Better Libations | Healthy Drink Reviews

Hello libation loving folks!  After another brief delay, I have returned with reviews.  Today, I have decided to venture back into the hit-and-miss world of low/no calorie beverages.  My last SoBe lean review taught a valuable lesson; that even large, adored companies like SoBe can screw up on occasion, and produce something few customers like. I’m still cautious, but hopeful when it comes to the new Lean line, so here goes nothing.

I crack open the plastic bottle  and give it the standard smell test.  The berry is the most evident scent, with a hint of lemons.  Good so far, but now comes the most important test.  The taste is mild and lightly sweet, lacking the sour tang of most lemonades.  The raspberry is there, but fades quickly.  The sweetness lingers, something I’ve picked up before on drinks using erythritol, is seems to stick to the back of your tongue.  This sports a paltry 2 g of sugar per 20 oz bottle, and a dash of vitamin C rounds out the benefits.

I find this an unoffensive,  but lackluster -ade, light on sugar but also on flavor, though it avoids the atrocious taste of the SoBe Honey Green Tea reviewed previously, an opinion our readers have reinforced in droves.  I can’t say I would ever go out of my way again to drink this, but the light flavor and low sugar may appeal to others, particularly those watching calories and looking for sweet refreshment.  SoBe did a better job of blending in the sweetness of the erythritol and reb A (stevia) than our previous encounter, which is good to experience, but it covers the sourness looked for in lemonade,and that I cannot forgive.

Score: 3.5 out of 5. A lemonade that gets an A for effort, but a C for execution.

– WiseGuise

User Reviews: (3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
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3-Star Reviews, SoBe Lean all natural, drink reviews

Stare into the Apple-Jasmine Nexus...

Howdy there, Libationers!  Today I’m getting into the holiday cheer by indulging in Honest Tea’s new line of Kombucha.  (What does that have to do with Christmas?  Well, Jesus was honest, right?  And maybe he likes Kombucha, you don’t know.)

I was excited to see this new step taken by Honest Tea without really even knowing why.  I’ve tried Kombucha once or twice, and the idea of it is interesting to me.  I just didn’t fall in love.  So now it’s nice to see Honest Tea (a brand I already trust to do tea and juices right) taking on the Kombucha dragon.

Honest Kombucha’s tagline is “LIVE, ORGANIC, AND RAW”… sounds like a porno produced by Whole Foods, doesn’t it?  But it really is an interesting concept – the “live” and “raw” come from the live probiotic cultures that are used to make this stuff.  It is actually fermented by those cultures, which gives it both a tangy-sweet taste and various purported health benefits.  So enough talk, let’s crack this open!

Fragrance: Wow, this stuff smells tangy indeed.  It’s like apple juice that’s gone hard – not a bad smell, but pungent and tangy.  (And slightly fizzy).  Here goes nothin’.

Taste: Whoo! Taste bud assault!  It’s such a rush of flavors that it’s difficult to describe.  It has whiplash tang with a subtle sweetness to cushion the blow.  The fizz adds another intriguing element on top of this, making it tingle on the back of your tongue.  Or is that the live probiotic cultures?  I can detect the apple flavor, and it holds up decently well with the pungent kombucha.  The jasmine is detectable as an herbal overtone in the aftertaste.

From a health standpoint, this stuff is golden.  Real probiotic cultures, low sugar (7g per 8 oz serving, which is next to nothing), and real tea and fruit juice.  It also passes the hippie test with flying colors, due to its entirely organic and/or fair-trade ingredient list.  And as for the flavor?  Well, I’m halfway through the bottle, and I’m finding it increasingly addictive.  It’s different, but I like different.  I could really see myself trying the other flavors in the near future…

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 - uber-healthy with a unique (and increasingly addictive) flavor.

