Better Libations | Healthy Drink Reviews

Retro is in . . . again!

Last year, I began this post with all intentions of finishing it, after I heard the news of Pepsi’s ‘Throwback’ experiment.  I speculated a little on their reasons, mostly whether or not the mounting HFCS backlash had anything to do with it, and planned a long diatribe on using a planned fad disguised as nostalgia to mask another layer of a market experiment.  Needless to say, it got pushed back, and the eight-week run of the stuff ended, the sodas disappeared, and the post was largely forgotten, buried amongst review corpses in the drafts folder.

The idea resurfaced again when Pepsi rolled out another round of  Throwback’s with different designs back in December.  This week, a co-worker showed up toting a twelve pack of it into the break room, and invited me to have one at my leisure.  I put it off for a few days, then grudgingly accepted the open offer on an experimental basis.  I sat down for lunch with a can, and snagged a regular Pepsi out of the soda machine with an idea.  I would write about the marketing angle, and throw in a taste test for good measure.  Now, since I don’t care for Pepsi much, I feel I can remain unbiased when it comes to the taste difference.

The Test: I pulled two paper cups from the water machine and set up my taste test on the table, Pepsi on the left and Throwback on the right.  My palate cleaner sat ready at my elbow for better distinguishing of tastes.  I began with the classic, and was greeted with pretty much what I expected; the Pepsi was syrupy-sweet and over-carbonated, with a slight acidic tang to it.  The sweetness lingered like a sweet glove on my tongue.  I readied my tongue again and had my first ever taste of the Throwback.  The sweetness was more pronounced, but not syrupy, it reminded me of table sugar melting on my tongue.  The carbonation was surprisingly lighter, not giving as much bite as the regular Pepsi.  the same acidic tang is there, but the sweetness fades away much quicker that the HFCS does.  If I had to choose, I would pick the Throwback over the regular Pepsi.  I still don’t care for it, though.

The Complaint: Now that I got that out of the way, I can focus on the more important implications of this second run of Throwback sodas.  The first run came with a press release lavished with self-praise over their new, nostalgic sodas.  In a Throwback review on  BevReview, a Nicole Bradley of Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages noted that, “these products were not created because of any health concerns…”  Many have a hard time believing this, due to the soda industry’s near dependence on HFCS to keep costs lower, and the (at the time) escalating backlash. The corn industry was already leading their own ‘information’ campaign, yet SoBe, a subsidiary of Pepsi, began switching their products to sucrose from HFCS at the same time.  Sugar still isn’t good for you, but many see it as better than HFCS, and the industry must ultimately bend to the will of the consumer if they can’t convince them.

I see this as Pepsi testing the waters of a sugar switch, at least on a small scale, to see how their consumer base reacts.  The reaction has been generally positive; the first run of Throwback sold out, and the second seems to be well on its way to doing so as well.  I’m sure Pepsi is far from ever considering switching their entire supply back to sucrose (the sugar in the Throwback’s being a combination of cane and beet sugars), but the timing may hint at their apprehension with the stirrings in the soda-drinking population about HFCS.  We’ve talked plenty about it and the questions and health concerns its use raises, and would be more than happy to see it disappear from use in drinks of any kind, but know this is still wishful thinking, as long as the population at large remains uninformed about and addicted to HFCS.  Let us just consider the Throwback experiment as a nod to those of us who have become informed, and rejoice.

Score: 3 out of 5. I still don’t care for Pepsi, but it tastes better than its HFCS counterpart.

– WiseGuise

User Ratings: (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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3-Star Reviews, Pepsi-Cola, Rants drink reviews, Rants

In this clip, Colbert delivers a wonderfully scathing satirical commentary on America’s excessive consumption.  And guess who’s the star of the show??  Our friend, high-fructose corn syrup!  Yay!!

That’s right, we’re drinking corn! In this video, Colbert refers to corn subsidies that were introduced some decades ago. Basically, the government pays farmers extra money to produce corn. That lets the farmers sell the corn to companies below production costs and still make a profit. It also makes for a market that has corn coming out its ears. (Ha ha.)

