We Tried 23 Popular AriZona Drink Flavors and We Didn't See the Winner Coming

Since its launch in 1992, AriZona tea has been a fan-favorite drink. Its colorful can, affordable price, range of flavors and the fact that you can get it almost anywhere have made it super popular. The first two AriZona tea flavors were lemon and raspberry, but since then the brand has launched dozens of new products, including teas, other beverages, drink mixes and snacks. 

When you’re standing at the refrigerator case at the convenience store, it can be tough to decide which AriZona flavor to choose. To help you out, we sipped our way through 23 popular AriZona flavors to find out which drinks we liked best. Read on for the ones that are worth picking up and which ones we suggest you skip. 

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Why Is It Called AriZona Tea?

Despite the name, AriZona teas and beverages are made at the AriZona Beverage Company headquarters in Woodbury, New York, a town about 55 miles north of Manhattan. AriZona Beverage Company is a subsidiary of Hornell Brewing Co., which was founded by Don Vultaggio and John Ferolito. Vultaggio is the chairman of Arizona Beverage Company.

According the AriZona website, the company was “born in the heart of Brooklyn.” So why the Southwestern name and design? According to a CNN interview with Vultaggio, he wanted a name that was associated with “a warm and friendly environment.” His adobe-style home was nicknamed the Santa Fe house, so he tried “Santa Fe” first, but it didn’t look right on the can. Arizona had a similar vibe and he thought the capital Z made the can stand out. 

How Much Does a Can of AriZona Tea Cost?

AriZona drinks have been in the news because Vultaggio is adamant about keeping the original price of 99 cents per can despite inflation and rising product costs. AriZona Beverage Company pre-prints its cans with the suggested retail price of 99 cents, but not all retailers sell the drink for that price.

“We pre-printed our cans with our suggested retail because we wanted to force retailers into selling at that price,” AriZona’s website reads. “Retailers, however, are independent business people and can set a price whatever they prefer.”

How We Tested the AriZona Drink Flavors

To prevent the tasters from being biased by the cans, I poured the drinks into cups before tasting. Using two groups of numbered Post-It notes, I randomly assigned numbers to each drink, then poured the beverages from the cans into the corresponding cups. The tasting group sampled each drink, took notes and discussed each flavor. 

At the end of the tasting, we reflected on our notes, discussed the flavors some more and created our ranking. If needed, we went back and did a little more tasting to break any ties and come to a consensus. With this number and range of flavors, ranking the options wasn’t easy, but at the end of the day we were able to create a list that reflected how our tasters felt about the array of AriZona drinks. This ranking is subjective and personal, of course, because each person has a different palate and preference. Use this ranking as a guide and adjust based on your personal preference. 

23 Popular AriZona Flavors, Ranked 

23. AriZona Cherry Lime Rickey

Given how much my tasting group loves cherry limeade, we were excited to try this flavor. However, compared to the other AriZona flavors, the Cherry Lime Rickey had too much going on—the two flavors plus carbonation were over-the-top, but not in a good way. I think this flavor could work if it were either a carbonated beverage that wasn’t so heavy on the flavor, or a cherry-lime drink sans bubbles.

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22. AriZona Mucho Mango Fruit Juice Cocktail

This flavor really packs in the sugar—we’re talking 63 grams per tall boy can. The mango puree provides a strong flavor, but we couldn’t help but wonder what a less intense version would taste like.

21. AriZona Tropical Chillzicle

AriZona’s Tropical Chillzicle tastes just like summer, with the juice mixture giving melted popsicle vibes. It wasn’t a top contender, but it would be great after a long day in the sun.

20. AriZona Watermelon Fruit Juice Cocktail

We felt like this fruity option needed something—maybe alcohol, maybe plain tea—to dilute the flavor so you don’t think you’ve stuck a Jolly Rancher directly in your mouth.

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19. AriZona OrangeAde Fruit Juice Cocktail

This citrus flavor was slightly less intense than the Tropical Chillzicle, which was a plus. It reminded us of a melted Creamsicle without the dairy, and with a splash of orange soda.

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18. AriZona Frost Chillzicle

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After a while, we realized that the Chillzicle line had a specific vibe, namely melted popsicle vibes. This option tasted like a melted Bomb Pop, and we were fans of the berry flavor.

17. AriZona Arnold Palmer Strawberry

Generally speaking, we were fans of the AriZona Arnold Palmer line. The combo of iced tea and lemonade is a classic and the two drinks often balance each other out in the best way. The issue here was the addition of strawberries, which we found to be too intense. 

