Noyu Tea

Product Type:Tea: Sweetened; Container: 16.9 oz PET
BevNET Review: Honey Lemon Chamomile was the first flavor that we sampled because it was the most appealing sounding. Fortunately, the flavor didn’t disappoint, with a mellow base of green tea and chamomile that’s followed by the bold flavor of honey and the tart flavor of lemon to the finish. It’s a dead on copy of what you’d get if you made green tea with honey and lemon at home – very high quality stuff that wins us over on taste alone. However, they didn’t stop there, adding extra EGCG and dietary fiber to the mix (8g per bottle). That’s definitely a nice added benefit from a drink that already excels on flavor alone. The packaging of the product makes use of the same 16.9 oz. square plastic bottle that you’ll find on other Asian imported tea drinks, but, of course, with their own label design. That label design is pretty good, with an Asian theme on the top portion of the bottle and easy to read text on the lower portion. There’s also an accent graphic, but it requires you to look very closely to determine what it is. Overall, Noyu’s Honey Lemon Chamomile has impressive flavor inside the bottle and a nice looking label on the outside, making this one of the more marketable Asian style teas that we’ve seen in a while.Reviewed on: 8/28/2009

Product Type:Tea: Sweetened; Container: 16.9 oz PET
BevNET Review: Unlike the other chamomile flavored tea, this one has a more floral flavor, which seems to be further enhanced by the use of pomelo juice and its naturally slightly bitter flavor. Sweetened with a mix of honey and sugar, the product has a moderate amount of sweetness and there’s also a note of honey to the finish. However, there’s not that much green tea flavor in this mixture, which would probably make us reach for one of the other, more tea-heavy Noyu flavors instead. They’ve also enriched this all natural product with vitamins A, C, and E, which is certainly a marketable benefit. The packaging uses a nice looking light blue backdrop, a vertical Noyu logo, smallish accent images of fruit and chamomile, and horizontal text for the flavor name. It’s functional and easy to read, but we can’t help but feel as though the fruit images could be a bit bigger. In the current design, there isn’t a whole lot to whet the appetite. Really though, our bigger concern is for the flavor, which could definitely use some more tea flavor to the mix. Reviewed on: 8/28/2009

Product Type:Tea: Sweetened; Container: 16.9 oz PET
BevNET Review: Peach flavored teas have been a mainstream hit for a while, so it seems logical for Noyu to have a peach flavor of their own. Of course, they’ve given it their own twist, using oolong green tea and flavoring it with peach juice for a more natural peach flavor. They’ve given it a fair amount of sweetness, which should help the mainstream appeal. Compared with some of the other varieties, this product is skewed more towards the fruit flavor – and it definitely teeters on being out of balance with the tea. Added vitamins A, C, and E are a plus, but probably not a difference maker for people who are window shopping the tea shelf. Packaging feels authentic, with the cutely designed Noyu logo being easy to spot on the clutter free label. However, making the image of the peach a bit bigger would probably help with the product’s sales. Overall, Peach Oolong Tea is a well executed product that’s a great starting point for people who are new to the brand. Reviewed on: 8/28/2009

Product Type:Tea: Sweetened; Container: 16.9 oz PET
BevNET Review: Billed as a “functional tea”, Samurai Defender is a Mandarin Ginger Oolong Tea as well. On the flavor front, this product delivers complex flavor that’s very drinkable and extremely enjoyable. There’s a smooth base of oolong tea, while a touch of Mandarin orange juice, ginger, and honey give some added levels of flavor. There are also herbal ingredients, which add both an herbal note to the finish and the marketed functionality. Speaking of marketed functionality, the product has added echinacea, huang qi, goji berry, hong tsao, ginseng, and vitamins. You’ll have to dig a bit to find it, plus it’s a part of the vague “Defender” function. So, our bet is that this product’s flavor will be more of a lure than its function. However, on the branding front, we like the addition of the Samurai graphic as well as the brighter gold backdrop. Not only is it more pleasing to the eye, but we like the personality that’s added as a result. That being said, we wonder if this wouldn’t be a better approach to the line in general as it adds a further point of differentiation from the many commoditized-looking products that are in this very same bottle. Regardless, we really like the way that this drink looks and tastes and think that it’s one of the best of the Noyu line.Reviewed on: 8/28/2009

Product Type:Tea: Sweetened; Container: 16.9 oz PET
BevNET Review: If Noyu’s Peach Oolong Tea seems a bit too pedestrian for you, their Lychee flavored tea is a nice alternative. Made with both lychee and apple juice, the product has a fairly fruity note to it, with the oolong green tea providing a pleasant backdrop. It’s a really simple but enjoyable flavor, with sugar sweetening the mix to the tune of about 20g of sugar per bottle. As with some of the other flavors, they’ve also fortified it with vitamins A, C, and E, which will probably help the label reader select this product over other unfortified products. Packaging is similar to the Peach variety, with a pinkish tone to the backdrop that’s been accented with black and red text. In reality, it’s probably too similar to the peach variety (we thought it was just another bottle of peach when opening the box), so changing up the color scheme would be a better idea than relying on the consumer to read the small type or differentiate between a peach graphic and a lychee graphic. Otherwise, a very enjoyable product. Reviewed on: 8/28/2009