So what did those enterprising corporations do with all of that excess cheap corn? What didn’t they do?? They not only invented high-fructose corn syrup, they found a billion other things they could make it into, too! To top it off, they discovered that they could feed it to chicken and cattle to make them grow at an abnormally fast rate. They found every way imaginable to make use of this plentiful crop. And where has it gotten us? Where do we stand today as a society because of this love of corn? Take a look around you next time you’re at Wal-Mart, my friend. From the high-fructose in almost every single food product, to the hundreds of pants-buttons straining against the mass of their owners for release, you’ll see the results everywhere.

-Danithius-

Rants

And ONLY because I liked it.

I found this tasty beverage recently at my local BigLots, and got all excited to do a review, since I have taken it upon myself to be our energy-drink guinea pig, with results of varying success.  But a problem I run into on occasion, due to the nature of shopping at discount businesses, seems to be increasing.  Normally when I find that a product I found has been discontinued, I just grit my teeth, finish it, and delete the post.  But I’m getting annoyed with this.  Particularly when it is a great tasting, well-designed beverage that meets all our standards, as this one does.

The reasons are many why products fail, among them the problems caused by markets saturated with too-popular-for-their-own-good drinks that have little nutritional value and massive followings.  I could name a few, but I am trying to put off the inevitable Cease and Desist order, and you all know what I’m talking about.  Syzmo – Prickly Pear would kick Red Bull square between the eyes in a head to head for taste, and it’s organic, if that really means anything anymore.  There’s only 30 g of sugar in this.  It is agave syrup, which is very high (90%) in fructose, which means it has a low glycemic index, but is not good on the liver, so it loses a point there; but the taste is excellent.

It’s a shame that we lose such unique products before they get a following, and before I have a chance to review them.  We need to stop having that occasional popular beverage and start seeking out something new.  I try to.  But, well, better luck next time I guess.

– WiseGuise

Rants Rants

Hey ladies and gents, today we have another contender from Honest Ade ready to strut its stuff.  As you can see from the other Honest Tea/Honest Ade reviews, both WiseGuise and I appreciate their efforts toward low-sugar, natural, and eco-friendly beverages.

**Quick rant about Honest Tea**  I think Honest Tea is a great vehicle to deliver the message of “low sugar does not equal low flavor” to the mainstream.  The problem with so many natural, organic, and low-sugar products is that their flavor just plain sucks.  I can understand why a lot of people have grown wary of the “organic” label, or anything that looks like it could be found in a health food store.  People are afraid it will taste bland.  And there’s always the fear that organic products will beat you about the head with environmental messages like so many patchouli-scented hippie sticks, until you are finally forced to join PETA or move to a commune or something.

But Honest Tea handles both of these problems very gracefully.  For one, they have a wide array of solid low-sugar flavors that I believe can wean even hard-core syrup addicts off the Coke bottle.  And second, they handle their organic ingredients and eco-friendly message in a completely non-threatening and un-hippie-fied manner.  Honest Tea’s packaging looks right at home in any drink aisle, anywhere from Whole Foods to your local 7-11.  This is why I’m excited about Honest Tea.  I think they have the power to bring the message of drinking healthy to the masses.  **Rant Complete**

This entry has a nice tangy tropical orange-drink smell to it – not as intense as a 100% juice, of course, but potent nonetheless.  It has a pleasantly mild citrus flavor with slight hints of mango.  Again, I’m impressed at the amount of sweetness they were able to get out of only 12g of sugar per serving.  It is light and refreshing, and definitely chuggable.

I enjoy this flavor, but it lacks the potent punch, the wow factor from some of the other Honest Ades.  It needs a stronger twist of orange or kick of mango – something to really make me jump up and take notice.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not looking for the syrupy-sweet flavor of a 100% orange juice here.  But I think Honest Tea can coax out some more interesting subtleties of the orange-mango combo.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars – a solid, chuggable, natural entry by Honest Tea.

