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We love the refreshing nature of iced tea, as it’s the perfect middle ground between water and pure fruit juice. With just the right amount of flavor and not an overpowering intensity, it’s ideal for lovers of gentle beverages. Gold Peak, a popular brand of iced tea owned by Coca-Cola, has many hits, but there’s one significant miss that stood out when Tasting Table tested nine Gold Peak iced tea flavors: Unsweetened Tea.

This iced tea is very watery and doesn’t have any significant flavor. There’s not much going on as you sip, so it’s slightly underwhelming if you’re hoping for something with a stronger taste. Customers largely describe the Unsweetened Tea as mild and light, which you wouldn’t normally expect from something that contains black tea. Looking at the ingredients, the simplicity of this drink does start to make sense, though. It’s only made with brewed black tea leaves and phosphoric acid — no sweeteners, flavorings, or any other additions. Gold Peak’s Zero Sugar Sweet Tea, for example, contains natural flavors, citric acid, and artificial sweeteners — the flavor even topped our ranking of six zero-sugar sweet tea brands. Since the Unsweetened Tea doesn’t have any sweetness or added flavors, the taste of the brewed black tea should be stronger, but unfortunately, it’s just too mild to fully delight in.

It’s fair to say that Gold Peak’s Unsweetened Tea does have some fans. In fact, most of the reviews on Amazon are quite positive, and even our taste tester admitted that it’s absolutely not the worst iced tea out there, no matter how lackluster. Because it’s completely unsweetened, some have hailed it as a great choice for people with diabetes. Even beyond that, a number of people enjoy a mild iced tea, and those who prefer sweet tea likely aren’t the target customer base for this one. There’s also the option of simply upgrading the drink with ingredients that elevate iced tea. One Amazon reviewer who found the tea refreshing suggested adding a sweetener and went on to say, “I think it tastes great with a bit of lemon or a slice of orange if you prefer. Add a small sprig of mint if you like.”

Now, if you’re not in the mood for purchasing something you need to upgrade and are still looking for something sweet, while classically tea-flavored, Gold Peak’s Green Tea is a much better choice. It placed #2 on our ranking (second only to Black Tea with Simply Peach Juice), and our taste tester judged it a tasty pick even for those who don’t normally enjoy green tea. As a bonus, one 18.5-ounce bottle comes with 25 milligrams of caffeine, so it’s a gentle energy booster as well.