Better Libations | Healthy Drink Reviews

All right now, boys and girls, I’ve got the last purity.organic review for your consumption.  Thanks again to purity for supplying these for our particular and often verbose scrutiny.  This last one is an intriguing citrus and tropical fruit combination which I am excited to try.

Right off the top I can smell orange, lemon, a hint of pineapple and passion fruit. I toss back a mouthful and am greeted with a delicious multi-layered taste, sweet and tangy.  The fruit flavors come one at a time, unlike many fruit punch concoctions where one flavor takes over or they are completely indistinguishable, buried under sugar.  It is slightly pulpy, so remember to shake it, but it isn’t gritty.

This is quite easy to drink, I ended up chugging most of it, leaving my mouth and tongue feeling sweet and tingly.  The sugar is about that of a Coke 29 g per serving, but it’s 40% juice, so not a terrible amount is added.  Overall I really enjoyed this citrusy tropical extravaganza; all it lacked was some rum, a coconut, and a tiny umbrella.

I am also impressed with their efforts to get a higher return to the small farmers they purchase from, and their encouraging of sustainable agriculture.  It isn’t just some hippie feel-good idea, it can be a reality if we start purchasing our produce from local farmers, farmers markets, and store that sell and support locally grown and organic produce.  Any more questions?  Look here.

Score: 4.5 out of 5. Delicious fruity tropical punch, organic and sustainable!

– WiseGuise

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4-Star Reviews, Purity.Organics drink reviews, organic

Hey there, Libationers!  Step right up as I review my final Purity.Organic entry: Cranberry Harmony!  Don’t worry though, WiseGuise still has a couple of flavors to go, and I hear through the grapevine that we may even receive a brand new flavor from Purity!  So if you’re a Purity.Organic fan, there will be more to come!

Fragrance: This smells kind of like a cran-apple drink… probably because it is!  It has a blend of cranberry, apple, and grape juices.  Personally, I’m a cranberry fan, so I hope they didn’t sweeten my favorite tart berry too much!

Flavor: Tart, sweet and fruity!  Nope, I don’t think they sweetened it too much.  The astringent cranberry tartness shines through just fine, with a modest helping of sweetness to serve as a counterweight.  I’m usually wary of drink companies using apple or grape juices as “fillers”, especially when the advertised flavor has neither grape nor apple in it.  I’m wary because a.) it’s a method of cheapening the product, and b.) the grape and apple flavors will inevitably seep into the main flavor profile.

However, cranberry juice is a major exception.  Pure cranberry juice has such an intense flavor that it begs to be tempered with other juices.  And even when you do add another juice, the cranberry flavor will immediately let it know who’s boss, making it slink away into the background with its head hung low.  That’s what’s happening here.  This is cranberry juice first, with a light overtone of grape and apple that you almost have to be looking for to catch.  I can dig that.

Flavor-wise, it’s perfect.  I wouldn’t change a thing.  But one thing I must mention is the sugar content – one serving of this has 25 grams of sugar, which is comparable to Coca-Cola.  Yes, it’s natural sugar from juice, not HFCS.  And yes, as we discussed before it is a lot less sugar than many 100% juices out there.  But it is still a good amount of sugar, so I can’t give it full points.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – for a splendidly tart cranberry cocktail that is made to be sipped.  Just watch the sugar on this, and you’re golden.

-Danithius-

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4-Star Reviews, Purity.Organics

ImPRESSive?

A telling sign of any good apple juice or cider is its lack of clarity.  This juice is as opaque as they come, with a nice ruddy brown color.  This is a good indication that it is a pure, un-clarified apple juice without any white grape juice mixed in to thin it out and make it clear and pretty.  This is actually pressed in a cider house according to purity.organic, and is labeled as a limited pressing.

Breaking the seal, it smells just like a freshly juices apples, but stronger, as if its been concentrated.  You better believe it tastes like it too.  It is rather sweet, as it is pure, unadulterated apple juice, almost too sweet.  It finishes a bit tart, a nice follow up on the sweetness.  I don’t think I could drink too much of this at once, so it’s probably a good think that the bottle is only 16 oz.  Still, it has 54 grams of sugar, that about equals Coke, without the HFCS, caffeine, and carbonation and other junk.

It tastes great, very apple-y, and it kind of reminds me of those dried apple slices that are so delicious.  As juices go, this ranks right up there with Simply Apple, which has slightly more sugar.  Purity.Organic’s Apple Juice is definitely a much better option than any of the sugar-added juices out there, but if you’re watching your sugar intake it might not be the best choice.  Still, it’s a sweet, tasty treat.

Score: 4 out of 5. A superior though sugary apple rendering.

