Is AriZona Green Tea Healthy?

AriZona Green Tea with Ginseng and Honey is a sugar-sweetened drink made with brewed green tea. The caffeine is low. The sugar is the part to watch, especially if you finish the whole can.

Does AriZona Green Tea have caffeine?

Yes, a small amount. AriZona’s FAQ lists 8 to 10 mg per 12 oz, and its blog puts a 22 oz can at about 15 to 18 mg in total. The caffeine comes from the tea.

Drink	Serving	Caffeine
AriZona Green Tea	12 oz	8 to 10 mg
AriZona Green Tea	22 oz can	About 15 to 18 mg
Green tea, typical	12 oz	37 mg
Regular brewed coffee	12 oz	113 to 247 mg

Caffeine isn’t the main concern here. For most adults, the FDA has cited 400 mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects, and a full can is far below that.

How much sugar and how many calories are in a can?

AriZona’s label for its 20 oz Tall Boy counts 12 fl oz as one serving, so the can holds about one and a half. If you drink the whole can, read the whole-can column.

20 oz Tall Boy	Per 12 fl oz	Whole can
Calories	100	170
Added sugars	25 g	42 g
Daily value for added sugars	50%	84%

Larger cans will have more if the recipe is the same, but we could only confirm this label. Labels change, so check the can in your hand.

How does that compare with the American Heart Association limit?

Harvard’s Nutrition Source reports the American Heart Association (AHA) limits as about 24 g of added sugar a day for most women and 36 g for most men. For children ages 2 to 18, it’s less than 24 g, and children under 2 shouldn’t have added sugars.

• One 12 oz serving at 25 g is already just over the limit for women.
• A whole 42 g can is about 1.75 times the limit for women and about 1.2 times the limit for men.
• In teaspoons, 42 g is about 10.5, at 4 g per teaspoon.

The honey doesn’t change this. The label lists high fructose corn syrup before honey, and US labels list ingredients by weight, largest first. So the can has more corn syrup than honey.

Is AriZona Green Tea good for you?

Not in any way you can count on. Here’s what the evidence supports:

• Green tea benefits: The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says definite conclusions can’t yet be reached for most of green tea’s uses. Most cholesterol studies tested extract supplements, not drinks. None of this tells you what a sweetened canned tea does.
• EGCG, a key green tea compound: AriZona doesn’t publish a figure that we could find. USDA data show about 4 mg per 100 g of ready-to-drink green tea, from just two data points, against about 20 mg for brewed flavored green tea. That’s general data, not a test of AriZona. See which green teas measure highest in EGCG.
• Ginseng: AriZona says ginseng helps increase energy, but it doesn’t publish the amount. Ginseng extract is the last ingredient on its label. NCCIH says research on Asian ginseng and fatigue is mixed, and most research shows no boost in athletic performance. You can’t assume those findings apply to the amount in a can.

Is AriZona tea bad for you?

The tea itself isn’t the problem. NCCIH reports no safety concerns for green tea as a drink for adults. The issue is added sugar, since one can goes over those daily limits.

So the green tea version is best seen as a sweet drink, like other sweetened teas, rather than a health choice. The same goes for other sweetened AriZona teas, so read the added sugars line on each one.

If you’re pregnant or have diabetes, ask your healthcare provider about ginseng products. NCCIH says Asian ginseng may lower blood sugar, and some studies suggest it may be unsafe when taken by mouth during pregnancy.

How can you cut the sugar?

• Pour one 12 oz serving and save the rest, which cuts the sugar by about 40% in a 20 oz can.
• Brew your own green tea and control the sweetener. A little ginger and honey adds flavor.
• Compare caffeine in a brewed cup, such as Twinings green tea, which has more caffeine but no sugar unless you add it.