Loverboy Sparkling Hard Tea
New York, New York
Organic brewed tea sweetened with monk fruit, 4.2% and zero sugar. The lightest strength in the category here, with a tea penalty that keeps it off a 2.
- Congeners
- Low
- Histamines
- Very Low
- Polyphenols
- Low
- Sulfites
- Very Low
- Tannins
- Low
- Sugar
- Very Low
- Additives
- Low
- Calories
- 90
- Sugar
- 0g
11.8g ethanol at 4.2% ABV. 82 from alcohol, 8 from carbohydrate.
In its favor
- ✓Zero grams of sugar, stated on the label
- ✓4.2%, the lowest strength of any can on this site
- ✓Monk fruit rather than sucralose, and no artificial flavouring claimed
- ✓Nutrition printed on the can
What to watch
- !Base is listed only as "alcohol from fermentation", never what it was fermented from
- !Brewed tea carries polyphenols and tannin that carbonated water does not
- !11.5oz can, so per-can figures flatter it against 12oz rivals
Factor by factor
Congeners Low ▾
Byproducts of fermentation (methanol, acetaldehyde, fusel alcohols). Strongly linked to hangover severity; darker, less-distilled spirits carry more.
Histamines Very Low ▾
Produced by bacteria during fermentation/aging. Trigger flushing, headaches, congestion in sensitive drinkers. High in red wine, beer, aged spirits.
Polyphenols Low ▾
Plant compounds with antioxidant activity. Slightly protective at low doses but at high concentrations may worsen hangover via tannin/quercetin reactions.
Sulfites Very Low ▾
Preservatives (SO₂) added to wine and some beers. Common trigger of headaches, asthma, and allergic-type reactions.
Tannins Low ▾
Astringent polyphenols from skins, seeds, barrels. Bind proteins, slow alcohol clearance, and aggravate dehydration-style symptoms.
Sugar Very Low ▾
Residual sugar amplifies hangover via blood-sugar swings and dehydration. Liqueurs and cocktails are the main offenders.
Additives Low ▾
Colorants, flavorings, glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbates. Cheap spirits and ready-to-drinks often hide these in trade-secret formulas.
Loverboy is the lightest can on this site by strength. At 4.2% with zero grams of sugar it undercuts every vodka seltzer here on alcohol, which is the term that dominates the calorie count in any drink. Normalised to the 12oz standard this site uses, that comes to 90 calories, against 106 for a 12oz White Claw. The can’s own label also prints 90, but for 11.5oz, so the two figures matching is rounding rather than the same measurement.
That can size is worth naming, because it is the quiet part of the comparison. Loverboy is sold in 11.5oz where most of the category is 12oz, so a can-for-can calorie claim starts with a four percent head start that has nothing to do with the recipe. Per equal serving the drink is still the lighter one. It is just lighter by less than the cans suggest.
It scores a 3 rather than a 2 for the same reason Surfside does: it is made with real brewed tea, and tea brings polyphenols and a trace of tannin that soda water does not. The second mark against it is disclosure. The ingredient list says “alcohol from fermentation” and never says fermented from what, which for a site that tracks base material is a blank where the vodka seltzers print an answer. Neither is a large penalty. Both are real, and together they are the distance between this and a 2.