Better Libations | Healthy Drink Reviews

Check out this clip as Stephen Colbert walks us through 7-11′s decision to reduce the Super Big Gulp’s size by four ounces.  (Which is still a hell of a lot of sugar, but hey, it’s a step in the right direction).  Then again, given the typical mindset of big companies like 7-11, this probably isn’t so much an altruistic move to improve Americans’ health as it is a simple effort to pinch a few extra pennies every year.  (Did I say pennies?  Because I meant hundreds of thousands of dollars).

**Skip ahead to the 5-minute mark (unless you want to see some sacrilicious Doritos action)**

Rants

Hello libationers! If you are a regular reader, you may have noticed a lack of posts, particularly from me.  Well, my unapproved soda sabbatical has ended, and with my return comes a string of new posts and some information I have recently gleaned from the Internets regarding sugar and HFCS.  Enjoy!

A Syrup by Any Other Name…

It appears that the Corn Refiners Association have been getting tired of the bad rap that HFCS has been getting the past few years, including a mounting belief in its possible contribution to the epidemic of obesity in America.  So, like any good capitalist group, they have decided to avoid the root of the problem and just change the name of their stigmatized product.  What’s the new name?  Corn sugar!  That’s right.  Their reasoning for this name change is that it “more accurately reflects the source of the food (corn), identifies the basic nature of the food (a sugar), and discloses the food’s function (a sweetener).”  They even were so kind to have a website put up full of useful cherry-picked information that supports their belief that you should continue to keep ingesting their highly processed, and now fresh-sounding product.  Way to keep trying to pull the husk over our eyes, CRA.

No Love Lost on HFCS

After PepsiCo’s success with the Throwback line, SoBe ditching HFCS in its main line of drinks and other, smaller companies following suit, others were bound to follow.  The next mainstream beverage to lose its HFCS and have it replaced with sugar is Sierra Mist, which has come out with Sierra Mist Natural, a ‘real sugar’ version of the waning soda.   This is an effort for them to ‘differentiate’ themselves from other, better-selling  citrus drinks like Sprite and 7-up.  And its ingredient count is down to 5, quite impressive for a soda meant to sit on a shelf for months.  There are also rumors of 7-up reformulating their pop, although I haven’t heard what the end result is going to contain as a sweetener.  Dr. Pepper has replaced the HFCS with sugar for its 125th anniversary, although I have yet to try this version.

So, even soda producers have gotten on board with consumers’ growing distaste for this syrupy sin.  And, with the recent spike in corn prices (due to an increase in ethanol plants) and the decrease in demand (thanks Russia) the re-branding done by the CRA comes off as a desperate ploy to keep people, and businesses, interested in corn products.  I hope the future of this over-produced and overused crop is a dismal one, no offense to those who owe their farming livelihood to it.

HFCS, Rants

Yes, the famous pouch

I’ve been feeling a little nostalgic recently, so I bought a box of Capri Sun pouches on my last trip to the store.  Growing up in the Eighties and Nineties, these were a familiar sight in lunch boxes and floating around in coolers in summer time.  I don’t remember anyone ever saying ‘man, I hate those Capri Sun drinks.’  Let’s reexamine this childhood delight.

First off, the box now proclaims “25% Less Sugar Than Other Leading Juice Drinks” as well as “No Artificial Sweeteners” and “NO high fructose corn syrup.”  Each pouch has 16 g of sugar, which is about 21 g of sugar per 8 oz (the pouches used to be bigger, 6.75 oz, but are now 6 oz due to the infamous “grocery shrink ray“).  This is a little better than letting your little rugrats suck down superfluous quantities of sugar, but still cannot match Crayons, and particularly Honest Kids in sugar content, and they have a pouch too.

As for the sensory experience, sadly it cannot be easily subjected to my olfactory nerves without squeezing the pouch into a cup, and let’s just face it, I’m a little too lazy for that.  As far as the taste goes, it is as pleasantly fruity as I remember, but perhaps a bit more watery.  My guess is the 25% less sugar than before.  I still enjoyed drinking over half the pouches in the box while I procrastinated on this review, just as I did as a kid.

My overall feelings on this come down to this:  yes, it has let sugar than a soda or other fruit drinks, and yes, it’s now sweetened with sugar instead of HFCS, and yes, that pouch is pretty handy, and they have a program (with Terracycle, same as Honest Kids) where you can recycle them and they get turned into purses and pencil carriers, and a few cents get back to the schools.  All good points.  But.  The original line is not 100% juice, has added sugar, and those huge boxes don’t look particularly environmentally friendly.  They are also distributed by Kraftfoods in the US, not a small company.  The truth is, there are still many better alternatives out there for your kids, most importantly water.  THEY SHOULD DRINK WATER.  Sweet drinks should be a treat for them, not a daily requirement.  I know no one likes anyone to tell them how to raise their children, but seriously, childhood obesity rates are astronomical right now, almost 20%.  So toss a bottle of water in that lunchbox, and a juice drink on occasion.

Score: 3 out of 5. A better effort from a behemoth distributor, but still plenty full of sugar and not enough juice.

– WiseGuise

User Reviews: (3 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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3-Star Reviews, Capri Sun, Rants drink reviews, Rants

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