Better Libations | Healthy Drink Reviews

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

Yes, finally, the last oogave review that I’ve been putting off for a week.   Christmas shopping has been wreaking havoc on my posting, among other things.  Let’s get down to it, shall we?  Yes, we shall.  I ended up with the other citrus offering from oogave, Mandarin-Key Lime.  This simple soda has only four ingredients, as long as you count ‘natural flavors’ as a single ingredient.

The freshly opened bottle tickles my nose with a citrus-y mandarin feather, but I’m having a hard time detecting the lime.  With a swig, I get that first rush of sweet from the agave, then an orange tang, followed by a hint of lime.  None of the flavors really overwhelm the others except for the sweetness; at least you can say that oogave knows how to play it mellow with the flavors, if you’re into that sort of thing.

I think that Esteban could really play around with the flavors a lot more, make them familiar but interesting.  The sweetness always seems to take control of my taste-buds before the real flavors get a chance to take them for a ride.  I really wanted to like this soda more, but the sugars are the only thing my tongue has any memory of now that I’ve finished the bottle.  Although, I do feel fuller.

Score: 3 out of 5. The understated flavors disappear under the agave sweetness.

– WiseGuise

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3-Star Reviews, oogave all natural, independent company, oogave, organic

Ito En, as a Japanese beverage company, is one of the leading manufacturers of tea, although this beverage is manufactured in China, brought in through Hawaii, and distributed through their North America office in New York.  Quite a journey for a small bottle of tea.  the FDA says it’s cool, so I’ll give this one a chance to prove it’s tea goodness, China is known for their tea.

I popped open their supposed environmentally-responsible bottle and gave it the old scent test.  I get the overwhelming image of a fresh cut pear wrapped in tea leaves, sweet and aromatic.  Good so far.  A swig later, and my tongue is reveling in the delightful pear-y taste, giving way to a surprisingly strong tea flavor for a white tea; and with surprising sweetness for only 30 g of the sweet stuff in the whole 16 oz bottle.  The finish is a little dry with a lingering sweet-pear flavor.

Fruit teas are hard to nail down properly, often the fruit overwhelms the tea, or is left far too understated to avoid this cover-up.  This tea has struck a good balance, a good pear flavor with a nice strong tea to follow, although the sweetness is beginning to feel like a little too much, they might want to take a cue from Honest Tea and tone it down a bit.  Ito En surely knows how to make a good fruit tea, although too sweet, it still has its merits.

Score: 4.5 out of 5. Excellent balance for a fruit tea, just a tad too sweet.

– WiseGuise

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4-Star Reviews, Ito En, Tasty Japanese Drinks all natural, drink reviews, white tea

Viagra in a bottle?

Another Function flavor I have been meaning to review, and after two failed attempts (drank it without a notepad or camera) I have finally brought you my wisdom and advice.

As is normal for drinks not rife with chemicals and sugar, the scent is rather weak, but definitely speaks of its tropical origins.  The taste is more arousing, a passionate assault on my taste-buds with its twin cannons of passion-fruit and guava.  There’s only a bare hint of the astringent  nature of the supplements and extracts added for its supposed sexual health claims.  It leaves me with no dry-mouth or unpleasant aftertaste.  Yummy.

I see no way to easily or diplomatically lay down any evidence as to its claims, due to the sensitive nature of such information and the personal familiarity of some of our readership, so I will leave it up to the speculation of our readers; also I highly suggest experimentation on all your parts.  Ahem.

I felt a bit of a boost after my lunch, which is usually capped by some drowsy reading in the break-room and a sluggish afternoon.  Sugar content is moderate, 33 g in the 16.8 oz bottle, and the taste is excellent, by far one of my favorites to come out of the labs at Function.

Score: 5 out of 5. A flavorful harbinger of potency, also a first 5 for Function.

– WiseGuise

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5-Star Reviews, Function all natural, drink reviews

Sounds odd, but don't judge it yet.

