There seems to be something that both Michelle Obama and Rush Limbaugh can agree upon: High fructose corn syrup is bad. With that odd combination of political opposites, we take a look at Two If By Tea, a branded-tea line from the political commentator and talk show host Limbaugh… which, of course, is sweetened with sugar.
We don't discuss political parties here on BevReview; we'll let other folks tackle that. However when BevReview reader (and Rush Limbaugh fan) Karl Bastian ordered a couple cases of Two If By Tea for us, noting that we "have to try this stuff," well, I guess we have to maintain our civic duty.
Per the official website, the name Two If By Tea "is a modern twist on the famous line 'one if by land, and two if by sea' in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, 'Paul Revere's Ride.' According to the oft-quoted poem, on April 18, 1775 Paul Revere rode into the Massachusetts countryside warning of the imminent invasion of British 'Regulars' bent on destroying the American spirit."
So either this tea is here to save the American spirit or Limbaugh just needed an opportunity to brand something with his likeness. You decide.
We sampled the two main flavors, Original Sweet Tea and Raspberry Tea. These are also available in diet versions, sweetened by the combination of sucralose and acesulfame potassium (Ace-K); we did not review the diet options, thus we cannot comment on Two If By Tea's claim that "you don't have to put up with an artificial chemical aftertaste found in many other beverages."
Both flavors come packaged in 16 oz plastic bottles that have a medium-sized neck topped off by a white twist off cap. The label design features blue or red color schemes, depending on flavor. Anchoring the look under the "Two If By Tea" name is a caricature of Rush Limbaugh dressed up like Paul Revere. The backside of the label talks about the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation, which receives donations from this tea brand.
Let's jump into the flavor of Two If By Tea Original Sweet Tea. Now, we've reviewed quite a few sweet teas over the years, so our benchmarks are pretty well established. This tea is lighter in color than most sweet teas we've seen. Interestingly, the scent was rather faint upon opening the bottle.
As for the taste, it's not quite what I expected. When a product labels itself as "Sweet Tea," you expect it to be quite sweet and somewhat smooth. Two If By Tea's version had some sweetness, but seemed instead to rely on the black tea flavor as its primary attribute. That's the flavor that first greets you, followed by the more traditional sweet tea taste followup. The aftertaste is clean, which can probably be attributed to the use of sugar. It's not a bad product, but as far as sweet teas go, there are better versions out there, such as MaryAnna's Summer Sweet Tea. I just find it baffling that the marketing text for their Original Sweet Tea flavor actually states the following: "It's a traditional black tea that is not too bitter and not too sweet." A sweet tea that's not sweet?
Two If By Tea Original Sweet Tea
Water, sugar, natural tea essence, natural flavors, black tea, phosphoric acid
A 16 oz bottle contains 120 calories, 10 mg sodium, and 30 g carbs (30 g sugars).
The other primary flavor from Two If By Tea is their Raspberry Tea. It's roughly the same lighter color that we found with the Original Sweet Tea flavor. Crack the cap off and you do smell a bit of berry infusion. As far as flavor profile, it's quite a bit different. It starts out rather "blah," but crisp, with a limited tea flavor in place. Then at the back of your throat, the raspberry taste kicks in and resides through the aftertaste. It's not super sweet, and the tea flavor definitely backs off of the black tea-ness, feeling more like a casual tea product. This product is also sweetened with sugar, so the initial flavors are quite crisp, but an artificial-tasting raspberry flavor lingers after swallowing.
Two If By Tea Raspberry Tea
Water, sugar, natural flavors, citric acid, black tea,
A 16 oz bottle contains 120 calories, 10 mg sodium, and 40 g carbs (40 g sugars).
Currently, Two If By Tea is only available online via their official website. Products are ordered in 12 bottle cases with free shipping. Upon receiving my package from the company, I found that it featured groupings of 6 bottles shrinkwrapped together. The packaging process seemed to be a little rough and too tight, as many bottles were permanently "dented" from being crushed next to each other. Also, one of the caps on the Sweet Tea package arrived lose, meaning that tea had spilled all over the other bottles that were wrapped together with it. A very sticky situation!
