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Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Cusa Instant Teas > Test Report by Kurt PapkeCusa Tea
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Name: | Kurt Papke |
Age: | 64 |
Gender: | Male |
Height: | 6' 4" (193 cm) |
Weight: | 225 lbs (102 kg) |
Email address: | kwpapke at gmail dot com |
City, State, Country: | Tucson, Arizona USA |
Manufacturer: | Cusa Tea, Inc. |
Provenance: |
The company is headquartered in Boulder,
Colorado. The website indicates that the teas are
sourced in Asia. |
Model: |
All five flavors: English Breakfast, Oolong,
Mango Green, Green, Lemon Black |
Year of manufacture: | 2017 |
MSRP: |
US $9.99 for a
variety case of 10 (2 x 5 flavors) with free shipping in the
continental USA if three boxes are purchased |
Warranty: |
None |
Manufacturer website: | https://cusatea.com |
Materials: |
Organic tea, fruit & herbs - no
preservatives or sweeteners |
Size: |
One size packet available only, makes 12-14
oz (355-414 ml) |
Quantity tested: |
15 total, 3 x 5 flavors (see photo at left
below) |
Weight: | Listed: not available Measured: 0.07 oz (2 g) with packaging |
Nutritional info: |
42-79 mg of caffeine per serving 190-465 mg of tea polyphenols per serving There is quite a wide range of polyphenols and caffeine level depending on the variety. |
Of course I had to taste it, so I whipped up a cold glass of the
mango green tea (see photo at right above). It mixed nicely,
and there is really very little powder in the packet so I had to
be careful not to spill any. The taste is wonderful!
It really does taste like brewed tea with no chemical aftertaste.
Date |
Location |
Trail |
Distance |
Altitude |
Weather |
September 28 - October 1 |
Mogollon
Rim, north of Payson, Arizona |
Various |
3.4 miles (5.5 km) hiking 8 miles (13 km) mountain biking |
7000 ft (2130 m) |
Daytime temperatures around 75 F (24 C),
nighttime around 38 F (3 C). Mostly sunny and breezy. |
November 10-13, 2017 | Gila Wilderness, New Mexico | West/Middle Fork Loop | 43 miles (69 km) |
5630-7450 ft (1716-2271 m) |
Sunny and unseasonably warm, highs around 70F (21 C), nightly lows to 25F (-4 C) |
December 10-13, 2017 | Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona | Hermit and Tonto | 27 miles (43 km) |
2800-6640 ft (850-2024 m) |
Highs around 60 F (15 C), lows near 25 F (-4 C), sunny with light wind |
This was a 4-day "hammock hang", i.e. a car camping get-together of hammock enthusiasts. We were based out of the Long Valley campground up on the Mogollon Rim, the edge of the Colorado Plateau. Activities included hiking, cycling, and consumption of far too much food and drink around a campfire.
I mixed two packets of the Lemon Black tea with a not-quite-full Nalgene bottle of water (see photo at left). This came fairly close to the recommended dilution ratios, and I was pretty thirsty and wanted to re-hydrate. This was a good level of tea flavor without it being too watery.
Just as with my initial tasting, I was pretty amazed at how much like fresh-brewed tea this tasted. The black tea was excellent, and the lemon had no tinges of artificial flavors. Pretty amazing.
I drank this as I walked around on afternoon checking out the various bits of hammock gear on display and chatting with the owners. It did a great job of keeping my mouth from going dry while my jaws were flapping!
Four-day, three night backpack in the
western portion of the Grand Canyon. Winds were light, but
temperatures dropped to freezing and below as soon as the sun set
every night. Not exactly iced tea weather, but a good
opportunity to try some hot tea.
Bottom line: a great product for the iced tea aficionado. I
liked all the flavors I tasted. The fruit flavors I thought
were quite light - the fruit did not mask the tea flavor for me.
Thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and Cusa Tea for the opportunity
to contribute to this test.