of these loaded teas at home for less than $1 per drink, we have stumbled upon a real hidden treasure. We've been so excited to share this find with y'all, but we wanted to do our research first. The good news -- it's absolutely the real deal.
How to make loaded teas at home without Herbalife
Now, let me tell you how you can make your own loaded teas at home without being overcharged or misled into signing up to join a Multi Level Marketing pyramid scheme. We just want our loaded teas without all the bull -- am I right?
Here at Silver Lining Lessons, we knew there had to be a better, more budget friendly way to duplicate "dupe" these teas. So, we got to work and developed a method to make loaded teas at home using products that can be purchased at Walmart, grocery stores, discount stores, and online. Not a single one of the products we use is part of a Multi Level Marketing scheme and nothing we do requires you to join any such recruiting based business to enjoy these teas at home.
You've probably walked right by the boxes of 4C Energy Rush at your local Walmart a million times. I know I have! It was just sitting there waiting to be discovered, and it does not disappoint.
It comes in three flavors - Citrus, Berry, and Orange. Sound familiar? These lightly carbonated mixes give you the fizz and flavor that you've come to love in a loaded tea. Let's look at how it stacks up against Liftoff's main components. (Feel free to do your own research and comparison.)
The Silver Lining Lessons suggested starter pack
If you're interested in trying to make your own loaded teas at home but don't really know where to start, we've put together this list for you. We believe this starter pack will get you the basic items to experiment with multiple flavors and see if you love them as much as we do. If you do, which we just know you will, then you can easily and affordably expand your stock from here.
So, let's make your shopping list!
1. Instant tea powder
First, you will need your tea component, which needs to be an instant tea powder. This is the dupe for Herbalife's tea concentrate. Their concentrates are filled with maltodextrin, fructose, tea extracts, caffeine powders and cardamom seed extract. Through all of our extensive research, we've discovered that the flavored tea concentrates that Herbalife distributors use do not impact the overall flavor of the drinks when all of the ingredients are mixed. You really only need a black tea and/or a green tea to make the teas.
You are much better off by using a pure tea powder with no extra junk! Out of all of the instant teas we've used, we prefer Waka Instant Tea, which has one ingredient - pure tea powder. You can get the black tea, green tea, lemon green tea, raspberry green tea or peach green tea, depending on what you prefer. You can make 113 TEAS with just one 4.5 oz. bag of Waka Instant Tea! That's a whole lot of bang for your buck.
2. 4C Energy Rush
Next, you will need a box of 4C Energy Rush drink mix, which comes in a variety pack of citrus, berry and orange. This is your Herbalife Liftoff dupe. 4C Energy Rush Orange is the Orange Liftoff, 4C Energy Rush Citrus is the Lemon Lime Liftoff, and 4C Energy Rush Berry is the Pomegranate Liftoff.
Using the 4C Energy Rush will give you the lightly carbonated and caffeinated elements of the loaded tea while also providing vitamins. These can be found at most Walmart stores in the drink mix aisle, some smaller chain grocery stores and online.
It is important to note that 4C does make some other flavored drink mixes that are not caffeinated, so it is important to make sure you are grabbing the 4C Energy Rush if you want the caffeine boost.
3. Flavored Drink Mixes
These flavored drink mixes are the ones most commonly used to make our loaded tea recipes and will allow to make the most variety without buying too many at once.
- Skittles variety pack (Grape, Strawberry, Orange and Green Apple)
- Hawaiian Punch Berry Blue Typhoon
- Pineapple
- Watermelon
- Cherry Limeade (can be used alone & combined with grape to make Rainbow Candy)
You should be able to find all of these flavors at Walmart, grocery stores, and even most discount or dollar stores.
Note that most of the powdered drink mixes are sugar free and are made using some type of artificial sugar. If you are interested in making teas that specifically do not contain aspartame, these are some aspartame free options:
- Gage Foods drink mixes (use sucralose)
- GramZero drink mixes (use Stevia)
- Most liquid drink mixes
- Crush brand watermelon and orange
- Most Welch's, Tampico, True Lemon, Stur and ZHOU brand mixes.
There are other aspartame free options, but they really are hit or miss depending on the brands available to you in stores. Double check the labels if you are curious.
4. Aloe Vera Juice (Optional)
This is the dupe for Herbalife's aloe concentrate. We use Fruit of the Earth brand, which can be found in most Walmart stores, and it works perfectly in the teas. Remember to refrigerate your aloe after opening and read the product labels to ensure you aren't exceeding the recommended serving amount if you are drinking multiple teas per day. It helps with color separation and digestive health while also adding vitamins and antioxidants. There is great information on Healthline and WebMD if you are interested in finding more information.
Adding aloe juice is totally optional depending on your preference. If you want to start making loaded teas without buying this part, go right ahead! You can always incorporate it later or just leave it out. If you don't use any, just sub cold water in its place in our recipes.
5. Guarana Powder (Optional)
This is the dupe for Herbalife's NRG powder, which stands for Nature's Raw Guarana Tea. Ironically, Herbalife's NRG is filled with maltodextrin, guarana seed extract and caffeine powder. Sounds far from natural!
This is not a critical ingredient for loaded teas. You can absolutely make any recipe without adding any, and it will still have the same great flavor. Guarana is only needed if you want an extra boost of caffeine, in which case you can actually buy a pure guarana powder, again without all of the added junk. We recommend the Nutricost brand guarana powder, which we get on Amazon. You only have to use 1/8 teaspoon to get about 55 milligrams of extra caffeine. It also has a finer texture, which helps it dissolve easier, leaving no grainy texture.
@silverlininglessons My favorite #loadedtea at home for less than $1. #loadedtearecipe #loadedteasathome #mlmdupes #hacks #bougieonabudget ♬ original sound - silverlininglessons
Remember to check places like Walgreens, CVS, Big Lots, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, etc. for drink mixes! I've also linked the items we use that are sold on Amazon in my shop under the Tea Things Category
Loaded teas you can make at home wit this starter packe
Okay, now let's take a look at all of the Silver Lining Lessons loaded tea recipes you can make at home with these starter pack ingredients. Click any one of these for the full recipe.