So what's the final vote? Two If By Tea is an average tea brand. If it didn't have the marketing push of Rush Limbaugh attached, it would struggle to be noticed. The package design, from the plastic bottle to the hard-to-read labeling feels more "cheap" than special, along the lines of the plastic bottle Snapple line, even with a price-per-bottle of close to $2. With an average flavor profile, value shoppers would be better off tracking down one of the many $1 Arizona or Peace Tea flavors; you'll get more options, better flavor, and a lot more beverage (granted, with high fructose corn syrup). Those looking for more distinctive tea flavor will probably still hit up their Whole Foods for higher end offerings from Honest Tea, Numi, or Sweet Leaf.
It's just hard to figure out exactly where Two If By Tea falls. It tries to seem special, but it just isn't. It's a decent-tasting tea line, but it's oddly classified. It's a product aimed more to the likes of politically savvy customers, not beverage enthusiasts.
Official Website: TwoIfByTea.com
Since I don't like tea (and bought it for my wife and you) I can't comment on the taste – but I can say mine arrived in perfect condition, which impressed me for shipping a fluid! If I was you, for the cost, I'd call them and ask for a re-shipment and get some free tea! (Did you happen to take a picture of the damage?)
Are you leaning more Right? Was there secret Dittojuice in the drink that makes the drinker lean more rather conservative? LOL
Actually, if it was sweetened with oxycodone I'd be totally into it! Otherwise, meh.
You have to wonder about a tea drink where the actual tea is listed last or nearly last in the ingredient list. What the heck is natural tea essence anyway? And if 30-40 grams of sugar doesn't qualify as sweet, I've got a Happy Meal or 3 to market to your kids…
No\Deli basically took my smart arsed remark, so I won't take another jab. As a soda/bottle collector, This makes me want to buy this, Politics as is, is a staged coup and Limbaugh is just a mouthpiece to make it seem like there are actual sides to choose that will care for the public. Regaurdless of such, It's a niche piece of material that I would proudly display along side my Surge and Crystal Pepsi. Well, maybe more towards my Pepsi Cherry Vanilla, DNL and Dew Distortion, but I do want one, too bad you have to buy a case, that certainly will deter me. They really should entertain an option of 1 bottle for say $5 incl shipping, to cater to me!
Phosphoric acid? Is it tea or coca-cola? This tea is horrible. Plus Limbaugh's fat mug makes me ill. Seriously offended by this ill attempt to compare himself to Paul Revere. Revete he isn't. The tea is weak, and is as smug as he is.
His gross and stupid face make me want to puke. Tea ESSENCE??? I'm sure that's the taste of hypocrisy.
I don't like sweet teas and would never touch something with an artificial sweetener, so I can't comment on any of the teas per se. What bothers me is that Limbaugh will give a portion of the income from this venture to a military charity, rather than all of the income. I'm pro-capitalism and don't begrudge people for making money; however, I'd simply have more admiration for the man if he conducted this venture like Paul Newman did his line of food products and not profit from it at all. There are many quality bottled tea companies. Most of these are small businesses run by entrepreneurs whose livelihood depends on profits from tea sales, just the types of ventures Limbaugh claims to love and admire. While it doesn't sound like this tea will be giving these companies a run for their money in the long term, the idea that this man, who makes $20 million a year off his radio show, is attempting make a few more dollars by taking customers from these businesses is nauseating. Sadly, this type of greed is the ugly side of capitalism that I acknowledge we have to accept along with its benefits.
This "promotion" had all the earmarks of a fly-by-night, fast-buck scheme. Starting right out with the quantity invoved: you get a skimpy 12-pak after you were led to believe you were being delivered a 24-count case! Then, going right down to a non-existent tea essence that never delivers. I've bought 16-oz Lipton tea in bottles for $.88 that is vastly superior to this Limbaugh Koolaid concoction. It was flat tasting, weak, watered down preparation that was actually distasteful after two bottles. At $2 a bottle someone is really cleaning up here. Plastic containers were probably made in China with toxic phthalates.
