Jolly Rancher Tea Is Coming, and We Can’t Stop It

Usually, I talk about upcoming drink releases with a certain level of excitement. “Hooray, we’re getting a new citrusy Red Bull in a few months!” “Hell yeah, this new Monster Ultra flavor is fantastic!” And so on and so on. Today, I come to you with news that shook me to my core. Against my better judgment, I’m here to talk about Jolly Rancher Teas.

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While the manufacturer has not officially announced these drinks yet, multiple retailers already have product listings up for these four candy-flavored teas. That’s right, four classic Jolly Rancher flavors are being turned into tea: Strawberry, Green Apple, Blue Raspberry, and Cherry. There’s still time to turn back; read on if you dare.

Is this the first Jolly Rancher beverage collaboration?

No, but it’s definitely the strangest. C4 Energy has a very successful line of Jolly Rancher-flavored energy drinks on shelves now. (C4’s Watermelon Jolly Rancher Performance Energy even earned a spot in my cream-of-the-crop “Four Aces” 4-pack.) C4 is actually the second supplement company to work with Jolly Rancher in recent memory; GNC’s in-house brand BEYOND RAW was the exclusive license-holder until a few years ago. The Jolly Rancher brand also graced a line of sodas for nearly twenty years—first hitting shelves in 2004 and limping along until Hershey finally discontinued the hard candy-flavored drinks in 2021.

How can I get Jolly Rancher teas for myself?

I feel like Grover from The Monster at the End of This Book. Have you not been listening? This is a terrifying development, potentially worse than the all-time “we’re out of good ideas” brand collaboration: putting Sour Patch Kids into cookies. The good news is that we have a little time before these teas hit shelves. As previously mentioned, Ryl Tea has yet to announce these drinks, so we likely have a few weeks at least before they invade our grocery stores and convenience stores.

What is Ryl Tea?

You’d be forgiven for not being on a first-name basis with this particular canned tea company. Up to now, the tea brand’s splashiest moves were releasing a rocket pop-flavored tea (which I didn’t mind, but my local tea expert detested) and a sweet tea endorsed by one of those problematic country singers. When they aren’t releasing unique flavors and questionable collaborations, Ryl Tea focuses on antioxidant-loaded teas with far more Vitamin C than the average ready-to-drink tea. I’ve enjoyed most of the Ryl Tea flavors I’ve tried, but their decision-making leaves room for improvement.