Welcome to Back to Basics, where we classy ladies try to establish just how basic one can be in the Orlando area. Each month, we’ll be taking on a new theme, and we’ll be searching for the best in basic trends. We’ve all heard some of the most recent popular foodie trends: charcoal, galaxy and unicorn, as well as familiar classics such as pumpkin spice and peppermint. We hope we can inspire the rest of the Nonahood to embrace their inner basic.

In the heat of the summertime, what’s better than a glass of cold tea or icy lemonade? Both of these drinks embody the essence of summer like no other, so if you’re looking for a sweet and refreshing treat this July, check out some of these awesome stops.

Place: Dandelion Communitea Cafe

Order: Sacral Chakra Tea

Final Review Vanessa: Though I did this adventure solo, I have to say, Dandelion never disappoints. The cafe is located inside of the most adorable multi-colored house, with plenty of large open windows and fun seating. They specialize in organic and all-natural foods and teas. Speaking of tea, their menu is absolutely massive and has a large variety of flavors for each and every liking. You can get any tea on their menu hot or iced, which is quite helpful in the warm Florida summer. I really enjoyed this tea because of the cinnamon flavor that it has and just how refreshing it was. Personally, I don’t usually drink tea with a lot of added sweetener in it, and I can say honestly that this tea really did not need it anyway. Though, if you do enjoy a little more sweetener, there are simple syrup and sweetener packets to be found inside the restaurant.

Place: Chroma Modern Bar + Kitchen

Order: Raspberry Lemonade, Ginger Lemonade, Blueberry Tea, and Peach Tea

Final Review Nicole: I was amazed at how many options Chroma had and was totally excited to try them! All of the flavors can be either lemonade or tea, and there was a black cherry flavor which we did not try. The peach tea was light and refreshing, but I would’ve enjoyed it more with a stronger peach taste. It’s a perfect summery drink! The blueberry tea was my favorite because I love, love, love blueberries. It’s perfectly light and refreshing, and it’s a combination you don’t see too often. I was a bit hesitant to try the ginger lemonade, but what else are we here for, right? It was actually surprisingly tasty! I’m not a huge ginger fan (unless I can choose my portions of it on my sushi), especially when it comes to drinking it, but this combination was good. Once the ice melted, the ginger aftertaste was a bit too bitter for me. Last was the raspberry lemonade, which was essentially summer in a glass. It was definitely sweet…the sweetest and most tart out of the four we tried. Once again, it was super refreshing as it was made with raspberry purée. I’m ready to be drinking this poolside, but I think I’d only be able to drink half of it in one sitting.

Final Review Vanessa: These teas were delicate and absolutely beautiful. The aesthetic value that each drink had was for sure there, which of course with Chroma, you expect nothing less. My favorite out of this selection was the raspberry lemonade. I’ve always been a fan of things that are pretty and pink, and it was just enough tart and sweet for it to be a tasty treat that is both refreshing and beautiful. The other ones were good but lacked a bit of flavor and didn’t shine as much as the raspberry. My second favorite was probably the blueberry tea. It was tasty.

Place: Dunkin’ Donuts

Order: Coconut Sweet Tea and a Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

Final Review Nicole: OH MY GOD, this coconut tea combo is amazing! I’ve always wanted to mix the coconut and sweet tea flavors but never had until now and, boy, have I been missing out… . It’s light, but sweet enough to truly enjoy without feeling guilty. This will be my go to at Dunkin’ when it comes to the tea flavor combinations. The frozen strawberry lemonade was just WAY too tart for me. This thing is overloaded with sugar. I’ll stick with my coconut sweet tea.

Final Review Vanessa: Coconut to me is good in small doses, but it definitely isn’t anything that I would put in a drink too often. This drink was definitely more up Nicole’s alley than mine. I really enjoyed the strawberry lemonade a lot more. Tart lemonades are definitely something I enjoy. It reminds me a lot of being a little kid and enjoying the summer sun with a lemonade.

Place: Pom Pom’s Teahouse and Sandwicheria

Order: Mocha Milk Tea and Cotton Candy Sweet Tea

Final Review Nicole: Imagine my excitement when we walk up and see that the featured tea of the day is Cotton Candy! I didn’t even have to think about what I was going to order at that point. What’s a better treat to represent summer other than cotton candy?! I was pretty curious as to how the flavor would be created: through a combination of blueberry, pear and kiwi. At first sip, the cotton candy taste was barely there, but the more you drink, the more it begins to taste like the fluffy, sweet treat! The mocha milk tea was pretty good, too! A plus about Pom Pom’s is that you can get up to three refills on your tea at no extra charge!

Final Review Vanessa: I LOVED THIS MOCHA! So sweet, and so yummy. It was a little weird with the flavor coming from tea and not coffee, but I was surprisingly okay with it. I could VIBE with it. I really liked the aesthetic of Pom Pom’s, too. It’s very quiet and cute with plenty of seating. I liked both of the teas that we ordered, but I preferred the milk tea over the fruit-based cotton candy one. I’m sure either would work for different tastes.

Place: Urban Hibachi

Order: Green Tea Smash Strawberry, Green Tea Smash Raspberry, Green Tea Smash Lychee, and Milk Tea Blis

Final Review Nicole: At the grand opening, I tried the raspberry green tea smash and was pleased at how tasty it was, but I was disappointed in my choice for this edition of Back to Basics. I originally wanted to try the peach flavored tea, but they were all out. I decided to try the lychee green tea, and upon first sip, immediately regretted my decision. It tasted exactly like soap, in my opinion. I seriously only took like two sips and that was it. Guess it’s safe to say I’m not a lychee fan. The strawberry tea was good, but it had a light strawberry flavor…nowhere near as potent as the raspberry one. The milk tea blis was AMAZING! Think of it as a rootbeer float, but the milk tea replaces the rootbeer. That’s how our waiter described it to us and he was totally right! I for sure did not expect the ultraviolet purple color of the dessert-like drink, but it was super exciting to have. A couple of other customers had asked what it was. The taro milk tea was better tasting than previous taro-flavored items I’ve tried, and the scoop of vanilla ice cream was so rich, sweet and creamy! I will definitely order the milk tea blis again!

Final Review Vanessa: All of these drinks with the exception of the milk tea were very perfumey and tasted a bit like soap. Some of the fruity flavors were overpowered by the taste of what could be an overwhelming shampoo. The milk tea, however, was BLISSFUL! Taro milk tea with sweet and creamy ice cream was absolutely delightful. It is also visually really aesthetically appealing, as who doesn’t love a good purple drink? I know I’m certainly going to come back and order this drink again. I don’t recommend the teas unless you’re very much into floral and soapy flavored teas. The milk tea, however, 10/10.

Place: Rubio’s Coastal Grill

Order: Mango Sweet Tea

Final Review Nicole: We also stopped in Rubio’s Coastal Grill to test out its Pomegranate Lime Lemonade, but the machine was out of order. I’ve had it before and it is a great summer drink but just a tad bit too sour/sweet for my taste.

In an attempt to try the Rubio’s Pomegranate Lime Lemonade a second time, I failed yet again because the machine was still out of order. However, Rubio’s does offer a freshly brewed mango sweet tea, and it was delicious! Not too overwhelmingly sweet, but sweet enough to truly enjoy. I even mixed a little bit of the mango lime agua fresca with it, which was super tasty!

Check back next month for when we tackle the greatest coffee trends of tomorrow! The jitters have already begun!