I like finding the odd and random drinks that appear out there, ones that few have tried and I have never seen before.  But, I hesitate to review them, because of the above stated facts.  They are hard to find and not widely consumed; and often, not very good.  But sometimes you find a diamond in a field of coals.  This aloe drink may be one of those.

I remember using aloe as a home-remedy for small injuries and sunburns, my grandmother had a large plant on the back porch you could go break a piece off of and smear the smelly, slimy substance on your wound, which soon felt miraculously better.  Aloe is well known for its beneficial effects on the skin and for the stomach, as well as possibly aiding the immune system.

After curiously reading the contents, I shook it as directed then popped open the can.  A smell that brought to mind something likened to burnt grapes with a hint of aloe escaped the can.  Heedless of any foreboding I took a swig right out of it, and found my mouth  full of sweet, grape-y chunks of aloe, a lot of them.  It tasted much more of grape flesh than aloe, which can have a bitter taste.  There is a bit of a tang from the citric acid and Vitamin C (ascorbic acid).  Chewing the aloe chunks, which have an almost jello-like texture, releases more sweetness.

The grape taste is rather strong, and the sugar isn’t subtle either, with 23 g in the 8 oz can, still a bit less than Coke.  A couple extra g of carbs appear due to the aloe vera.  Texture people may not like the soft chunks of aloe, others may love it.  Nothing artificial, extra Vitamin C, and made in Korea.  I really enjoy trying new things like this, and encourage others to do the same.  Other bloggers have found these aloe drinks interesting as well.

Score: 3.5 out of 5. Uber sweet and uber grape, but a different kind of drink.

– WiseGuise

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3-Star Reviews, J1 all natural, drink reviews

Goooooo-jiiiii!!

I am an admitted (and recovering) sucker for energy drinks, which have been ‘all the rage’ the last couple of years, and I came across one I hadn’t seen before in my local Albertson’s, 180.  The ‘all-natural’ designation caught my eye, as did the austere can design.  Two cans and $3 later, I was on my way home with a brand new beverage and some tired excitement.

While making French toast, I broke out my first can and gave it a try.  The smell is heavy with berry and guarana, almost ominous and foreshadowing of the slightly tart and bitter background to the sweet, berry infused taste-bad lashing I receive moments later.  It comes off a little syrupy, almost concentrated, the flavors are that strong.  It lacks the normal energy-drink aftertaste, that unpleasant medicine-y supplement  taste.

A long list of vitamins appears under the standard nutritional info, which shows 2 g of added fiber (fiber?) along with the 39 g of sugar in the 12 oz can, equaling a can of Coke, our usual benchmark.   Carbonation is about right for this drink, not too heavy.  After my second can a few days later, I felt much more peppy even after a heavy lunch.

Those who don’t like or can’t handle intense flavors like the ones in this drink may find it off-putting, as well as those watching their added sugar intake, this would max you out for the day.  However, it is all-natural, sweetened with beet sugar in a world full of HFCS and sucralose infused energy beverages with preservatives, too-much carbonation and terrible taste.  This is a welcome change.

Interesting information:  9th Street Beverage Inc. is a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch, and takes care of all their non-alcoholic beverage lines, including 180, Monster and Borba.  SO it isn’t really competing with Monster energy drinks, merely a more health-conscious approach to the market that desires it.  This is a bit different from its mostly forgettable beer.

Score: 4 out of 5. Sugary and potent, a strong, flavorful competitor in a market that needs change.

– WiseGuise

User Reviews: (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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180, 4-Star Reviews all natural, drink reviews, energy drink

Feeling a little Naked?

I’ve been feeling some pressure to finally review this, and not just because my girlfriend wants me to.  I’ve been drinking Naked juices for well over a year, and have been generally satisfied with the flavors and general availability of their products.  On the downside, they are notoriously pricey and the company was bought by PepsiCo in 2006.  But what does my tongue think?