-Danithius-

User Ratings: (2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
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4-Star Reviews, Honest Tea drink reviews

Greetings, brave surfer of the collective internets!  I’m here to give you the down-low on an old-time Australian beverage that has gradually made its way to just about every section of the world – Bundaberg Ginger Beer!  We already introduced you to the Bundaberg Root Beer a while back, which was a big hit with us.  But the Ginger Beer flavor is evidently what started it all as the first Bundaberg product way back in 1960.  And even though they have added plenty of other items to their product line, Bundaberg credits Ginger Beer as the impetus for their startling worldwide growth.

As with the root beer, what really sets this apart is the fact that it’s naturally yeast-brewed, which is about as old-fashioned as you can get in the world of soda.  But unlike my own experiments with yeast-brewing the sweet stuff, Bundaberg’s Ginger Beer does not have a strong yeasty presence at all.  On the contrary, as I pop open the distinctive pull-tab and take a deep whiff, I am greeted by nothing but a fresh, spicy-sweet ginger scent.

And even after taking my first sip, the fermentation flavor is extremely elusive.  I can tell that something is different from typical ginger sodas, but that something works very well for it.  The spicy ginger is extremely refreshing, and it is balanced by just the right amount of sweet cane sugar to make this one delicious fizzy nectar.  I love a nice full-bodied ginger ale/beer, and this one delivers in spades.

When considering what rating to give this drink, I had a very strong urge to give it a full five stars.  But after some deliberation, I finally decided to temper my enthusiasm and go with 4.5 instead.  Here’s why:

1. Sugar!  Yes, I was tempted to glaze over (no pun intended) the rather high amount of sugar grams in this little bottle, citing its many positive health points as an excuse.  For example, they do use natural cane sugar (+1 health point).  And they only use natural and local ingredients (+2 health points).  Plus this is a naturally brewed drink and a ginger drink, both of which are  purported to have health benefits.  But in the end, 40g of sugar per bottle is still 40g of sugar.

2. Shipping!  It is a fact that we do take a look at eco-friendliness as part of our “healthy” judging criteria for companies.  And having a glass bottle full of liquid sent to you across an ocean is not exactly the most practical way to quench your thirst, especially in regards to carbon footprints and whatnot.

But damn, it’s so good!  If you’re fortunate enough to find this, definitely give it a try.

Rating – 4.5 out of 5

-Danithius-

User Ratings: (4 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5)
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5-Star Reviews, Bundaberg drink reviews

Why hello there, liquid-lover!  You’ve come just in time to catch the low-down on on the new line of “eco-beverages” from Sipp.  Today I’m reviewing the Ginger Blossom flavor, which was sent to us by the folks at Sipp in order to get our two cents.  Expect to see WiseGuise’s rebuttal soon.

Outlook on Sipp

Sipp is positioning itself as a “sophisticated soda”, a category which has seen quite a few new contenders emerge over the past year or two.  Buoyed by gourmet/eco-conscious movements, these new-age sodas offer exotic ingredients and complex flavors that compete for the attention of foodies around the country.  Like some of these other companies, Sipp defines itself as an “Adult-friendly” soda by offering cocktail recipes for its various flavors.  (I would have tried the one for Ginger Blossom, too, but unfortunately I didn’t happen to have “organic cucumber vodka” lying around the house.)

Flavor

So enough about the image – how does it taste? Time to pop this one open to find out.  I twist off the black bottle cap and take a whiff.  A deep, spicy ginger scent jumps out to greet my nostrils.  OK, now I’m curious!  It smells very much like fresh, natural ginger root.  I don’t get much of a vanilla or lime fragrance (which are also listed as main flavors), so let’s see if they come out in the taste.

Right when the fizzy liquid hits my tongue, I get a sweet sensation that melts away to spicy warmth as the ginger makes itself known.  I also detect a squeeze of lime sneaking around in the background, which harmonizes with the ginger surprisingly well.  And what about the vanilla?  I’m almost ready to give up the search when the unmistakable sweet-herbal flavor shows up in the lingering aftertaste.  Wow.  Not a lot of sodas can pull off this kind of complexity.  All three flavors have a definite presence, and all three work together to complement each other beautifully.