Kinda like Rush Limbaugh but after tasting the diet Two If By Tea I had to go check my ice maker to make sure I didn't press the horse pee button, yuch!.
I ordered one case of the regular raspberry tea. The taste was good and the packaging was flawless. The raspberry flavoring is a little bit "manufactured" but I love that the tea, as a whole, tastes like a traditional simple mix. The sugar sweetener adds a lot to it and I love that it's not overly sweetened. I agree that Whole Foods has some great unique teas but I was expecting a traditional black tea, sugar sweetened with raspberry flavoring and that's exactly what I got. I will add Two If By Tea to my regular rotation of teas.
{ *All other commenters, please excuse me if I actually comment on the tea instead of just bashing the manufacturer. It's sad that out of the first nine comments that not one of you has actually tasted the tea. Take your hate speech to a political forum where it will be appreciated. }
I got a sample for free at the fair and have to say this is the best tea ever! Love it! Will definitely order a case or two. Too bad its not sold at grocery store or gas station.
Actually the main impetus for Rush Limbaugh making this tea was to see exactly what effect government regulation has on manufacturing marketing and selling a product from scratch.
Have not yet tried the product, but I am going to order it today. Shall inform you later on how enjoyable or unenjoyable it is.
There is one GREAT difference between Michelle and Rush. Michelle would legislate against freedom in your diet. Rush leaves change you make totally voluntary.
Also, I find it difficult to believe that some of the above 'critics' being so set in their negative opinion on Limbaugh actually purchased or had access to the tea.
I love how people can't separate politics from reviewing a drink. LOL And to insist (Susan) that a man give all his money away is ridiculous. You first. He doesn't have to give ANY away. But he does. Often. And conservatives give a lot more away than liberals too, they just don't brag about it – they walk instead of talk; just watch the IRS forms of all past presidents and congressmen for proof, kinda embarrassing for Dems.
The tea is good and fun and libs need to chill out and learn to enjoy life.
Maybe Rush's tea can help there. LOL
Cut the bashing of the reason for the venture and the profits, if any, and contribution to a charity. I am on my 4th case of diet, I am hooked and wish Rush success, not failure, in this venture. If you don't like him that's your problem stay on the left where you belong!
My wife recently purchased a case of regular raspberry, not because we're avid tea fans, but because of the promo (a trip to Vegas!). It arrived in flawless condition; the FedEx courier even wrapped it in a plastic bag because it was raining. But about the tea…well, it's raspberry flavored tea, and I can't compare it to anything else because like I said, we don't drink tea (heck, I couldn't rifle off any other brand names of bottled tea, other than Arizona and Lipton). I guess it tastes like raspberry tea should…no aftertaste, and it does have a good aroma. I imagine it would be more satisfying during the hot summertime, but I think I'll end up enjoying it just the same in October.
I just ordered my first time….I think its fine, but a bit weak. My favorite tea is homemade, but if I get bottled, I still like Gold Peak Sweetened Tea the absolute best, as well as the Gold Peak Green Tea. Hands down, the best bottled tea. I'd say the Two by Tea would be a distant second, and Lipton PureLeaf third.
I have tried the sweetened tea and liked it better than any other bottled tea I have tried. It has a real, authentic, tea taste and is not overwhelmed by the sweetness as others tend to be. My package arrived just fine and I find the bottles to be distinctive and appealing. To suggest that he is "greedy" by profiting from this venture is offensive. The product will succeed or fail depending on how much demand there is for it. To the extent it "takes" business from others is a reflection of its superiority in meeting demand for the product. This benefits the marketplace, consumers and, yes, the producer.
I Just got two cases: one Diet Original and one Diet Raspberry. The packaging was fine. I usually drink hot Lipton Green Tea so this stuff is different or new to me. I like it.