The smell reminds me of a fruit smoothie fresh out of the food processor, and looks like it in its purple slurry form.  The smooth, well-blended juice flows well down my thirsty trap, thick like it should be but not gritty or overly sour.  The sweet-sour berry flavors mix well over a background of apples and banana.  They added a handful of vitamins and minerals, and some guarana for kick.  The potassium is inherent in the fruit that’s inside.  And yes, it’s 100% juice puree, nearly a pound of it in the bottle.

But it is it all worth the $3.50 -$4.00 average price-tag?  If you love fruit but have a hard time committing to a bag of apples, then maybe so.  It is convenient for the health-conscious human on the move, but can’t you just throw a pear or an orange in your bag on the way out the door?  Peoples priorities aren’t always where they should be, but if you’re at least trying to live a healthier life, you shouldn’t be faulted.  It’s a good place to start.

Score: 4.5 out of 5. Tasty but somewhat overpriced, and the same benefit as a couple pieces of fruit.

– WiseGuise

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4-Star Reviews, Naked Juice all natural, drink reviews

I'd need another page if the name was any longer

Another unusual Talking Rain beverage made its way into my thirsty clutches, and I have finally been able to tear into it.  Yes, this is another ‘energy’ type drink, fortified with ginseng, tea, caffeine and B vitamins.  The satsuma is a sweet, seedless tangerine from Japan, if you were curious.

The scent is a weak, but detectable tangerine with a hint of ginseng and pineapple (filler juice).  The taste is much more impressive, sweet and exotic, but familiar enough.  The tea makes an appearance here.  I want to chug it, but I resist the temptation.  It is 19% juice and has only 50 calories, sweetened with an undetectable amount of erythritol, under the guise of Zerose.

I was impressed with the great flavor of this variety of Twist, and I hope I can find some more soon.  They have three other flavors, however, they note on their site that it is only available in the Northwest United States.  This drink fits our guidelines quite well, and has some great taste to boot.

Score: 5 out of 5. I had no complaints with this one at all, and our first 5 for a Talking Rain.

– WiseGuise

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5-Star Reviews, Talking Rain all natural, drink reviews, energy drink, Talking Rain

Love the new ergonomic bottles.

In keeping with our current deluge of calorie-free drinks, I bring you the erythritol sweetened, ‘lean machine’ SoBe Life Water Fuji Apple Pear flavor.  There is also stevia in this drink, the PureVia brand Reb-A.  This means it’s still sweet, just without the calories of regular Life Water, which are low to begin with.  Life Water is getting quite popular, they even have their own Facebook page.  Way to stay natual and hip, guys.

I would be surprised if it didn’t smell like apple-pear, Life Water is great at getting its flavors spot on.  The pear takes over a little in the scent, but shares tongue-space fairly with fuji apple.  There’s only a minute hint of stevia under the flavors, everything blends quite well, leaving no aftertaste, just a lingering sweetness on your tongue.  I noticed this with Zevia as well.  For the pear lover, this would be an ideal refresher for those hot, pear-less afternoons.

It looks like Life Water is going to remain a big contender to the behemoth sport-drink companies, who cannot seem to break themselves of their HFCS and CF addictions.  I see a lot of Gatorade (or are they just going by ‘G’ now?) on sale, and always pass it up.  Honestly, I never liked it to begin with.  I’ll be sticking with SoBe for now, since they have taste and nature on their side.

Score: 5 out of 5. Another tasty hit from the people at SoBe Life Water.

– WiseGuise

**Danithius Review Rebuttal** I agree 100%.  This is delicious, with fresh apple flavor and a delicate sweetness that absolutely blew me away – I thought it would never be possible to get this kind of taste from a completely sugar-free beverage!  5 Stars.

User Reviews: (3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)
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5-Star Reviews, SoBe Life Water all natural, drink reviews, SoBe lifewater, Stevia