“Really tastes like chai tea. Low kick, and chai tea without creamer or other additives is not nearly as tasty. Overall a subpar energy drink.”
Read Cam’s full review
Introduction
This really does taste like chai tea. Now I do enjoy chai tea, but that is assuming I add creamer, sweetener, cinnamon, and perhaps some other stuff (sugar/agave/chocolate/liquid Splenda/caramel/etc). There are a lot of ways you can make chai tea better, but turning it into an energy drink is not one of them. This noncarbonated Zest Tea has 150mg of caffeine (12.5mg/floz) which is surprisingly high. That being said, the kick is subpar. With a raw chai tea flavor, a low level kick, and a rather bitter aftertaste, I do not recommend Zest Tea Sweet Chai to most people.
Upside
If you love chai tea with nothing additional, you will probably enjoy this. They did a great job at making it taste almost exactly like an overly-caffeinated chai tea. With only 12g of sugar and 50 calories, there are worse ways to consume 150mg of caffeine. The appearance is pretty cool as the can has a unique font over a red and black background (red and black almost always go well together).
Downside
Chai tea does not taste great by itself, and neither does this energy drink. There is a reason creamer was invented. Every time I sip this, I wish I had something sweeter. It also says “Drink Cold” on the side. If this beverage heats up in any way, it becomes nigh unbearable. Do yourself a favor and go get a real energy drink instead.
Upshot
Zest Tea Sweet Chai really does taste like chai tea. Chai tea is great with additives, but it is too bitter by itself to be enjoyable. The kick is subpar, the aftertaste lingers a bit too long, and it just is overall not a great flavor for an energy drink. If you want chai tea, I recommend making some for yourself then adding whatever you wish. You will enjoy it much more than this Zest Tea variant.