I tried to order a case on the website, but a Canadian billing address was not an option (I have a US shipping address). I wrote to ask about this and they sent me a free case (raspberry non-diet) for my trouble and promised to look into accommodating my situation. Our family all love it, and arrived well packaged. We find it similar to Japanese-type drinks, which are subtly flavored and not overly sweet. We will order again.
The only criticism is a lack of info on caffeine content, which is an issue for some.
(The only thing that left a bad taste in my mouth were the first few comments above from those with Rush Derangement Syndrome. Hint: Nobody cares. And I find it hard to fathom how Frank was "led to believe" that there were 24 bottles in a case. If you didn't read carefully enough, why blame the company?)
We bought a case for the Hawaii trip promotion, it arrived quickly and in good condition.
Taste: Bland. Really bland, like sugar-water bland. I usually drink Snapple lemon tea, (for reference) or unsweetened Bo Jangles ice tea from the restaurants. I expect my tea to be black in color, and strong. Tea-flavored. "Two if by tea" was so bland and flat that I'm giving away the remainder of the bottles. Sorry, Rush. Please add some Tea to this tea, and try again.
I received a bottle of the Two If By Tea (regular sugar) Raspberry Tea from a friend giving them out. I barely tasted any tea flavor and to me it tasted like homeopathic cough syrup. I agree completely with other reviewers who say it is flat tasting, mediocre at best and not worth the cost. I was curious for a long time about it and glad I got a bottle to try, although happy I didn't spend my hard earned money on it. I brew great tea right here at home for three cents a glass. THREE CENTS ! for a Lipton tea bag. I add stevia to sweeten it. If word gets around about this, maybe he will tweak the flavor and have lots of tasters test it first.
Dear Rush
Unfortunitly I am diabetic so I can not drink your tea but I heard on your radio show you have these clever mugs on sale. I don't seem to be able to find them on my computer. (I am 76 and not to computer savy)
I love Rush and agree with about 99.7 percent of eveything he says. However, the diet tea leaves a lot to be desired. It's weak, not sweet enough, and frankly tastes like tea that's been left out overnight. I support the cause, but I think you better revisit the tea recipe.
A faithful South Carolinian
"I just find it baffling that the marketing text for their Original Sweet Tea flavor actually states the following: 'It's a traditional black tea that is not too bitter and not too sweet.' A sweet tea that's not sweet?"
You seem to be confused about the meaning of the word "too."
"Too sweet" does not mean "Not sweet" in any definition of the word; quite the opposite. If you don't understand the difference, try a cup of tea without any sugar. Okay. That's "not sweet." Now pour in half a cup of sugar. Another sip. Oh, see that? That's "too sweet."
Glad to help.
God forbid we take a break from hate for a minute to actually comment on the tea…
I have tried raspberry and really enjoy it. It isn't too sweet, just as advertised. It is a very good combination of raspberry and tea flavor and the level of sugar flavor is just right. I'm not thrilled about the price ($2 for a 1 oz. bottle), and combine that with the fact that it isn't being offered in stores yet (it will be at some point in the future) makes it easy for me to just grab a case of Snapple off the shelf of the local supermarket for a much better price per oz. But I will occasionally order a case and try to keep my fridge stocked with it as much as possible. And for those of you silly enough to complain that he's only giving part of the profits to charity, please go to your local supermarket and tell me how many other brands of tea are doing a damn thing for charity. This fact alone makes it slightly easier for me to pay a bit more for this stuff. My final thoughts: It's definitely worth trying for those who haven't yet and I think it's nice to have now and again.
You write: I just find it baffling that the marketing text for their Original Sweet Tea flavor actually states the following: "It's a traditional black tea that is not too bitter and not too sweet." A sweet tea that's not sweet?
Why are you baffled? The text says that the tea is "not too sweet;" it doesn't say that the tea isn't sweet at all.
I wasn't going to order, but I saw the diet version is made with sucrolose, which is rare in diet beverages and the only one I will drink. So I ordered the blueberry, on the strength of Limbaugh saying how great it tastes. We'll see. I know I'm not regularly ordering tea that costs $2 a bottle. If that's the best he can drive down the cost, I don't think it will have a future no matter how good it is.
