Better Libations | Healthy Drink Reviews

Simple, just like this beverage

Hello fellow libation connoisseurs, I bring you the last in our new series of Zevia reviews, just as Danithius promised.  This last round has been fun, and what a better way to end it than with a caffeine-free diet cola!  I’ve always been a fan of colas, and I have recently (last year or so) attempted to gain an appreciation for the diet version, trying to cut the excess sugar out of my life.  When I tried  Zevia’s Natural Cola, I was pleasantly surprised. It had a few things mainstream colas don’t (like no sugar) and has a pleasant taste.  It is only fitting that Zevia compliment it with an uncaffeinated version for those who don’t imbibe this stimulant.  It comes in a bright blue can, and honestly, I like the new design; it’s simple but stands out in the crowded soda aisle.

This has a light cola effervescence, lacking any strong olfactory kick, which works for a diet cola.  The soda is nice and fizzy, without being too much so, like the rest of their line.  A kola flavor is very evident, without taking over the tongue enough to obscure the citrus background flavors and the spicy sweetness given to it by the nutmeg and stevia.  I’m rather fond of this flavor combination, removing the caffeine doesn’t seem to have effected the taste in any noticeable way.

As with all the other Zevia beverages we have reviewed, this is made from all natural ingredients, has no calories or sugar, being sweetened with erythritol and stevia.  I’m seeing them in more and more stores that I frequent, which pleases me.  I would highly recommend this to anyone trying to kick a sugary cola habit, or looking for an alternative to those mainstream diet colas loaded with artificial sweeteners and preservatives.  And on the plus side it tastes great, I may like it even more than its caffeinated comrade.

Score: 5 out of 5. A pleasing and flavorful alternative to sugary, caffeinated colas.

– WiseGuise

User Reviews: (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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5-Star Reviews, Stevia, Zevia all natural, Stevia, Zevia

Now this is something completely new to me, but has been around for a few years, and maybe has just barely made its way into out little burgh in the mountain valleys of Utah.  A company called Rising Beverage Co. has released this Activate “performance beverage.”  This is the first completely unique bottle design we’ve seen in a while, so I’ll get into that first. The cap of this bottle has a pouch of vitamins in it that you are supposed to ‘release’ prior to drinking to ensure their freshness, which I’m not entirely sure is just a gimmick or actually plausible.  The design of the bottle itself is colorful and clean, and the square bottle is usually easier to keep a hold of in extreme drinking situations.

Okay, so now that I’ve sipped the design elements, it’s time to try the contents.  I’ll have to stop typing for a moment release the vitamins . . . the powdered vitamins dropped and after a vigorous shake the bottle went from mostly clear to yellow.  Awesome.  With a whiff I am convinced that the flavor is actually going to be lemon-lime, the tartness is almost palpable.  The taste isn’t as extreme as the scent, but still gives your taste buds a good smack.  A distinct sourness gives way to the sweetness of Stevia, which enhances the citrus flavor nicely.  A crisp water taste is the background to this, which fades into a minute sweet-sour aftertaste.

The calorie count is only 5 per bottle, with zero sugar thanks to the Stevia.  Vitamin counts are 100% for B6, B12, Niacin and Riboflavin, my personal favorite.  50mg of caffeine (derived naturally) is added for a kick, and with that you have Activate Energy.  Even if the fresh vitamin trick is a gimmick, it’s a good one, and I’m impressed.  The flavor and taste are about right for this type of drink, which should compete well with the likes of SoBe Lifewater and its bastard cousin vitaminwater.  No contest with Gatorade, this is far superior, but only lacks electrolytes (a gimmick so blatant it was made fun of in the movie Idiocracy).  I can bet you might see me drinking this one again, maybe on my next trip to the gym.

Score: 4.5 out of 5. A sugar-free sports type drink that may make its way into the healthy beverage pantheon.

– WiseGuise

User Reviews: (2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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4-Star Reviews, Activate, Stevia drink reviews, energy drink, independent company, Stevia

Mmmm . . . leaf powder

My compatriot Danithius has mentioned before in some detail about the sweetener stevia that has barged into the sugar-scene as of late, an all-natural, calorie-free, multi-hyphenated sugar-substitute.  For many years is was banned in the United States, although Japan has been using it since the fifties.  But late last year, in radical contrast to an effort to push out stevia less than two years ago, the FDA suddenly decided that it was cool to use, and it apparently helped that both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo were committed to using it should it be approved.

It seems that maybe they are lifting off the foot of the corn industry, ‘Big Corn,’ as it were, and possibly abandoning artificial sweeteners like aspartame.  There have been a few studies that pointed to some possible negative effects, but there is also evidence of more positive ones, including regulation of blood sugar.  Good news for diabetics, yeah?

Products containing stevia and the sweetener itself are popping up all over the place, including in orange juice, in PepsiCo’s Tropicana Trop50.  I bought some out of curiosity, and guess what?  It tastes just like regular orange juice, just has half the sugar, and no artificial sweet aftertaste.  Zevia has already graced our site, and I should expect to see more products containing stevia in the future, just like erythritol is gaining popularity.  And we will review them.  Try them yourselves, and let us know what you think as well, mm-kay?

– WiseGuise

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Stevia Stevia

Zevia on Maple, cir. 2008

***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.***

I typically avoid diet sodas of any kind, but one sweetener has come to my attention more than once, and I’ve been looking around for a chance to try it. I heard about it first from an anecdote in The Four-Hour Workweek. It’s called Stevia. It’s South-American herb with the nickname of “sweetleaf” – extracts of Stevia can be 300 times the sweetness of sugar.

Stevia has been outlawed by the FDA as a sweetener, reportedly after only one anonymous complaint… probably by a corn industry executive…

The FDA’s official stance is that “no one has ever provided FDA with adequate evidence that the substance is safe”.

Psh. You’ve passed a lot more fishy stuff than this, FDA. Any negative studies you can find on Stevia are nowhere near as freaky as some of the fake sweeteners on your approved list! (You’ll notice on their site that they are still defending Saccharin.)

Stevia has been used for 30 years in Japan and for centuries in South America with no reported ill effects. Google it, there’s a whole mess of controversy out there.

OK, down to business. The makers of this soda get around the FDA by labeling it as a “carbonated stevia supplement”.  Smooth.  It has Erythritol, a sugar-alcohol also contained in SoBe Lifewater.  It can be purchased online at https://store.zevia.com, and at the time of writing, they were having a FREE 6 pack sampler special.  You only pay for S&H.  If you’re interested, check it out.  I don’t know how long it will last.

This soda has a kind of mellow after-sweetness with a light orange flavor. (Think Sobe Lifewater’s orange flavor, only carbonated and with a little less flavor punch). This is heavily carbonated – too much for my taste, but nothing to a hardcore soda chugger. The flavor and sweetness seem to grow on you as you drink it, but it never quite delivers the flavorful body I’m looking for. I have a feeling it will take more oomph to wean hardcore soda lovers (or diet soda lovers) off the bottle. Some intense herbs and spice will do amazing things for flavor, Zevia, just look at some of the totally non-sweetened drinks that we’ve reviewed!

This is an interesting entry, but not amazing. Yes, it is probably a lot better for you than teeth-rotting regular soda or the chemical sweeteners in the diet stuff, but that’s not enough to make my buddy list. I’m prepared to make some small flavor sacrifices for big returns on health, sure. But to get the big points, you need to give me the Holy Grail, that perfect combination of both flavor and health. I must have it all!

Rating: 3.0/5

Danithius

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3-Star Reviews, Stevia, Zevia