Conclusion

OK, I am officially a fan.  The only thing that gives me pause from awarding this soda a full 5.0 score is the sugar content.  One 12-oz bottle contains 32 grams of sugar.  For a comparison, the average 12-oz can of Coke is 39 grams.  Now granted, Sipp does score extra points for using Agave nectar as a sweetener, which has been shown to have benefits over normal processed sugar or HFCS (e.g. low glycemic load).  But still, I think they could have toned down the sugar content by just a few grams and still had a wonderfully complex and flavorful soda contender on their hands.

Score: 4.5 out of 5 – for delicious flavor alchemy, all natural/organic ingredients, and furthering eco-friendliness in general.

-Danithius-

*****  Review Rebuttal!  *****

When I first smelled this, I thought I had died and gone to ginger heaven.  The vanilla hides behind its spicy comrade, but still shows through.  The lime is absent in the scent, but then I got to taste it. The ginger charges out with a sweet fusillade of vanilla lime goodness.  The mellowness of the vanilla counters the spice of the ginger and the sour of the lime beautifully.  Aside from the sugar content, this is one of the more beautifully resigned beverages I’ve tried.  A solid 4.5 stars.

– WiseGuise

User reviews: (2 votes, average: 3.50 out of 5)
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4-Star Reviews, Sipp drink reviews

Here’s another Hansen’s review I dredged up out of the notebook, hopefully my memory serves me well enough to fill in the details. Our experiences with Hansen’s various lines have averaged 3 stars, so not bad.  Let’s see how their attempt at an all natural cola fares against my picky palate.

I yank back the tab and get a good smell, and it definitely has a cola aroma, and I can already detect the 41 g of sugar in the can.  It has an almost caramel sweetness to it, thanks the the natural cane sugar.  It leaves a mellow, lasting sweetness on the tongue, not acidic like Coke, but seems to be quite carbonated.  Has a vaguely citrusy aftertaste, and reminds me somewhat of Ironport.

After some consideration, the only thing that really stands out to me in this cola is the sweetness.  Despite its smooth drinkability that other colas lack, there are better, more complex colas to be had.  However, it may tickle the fancy of some of you out there, and is worth a try.  Also, they should get kudos for the interesting can design, far different from your more mainstream sodas.

Score: 2.5 out of 5. All natural, but nothing outstanding from this ‘original’ cola.

– WiseGuise

User reviews: (2 votes, average: 2.50 out of 5)
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2-Star Reviews, Hansen's drink reviews

As I wrote this review, I was slogging through a graveyard hift on 5 hours of sleep.  Suffice it to say, I needed some kind of pick-me-up.  My girlfriend picked this up for me, and decided to give it a try.  Brain Toniq has no caffeine, but has an interesting proprietary blend and is, according to the can, “fuel for my cranium.”  I pop the small can (8.4 oz) open and detect a light, fruity, citrusy scent, with hints of the agave sweetener.  With a swig I find that it is very lightly carbonated.  The taste is lightly sweet and herby, and finishes with a sweet fruitiness, and an earthy aftertaste.  The flavor is quite unique and pleasant.

The real test is my brain.  An hour after finishing this drink, I’m still dragging a bit, but possibly thinking clearer.  I’m going to have to call this test inconclusive.  Sugar is a little much for this, but it is agave nectar and therefore has a low glycemic index.  It is also vegan and kosher.  This was picked up at my local Sunflower Market, proprietor or healthy and organic goods.  I enjoyed this beverage, and would probably drink it again.

Score: 4.5 out of 5. A tasty and unique attempt at a healthy energy drink.

– WiseGuise

User Reviews: (3 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
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4-Star Reviews, True Toniqs agave, all natural, drink reviews, energy drink, kosher, vegan

Hi, Libationers!  Firstly, let me apologize for our unplanned Summer sabbatical.  I assure you, it was spent entirely fighting against the man in the name of healthier beverages.  But WiseGuise and I were so busy advancing the revolution that we barely had time to sit down and write new reviews!  But not to worry – here’s a brand new contender ready to be put to the test: a new Hansen’s flavor entitled “the Grove”.