"I am sure the weak-ass, Communist-loving, social-parasite liberals won't try it. But it is delicious!" proclaimed Frank Henry, whose Facebook icon appears to show a baby sucking its thumb." That is how I feel. You people that do not like Rush, get a life. No one cares about your opinion of him, although you probably think someone does. Try the tea and if you do not like it buy something else. As far as charity contributions go, republicans give far more than democrats. Just look up Joe Biden's tax returns. Rush has given a lot of money to the Marine Foundation.
Man, I love the self-proclaimed conspiracy theory "experts" (Hippie^^^) that say something to the effect of "repubs and dems, cons and libs…they're all the same, man. There aren't really sides." You know what that says to everyone else? It says that you don't really understand political science. But instead of coming out and admitting "Hey. I don't pay attention to this stuff enough to actually know what I'm talking about" or just wisely keeping your trap shut entirely about issues that you do not understand, you decide to speak up and play the part of the "enlightened, intellectual exodus" to save face with the public, and more importantly, your own ego. When you believe you are extraordinarily intelligent, it's hard to admit to yourself that their are things that you don't understand. It's a big, pride-crushing pill to swallow, is it not? When you believe you know everything about something, what reason is there for you to try learning more about it? You know it all already, right?
The sweet tea is good.
Being a sweet iced tea drinker in the South all my life, I too found this tea not quite sweet enough. Add 4 yellow packets of Splenda and a zing of lemon juice…that's about right. I tried the raspberry flavor as well…still need the Splenda but was frankly a little too Kool-Aidy for me.
There are 2 new flavors, Peach and Blueberry. I can't bring myself to try the blueberry, but the peach, yes the standard sweet peach is by far my favorite. I still need the 4 packets of Splenda for each bottle but then I sip on it for lunch and the rest of the afternoon in a cap covered glass with ice. The ice melt seems to have minimal "watered down" effect…very tasty.
To the folks bashing capitalism and Rush's little enterprise on the side…you need to wake up, get a life and learn a lesson or two about how real wealth and real jobs are created. Just think of the jobs and real income provided to the brewer, the bottler, the bottle maker, the artists, the printers, the shipping box maker, the warehouser, the shipper, and yes to Rush himself….just because he put up and risked into the millions of $$$ to make this product available. If the product wins, he gets the profits left AFTER paying all the other people, if it flops, he loses the entire investment. No one is forced to buy the product, it must stand on its own.
So then, based on my comments above, the product doesn't meet my standards of taste/flavor without a little doctoring up and it is a little inconvenient to purchase and somewhat pricey relative to other grocery brands. If it weren't for the peach I wouldn't purchase anymore….but that's just me.
I really don't like tea with lemon, nor do I like it too sweet. Therefore, I happen to like this tea very much and I am interested in buying some more. I received it as a gag gift for Christmas – but as it turns out, the gag is on them. I do not follow the political BS, so this has nothing to do with political thoughts of the tea. I LIKE THE TEA!!! The person who wanted oxycodone in the tea is the reason why legit people who need the medication cannot get it. So I say, get your but in rehabilitating facility ASAP. Thank you. Now where can I get me some more tea?
Best tea I have ever tasted
I ordered three cases right out of the gate!
Very impressed with the packaging, thought it was overdone in fact…
Strong, sturdy.
Very flavorful…we thought it could be less sweet!
Appreciated the REAL SUGAR.Shared product with family members…ALL enjoyed.
Yes, by the way, Susan…one MUST pay to MAKE the product…and pay those who labor…duo not ask of the money can be given away!!!!
Sorry….DUH
I had heard about this product even though I am not a regular listener of Rush Limbaugh. Since the name "Two If By Tea" has a patriotic ring to it, I decided to order some for the house party I always have on the 4th of July. I ordered 4 cases, one each of the 4 flavors of Diet Tea. They arrived today, 48 hours after ordering, via Fedex, packed in sturdy cardboard boxes, two 6-packs per box. I won't be sampling any of the tea prior to my 4th of July party, because I'm afraid I'll get hooked by the taste and not have any left by the time my guests arrive. But I must tell you that the packaging is stunningly and beautifully patriotic, so much so that it brought a patriotic tear to my eye as I was pulling the 6-packs out of the boxes. If the tea tastes anywhere near as good as the design of the packaging, I'll be substituting these $2 bottles of tea for many of the 15-cent bottles of water I usually drink. I just hope my credit card holds out.