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4-Star Reviews, Honest Tea, Rants

Recently, the Colbert Report has produced some priceless clips about Big Soda and the issues surrounding it.  Here is their take on a recent soda consumption study, which states that drinking lots of soda can cause decreased muscle strength and even paralysis in extreme cases.  (This clip also has some fun commentary about Oprah and Cheerios).

And in the next one, Steven rages against the proposed 1/4 cent per ounce tax on soda, refusing to relinquish his “unquenchable right to life, liberty, and high-fructose corn syrup”.  I absolutely love the quote from the Beverage Association lobbyist that states: “soft drinks don’t play any role in the obesity epidemic.”  WOW.  The collective “ppppppfffffff!” of disbelief could be heard around the country.

Is it just a coincidence that whenever Steven talks about soda, he has to launch into one of his “extreme” air-guitar solos?  I don’t know, but it just makes me love it even more.

-Danithius-

HFCS, Rants

Corporate responsibility covers more ares than just choosing what goes into your product, which is mainly what I expound on here.  It also has a lot to do with what you do with your profits.  Many companies reward their CEO’s, managers, and often their employees.  Many also donate to various charities and causes.  Why would they do such a thing?  Tax write-offs, mainly.  Occasionally, there is some altruistic motive behind these donations, but I believe that is consistently rare.  What do you do when you find out a company you purchase goods from supports causes that you don’t?  What would you do, ignore this indirect funding or stop purchasing?  Companies pay taxes.  Should they be able to support whatever causes, ideas or legislation they want?  Should these causes, politics or religion color their business?

This post began about a year ago when, in the midst of reviewing a product by Bolthouse Farms, I ran across some information that disturbed me.  Apparently, the former owner donated money to causes support fundamental Christianity and hinder or fight against gay rights.  In fact, their mission statement used to mirror the beliefs of the Bolthouse Foundation, which was founded and is currently run by William Bolthouse, former owner of BF.  The company itself was not necessarily directly supporting causes like the National Christian Foundation and the Alliance Defense Fund, but William owned the company and donated much of his money to these causes.  And although the company was bought out in 2005 by an investment firm, it still remains partially family owned.  William’s son-in-law is currently the chairman of the board.

The company seems to want us to believe that they no longer have anything to do with William Bolthouse of the Bolthouse foundation.  The current CEO of Bolthouse Farms released a letter that says:

The Bolthouse Foundation is a private foundation funded by some of the former owners of Wm. Bolthouse Farms, Inc.  The foundation is a separate entity and is not connected to Bolthouse Farms in any way.   Furthermore, they do not receive financial support or benefit from the profits of Bolthouse Farms.  We appreciate your concern and apologize for the confusion.

The bulk of the scandal surrounding this company erupted in June of last year, but has since then tapered off quite a bit.  Even the boycott that was sparked by the actions of William was called off in October.  However, Alex Blaze of Bilerico dug up a lot of information that seems a bit contrary, to put it lightly. But I could find no articles or blogs about William or the Farms published this year.  So maybe they have taken up some responsibility and cast off the weight of the homophobic former owner, and are striving to remain an unbiased company, or maybe the higher-ups are still covertly funding there negative causes through William.  Until I see proof either way, I’m going to hold off judgement, but I’m also going to hold off purchasing any Bolthouse or Bom Dia products, aside from my latest review.  Consider it me being fair-and-balanced (Oh please, don’t sue me, FOX!)

Whether or not what a company supports is a ‘good cause’ in your eyes, think about it this way.  Business, religion and politics are three things that need to to stay as far away form each other as possible.  When one begins to taint the other, nothing but problems arise.  I hope Bolthouse Farms and all the other companies whose products we review try to maintain some level of corporate responsibility, both with their products and their profits.

