Tea Finds at The FitExpo

Honest Tea booth at The FitExpo LA

Matcha at the Lakanto booth at The FitExpo LA

When you think of something called the FitExpo it may bring to mind testosterone and steroids, men made of muscle and women kickboxing their way to their best butt ever. Yes, there were best arm competitions, workout classes and the Marines were there with their chin-up challenge but there were many people there who were just starting their fitness exploration and even families just looking for healthier options. This was most apparent in the food and beverage section.

This was my first time at the FitExpo LA and I had a feeling I would encounter tea somewhere in the sea of booths, and sea of people. Someone likened it to a night at a club just set in a convention center. They were accurate. It was like moving through a crowded amusement park, just with the majority of people having almost double the shoulder width of the average person. I even ran into an awesome wrestler I’ve seen live at Lucha Underground, Brian Cage! (yes, I am a proud wrestling fan) His catch phrase is “he’s not a man, he’s a machine!” In person I can see why!
 
Still I found a few companies hawking their tea wares. First up:

Honest Tea bottles of Unsweet Peach Ginger, Honey Green Tea and Pomegranate Blue

Honest Teas clockwise from L: Unsweet Peach Ginger, Honey Green, Pomegranate Blue

HONEST TEA
 
The guys working for Honest Tea had great attitudes and seemed to be having a good time sharing tea with the FitExpo’s many, many attendees. They had some of their line of RTD (ready to drink) teas with an iced focus.
 


Organic Unsweet Peach Ginger Tea
 
SCENT - peachy nose, fragrant, satisfying scent
TASTE – Ginger mutes the sweetness of the peach, but doesn’t kill it. Slight bitterness but not overpowering. The first time I had it I felt it was more bitter than the second time. It may have been where my palate was at the time, what I had eaten, etc. Tea flavor is light to mid-level – not robust. If you prefer your tea with additional flavors and no sugar this may fit you.
 
Organic Honey Green
 
SCENT – faint nose, minute green and honey notes
TASTE – It is said to be ‘a tad sweet’. This may be true in comparison to the American palate, as it is 19g sugar per bottle compared to many RTD drinks that have 30-60g per bottle. If you are used to your tea without sweetener this may taste sweeter to you that just a tad. There is sugar in the ingredients as well and that taste is more forward with the honey a ghost in the background. Green tea flavor is very light.
 
Pomegranate Blue Flavored Herbal Tea
 
What does blue flavor taste like?  I think is referring to the use of organic blueberry juice concentrate, but I thought it sounded funny.
 
SCENT – Smells like a fruit punch
TASTE- Tastes like a fruit punch. There is no tea here and the ingredients include organic pomegranate and concord grape juice concentrates so that makes sense. It is a satisfying fruity taste with moderate sweetness at 23g per bottle.  Sugar is the second ingredient after water so this is not juice, per se. The hibiscus doesn’t add too much bite thankfully.  It is essentially adult fruit punch with a bit less sugar.
 

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Numi - Aged Earl Grey Tea

the friendly Numi tea booth at The FitExpo LA

NUMI TEA
 
Aged Earl Grey
 
SCENT – This RTD smells like tea. The bergamot doesn’t drown the tea itself, but acts like a partner which is great.
 
TASTE – It is also great that they indicate it is an Assam tea base. The tea taste is milder than the tea scent, which is surprising considering it is an Assam which is known for boldness. The flavors are well blended and it is closer to a home brewed iced tea than most and only has 14g sugar per bottle.

Lakanto Matcha Latte powder

LAKANTO
 
 Matcha with Monkfruit  
 
Lakanto is mainly a supplier of monk fruit as a sweetener. They created a Matcha powder you mix with milk of choice that has their monk fruit in it. This is far from a traditional Matcha experience. It is more of a bridge for the sugar-dipped western palate looking for a sugar alternative. The monk fruit is the focus here rather than the tea. Monk fruit is touted as zero glycemic index and zero calorie yet can replace sugar in equal amounts. In their Matcha it has a malty result. The packet I tried indicated it was to be mixed with 8oz. of milk substitute. I used regular milk because right now it is my preference and how I am rolling. I found it to be too sweet for my palate. I prefer the traditional grassy taste of traditional Matcha but the sweetener itself is intriguing. It has a natural taste free of the bitterness of many other sugar substitutes. I would just prefer being able to choose the amount I use so the pre-measured thing isn’t for me. This is in the sweetness level category of a Starbucks drink, but without the calories or sugar spike.
 
If fitness and healthy living are of interest to you, the FitExpo is still making it’s way through many major cities in the US with Philadelphia, Chicago, San Jose, Anaheim and San Diego still on deck for 2018. Maybe you’ll find some tea gems I missed. Cheers!
 
This is not a sponsored post