Greetings Libationers!  A couple of days ago I was wandering the aisles of my local food purveyor co-op, and what should I see there but a brand-new Lifewater flavor!  The title “Cherimoya Punch” grabbed my eyes from the frosted plastic bottle, and I knew I had to have it.  And of course, since it was a new flavor debut, it was on sale.  Double-score for me!

Cherimoya and I have a brief but torrid history together.  My chef at culinary school was the first to introduce me to this mysterious fruit.  He came into the kitchen one day with a big plastic bag full of exotic fruits for the class to try.

“Is there a fruit that I haven’t tried yet?” I muttered incredulously.  “Ppph, I don’t think that’s even possible.”

But my eyes widened as he pulled a lumpy, greenish-brown thing from the bag and immediately cut it in half.  It had white flesh on the inside with big, brown seeds.

“This,” chef said, “is the Cherimoya.”

I squeezed through my classmates for a better look.  What was this?  I had to try some!

The chef picked up a spoon - a spoon! – and scooped out a bit of the soft, white flesh.  He popped it merrily into his mouth and spat out the seed.  He told everyone to do the same.  Seeing some dubious faces, he egged us on: “come on, it tastes like bubblegum!”

I grabbed a spoon and scooped out a chunk of fruit.  Feeling the excitement of new experience, I raised it to my mouth and popped it in.

The flavor was amazing.  It was like bubblegum, except 50 times better.  It was like a big slap in the face to bubblegum flavor scientists everywhere.  By Mother Nature.  I didn’t even notice the giant seed in the middle until all of the delicious white flesh had melted away.  I had to have more!  Who had been keeping this fruit secret from me?!  They would pay dearly for their treachery…

But I digress.  In brief, I like the Cherimoya.  And I’m staring at this Lifewater bottle in my hands, hoping that Sobe doesn’t disappoint me.

I twist off the cap and take a whiff.  The smell reminds me of some kind of tropical bubblegum with a hint of sour.  It’s a good start, and I hope the taste can deliver that slice of heaven that I’m expecting.

I take a sip.  It’s… puzzling.  I can sense that bit of cherimoya-bubblegummy goodness coming out to greet me, but there are definitely other players here.  A tinge of sour.  A soft note of… banana?  Well, I suppose it is called “Cherimoya Punch“, so it makes sense.  And the flavors do come together in a nice harmony.  And, true to Lifewater’s tradition, the sweetness level is perfect. OK, I’m liking this.

Yes, I’m nearing the end of the bottle now, and I think Lifewater has pulled it off again with this one.  Cherimoya Punch’s flavor is deep and complex, while still being entirely chuggable and very refreshing.  I dig.

This beverage does contain an ingredient list that requires an encyclopedia to decipher, which can be worrisome.  I have ventured out on the internets to look them up, however, and they are mostly vitamins, weight-loss/fat burning ingredients, and flavors.   I haven’t found anything (yet) to be concerned about in this drink, but if there are any chemists or nutritionists out there who want to enlighten me, be my guest!

A quick note on the sweeteners – Lifewater is still one of the only “diet” products that I drink regularly (the other being Zevia soda), and it’s because they consistently get the sweetness level just right, and there is little to no strange “diet” aftertaste.  There is also the fact that they use Stevia and Erythritol, which are both natural ingredients.  (What do I think about artificially created sweeteners, you ask?  Well, you could make tire rubber taste exactly like sugar, but that doesn’t mean that I’d want to eat it.)

Finally, allow me to make one humble request:

Sobe flavor-creation people, could you please make me a batch of pure Cherimoya-flavored Lifewater?  Pretty please?  You don’t know what I would give for such a thing.  The least of which is my eternal love and devotion, and the most of which is something priceless.  Rhymes with shmeldest fun.  Call me!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – Another well-balanced, flavorful, “non-diety” diet drink.  Cheers!

-Danithius-

User ratings: (3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
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