Rants corporate responsibility, Rants

Just as good in the great iron bowels of a cruise ship

OK, I know all of you have been just foaming at the mouth waiting for our next drink review.  But we had a good excuse for being absent!  Mr. Wiseguise, myself, and a couple trusty female comrades were on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera all last week.  Don’t worry, we still love you, dear reader.  You were always in our thoughts.  We just needed some me-time.  And tropical Mexican beaches just don’t have good wi-fi access.  :p

We drove to California, and on the way I found this new (and very fitting for our trip) flavor of Lifewater – Agave Lemonade.  I snapped that up, and later downed it in the safety of my room inside the ship.  It has an upfront agave-lemon tang with a lightly sweet finish similar to the other LifeWater’s.  It sticks to the back of your throat a little, but hey, it is lemonade.  This is a great addition to the LifeWater lineup.

And by the way, here’s a link to Pepsi’s pledge to lower their environmental impact.  (Pepsi owns Sobe… and approximately five billion other brand names, give or take).  Pepsi, while I am glad to see that sort of language, I’d have to be pretty naive to think the green leaves and eco-friendly light bulbs on your site were based in any kind of altruism.  If they were, you would have been doing these things from the start.  Instead it seems you’re just jumping on board with the “green” movement and hoping for some PR.  I just hope your new commitment is more than just a fashion of the hour, to be discarded like last year’s fad when “green” fades away as a PR buzzword.

Rating – 4.5/5 Simple, refreshing, and the agave flavor keeps it interesting.

-Danithius-

***Review Rebuttal!***

I snatched the other Sobe away from Danithius at the last moment, stashing it behind a bottle of rum in the in-room mini-fridge.  I knew he’d never look there!  Anyway, I must agree with Sir Danithius on this review, though I didn’t find it very lemonade-y, it was still pleasant, and I love agave.  Another hit from Sobe.

– WiseGuise

User reviews – (1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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4-Star Reviews, Rants, SoBe Life Water drink reviews, SoBe lifewater

Now this was sweet.  I was snooping around the Corn Refiners Association’s website the other day, and I found out that I could sign up as a “Health Professional” with them!  And now they’re going to send me the latest research and news about HFCS!  How considerate.  And somehow, I have this sneaky suspicion that every article I get will either be in favor of high fructose corn syrup, or conveniently neutral towards it.  Call it a hunch.

I’ll keep you posted on what they send, but one thing had me rolling right from the start – the sweet irony of the CAPTCHA text that I got on the registration screen.  As you can see, the correct answer is “blimp”!  Of course, we all know that HFCS contributes in no way whatsoever toward the rapidly increasing obesity rate around the world

Fun Stuff, Rants HFCS, Rants

You will have noticed if you are a regular reader of this blog (or possibly if you accidentally stumbled upon it), that one of our biggest gripes in beverages is the sugar content, but I often prefer some sweetness. Pondering this conundrum, several questions fight their way up to the cerebral cortex of my frontal lobe.

• Why do humans put sugar in everything?
• Why do ‘they’ replace our beloved sugar with substitutes?
• Why do YOU care so much about sugar?

Humans naturally have a ’sweet tooth,’ since sweet is one of the most important tastes after salt (why salt? hint: it keeps you alive). Like salt, sugar can be used as a preservative, since if you don’t get it wet, sugar can last indefinitely. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that your body breaks down easily, causing the ’sugar rush’ that keeps your hyper-active kids running nonstop for days. Basically, we all love sweets.

Problem: Sugar has a relatively low nutritional value, being simply carbohydrates, and there are a large number who support the idea that it is making us fat. Well, not me, you. The other health problems related to excessive sugar intake range from tooth decay and diabetes to gout and possibly cancer. And nobody likes cancer.
There are, of course, alternatives. Honey is popular, but its distinct flavor and variation keeps it from use in many products, which want a simple, homogenized taste, like the beverage industry. HFCS is currently the most widely used sweetener, but I’ve gone on about that one before.
So what does the industry do to alleviate this ‘problem’? Use low or non-calorie sugar alternatives! Sounds simple, right? Well, it was possible (in the US) until stevia was banned (in the US) as a sweetener in the early nineties. There are myriad other substitutes, some of them low or no calorie, like erythritol, but still are not seen in wide use. But pseudo-health-conscious people still want their sodas, dammit. So what was the burgeoning diet industry to do? Ah-ha! We’ll make sugar. With no calories. Sweet.

