Who will stop Mike’s Hot Honey from invading every item in the grocery store? Not AriZona, that’s for sure! Yep, Mike’s Hot Honey’s latest conquest is everyone’s favorite brand of giant canned iced tea. The two brands recently dropped three new hot honey-infused AriZona flavors: Spicy Watermelon, Spicy Green Tea, and Spicy Mucho Mango.
Is this a worthwhile collab? Or just another stunt from Big Hot Honey as they buzz their way to global dominance? I tried all three new AriZona flavors to find out.
Pros: The concept of a hot honey watermelon drink is totally sound. Watermelon goes really well with spice. So this had the potential of being tasty. In reality…well, we’ll get to that in a second. But I will say it’s not overwhelmingly sweet and it does have a nice splash of tangy lime flavor.
Cons: It tastes like medicine. Somehow the heat of the hot honey gives it this throat-burning harshness that comes across more medicinal than spicy. And I didn’t actually get any honey flavor. It’s just medicinal juice that agitates the back of your throat.
Pros: AriZona Green Tea is delicious. And this tastes like an apple-forward take on classic AriZona Green Tea.
Cons: This is essentially just a worse version of the classic canned iced tea. It manages to taste less like honey than the original AriZona Green Tea. And it has that same unpleasant kick from the hot honey that isn’t so much spicy as it is annoying.
Pros: Out of the three new AriZona flavors, Spicy Mucho Mango is the best. The mango flavor is strong and rich. It’s fruity and tropical. And the “spice” is pretty mild, so you get just a tingle of heat rather than a punch in the back of the throat.
Cons: I still think the original Mucho Mango is better. The addition of hot honey doesn’t improve it—it just doesn’t get in the way as much as it does with the other flavors. But if you’re curious about this hot honey-infused trio, this is the one to try.
Hi! I’m the editor-in-chief of Sporked. I will never turn down a fresh-shucked oyster but I’ll also leap at whatever new product Reese’s releases and I love a Tostitos Hint of Lime, even if there is no actual lime in the ingredients.
Why you should trust me: I have been writing about food and beverages for well over a decade and am an avid at-home cook and snacker. I began my career writing about fine dining and recipes, moved into cocktails and spirits, and now I talk about groceries. If you can eat it or drink it, I’ve probably written about it.
What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s dried okra. Appleton Farms prosciutto from Aldi. Some sort of Trader Joe’s cheese (I’m into the aged gouda at the moment). Frozen waffles (usually the Eggo Cinnamon Toast Minis). Spindrift water (loving the Cosmopolitan right now).
Favorite ranking: Smoked salmon. Imagine me as Scrooge McDuck but instead of coins I’m diving into a vault of slippery smoked salmon slices. Pure joy. I also found some real steals in that taste test!
Least favorite ranking: Canned oysters. I had such high hopes for this but it quickly became a chore. The kitchen smelled like an uncleaned aquarium.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!
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Hebba Gouda
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Luke Field
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!