Better Libations | Healthy Drink Reviews

Talking Rain in the dark

Even after my last dismal review of a Talking Rain beverage, we have had more luck with the Twist line, and seeing this marionberry flavor depressed and alone on the shelf, I decided to give them another chance.

The marionberry is a type of blackberry, for those unfamiliar with the fruit.  Not to be confused with Marion Barry, a politician famously arrested on drug charges (early nineties, kids).  There is in fact a very potent, sweet berry scent wafting from the bottle, quite reminiscent of blackberries.  A hint of sour is also palpable.

Upon taking a swig, I noticed an all too familiar tartness that stayed with the whole mouthful, and then a hint of the marionberry.  The pineapple filler juice is also evident.  The sour taste comes from a dash of malic acid, because I didn’t need to enjoy the milder berry flavor, apparently.  Malic acid is how they make you pucker up from all those super-sour candies.  I’m not sure why they added this, possibly assuming the miniscule bit of berry juice used would equal the tartness of a real mouthful of berries.  They seem to forget that that isn’t what you want here.

Well, it seems my faith was misplaced again, and although it was completely drinkable, I don’t think it was exactly what it could have been.  Talking Rain may need to work a little bit on their flavor department.

Score: 2.5 out of 5.  Weak on flavor, too much sour.

– WiseGuise

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2-Star Reviews, Talking Rain drink reviews, Talking Rain

South of Las Vegas

I’m fond of this company for making original, tasty beverages, and remaining independent.  We’ve reviewed them before, and after happening upon this in a discount isle, I couldn’t say no.  Well, I could have, but that wouldn’t have been very nice of me.  I opened this up on the outskirts of Vegas on our return trip from San Diego, about six hours into our drive, after reluctantly giving up control of the vehicle to my brother.  I figured I would need some energy to stay alert through the rest of the trip.

This drink has a sweet, citrus-y scent, with a stronger, plant/bark smell when shaken up.  This is not surprising, considering the host of unconventional herbal supplements inside, most of which I have never heard of.  The taste is rather disconcerting, it reminds me of that syrupy, semi-sweet energy-drink taste, and I can detect no hint of the tangerine alluded to on its label.  It’s also rather drying of the tongue.  This does not bode well for this beverage.

As to the ‘energy’ claims of the drink, about thirty minutes after finishing it, I noticed only a slightly elevated energy level, but I had already consumed a 24 oz can of tea earlier, and then an ‘energy enhanced’ candy bar.  Sugar comes in at 28 g per 16 oz bottle.

Although this is not nearly as intolerable as most other energy drinks, it was still too reminiscent of that genre for me to fully enjoy.  I wish I liked this as much as some of their other fine beverages.

Score: 2 out of 5.

– WiseGuise

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2-Star Reviews, Function drink reviews, independent company

***Note: this is a review of the pre-2009 version of Zevia’s Natural Twist.  See the other Zevia reviews to find a review of  the new reformulated flavor.***

Smells like sprite lite!

This stuff is sweetened with Stevia, an herb extract that was banned by the FDA, reportedly after receiving one anonymous complaint.  Hmm… I wonder if that call could be traced back to the Corn Refiners Association.  Anyway, check out the Orange flavor for a more detailed exploration of the Stevia topic.

Down to business.  While I’m an advocate of Stevia use (especially when compared to other artificial sweeteners on the market), it has to be used right.  If you don’t have the right flavor to begin with, it doesn’t matter what you use to sweeten it, you’ll still end up with a subpar finished product.  This drink had an off aftertaste, and hardly any citrus flavor, or any flavor at all, for that matter.  The lemon and lime flavor could be much more pronounced.  Nay, they must be more pronounced for a beverage that’s trying to subvert the diet drink market!  I’ve tasted lemongrass teas that had stronger flavor than this.  There’s no punch, and it leaves a bit of phlegm buildup in the back of your throat.

Again, I love the idea of getting away from heavy sugar use, but you still have to sport sufficient flavor to give me and the rest of the population a reason to switch to you.  If I was dieting and I had a choice between this and water, I’d go with water.  For the narrow segment of people that want something fizzy without any sugar and without chemical-based artificial sweeteners, this may do the trick.  But I warn you, Zevia, they’d be fair-weather consumers at best!  As soon as another Stevia option comes along with a halfway decent flavor, you’ll be wondering where your sales revenues have gone.

I love what you’re trying to do, but you could be so much more than than what you are now!  With the right flavors on your side, you could make something that would woo all soda drinkers into your sweet herbal embrace!

Rating 2.0/5 – great potential, but this particular entry fizzes out.

- Danithius -

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2-Star Reviews, Zevia drink reviews, Stevia, Zevia

This is a can of Sparkling Kombucha that was given to me by our friend/adviser/test subject Adam. He spied this at a discount store where strange and wonderful things are to be found, particularly bizarre food items. For 60 cents, how could he say no?

First, I know some are going to ask, ‘what the hell is kombucha?’ I’ll tell you. Just be quiet a moment. It sounds like one of these exotic fruits that grow deep in the Amazonian or Thai jungles, plucked precariously from giant trees by nearly naked natives. It’s not. Kombucha is actually a fermented tea created by a bacterial yeast culture, and it has been imbibed by Asians and Russkies for millenia. So it’s a super-fungus that brews its own tea! ‘Wait, what?’ Yeah.

After pouring the light greenish fizzy fluid into a cup, I took a big whiff, and instantly caught the scent of fermentation. There was also a hint of the juniper berries used. Being kind of a fan of fermented beverages, I took a sip to test the flavor. Ferment-y, with some tea flavor. Not really catching the smaller ingredients. It’s a little odd, but not totally unpalatable. I would have to try their other flavors, because I can’t really see myself drinking this to enjoy it, despite the many claims to its positive effects. I also wish it wasn’t carbonated.

Wonder Drink LLC is an independent company out of Portland with line of 8 kombucha centered beverages, and touts the multiple positive effects of drinking kombucha, which seems to be gaining popularity around the world, and you can even make it at home, if you can get a hold of the culture.

Ingredients: Infusion of (water, organic kombucha concentrate, organic green tea, organic juniper berries, organic spearmint leaves, organic lemon myrtle leaves), organic cane juice, carbonation.

A little too fizzy and odd to enjoy on the porch with a book, but maybe with my next body-cleansing session.

Score: 2.5 out of 5.

– WiseGuise

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2-Star Reviews, Kombucha Wonder Drink

Aroma: Mmmm, tangy. The pomegranate and lemon scents shine through in this one, making it smell surprisingly tart.

Taste: Wow, and I thought the smell was tart… This is so sour that I’m wondering if I just left it in my fridge for too long. I usually like strong, pronounced flavors, but this is just too stringent. It’s like a bowl full of cranberries and pomegranate seeds with a slice of lemon. (And about a thimble full of sugar).

Price: $1.29 at a local health food store. Available nationwide at Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and a whole bunch of other national stores.

Ingredients: Pure juice from apple, grape, pineapple, lemon, pomegranate, cranberry and acerola juice concentrates, sparkling water, carrot juice (color), blueberry juice (color), natural flavors

Other Comments: Pepsi owns these guys, but I’m happy to review the IZZE line as a step in the right direction for one of the big boys. I respect the use of only fruit juice to sweeten their drinks.

Overall: This was just too sour for me. It’s really surprising, since all the other flavors from IZZE are very well-balanced. I seriously think this may have been a bad batch, so I’ll have to get a fresh bottle to make sure. For the time being, though, I can’t give it more than two stars.

Rating: 2.0/5 stars.

-Danithius

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2-Star Reviews, IZZE