One man’s strange experience purchasing Arizona green tea from a Newark Airport convenience store has a viewer vowing never to drink directly from a can again.
In a TikTok with 4,730 views, D.C.H. (@the_d.c.h._official) says he took five sips and felt something was off. He notes that the can smelled of alcohol when he first opened it. He also mentions that, though it cannot be captured on camera, there are “white lines” in the can.
“This is disgusting,” he says. “Like, it’s slimy. It’s like kombucha, like a SCOBY in there. It’s disgusting.”
What is SCOBY?
According to Healthline, SCOBY is an acronym that means “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.” It’s an ingredient used in kombucha fermentation and can be purchased from a store or made at home.
“The appearance of the SCOBY can vary, but it’s typically dense, round, rubbery and opaque with a mild, vinegar-like smell,” it states.
In addition to the SCOBY-like material on the inside of the can, there are brown, slimy strings near the mouth.
Viewers are disgusted
Viewers in the comments section suggested the drink was fermenting. They asked the TikToker to pour out the liquid into a clear container to inspect it.
In a follow-up video, the TikToker pours the can out into two glasses and white strings, seemingly the ones referenced in the first video, float at the top of the glass.
Viewers suggested the product was fermented or expired. However, one said, “That’s normal with iced tea Bro, it’s all the bacteria that’s what happens.”
Another wrote, “I been seeing this and the the people tested the stuff in it ,and it was positive for human …they one person found like some kind of human eyeball with all the bach attached to it …don’t know if it was real but now days you never know.”
In another follow-up video that received 1.4 million views, the TikToker says he purchased another can from the same place. He pours it out on camera to inspect it. At first, he thinks the drink is clear, but then he notices white strings and foam forming at the surface. He pours out the first glass and pours another, getting the same result. As he pours out the second glass, he points out small brown chunks going down the drain.
‘It’s $.99, end of mystery’
Once again, some viewers insisted this was normal.
One wrote, “It’s Honey, Arizona change their formula a few [months] ago and removed the chemicals that prevent Honey and sweeteners from separating. This is why it says ‘Shake Well’.”
A second said, “It’s brewed Tea … of course it’s going to have the herbs like when you soak tea bags on your cup.”
However, others still felt something was wrong, suggesting the drink had expired. The TikToker said the drink expires in 2027, so this cannot be the case. He thinks a more likely explanation is poor storage.
As one commenter said, “It’s more than likely because it’s hot outside and the way that store had storage for these teas was not proper. I don’t think it should be a recall, but somebody should report that store for improper storage of all items.”
Why did the tea smell like alcohol?
Responding to a Redditor who asked why their Arizona tea smelled and tasted like beer, users said it had likely fermented.
“It’s fermented,” one wrote. “Either the seal was bad, the batch was bad, or it’s gone past its date. Tea alone will ferment with time, sugar just hastens that.”
Some users reported foam or strings in their fermented tea, which was present in the TikToker’s case.
Are foam, strings, or slime normal for tea?
Contrary to what some commenters claimed, the issues the TikToker experienced with his tea are not normal and cannot be fixed by just shaking the can well.
The one exception is the foam, which can be harmless. As Amsterdam specialty tea store Het Kleinste Huis notes the foam could have a variety of causes, though the article is referring to freshly brewed hot tea and not prepackaged iced tea.
“Firstly, hard water, which is rich in minerals like calcium and magnesium, can react with antioxidants in tea, such as catechins, to form foam,” it states. “Additionally, some types of tea contain natural saponins, soap-like substances that can lead to foam formation when mixed with water. The brewing method, such as the temperature of the water and the brewing time, can also affect the amount of foam. Finally, the way water is added to the tea, such as pouring from a great height or stirring, can introduce air into the tea causing foam formation. This foam is usually harmless and does not affect the quality of the tea.”
However, the jelly-like and slimy substances are likely mold or bacterial growth. In response to an Amazon customer who reported small, jelly-like balls floating in her Arizona tea, a user wrote, “They are balls of mold. I emailed the company about this very thing. They said it was caused by a leak in the seal alongside of the heat it is exposed to in shipping. After reviewing the email i got suspicious and did some research. It turns out that there have been hundreds of complaints about a disgusting mass floating in all flavors of the tea and Arizona has ignored them all. There is even videos of this very thing on YouTube.”
What does Reddit say?
A Redditor responded to another user who questioned in 2023 why their Arizona tea had a brown slime that looked similar to the one in D.C.H.’s video. They wrote, “It’s mold. Same thing happens a lot, happened to me and I contacted customer service and they did confirm its mold. It’s not because you didn’t shake the can It’s just a bad batch. Let arizona know and they’ll deal with it and give you free stuff.”
Have human body parts or fluids been found in Arizona tea?
TikToks from 2024 and 2025 mention strange findings in Arizona tea cans, including a gelatinous mass that some said looked like a human eye. However, as one of the TikTokers noted, the mass was likely a bacterial growth. According to Google Gemini, it is unlikely that anyone has found an eye in Arizona tea.
Additionally, a Snopes article from 2015 debunks claims that human urine was found in Arizona iced tea.
What should I do if I find something weird in my Arizona?
If you have a product concern, you can report it to the company using its website contact form.
The Mary Sue contacted the TikToker via comment and direct message. It contacted Arizona via press email.
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