Like all good middle-class Americans, I’ve consumed my share of Celestial Seasonings Zinger teas, including this one, Raspberry Zinger. For years, I was perfectly satisfied with this company’s many variations on the hibiscus-rosehip theme. Until I encountered Tazo and realized that the Zingers really lacked zing by comparison. I especially found that Tazo Passion occupied a different stratum as far as intensity and quality of flavor were concerned. From then on, I pretty much stopped buying Celestial Seasonings tea, though I do occasionally find some in my house.
Case in point: this four-bag sample pack of Raspberry Zinger, of unknown age and provenance. The dried tea smelled exactly like my memory of this blend, so I brewed it up fully intending to drink it iced. Upon discovering that it was indeed a bit lacking in the flavor department (though I brewed it double strength to pour over ice), I threw a fair amount of True Lime into the mix. Then the iced beverage was more like a strong citrus punch with a bit of raspberry in the background. Pretty thirst quenching, but I won’t be buying it again. If I find any more Celestial Seasoning Zinger bags lying around, I’ll probably deploy the same strategy with them as well. The reason why I brewed this hot rather than cold was because I accidentally boiled too much water while preparing today’s coffee, so I figured Why not?
For those who do not know: True Lime is the miraculously freeze-dried form of lime juice. It is a million times better than the juice in those green plastic limes or in any bottled form. I highly recommend it to those who like to use citrus to flavor iced teas or in cooking. The company also makes True Lemon, True Orange, and True Grapefruit, all of which do truly represent the taste of the respective juice.
