Let's take a look at some instant teas on the market to see how they stack up and which one is the best for making loaded teas.

The Tea!

We have tried and tasted numerous instant teas as we worked to crack the Herbalife code. When it comes to making loaded teas, it is crucial to have a good instant tea as your base. With many brands on the market, it can be difficult knowing how they differ. A common misconception is that all tea is the same, because "tea is tea." While these brands do all have tea in them, they are not all created equal. Our goal is to make sure our followers have all of the information to pick the products best suited for their needs. 

The Importance of Tea in SLL Loaded Teas

A common question we get is, "Do I have to use actual tea for your loaded tea recipes?" While you can choose what to use or leave out in any recipe, we use a pure instant tea in our recipes for many reasons.

Not all caffeine is the same when it comes to how it affects your body. Synthetic caffeine (like in pre-workouts, energy drinks, and energy mixes like 4C Energy Rush, etc.) has an immediate release effect, typically causing the dreaded caffeine crash. Pure tea is a natural caffeine, which has an extended release effect. Guarana powder, another form of natural caffeine, has an even more extended release. This is the primary reason we use a combination of 4C Energy Rush, Waka pure instant teas and Nutricost guarana powder in our recipes. Together, this trio works as a bridge between immediate and extended release to stay alert without the crash.

In addition, there are natural benefits of using a pure tea. These benefits vary depending on which type of tea used, whether it be green, black, matcha or others.

Why Serving Size Matters

When sizing up different tea options, it is important to know why serving size matters. You will notice on the chart below that we broke down the caffeine content by milligram per gram for comparative purposes.

If you simply look at two different labels where Product A lists caffeine content of 10 mg and Product B shows 30 mg, it is critical to know the serving size. Product A may be a 1 gram serving size, and Product B could be 4 grams. In this scenario, Product A would actually have a higher caffeine content, but the labels could be hard to decipher. Many would grab the product with the highest milligrams listed.

Let's apply this to a real-life scenario. If using the SLL measurements of ¼ tsp. instant tea with the Lipton Iced Tea, there's a negligible amount of caffeine. Doing the same with the Arizona green tea with ginseng and honey isn't much better with only about 3 mg. of caffeine.

Waka Coffee & Tea

Best Overall Pick for Loaded Teas

• High quality tea leaves compared to other brands
• No additives
• 0 sugar, 0 calories, 0 carbs
• 7 flavors of green tea + original green tea + 2 variations of black tea
• Budget friendly pricing & sample sized bags
• Voted best budget instant tea by The Miami Herald
• Caffeine: 35-40 mg. per serving (0.6g)
• 7-9 cents per serving (depending on flavor)

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One Organic

• Lack of variety
• 3 calories per serving
• Overpowering tea flavor
• Caffeine: 63 mg. per serving (1g)
• 11 cents per serving

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Teaki Hut

• Lack of consistency both in the packaging & serving size
  • Some bags list 1/8 tsp = 1g
  • Some bags list 1/2 tsp = 1g
• Lack of transparency regarding caffeine
  • Nearly impossible to find a clear answer listed
  • “although it is not caffeine free, it has less caffeine than competing products”
• 11 cents per serving

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Cusa Tea

Least Budget Friendly

• Wide variety of flavors; some not ideal for loaded teas
• Serving size = 1 stick (1.2g)
• Caffeine: 38-65 mg per serving (1.2g)
  • Varies by flavor
• $1 per stick = pricey
  • Packaged more for convenience; more expensive

4C Green Tea with Honey

Worst Overall Option

• Serving size = 2 tbsp. (25g)
• 100 calories; 25 carbs; Sugar
• Caffeine: 15 mg per serving (25g)
• 17 cents per serving
• "Light" version
  • 4C Light Green Tea
    • Serving size = 1 tbsp (7g)
    • 25 calories; 6 carbs; Sucralose; Maltodextrin
    • 20 mg caffeine per serving (7g), or 2.85 mg per gram.

4C Tea2Go Sticks

• Serving size = 1 stick (no grams listed; measures out to 3g)
• Caffeine per serving
  • Peach = 0
  • Lemon = 9 mg
  • Green = 17 mg
• Listed as sugar free
  • Artificial sweeteners
• 2 carbs; 5-10 calories
• Fillers and artificial ingredients
• 23 cents per serving

Lipton Iced Tea (unsweetened)

Not compatible for loaded teas

• Serving size = 1 ¼ tsp. (0.7g)
• Caffeine: 2-4mg per serving (.7g)
• Maltodextrin
• Need over 17 servings to be comparable to other instant tea concentrates
• 4 cents per serving

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Arizona Green Tea w/Ginseng and Honey (sticks)

Worst Tea Mix Stick Option

• Serving size = 1 stick (2.11g)
• Artificial sweeteners & ingredients
• 5 calories; 2 carbs
• Caffeine: 15mg per serving (2.11g)
• Arizona has been involved in class action lawsuits concerning claims they don’t actually contain the ingredients listed, such as ginseng
• 30 cents per serving

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Great Value Peach Mango Green Tea (sticks)

• Serving size = 1 packet (2.4g)
• 10 calories; 2 carbs
• Artificial sweeteners & ingredients & dyes
• Very strong peach mango flavor versus tea flavor
• Caffeine: 55 mg per serving (2.4g)
• 22 cents per serving

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Crystal Light Raspberry Green Tea (sticks)

• Serving size = 1 packet (3g)
• 10 calories; 2 carbs
• Artificial sweeteners & ingredients & dyes
• Caffeine: 15mg per serving (3g)
• 26 cents per serving

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