Hansen’s was kind enough to send these out for us to review, so expect to see WiseGuise’s opinion coming up soon.

First, let’s start with the basic pro’s and cons of what I can see here.

Pros:

• Real cane sugar
• All natural
• No funky artificial colors

Cons:

• Sugar content – there are 34 grams in one 12 oz can.  (Coke has about 39 grams per can).
• No actual fruit content – the flavors are from fruit extracts.

This is all information that you can get just from glancing at the label.  But at the end of the day, you know I’m a sucker for flavor – so how does this stuff actually taste?

Berry-riffic, with a surprisingly tart/tangy aftertaste.  I really like the initial fruit flavor, which is a complex mix of berries and citrus.  But the dry astringency in the aftertaste makes it a little hard to keep up with.  This is definitely a sippin’ soda, if for no other reason than it would be almost impossible to chug.  But that’s okay, it still works on some level.  Is it my favorite?  Nope.  But it’s a worthy effort, and I like the direction they’re heading with it.

Conclusion

Hansen’s is taking a similar course as Jones Soda, who switched to all cane sugar some years ago.  I do like the all-natural approach, and this soda is assuredly better than many mainstream sodas out there in both flavor complexity and nutrition.  But I would like to see them take it to the next level, ala Izze’s real fruit juice content or Fizz Ed’s portion/sugar content control.  I like this, but in the end, neither the flavor nor the nutrition content is quite enough to make me seek it out at the grocery store.

Rating: 3.0 out of 5

-Danithius-

User Ratings: (2 votes, average: 2.50 out of 5)
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3-Star Reviews, Hansen's drink reviews

Straight up from down under

The wife of my girlfriend’s co-worker hails from Australia, and Bundaberg is his favorite soda from the big island.  He was kind enough to offer a bottle for her/our private consumption.  Apparently, Pepsi has started distributing it locally, but I have no official confirmation of this.  Little did he  know I swiped it and reviewed it.  Hooray for freebies!

First thing, this has an awesome little pull tab on it, but, being the American I am, I’m not quite familiar with this method of opening a bottle, so my pull is slow and careful.  It comes off without incident, and this foreign drink is subjected to the first test of any drink, the aroma test.  It smells awesome and super sweet; there’s 44 g of the white stuff in this 12.7 oz bottle.  The first taste I recognize is the spicy, dark sweet of molasses.  I catch hints of ginger and vanilla, and the licorice shows up in the aftertaste.  This is brewed using yeast, which often turns a soda fermenty and unpleasant to most people, but I can hardly tell with this, except for the malty-sweet taste and beer-like mouth-feel after I swallow.  The carbonation is light and the sweetness is surprisingly mellow and doesn’t stick to your tongue too long.

It has a nice spice and an interesting tang to it, something many American root beers lack, besides originality. The cane sugar and molasses give it a perfect, rich sweetness that the darker sugar tones down.  The flavor combination is perfect, leaving nothing to be desired of this Australian treat.  That’s exactly what it should be considered, a treat, if you can find it.  It currently isn’t distributed in the U.S.  Their slogan on the bottle, Naturally Brewed to be Better, seems apt.  I have nothing negative to say about this soda, despite the large amount of sugar in it.  This may be the best root beer I’ve ever had.

You can get it shipped your way from The Soda Shop.

Score: 5 out of 5. Root beers rarely get better than this.

– WiseGuise

*Danithius Review Rebuttal*

Wow.  So this is what real, naturally brewed root beer tastes like.  My palate is buzzing from this brewed root tonic, which packs a champagne-y tang  from the actual fermentation process that it went through (although it is totally non-alcoholic.)  Real sarsaparilla root, licorice root, vanilla bean, and molasses make this drink about as real as any root beer you’ll ever drink in your life.   Yes, it is a helluva lot of sugar, but WiseGuise is right.  This is a treat that is meant to be savored as an experience – guzzling it would be a crime!  I dig it as much as he did.