The first artificial sugar was accidentally made back in 1879 by a chemist screwing around with coal tar derivatives. This went on to be known as saccharin. It was stable, and sweeter than sucrose, but had an unpleasant bitter or metallic aftertaste. If that isn’t enough to turn you off to it, (oh yeah, it’s still out there) just look at how it’s made. By the way, the U.S. Congress decided it would be cool to repeal the law requiring saccharin products to carry health warning labels. Thanks, republicans!

More recently, other sweeteners have become popular, namely aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal and phenylalanine) and sucralose (Splenda). I have been unfortunate enough to try beverages with these sweeteners in them, even without my knowledge, and I can STILL taste them. Why don’t I like this? I want the sweet taste, right? Yes, I do. But not with that false, almost plastic aftertaste. And although there have been some accusations to the contrary, these two have been deemed relatively safe to ingest, with no real adverse side affects noted. (Side note: packaged Splenda contains bulking agents, giving it 86% the caloric content of sugar, ergo it is NOT low-calorie)

As far as I am concerned, there is no substitute for natural sweeteners, HFCS and CF excluded. I love sweets just as much as anyone; hell, I still drink sodas on occasion, but I still look for the ones with real, natural, relatively unprocessed sugar in them. The key is moderation. I don’t drink a gallon of soda per diem like I used to, instead I rely water, tea and fruit juice for my fluids. If you can’t understand that you shouldn’t drink that 44 oz cola every day, or that 44 oz diet cola, than I doubt even a higher power can help you. If you don’t want to drink empty calories, drink water. And if you still whine because you like flavor, try non-sweetened waters like Hint or Alaya’s Herbal Water.

– WiseGuise

Artificial Sweeteners, Rants Rants

Greetings, friends. I’d like to preface our Japanese drink reviews with a quick word or two.

As you may remember from our flagship post, we said we would not review anything with HFCS unless we had a bloody good reason to turn a blind eye to it. A majority of these Japanese drinks do have a substance somewhat like HFCS (though it’s not corn syrup, necessarily – they use all kinds of sources). Bear with me as I explain our bloody good reasons for reviewing them.

The Japanese have an interesting way of distinguishing sweetener ingredients. They are labeled specifically as glucose-fructose syrup and fructose-glucose syrup, depending on the ratio. (The one possessing a higher percentage comes first in the title.)

Quick review: regular sugar is about a 1:1 mix of fructose and glucose. Usual soft-drink type HFCS is about 55% fructose to 45% glucose. Seems not all that bad until you consider just how much is consumed in a day by the average person. So that particular mix percentage would be labeled fructose-glucose syrup in Japan. (Here’s an interesting bonus fact – honey is actually the same amount of fructose to glucose, 55 to 45 percent. ) But here’s the big kicker:

In Japan, they have another ingredient that is called “High Fructose Syrup”, which entails at least 90% fructose. Now that’s whatcha gotta watch out for! In America, we require no such delineation, we are only told that the 55-45 mix is the “typical” ingredient.

I found only one drink in Japan that possessed this super-fructose mix. And you know what? It was manufactured by Coca-Cola. What a surprise! I wish there was a way to keep a closer eye on the actual amounts of fructose gracing our palettes here in the States. If Coke can get away with it in health-conscious Japan, I definitely wouldn’t put it past them to sneak it in over here, too.

So anyway, for those of you who like lists, this is why we’re reviewing these drinks:

Less overall sugar content
Clearer delineation of fructose-glucose ratio
Unusual and original flavors
‘Cause they’re Japanese and insane

Good enough? Good. Stay tuned for wackiness.

Rants, Tasty Japanese Drinks Rants