Numi Organic Tea

Product Type:Tea: Sweetened; Container: 12 fl oz
BevNET Review: This is one of the better flavors of the Numi Organic Tea lineup. Mixing Earl Grey and puerh teas, the product achieves sophisticated tea flavor that requires only a minimal amount of sweetness and flavoring to round it out. The product is sweetened with agave and evaporated cane juice, which will certainly go over well with the drink’s target audience. So will the fact that the product is USDA Organic, Kosher, and Halal certified. Still, the flavor is the best part for us, with a smooth body that’s light in the mouth and has just the right amount of tea flavor. That’s followed with a splash of orange peel and lemon flavor (from lemon myrtle) that rounds it all out. Packaging has a technical feeling to it that borders on being generic. In our opinion, the logo should be bigger and there should be less text on the front panel, which would help reinforce the brand name and the product simpler to understand. In addition, there needs to be something to help the consumer put puerh tea in context, because very few are likely to be familiar with it. Overall, it’s very enjoyable, but it seems like it needs more on the outside if they want this to sell well.

Product Type:Tea: Sweetened; Container: 12 fl oz
BevNET Review: As far as rooibos teas go, this one is quite good, with a mellow flavor that has been balanced with honeybush, lemon myrtle, honey, agave, and citric acid. This helps cut the naturally smoky and earthy flavor of the rooibos, making it a much smoother and easier-drinking product than other entries that we’ve seen come to market. Plus, the level of sweetness is just right and the use of honey and agave give it a clean flavor while also maintaining a low glycemic index. Packaging is attractive and whets the palate, but it still seems to lack in the personality department. In addition, emphasizing the lemon sends, at least to us, a message that this is straight up tea with lemon. That’s definitely not what you’ll find inside this bottle. Overall, very enjoyable taste, but it could use a bit of improvement on the outside.

Product Type:Tea: Sweetened; Container: 12 fl oz
BevNET Review: While “magnolia” and “jasmine” aren’t likely to whet the appetite of consumers who aren’t tea junkies, this is a very nice tasting product. Flavor wise, its taste is on par with green tea, including a slightly grassy note to the finish. In addition, there’s a somewhat herbal or floral note, which we can only assume is the influence of the jasmine. Lastly, there’s a faint note of fruit flavor, which can be explained by the use of passion fruit juice. All in all, it’s a very delicious and smooth product. On the outside, we’d like to see a bit more to help whet the appetite. Specifically, the use of a jasmine flower by itself leaves something to be desired. In addition, we think that they are missing an opportunity by not calling attention to the use of premium sweeteners (agave and honey). However, they’re not that far off as the bottle shape itself definitely stands out.

Product Type:Tea: Sweetened; Container: 12 fl oz
BevNET Review: Blending a familiar tasting tea base with mango and passion fruit, this is a very straightforward mixture of tea that’s a pleasure to drink. They’ve sweetened it with agave, but ever so slightly, to the point where the product has a “barely sweetened” flavor that should satisfy tea junkies and the mainstream alike. Plus, using puerh tea is a nice nod to Numi’s skill as an artisan purveyor of tea, while calling it “black tea” should help ease the minds of those consumers who aren’t looking for something that’s too funky. On the outside, the vibrant image of a sliced mango is appealing, but we wonder why the rest of the flavors aren’t visually represented. Furthering this issue is the front panel’s rather text heavy approach. Otherwise, we like their choice of shape for the bottle, giving it a sophisticated feeling that should stand out from the competition that still uses stock bottles. Overall, a very enjoyable product that delivers enjoyable, high quality flavor and design.

Product Type:Tea: Sweetened; Container: 12 fl oz
BevNET Review: Of the fruit blends that makeup this line, Peach Nectar was one of our favorites. The drink features white tea, osmanthus, and green puerh tea and is flavored with peach puree, passion fruit puree, agave, evaporated cane juice, and citric acid. It’s a great tasting mixture that has only a touch of sweetness, all the while maintaining balance of flavors and a smooth finish. On the other hand, we’re somewhat surprised that they labeled this a puerh tea and didn’t promote the fact that the product has white tea. That would likely open the door to a slightly wider audience. The curved bottle is attractive and feels good in the hand. Label design has a vibrant peach image, but lacks any visuals for the tea itself. Placement of the USDA Organic logo on the front panel is wise, although the faint backdrop (which says things like “healthy” and “antioxidants”) is something that they eye passes right over. Overall, this product is superb tasting and some slight visual tweaks would help this product achieve greatness.

Product Type:Tea: Sweetened; Container: 12 fl oz
BevNET Review: The Moroccan Mint Puerh Green Tea flavor of Numi’s new RTD Organic Tea line doesn’t drink all that much different than many of the flavored green teas that we’ve reviewed in recent years. The exception being a slight note of fermentation to the finish, but otherwise, the body is very much like a mixture green and oolong tea. And it’s an enjoyable one at that, blending earthy tones with a touch of honey and mint, before finishing with a touch of acidity. Again, it’s a very familiar tasting product to the point that we enjoyed drinking it, but it isn’t unique enough that we’d go out of our way to find it. The same can be said for the packaging, which certainly looks and feels like what we’d expect from a super premium tea. However, its label lacks personality, which we think will make it easy to pass over on a shelf that’s like to be filled with other established brands. Overall, enjoyable flavor and design, but given the quality of Numi’s leaf products, we think they can take it a notch further.