Related: The Correct Way to Make an Arnold Palmer, According to Arnold Palmer Himself

16. AriZona Grapeade Fruit Juice Cocktail

Small amounts of pear and red grape keep this flavor from tasting too saccharine. If you love grape juice, you’ll like this. It might also be a good flavor to freeze in popsicle molds for a sweet treat. 

15. AriZona Sweet Tea

As a Southerner, I’m no stranger to sweet tea, but this flavor went too far in the sweet direction. I couldn’t fully enjoy the drink because its sweetness was so intense, and diluting it with water degraded the taste. I’d rather have a Lite version.

14. AriZona Lemonade Fruit Juice Cocktail

This lemon and fruit combo tastes good, but it’s wasn’t anything special, which is how it ended up in the middle of the pack. It reminded us of Country Time or Minute Maid, just wrapped in the novelty of a can with a potentially lower price.

13. AriZona Diet Peach Iced Tea

At 10 calories per bottle, this flavor isn’t a bad way to quench your thirst. It wasn’t our favorite, but is a solid option if you’re looking for a fruity diet tea option. 

12. AriZona Fruit Punch Fruit Juice Cocktail

Remember Juicy Juice? This flavor tastes just like that—nostalgic and well-rounded. The blend of six juices, among other ingredients, is surprisingly balanced for a fruit punch.

11. AriZona Watermelon RX Energy

This flavor’s mixture of green tea, watermelon and tropical fruit is good, but it wasn’t our favorite. It definitely has the watermelon Jolly Rancher vibes that the watermelon fruit juice cocktail had, but it would probably be pretty nice after a hot day at the beach.

10. AriZona Iced Tea with Lemon Flavor

This flavor provided a nice mixture of sweet and tart notes, and is exactly what you’re expecting from “iced tea with lemon.” Drink it straight from the can or pour it over ice if you’re feeling like being more civilized. 

9. AriZona African Rooibos Red Tea

The inclusion of rooibos tea, which is naturally decaffeinated, gives this drink a slightly smoky flavor. Adventurous drinkers will appreciate the variation, and I did too. It’s different enough to be memorable—in a good way. The other thing that makes this flavor special is that AriZona created this tea in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela Foundation to celebrate the group’s work and help continue Mandela’s message. 

8. AriZona Pineapple Fruit Juice Cocktail

Out of all of AriZona’s canned fruit juices, this was the absolute best. Tasters expected something a bit more intense, but the flavor surprised us — it’s milder and more balanced than some of the other options. It would be great in a punch or as a cocktail mixer.

7. AriZona RX Energy Tonic

Made from a blend of green teas and citrus fruits, this flavor gets a tropical kick from ingredients like mango puree, lemon juice and ginseng extract. Despite containing so many flavor elements, RX Energy Herbal Tonic maintains a nice balance of flavor.

6. AriZona Black & White Iced Tea

Out of all the AriZona drinks we tried, this one had the strongest tea flavor. The combination of white tea and black tea was refreshing and the ginseng added an energizing zing. This flavor is sweetened with honey and cane sugar, which gives it some sweetness but not too much. 

5. AriZona Arnold Palmer Lite

We weren’t huge fans of AriZona’s other lemonade beverages, but the Arnold Palmer Lite surprised us. The mixture of tea and lemonade was balanced—I suspect it’s from the lowered sugar. This was a reminder to us that sometimes, simpler is better.

4. AriZona Green Tea with Ginseng and Honey

When you think of AriZona beverages, your mind conjures a taste—and it’s likely this exact flavor. AriZona Green Tea with Ginseng and Honey is iconic, from the bottle’s (or can’s) cherry blossom buds against the light green backdrop to the cool, refreshing, energizing beverage inside. There’s a sweetness to this flavor, but it’s not overwhelming. It’s no wonder it’s America’s best-selling green tea.

3. AriZona Blueberry White Tea

There’s a nice balance of flavors here—the hint of blueberry pairs nicely with the white tea, which doesn’t have as strong a flavor as green or black tea. A combination of blueberry and pear juice add a mild sweetness and a hint of berry flavor. 

2. AriZona Cucumber with Citrus Green Tea

The cucumber and citrus flavors might sound strange, but we thought they really enhanced the flavor of the tea—the citrus adds just a touch of acid, and the cucumber adds a hit of freshness, kind of like it does in a cup of spa water. The result is a version of AriZona green tea that’s even more refreshing than the original.

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1. AriZona Raspberry Half & Half Iced Tea Lemonade

It turns out that there is something that makes an Arnold Palmer even better: raspberries. Instead of overpowering the tea and lemonade mixture, the addition of raspberry helps this drink sing and also highlights the refreshing AriZona Tea base. This combination was fresh and light and balanced and made us all want to take another sip. After trying 22 other flavors, that was quite an accomplishment. 

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