I ordered a case of unsweetened tea aprx a month ago. Have not received it. I did not retain copy of my order. I think that I received a confirmation of shipment orat least of the order. Please see what you can find out and let me know. Many thanks.
I've been on 4 diffrent site to order, how do I order.
I'm a dialy Rush listener and fan. Tried the unsweetened tea and found it to be ok in flavor but very weak. I like tea medium to strong but this did not come up to these levels. Won't purchase again as I can get stronger teas elsewhere. Sort of disappointed.
The tea is excellent. The packaging is above and beyond. The Fedex shipping is free. Rush always puts his money where his mouth is no matter what you think of his mouth. He doesn't make 20 per year from his radio contract. He makes 50 per on an 8 year deal. That's 400 for you people in Rio Linda. He also has a clothing line, a very popular newsletter, a very successful website and a variety of other investments. He has earned well over a billion dollars and saved AM radio. How many of us can say that we earned enough money to own a 65 million dollar plane or a fleet of 400,000 Maybach Mercedes. How about a 40 million oceanfront estate or numerous other properties. How many of us can say that we paid for a friends heart surgery when he couldn't or the education of a young lady that never knew who paid it or gives millions away EVERY year.
You haters need to drink Kool-Aid. Because you couldn't buy a clue if you had the money. This is his venture that he started in this economy as he states. To the people on here that actually understands basic economics, thank you for your words. Rush is an American icon and treasure, period. To the drug commenters, if you have never struggled with self discipline well then God bless you. Most human beings, exempting the hypocrites of the liberal socialist party have struggled with or know someone that has struggled with some form of compulsive or addictive behavior.
I am sure that 400,000 is the cost of the car, not the number of them that ol Hudson owns. LOL
I don't care it if don't taste to good if it makes liberals mad I will drink it! LOL
Just got my order. Love it. Great tasting tea. Ignore the snarky partisan remarks. Best over ice, and nice packaging.
I have been purchasing the diet teas from Two if by tea since it was available. My favorite is the diet Raspberry. My husbnd loves the unsweetened version. We order on a regular basis. The packaging is excellent, as a matter of fact I have a hard time opening it without a box cutter. I love the strong bottles. I wash and reuse them for water bottles and I freeze water in them to use in our ice chests when we go fishing or to the beach. After the ice melts you have cold water.
Bravo Don….very well stated
Roy Poitras says:
June 7, 2012 at 9:58 pm
Roy go to http://www.twoifbytea.com
Being a Rush fan, I had to try this tea. This is the BEST my wife & I have found! We have re-purchased and sent as gifts several times. My last purchase was ordered yesterday and arrived today in perfect condition!!!(amazing)
We like the diet reg & raspberry…..no after taste……It's GREAT!!!!!!!
The flavors are good but we find them a bit too concentrated for our taste so we cut the sweetness of the diet blueberry and diet rasberry with the unsweetned version. Makes for a lot of 1/2 filled bottles in the fridge but they always get used up. Good product, fair price, and we have no issues with the packaging or shipping.
Since I'm one who appreciates quality tea (and SWEET tea, BTW), and I occasionally listen to Rush, I thought I'd give this a try. I placed an order for a 12-pack and it arrived quickly, well-packaged. What I got was a tremendous disappointment. An earlier reviewer siad it tasted like "homeopathic cough syrup." Pretty good description. I'm not sure what goes into the manufacture of this product, but it doesn't get the job done. Was hoping that I would like this product, because I like Rush, and great tea, but this just doesn't do it. I'll stick with Lipton Pure Leaf.
Sorry, Rush. Try again.