– WiseGuise

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4-Star Reviews, Purity.Organics drink reviews, organic

Ahoy there, all ye sailors drowning in a sea of high fructose corn syrup!  This is Better Libations, the little tugboat that’s going to save your sticky hides.  Every week we bring you drinks that don’t contain HFCS, artificial sweeteners, and diabetes-inducing amounts of sugar.  Or as we like to call them, drinks that probably won’t kill you(tm).  Now buckle up for this week’s entry from purity.Organic, purveyor of organic juice drinks squeezed straight from the farmer’s market.

Fragrance: Today’s flavor is Tropical Bliss, and tropically blissful it doth smell.  You can tell without looking at the ingredient list that pineapple plays a major role in this drink, backed up by hints of kiwi, grape, and mango.

Flavor: Guh!  For some reason, this taste threw me for a loop at first – you do indeed get the pineapple juice flavor coming out strong at first, but it is tempered by the white grape and kiwi in a way that I didn’t expect.  It still tastes “tropical”, but it has a mellow finish that is not usually found in drinks like this.

After several more sips and lengthy contemplation, I have decided that I like this juice, but that initial grape/kiwi/pineapple combo still catches me in an odd way.  It’s hard to explain – it’s like you’re anticipating a tangy citrus rush, and you start to feel it on the tip of your tongue, but then the middle notes are surprisingly alkaline.  All in all, though, it’s a solid drink, with 36% fruit juice and some organic cane juice as the sweeteners.  It contains less sugar than just about any 100% juice, so this could be a good alternative.

A lot of people consider juice to be healthier than soda, but in terms of sugar content, most of the time juice blows soda away!  Try 40 grams per 8-ounce serving, as is the case with many grape juices.  (That said, don’t think you’re being healthy by downing Coca-Cola instead of juice!)  So in my humble opinion, it is best to go with fruit-juice-sweetened drinks like these which aren’t 100%, but still use a significant amount of real juice.  This one clocks in at 23 grams of sugar per 8 ounce serving, which is a little high for my taste, but again, it’s no 40 grams per serving!

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 – for a real organic juice drink with good flavor and reasonable sugar content.  Drink this instead of 100% O.J. in the morning.

-Danithius-

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4-Star Reviews, Purity.Organics

Greetings, kids!  Today it’s time to try out Purity.Organic’s Lemonade.  You may remember that I’m something of a bottled lemonade snob, in that I hate every bottled lemonade that I’ve tried to date.  (With the exception of Simply Lemonade, which is pasteurized and constantly refrigerated like an orange juice, so I think it’s a slightly different category).  So to be specific, I hate every non-refrigerated bottled lemonade that I’ve tried to date.  The Purity.Organic rep that sent us these samples did rave about the lemonade in particular though, saying that it was her favorite.  So I am curious to see how it pans out – will it be the first bottled lemonade that doesn’t taste like a plastic lemon?

Fragrance: This smells sweet and tart like a lemonade should.  But wait… do I detect a hint of concentrate-y scent as well?  (You know what I’m talking about… like that concentrate juice that comes in squeezable plastic lemons).  It shouldn’t, because this lemonade doesn’t use concentrated juice – they just pasteurize it.  Hmm…

Taste: It’s sweet… it’s tart… it’s lemony.  There is a big difference when you use not-from-concentrate juice – the lemon flavor is a lot more true-to-life and not so plasticine.  Is it as good as my refrigerated favorite, Simply Lemonade?  ‘Fraid not.  But it’s close.  (And I hate to say that, because Simply Lemonade is owned by Minute Maid, who is owned by Coca-Cola.  The horror.)

Yes, I’m being nitpicky.  But there is a little something of the fresh fruit flavor that I’m missing in Purity.Organic’s entry, something that seems to be preserved by whatever technique Simply Lemonade uses on its juice.  It’s that pungent, fresh citrus edge that is so distinctive with fresh-cut lemons.  Don’t get me wrong, Purity.Organic has a good flavor going here, and the sweet and tart are perfectly balanced.  But I’m looking for something with that last little kick, that citrusy-fresh finish – something that is so hard to find in bottled lemonade.  It’s more of an aroma than a flavor, like the smell of the lemon zest when you first scrape it from the fruit.  Am I making sense, or am I off in my own little foodie world again?

But all nitpicking aside, I have definitely found a new “best” for my (non-refrigerated) bottled lemonade list.  It tastes good.

One other issue.  I know this comes with the territory when you’re making real lemonade, but this guy packs some serious sugar.  Just be aware of it!  And don’t drink it like it’s water.  One 8 oz serving of Purity.Organic’s lemonade contains 30 grams of sugar – this is more sugar per serving than Coca-Cola.  Some of this is balanced out by the fact that they use organic cane and lemon juices, sure, but I can’t give it full points as a “healthy” drink.

