Home > Categories > Beverages > Fruit Juices > Teza - Velvetberry review
The Teza range of juiced teas was developed with Kiwi tastebuds in mind. Founded and now run by thirty-something couple Joe Gehrke and Daphne Raj, the range prides itself on using premium and all-natural ingredients. Real leaf tea is batch brewed with botanicals such as ginger root and then blended with real juice and best of all it is made right here in New Zealand! The emphasis of the Teza range is on 'taste' and 'naturalness' with the added bonus of looking good too.
Both the bottle and cap are recyclable, and the used tea leaves from the brewing process are sent to community garden groups and worm farms to minimise waste.
The Zen Master, Bodhidharma, decided to prove his faith through meditation without sleep. After nine years awake, he dozed off. He woke up frustrated, pulled off his eyelids and threw them to the ground, from whence sprang a tea bush. This Teza was made using the finest tea leaves and exotic juices, and infused with sticks and pods. If you have good eyesight, you may see some sediment. This is because Teza is all natural. Shake well and drink.
Product reviews...
Teza ice teas hold two not so secret desires of mine in a yummy summer drink - the taste of iced tea, and the refreshing flavour of fruity goodness!
I first tasted Teza's Velvetberry ice tea, not long after trying the Feijoa and Limeblossom one. Having tried one flavour I felt it was my duty as a consumer adventurer to try another one. Velvetberry sounds sooo indulgent! I could almost feel the velvety berryness sliding down my throat, well before I had even cracked that sucker open.
When I did open the bottle, the berry sensation hit my nose and I was not disappointed. The taste as well was a beautiful though quite sweet berry taste. I mention the sweetness as my only complaint about this flavour. My taste buds soon tired of the sweet assault a lot sooner than I would have wished. Still a nice flavour, but one I could have easily drank watered down slightly. What can I say, I still drink my orange juice 50/50 with water.
So, I probably wouldnt purchase this flavour again, but I know its just the flavour rather than the product that my palate disagreed with. It wont stop me trying all the other Teza drinks and going back for more.
This one very much reminded me of one of those berry smoothies that you get in the chillers at your favourite supermarket, and I really like those, so this one was a real winner for me. It has just the right mix of the various berries for no one berry to overpower the others, and so has made a very delightful drink.
My only gripe with this one is the portions are just too small
Ok first I have to admit to having some apprehension about trying the Teza Teas but this is because I am not a tea drinker of any sort. Until picked to review these, I have never drank tea... cold or hot! I do not like the smell of it and find the thought of it quite sickening, lol. It is important to say this because WOW these are absolutely yummy!
The Velvetberry is my favorite. It is soooo good. I loved it and was very surprised to find myself a little disappointed that there was not enough in the bottle! I actually would have liked a bigger bottle for this one, lol.
The other thing that surprised me was that when drinking, I actually felt that I was really doing my body a favor not drinking the coffee I literally live on.
The bottles are funky, attractive and appealing to the eye. And I have kept them all for further use.
I also really like the story behind the Teza teas and am very impressed that the left over waste from making the product is recycled elsewhere. Well done!
I found the Velvetberry to have a very similar taste to an old childhood favourite... Ribena, just a slightly more tart version, so not quite as sweet. The supposed cinnamon and vanilla that are apparently in there, are so subtle I couldn't taste them at all, so pretty much just got the berry taste. A shame, as I think a stronger hint of the extras would've made for something quite spectacular, but it is still a very yummy tasting drink, with a pleasant, berry filled aroma that again, is similar to that of Ribena.
Out of the 5 different flavours in the Teza range, Velvetberry is the only one I found that holds up well at room temperature, as well as chilled. All 4 of the others needed to be chilled to be at their best. It seems as though this drink has less pulp/sediment than the others, and there's not much of an aftertaste either, just a slight sour/tart bite that kind of sits at the back of the throat for a wee while afterwards, but not an unpleasant one.
If you're a fan of berries at all, and don't mind a slight tart kick, then this is definitely a drink for you.
This had to be my favourite flavour of the Teza Iced Tea range as I am a lover of berry drinks. And what a great vibrant colour!
Very smooth and easy to drink, with a strong berry flavour that stood out with only a slight tea flavour. It however tasted best when it was served ice cold.
I plan to get more of this at some stage to see how well it turns out as a sorbet.
The English tend to love berry flavours, especially blackcurrant. Millions of kids are brought up on blackcurrant juice and I was certainly no exception, so of the bunch of the drinks, this was perhaps my favourite.
The carefully balanced flavours (which included cinnamon and elderberry) produced a finely flavoured drink. The green tea itself did not leave a dry note on the palate which is a big plus in my books.
The tea was not overly sweet (so it doesn't feel like you are drinking syrup) but sweet enough to carry the flavours through to the back of the palate.
These speciality green tea beverages were created with some thought and vision. They are a huge step away from the standard iced teas available in garage fridges and sushi bars and give a unique kiwi take on something that tends to be typically asian.
This was another really tasty drink that caught my attention. With a fairly strong berry flavour mix but still feeling like a refreshing drink in my mouth it is certainly one I would consider again when the weather starts to warm up once more.
As we head into the cooler months it might be interesting to experiment with this as a mulled, or just warmed, drink. Perhaps adding a little 'something warming' to it or adding it to something a tad alcoholic.
The sediment was very noticeable in the bottles I got but a good shake had them so well mixed I couldnt detect them when drinking.
All in all a tasty drop and one I plan to keep stocks of as we approach summer, and want to experiment on ways to enjoy it in winter because served chilled it is amazing but at room temperature it was somewhat tart and bitter from the tea.
This one is definitely 'the middle child' in the Tea range for me... mainly because I am still a reluctant berry consumer. However, this one has gone a long way to making me consider other berry juice drinks.
You crack the lid and the waft of berries climbs up your nostrils and snuggles in for a while as you slurp this yummy beverage, with a smooth, sweet texture and a well-rounded taste. Both refreshing and flavourful, it's certainly likely to be a hit for all berry fans.
Of the five flavours, this one sat fair square middle for me... nothing too great, but certainly nothing wrong with it at all. I am seriously thinking it would go down a treat in one of the Cheesecake Lab trials.
Overall, a very nice drop. Not my favourite, but certainly one I would be happy to drink poured over an ice slushy. -yum-
My first impression was what a nice bottle nice label I did find the cap a little hard to get off.
The flavors were very nice and well balanced and they did not over power each other and slid down just rite.
I am not much of an iced tea drinker but this would have to be one of my favorite flavors of the whole range as I really love berry type drinks. I also found it made me feel like I had had a drink, unlike most drinks out there that you just do not feel you have had a drink. The berries really made this drink a stunner. I was really impressed with the amount in the bottle and how refreshing it was on a hot summers day. I will for sure be looking out in shops for this flavor when I am after a thirst quencher on a hot summers day.
Random listing from 'Beverages'...
Pete's Natural Ling + Zing Raspberry Kola is made in New Zeland from Lightly sparkling water, Raw sugar, Lemon juice, Lime juice, Kola nut extract, raspberry extract.
All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.
"Are there specially reserved parking spaces for 'fully-abled' people at the Special Olympics?"
unattributed