User Reviews: (4 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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5-Star Reviews, Bundaberg drink reviews

All right now, boys and girls, I’ve got the last purity.organic review for your consumption.  Thanks again to purity for supplying these for our particular and often verbose scrutiny.  This last one is an intriguing citrus and tropical fruit combination which I am excited to try.

Right off the top I can smell orange, lemon, a hint of pineapple and passion fruit. I toss back a mouthful and am greeted with a delicious multi-layered taste, sweet and tangy.  The fruit flavors come one at a time, unlike many fruit punch concoctions where one flavor takes over or they are completely indistinguishable, buried under sugar.  It is slightly pulpy, so remember to shake it, but it isn’t gritty.

This is quite easy to drink, I ended up chugging most of it, leaving my mouth and tongue feeling sweet and tingly.  The sugar is about that of a Coke 29 g per serving, but it’s 40% juice, so not a terrible amount is added.  Overall I really enjoyed this citrusy tropical extravaganza; all it lacked was some rum, a coconut, and a tiny umbrella.

I am also impressed with their efforts to get a higher return to the small farmers they purchase from, and their encouraging of sustainable agriculture.  It isn’t just some hippie feel-good idea, it can be a reality if we start purchasing our produce from local farmers, farmers markets, and store that sell and support locally grown and organic produce.  Any more questions?  Look here.

Score: 4.5 out of 5. Delicious fruity tropical punch, organic and sustainable!

– WiseGuise

User Reviews: (2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
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4-Star Reviews, Purity.Organics drink reviews, organic

Almost forgot the photo . . .

I’ve been absent for several weeks, much to my own dismay, spending a great deal of that time packing, cleaning and frantically moving, so my internet and beverage duties fell to the wayside.  A thousand apologies.  I’m back, thankfully, with my second-to-last purity.organic review, and a rebuttal, posted below, to the Half & Half Danithius reviewed.  Hopefully I will be much more prompt with my reviews, as I already have the next four lined up in my fridge.  Sorry for my absence and the delay with these particular reviews.  On with the show.

My first inclination at opening this is to assume it is going to be much like a strawberry lemonade, particularly from the aroma.   My first sip does not oppose this thesis, it actually reinforces it with quite a lemony kick.  Maybe more like a sour boot heel to the chin.  It leads in briefly with a berry sweetness, then the tartness and lemon-sour attack my flavor-receptors with a combo that lasts.  I thought I might build up an immunity to this, but after a few more mouthfuls, the prognosis was negative. If tastes could hurt you, this would have bruised my tongue.

The strawberry continues to remain evident only at first, but vanishes under a jaw-tightening pucker, being completely overwhelmed by the lemon.  A curious and possible cause for this may be the fact they have used lemon juice, lemon juice concentrate and lemon emulsion, compared with just strawberry puree.  There is also aronia berry (chokeberry) juice, which is naturally astringent.  Even the 28 g of sugar per serving doesn’t tone down the tartness and sourness of this beverage.  I may be stressing this too much.

It is definitely a unique flavor combo, but it was just too much for me.  Even regular strawberry lemonade isn’t even this sour.   I just wasn’t prepared for such a foray into the less forgiving territories of my taste-buds.  I’ve never quite had a drink like this before, but I’m not so sure that I want to try it again.  I never enjoy giving a less than favorable review, but I feel obligated to state my personal experience and opinion.  I can’t write reviews like this, it just isn’t my style.  Others may fully enjoy this beverage, but I had a hard time finishing it.

Score: 2.5 out of 5. A puckering excursion into the sour parts of Strawberry Paradise.

– WiseGuise

User Reviews: (2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
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2-Star Reviews, Purity.Organics drink reviews, organic