Lemon Drops Decaffeinated Black Tea

A bright, citrus-forward decaffeinated Ceylon black tea layered with lemon verbena, lemon peel, and lemon flavor for a smooth, refreshing cup with significantly less caffeine.

The Experience

Lemon Drops Decaffeinated Black Tea is made for tea drinkers who love lemon but want more depth than simply adding a slice of citrus to their cup.

The blend begins with decaffeinated Ceylon black tea, providing a smooth, medium-bodied foundation. Lemon verbena from Australia contributes a fresh, aromatic herbal-citrus quality, while real lemon peel adds a slightly zestier edge. Lemon flavor rounds out the profile, creating a fuller and more persistent lemon character from the first aroma through the finish.

Despite all that citrus, the cup remains surprisingly smooth and rounded rather than sharply acidic. It's refreshing hot and especially appealing over ice.

Tasting Notes

Top: Fresh lemon • Citrus zest
Mid: Lemon verbena • Smooth black tea
Finish: Bright • Clean • Lingering lemon
Body: Medium

Why You’ll Love It

• Decaffeinated Ceylon black-tea base
• Layered lemon character from lemon verbena, lemon peel, and lemon flavor
• Medium-bodied and smooth
• Bright without becoming overly tart
• Significantly less caffeine than traditional black tea
• Excellent hot or iced
• A particularly good choice for citrus lovers
• Refreshing year-round, not just in warm weather

Tea & Ingredients

Tea Type: Decaffeinated Flavored Black Tea
Base Tea: Decaffeinated Ceylon Black Tea
Botanical Highlight: Lemon verbena from Australia
Flavor Profile: Lemon • Citrus • Smooth
Ingredients: Ceylon decaffeinated black tea, lemon verbena, lemon peel, lemon flavoring
Caffeine: Decaffeinated*
Body: Medium

*Decaffeinated tea is not necessarily completely caffeine-free; small residual amounts of caffeine may remain after processing.

How to Brew

Use approximately 1 heaping teaspoon per 8 oz / 237 ml of water at 212°F / 100°C.

For your first cup, steep for approximately 3–5 minutes, then adjust to taste. A slightly longer infusion develops more black-tea structure beneath the lemon. Enjoy it straight to appreciate the full citrus profile. For iced tea, brew slightly stronger and pour over plenty of ice.

Perfect For

Lemon Drops Decaf is an excellent choice for afternoon or evening tea, warm-weather iced tea, after-meal sipping, or anytime you want something bright and refreshing without another fully caffeinated cup. Pair it with shortbread, lemon cake, vanilla pastries, scones, fresh berries, tea sandwiches, light salads, or mild cheeses.

Building Lemon Flavor in Layers

One reason this tea tastes distinctly lemony is that its citrus character doesn't come from a single ingredient. Each component contributes something different:

• Lemon Verbena → fragrant, fresh, herbal-lemon aromatics
  
• Lemon Peel → zestier, slightly sharper citrus character
  
• Lemon Flavoring → reinforces and extends the lemon profile
  
• Ceylon Black Tea → provides body and structure underneath the citrus

Together, they create a more complete lemon experience than simply adding lemon peel to black tea. It's a useful example of how blending works: multiple ingredients can point toward the same flavor while contributing different dimensions of it.

What Is Lemon Verbena?

Lemon verbena is an aromatic herb prized for its distinctly lemon-like fragrance. Although its leaves smell remarkably citrusy, it isn't a lemon or part of the citrus family.

In this blend, the lemon verbena is sourced from Australia and works particularly well alongside actual lemon peel. The verbena provides softer aromatic character while the peel supplies the more familiar zest of citrus fruit.

Try smelling the dry leaf before brewing, then compare it with the finished cup. You'll begin to notice the difference between lemon aroma and lemon acidity—this tea emphasizes the former.

Why Ceylon Black Tea with Lemon?

Ceylon black tea is a natural partner for citrus because its generally clean, bright character provides structure without overwhelming fresher flavors.

Here, that matters even more because the tea has been decaffeinated. The black-tea base still needs enough presence to prevent the cup from tasting like a purely herbal lemon infusion. The result sits comfortably between two worlds: More substantial than an herbal lemon tea, but brighter and more refreshing than a traditional plain decaffeinated black tea.

Lemon Drops Decaf vs. Lady of the Earl Decaf

Both are citrus-forward decaffeinated black teas, but they explore citrus very differently.

• Lemon Drops Decaffeinated - Lemon • Verbena • Bright citrus
  → Best for: customers who want a clearly lemon-forward, refreshing tea
• Lady of the Earl Decaffeinated - Orange • Bergamot • Black tea
  → Best for: customers who prefer the perfumed citrus character of Earl Grey with additional orange
• Earl Grey Classic Decaffeinated - Bergamot • Citrus • Classic
  → Best for: customers who want bergamot rather than lemon or orange to define the cup

If you simply tell us, “I love lemon,” Lemon Drops is where we'd start.

Decaf Doesn't Mean Caffeine-Free

Lemon Drops Decaf contains genuine black tea from the Camellia sinensis plant, which naturally contains caffeine before decaffeination. The process removes most of the caffeine, but small residual amounts may remain.

Choose it when you're looking for significantly less caffeine while retaining the body and character of flavored black tea. If complete caffeine avoidance is important, consider one of our naturally caffeine-free herbal or rooibos blends instead.

Hot or Iced?

This is one of those teas that deserves to be tried both ways.

• Hot: The black-tea base becomes more noticeable, and the lemon character feels smooth and aromatic.
• Iced: The citrus becomes brighter and more refreshing, making Lemon Drops Decaf an excellent lower-caffeine alternative to traditional iced black tea.

For iced preparation, brew it somewhat stronger than your normal hot cup before pouring over ice.

Packaging: Our loose teas are sold by the ounce and packaged in food-grade resealable bags.

Explore Our Decaffeinated Black Teas

Lemon Drops Decaffeinated Black Tea (This Tea)
Lemon • Verbena • Bright
→ Best for: citrus lovers looking for a refreshing lemon-forward decaf, hot or iced

Lady of the Earl Decaffeinated Black Tea
Orange • Bergamot • Bright
→ Try next if: you'd like to move from lemon toward orange and fragrant bergamot

Earl Grey Classic Decaffeinated Black Tea
Bergamot • Citrus • Classic
→ Try next if: you prefer the traditional perfumed citrus character of Earl Grey

Ceylon Decaffeinated Black Tea
Clean • Light • Classic
→ Try next if: you want to experience the decaffeinated black-tea base without added flavors

Blackcurrant Berry Decaffeinated Black Tea
Blackcurrant • Cassis • Dark berry
→ Try next if: you want to move away from citrus and toward rich berry fruit