Most times, my unsweetened iced tea is dispensed in a soda-like fountain, usually from 7-Eleven or some other superette. And, typically, it is acidic, corrosive, and morally unrepentant, causing me to throw out about half of it.
Forsaking iced tea for the rest of my lame life, I decided to give it one more chance at HTeaO, horrible name be damned.
Coming straight out of the Lone Star state, the regional chain has several stops around the metro. I stopped by my station of hydration at 1400 NW 23rd St., right by Pollo Campero,
When I walked through the electronic sliding doors, the place was buzzing around lunchtime, with tea for all.
At first, you're exposed to various tea-based paraphernalia and memorabilia – where are my Iced Tea fans at?! – like Yeti cups, tee shirts, and beef jerky, but around the brewing bend, you're greeted by a plethora of various bubblers, from my own favorite unsweetened tea recipe to various tastes that haven’t been discovered or conquered yet.
Deciding to make it a two-parter this review, we stopped by a couple of times this week to make the most of my per diem.
For the first visit, my ladyfriend grabbed a simple Unsweet Coconut Tea ($3.29) with two or three Splendas. To be Mexican, I had the Horchata Iced Tea ($4.99).
The Unsweet Coconut Tea was a refreshing splash on the island, made somewhat sweet with the Splenda. It was fine, but not what I was truly expecting.
The Horchata Iced Tea, on the other hand, was super, providing a creamy drink with the running of the watery taste, satiating my tea foraging needs. It's a solid choice for any tea time.
The next day, however, we went against the grain (tea-leaves?) and tried some of HTeaO’s mixed drinks. Specifically, my ladyfriend tried the Blueberry Green Tea Latte ($4.69) while I went with a Texas Chia Tea Latte ($4.99).
With the flavors of blueberry and green tea, the Blueberry Green Tea Latte is one of HTeaO’s most requested flavors and its praise is well deserved!
A wild variation of both blueberry tea and green tea, it is served cold, providing an amalgamation of latte-drenched teas that work viscerally, while still offering uncompromising green tea flavor. Give it a try!
The Texas Chia Tea Latte was fine. Unsweetened Texas tea blended with their chia latte blend, it started a bit bland, but, as the patented creamy chai lot begins to take hold, it is cold and refreshing just like it should be.
While there is so much to uncover with every brewed drop, HTeaO – horrible name be damned – stands out for cold drink mavens, giving a new way to have quality tea from a convivence store-like place.
-
Follow Louis on Twitter at @LouisFowler and Instagram at @louisfowler78.