So with that in mind, I’m giving this .5 points off for sugar, and .5 off for my flavor nitpickings.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5. Finally, a solid bottled (non-refrigerated) lemonade.

-Danithius-

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4-Star Reviews, Purity.Organics drink reviews

Hola, Libation-lubbers!  Today I’m going to review an entry from Purity.Organic, a drink company out of San Fran that backs sustainable, organic agriculture.  You’ll probably see a lot of these over the next few weeks, because they were kind enough to send us one of every flavor for review!  And as you know, while we don’t give preferential treatment in the reviews themselves, we do make a policy of placing company-submitted samples first in the review queue.

Let’s get down to business.  I’ve chosen the Orange Mango Tangerine flavor to begin with because it contains 25% juice and yet only has 14g of sugar per serving.  (This is about half the sugar content of your average cola, and much less than typical fruity sodas.)  And on top of that, it just sounds citrusy-fresh.

Orange Mango Tangerine is one of Purity.Organic’s three “functional drinks”, which are lighter on sugar and calories than their sweeter, juicier brethren.  This one is like their sports drink, containing calcium and sea salt intended to replenish the body after exercise.  I did just hit the gym, so let’s see how it treats me.

Fragrance: Well now, this does smell like real fruit.  Because this is a juice cocktail sweetened with cane juice, I was afraid that it would have that “from concentrate” smell or that it would just smell flat.  But this actually smells tangy like a mango, with overtones of fresh citrus.  I am officially enticed.

Taste: Lightly sweet, fruity, and refreshing.  White grape and citrus juices combine with tangerine oil to form an interesting flavor profile that I think is very well suited to chugging during exercise.  It’s pleasant, goes down smooth, and isn’t astringent at all thanks to the white grape.  If you were feeling parched, I think you could easily chug the whole bottle in a matter of minutes and be right back on your feet.  I mean hell, I just chugged the whole bottle in the time it’s taken me to write this review!

This drink has a lot going for it.  It’s all organic, it’s low sugar, it’s nicely flavored, and it’s produced by an environmentally conscientious company.  I’m hard-pressed to come up with a critique for this one…  The only thing I can wish for is perhaps a more defined flavor profile.  I realize that as a “functional drink” this is intended to be lighter than normal juices, and that’s fine.  But I’d like to be able to try this stuff without even looking at the label and tell you at least two out of the three flavors.  As it is now, I think I’d be able to pick only one – citrus.  Still, it’s a good flavor, and I really can’t complain.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 - Low sugar, organic ingredients, and real fruit juice.

-Danithius-

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4-Star Reviews, Purity.Organics drink reviews

Some time ago, we (and by “we” I mean WiseGuise) reviewed a couple of drinks by a company called Adina.  They both received pretty solid scores for flavor, health, and fair trade/earth-friendly products.  After that I proceeded to completely forget about the company.   And then last week I came across this striking little asian-looking design on a bottle boasting honey lemon aloe flavor (how refreshing!).  The bottle looked completely different from the ones in our previous reviews, so I thought this was a totally new company.  Little did I know they had just given themselves a facelift!  I think they took a note or two from SoBe’s design philosophy on this one.  I like the thick glass bottle and the funky monkey on the front.

As I further investigated the bottle, I found that it was 100% organic certified, and they use evaporated cane sugar as the sweetener.  As far as the actual sugar gram count goes, it scores very well – 13g per serving, or exactly 1/2 the sugar content of Coca-Cola.  I also found out that their slogan is “drink no evil”, which I think is a deliciously scathing jab to the liquid-evil factories out there.  OK, enough about fun facts, how does this stuff taste?

Fragrance: Mmm, herby.  I smell something like fruity lemongrass with a hint of green tea.

Taste: Lightly sweet, delicate, and refreshing, with a botanical green tea aftertaste.  I’m glad they sell these in 14 ounce bottles, because I think that’s just the right amount.  This would be excellent on a hot day or after a good workout, when you really want some liquid refreshment.  No one flavor really pronounces itself, though; neither the lemon nor the honey grab center stage.  Instead, all the flavors meld together into an herby mix.  This can kind of wear on you as you get towards the end of the bottle – I kind of wish there was one flavor in particular that was held up above the rest.  Still, it’s nice.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 For a cool design, organic, healthy ingredients, low sugar, and good flavor.

