Benner Tea Co. Floral Tea
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated July 2021 with information on the English Rose Black Tea.
I drink tea nearly every day, and Aldi can be a good place to satisfy my tea habit. The grocer sells a small but decent selection of Regular Buy tea options including English Breakfast tea and green tea that are available year round, and they also rotate in some limited-time specialty tea flavors, including green and fruit-based teas and holiday teas. Aldi recently upped its tea game and sold a limited-time selection of floral teas I have never seen in their stores before.
Benner Tea Co. floral tea cost $2.19 at the time of publication for a 1.41-oz. box containing 20 individually wrapped tea bags (about 11 cents per tea bag). For comparison, a box of Twinings brand jasmine green tea at one of my local regular grocery stores cost $3.99 for a box of 20 tea bags (about 20 cents per tea bag).The floral tea flavors are Aldi Finds (Special Buys), which means they are only in stores for a short time, and once they’re gone, they’re gone.
The floral teas are available in three varieties: Jasmine Green Tea, Raspberry Flavored Hibiscus Herbal Tea, and English Rose Black Tea.
Here’s a closer look at the flavors:
Benner Tea Co. Jasmine Green Tea
The only ingredient is jasmine green tea. This tea smells lovely, with a delicate floral scent that nicely complements the green tea. I remember drinking a jasmine tea years ago at Walt Disney World, possibly at the Rose & Crown British-themed restaurant at Epcot, and this Aldi tea’s scent brought back memories. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed jasmine tea, so if Aldi brings this tea back next year, I’ll be stocking up.
To serve hot, bring fresh cold water to a rolling boil. Let water cool for 1 minute after boiling, then pour the water over one tea bag and steep 1-2 minutes before removing the tea bag.
To serve cold, bring a quart of fresh cold water to a rolling boil. Let water cool for one minute after boiling. Pour 4 cups over three to five tea bags and brew for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the tea bags and pour the tea over ice-filled glasses.
Benner Tea Co. Raspberry Flavored Hibiscus Herbal Tea
This is caffeine free and has plenty of sweet, zippy raspberry flavor. It also smells delicious in your mug, with overarching notes of raspberry and accents of citrus.
Ingredients are hibiscus, rose hip, roasted chicory, sweet blackberry leaf, orange peel, natural flavor, lemongrass, citric acid, dried raspberry, and raspberry leaf.
To serve hot, bring fresh cold water to a rolling boil. Pour water over one tea bag and brew for 3-5 minutes before removing the tea bag.
To serve cold, bring a quart of fresh cold water to a rolling boil. Pour 4 cups of water over three to five tea bags and brew for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and pour over ice-filled glasses.
Benner English Rose Black Tea
This has the flavor you’d expect of black tea, with mild hints of rose flavor. Where the rose really comes through is in the scent. This tea reminds me of the Jasmine Green Tea, where I notice the floral element mostly in how the tea smells rather than how it tastes. This is my favorite of all the floral tea flavors.
The ingredients are black tea, rose petal, and natural flavor.
To serve hot, bring fresh cold water to a rolling boil. Pour water over one tea bag and brew for 3-5 minutes. Remove the tea bag before serving.
To make iced tea, bring fresh cold water to a rolling boil. Pour 4 cups of water over 3 to 5 tea bags and brew for 3-5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and pour over ice-filled glasses.
The Verdict:
The Benner floral tea assortment at Aldi includes Jasmine Green Tea, Raspberry Flavored Hibiscus Herbal Tea, and English Rose Black Tea. All three teas are excellent, with appealing scents and nuanced flavors. I especially like the delicate floral scents in the Jasmine Green Tea and English Rose Black Tea. Highly recommended.
Dear Rachel,
Any idea what the natural flavor refers to in the ingredients? I am referring to the Green Tea citrus from Benner.
Unfortunately, food manufacturers are not required to reveal what they use to create natural flavors in a product, so it can be a controversial ingredient. It’s basically a chemical found in a natural food that is extracted from that food, enhanced in a lab, and put into your food. Natural flavors are common in a lot of foods, including flavored teas, such as the raspberry hibiscus tea in this post, or the green tea with lemon flavor that you’re inquiring about.
Here’s our post about Aldi’s Regular Buy teas, including the green tea you mentioned: https://www.aldireviewer.com/aldi-tea-roundup/
And here’s an article with more information about natural flavors: https://www.cnn.com/2015/01/14/health/feat-natural-flavors-explained/index.html
Are Benner teabags compostable? Thank you.
I toss them in my compost bin.
Hi Rachael, I, too, am an ALDI shopper and enjoy many of their special seasonal products. I enjoyed reading your reviews of the special Herbal teas. I love the Raspberry Hibiscus Tea. My question is: Do you have any idea when they will bring these teas back in the store? Now you have got me interested in trying the other flavors. Thank you.
I don’t know if or when Aldi will bring them back. Possibly in the spring of 2021 since things at Aldi tend to go on an annual cycle, but I don’t know.
Thank you for your reviews. I am addicted to Rose flavors in tea. I tried the English Rose. It is just like the Numi White Rose tea that is hard to find now! I will be stocking up next time I go to Aldi.
And the ingredients listed on the English Rose box is Black Tea, Rose Petal, Natural Flavor.
Dear Rachael,
Not sure if this is the right venue but I need to express my huge disappointment in the new recipe for Benners Peach Tea. They’ve switched from glass 16oz bottles to plastic. At about the same time they’ve watered down the Peach Tea to the point where it is no longer satisfying to drink it. Plus there was no notice that the new ersatz version was a new formulation. They just arbitrarily changed it. I couldn’t find another venue to vent but needed to let someone know that Benners downgrading of their Peach Tea product did not go unnoticed. Thanks.
Jim, here’s how to contact Aldi to let them know your thoughts on the tea: https://help.aldi.us/contact-form-product