Sweet Leaf Tea: Coffee-Tea Blend Original

Mixing tea and coffee is something that we’ve admittedly never tried (or wanted to try, for that matter). But that’s exactly what Sweet Leaf has done with this new line of beverages, which currently comes in Original and Vanilla varieties. This flavor, Original, does indeed taste like the company took sweet tea and mixed in some coffee. It’s balanced, but conflicted. The formulation seems like it will satisfy neither the coffee drink nor the tea drinker. And we’re honestly not convinced that all too many people will be in the mood for both at the same time. Still, for what it is, the product tastes better than we would have expected. On the outside, the company has used its familiar “granny” branding and black and brown accent colors. While it’s fine in terms of aesthetics, it doesn’t really mesh with the brand equity that Sweet Leaf has built up in the granny story. Putting all of this together, we feel like this is a product that’s catering to a pretty small niche at the risk of having a negative impact on the greater brand. Overall, it’s definitely different, but not necessarily in a good way.