-Danithius-

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4-Star Reviews, Adina drink reviews

I haven’t reviewed an iced tea in a while, and this one was politely donated by my girlfriend and purchased from the local Good Earth health grocer, and couldn’t say no.  This is not my first Steaz, I have sampled their tea before, but never managed to sit down and review one.  In a world of sub-par teas, it’s nice to find a company that focuses on theirs and strives to make them flavorful and conscientious.

After my last experience with a mint flavored tea, I was hesitant to try this, but my worry was needless.  Scent-wise, the mint isn’t overpowering, and the tea is tangible.  Flavor-wise, it’s tangy and pleasantly minty, finishing with a soft tea flavor and a perfect dryness.  This is what Lipton iced tea should taste like, (minus the mint) with less than half the ingredients and 6 g less sugar.  Iced teas have been pushed out into the market as something that should be syrupy-sweet and lemon-sour, with hardly any recognizable tea flavor and a generic taste.  This doesn’t have to be, and this tea shows it.

This entire line of iced teas are all natural, organic  and fair trade, and at least with this particular tea, only 20 g of sugar in the 16 oz can.  Light on sugars and organic like Honestea, environmentally conscious and next-door sexy like Hayden Panettiere.  Okay, that last one is only opinion, and I’m probably going to get in trouble for it.  If you like iced teas, these are definitely worth a try.

Score: 4.5 out of 5. Pleasant and minty and definitely not generically flavored.

– WiseGuise

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4-Star Reviews, Steaz all natural, green tea, organic

I'm green with. . .protein

Every once in a while I get an urge to try a protein drink, despite their notoriously gritty texture and ugly mouthfeel, mostly because I go to the gym and need the most protein without the added calories of fat and carbohydrates.  These experiments usually end with a grimace and a vow never to drink another one, but I inevitably forget and see something new.  That brings you today’s post, Mix 1 Key Lime ‘enhanced protein shake’!

Now, it isn’t fair to characterize all protein drinks as a horrible experience, that has just been my sum of experiences.  The idea behind it isn’t to enjoy a smooth, delicious beverage, it’s to pack a ton of protein into your body so you can blow out every major muscle group you have doing power cleans and bench pressing while groaning like a geriatric.  Protein builds and maintains muscle, and eating too much doesn’t necessarily harm you, your body uses what it needs and disposes of the rest.

It smells exactly how I expected it to, like a lime flavored protein shake. The taste is better than I anticipated, smooth and not as thick as I suspected it to be.  The sweetness is very light, and the lime is bold and sour, almost to the point of tasting artificial.  The ingredient list denies this, listing only juice concentrate (lime, apple) and citric acid.  This goes down surprisingly well, smooth and not a single bit of grit.  Overall this was much better than I hoped it would be, leaving only a milky feeling in my mouth due to the whey protein isolate, a milk by-product.  A large amount of vitamins and minerals was added, 23 total, with 15 g of protein and plenty of antioxidants.  Calories come in at 200 for the 11 oz bottle, but only 22 g of sugars.

Drinking this has changed my mind quite a bit on what a protein drink can be like; it doesn’t have to be a harrowing journey into an abyss of gag-inducing textures from gritty, tasteless mixes than slide down your throat like a stagnant oily slurry.  They can actually taste good.

Score: 4.5 out of 5. A tasty, smooth entry into a world of thick, gritty protein shakes.

– WiseGuise

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4-Star Reviews, Mix1 all natural, independent company

Simple designs are not always boring

I came by this simple looking can at my local Sunflower Market, and I liked the design and possibility of trying a new flavor from this established company, and though their reviews here have not yet broken past a 3, I’m more than willing to give a company another chance.  Also, I was thirsty and this was on sale.  Everyone wins!

Sparkling water doesn’t usually agree with me, and this isn’t quite an exception, but close.  The fizziness doesn’t totally turn me off, and I hear some people like that sort of thing.  The scents are understated but tangible, the cranberry doesn’t walk over the grapefruit or vice versa.  The taste is about the same, tame and fairly equal, although the grapefruit wins out for the aftertaste.  The fruitiness is light, as is the sweetness, 24 g of cane sugar in this 10.5 oz can (far below our benchmark can-of-Coke).  Aftertaste is pleasant and sweet, no dry-mouth or cotton-tongue.

Hansen’s seems to still be doing business independently, with several different lines of drinks and several new products like this one. I also noticed that they are quite open about their financial information and any inter-company agreements, so kudos on the transparency.  As for the beverage, I found the taste to be quite enjoyable, cranberry and grapefruit mix surprisingly well.  The carbonation was a little too intense for me, although others may enjoy it far more, I’m not a sparkling water kind of guy.

Score: 4 out of 5. A natural, fizzy sparkling water with the right amount of taste and sugar.

– WiseGuise

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4-Star Reviews, Hansen's all natural, independent company