Better Libations | Healthy Drink Reviews

This infusion comes from the good people at Honest, whom we have come to adore over the years for their healthy, tasty drinks.  This line came out of the blue for me, Danithius was apparently more on the up-and-up with things going on in the world of cacao.  Cherry and chocolate is one of those beloved flavor combinations that conjure childhood memories of eating chocolate cherries until you get sick.  But this tandem of tastes goes well beyond that.  The two are sensually-charged alone, together they create something akin to a ‘flavor explosion’, but less overdone and cliche.

With all the cocoa sediment, this one really needs a good shake.  After a twist of the ‘organic’-emblazoned lid, I get the first lusty aromatic experience.  The cherry cacao scent is strong with this one, at once sharp, sweet and earthy.  A smokey scent is present, but just a hint.  The taste is sweet with a hint of the cherry tartness, and a smooth background flavor of the cacao and chickory.  One might expect this to be thick and creamy, like a chocolate milk, but it has no milk products in it.  It still has a creamy quality to it, with a smokey hint from the roasted ingredients.

It’s like eating chocolate dipped cherries in front of a fire on a moonlit night–inside of a bottle.  Only fifty calories, delicious, a sensory overload and organic/fair trade?  Yeah, that will pass our guidelines.  If this came by the quart, I would chug it straight from the bottle.  Beware chocolate lovers and those with experienced palates, this one will draw you in and leave you wanting more, like a low-calorie, amazing one-night stand.

Score: 5 out of 5. Not your average chocolate beverage, but far above average; and not bad for you.

– WiseGuise

** Danithius Review Rebuttal **

Cherry is the PERFECT flavor to round out Honest Tea’s cacao-drink trio.  The spot-on sweet cherry flavor in this bottle dances beautifully with the cocoa and roasted chicory essences.  This is the perfect flavor to introduce you to the CocoaNova line; it has the familiarity of a cherry cordial and yet feels somehow exotic as you explore the roasty richness of Honest’s cocoa blend.  Another 5.0 in my book!

User Reviews: (2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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5-Star Reviews, Honest Tea fair trade, organic

You read that right, this is a beverage based off of the well-known cleaner and folk remedy vinegar.  Apple cider vinegar is supposed to have several health benefits and potential for aiding in weight loss, but can have negative effects if used excessively.   I’ve used it before in attempts to rid my throat of a stubborn cold, with dubious results, though I’m not very patient when it comes to experiments like that.  Anyhow, I spotted this at my local Sunflower Market and my curiosity overwhelmed my distaste for consuming vinegar, so I decided to give it a shot, all for you, our awesome readers.  Today, I happen to be feeling the effects from lingering illness, so it should be as good a time as any.

The label has a old-timey, folksy feel to it, which fits with the theme of this drink; there’s a Jesus-fish on the back with a fairly benign scripture reference in it, 3 John 2.  The first smell is a little overwhelming, strongly promoting its namesake ingredient, but with a pleasant overtone of concord grapes.  The first swallow slides over my tongue with little hints of the fruit juices it contains, and the vinegar marks its presence at the entrance to my throat.  It’s not a strong burn, but not entirely pleasant, either.  Subsequent mouthfuls go down easier, the vinegar not becoming as apparent.  The flavors are mild and almost not sweet, not something you would expect from a sugary juice like grape.  This is sweetened with stevia, and only has 10 g of carbs in the whole 16 oz bottle, so bonus points for that.

This drink rates a little more toward the extreme end on the drink-o-meter, not something I would personally drink all that often.  The power of the vinegar takes some getting used to, but when you do it isn’t a terrible experience.  This could have been much worse than it was, but wasn;t quite what I expected, even though I’m not sure what I expected, really.  The aftertaste feels a little on the dry side, like after  mouthful of wine, but has no unpleasantness to it (unless you happen to burp–don’t do this).  I didn’t think I was going to finish the whole bottle when I started, but I did anyway, I almost started to like it by the end of the bottle.

After some consideration, I would recommend this to anyone daring enough to try things out of their comfort range, anyone looking to cut down on the sugar content in their diets and anyone looking for interesting homeopathic remedies to their daily woes.  I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone why can’t handle acidic or non-sweet beverages, leaving their comfort zone or folk medicine.  The after effects of this remain to be seen, but my nose seems to be clearing up already and I feel fuller, another effect of vinegar.  Come on, you know you want to try it.

Score: 3.5 out of 5. A strange concoction bound to test the limits of your palate and might keep you younger!

– WiseGuise

User Reviews: (6 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
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3-Star Reviews, Bragg all natural, drink reviews, organic, Stevia

I’ve tried a few of Adina‘s Holistics line recently, and was ashamed to realize that we have only reviewed one of them.  I also realized that my reviews have been fairly scant recently, although I blame moving a business and a home around the same time.  I should be back on the review train shortly, so today I bring you Jade Green Tea!

I really dig their new bottles, with the tribal monkey thing on it and the original shape and design.  I twist off the cap and away I go into olfactory delight.  There’s a definite herb-y scent to it, with an almost lemon-honey smell.  The taste is very herb-y and flowery, with a mysterious leafy spice in it, and a pleasant citrus, sweet aftertaste; there’s nothing bitter about this tea.

There’s plenty of good stuff in this bottle, including tulsi (Thai Holy Basil!) and some stuff I’ve never heard of like ashwagandha and eleutherococcus senticosus root.  The ingredients are organic, and the tea and sugar are fair-trade certified, which is pretty awesome in my opinion.  Aside from the beneficial bits, the sugar comes in at 26 G in the 14 oz bottle, which isn’t terrible.

Overall, I’m quite impressed with this beverage, the ingredients are unique and organic, and the flavor is surprisingly complex and pleasing.  Basically, this is delicious, and I can see myself drinking this on a more regular basis, I really can.

Score: 5 out of 5. A surprising find in an increasingly saturated market of  ‘organic herbal drinks.’

– Wiseguise

User Reviews: (2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
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5-Star Reviews, Adina green tea, organic

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

ImPRESSive?

A telling sign of any good apple juice or cider is its lack of clarity.  This juice is as opaque as they come, with a nice ruddy brown color.  This is a good indication that it is a pure, un-clarified apple juice without any white grape juice mixed in to thin it out and make it clear and pretty.  This is actually pressed in a cider house according to purity.organic, and is labeled as a limited pressing.

Breaking the seal, it smells just like a freshly juices apples, but stronger, as if its been concentrated.  You better believe it tastes like it too.  It is rather sweet, as it is pure, unadulterated apple juice, almost too sweet.  It finishes a bit tart, a nice follow up on the sweetness.  I don’t think I could drink too much of this at once, so it’s probably a good think that the bottle is only 16 oz.  Still, it has 54 grams of sugar, that about equals Coke, without the HFCS, caffeine, and carbonation and other junk.

It tastes great, very apple-y, and it kind of reminds me of those dried apple slices that are so delicious.  As juices go, this ranks right up there with Simply Apple, which has slightly more sugar.  Purity.Organic’s Apple Juice is definitely a much better option than any of the sugar-added juices out there, but if you’re watching your sugar intake it might not be the best choice.  Still, it’s a sweet, tasty treat.

Score: 4 out of 5. A superior though sugary apple rendering.

– WiseGuise

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

The first of my share of the Purity.Organic drinks is also a ‘functional’ drink, and lower in sugar than the others.  The function of this drink is balance, according to the front of the bottle.  This one is infused with Maca, a plant grown in South America at high altitudes, where little else grows.  It is supposedly high in antioxidants, and has other bueno health effects as does cranberry.  The combination with lime makes this particular beverage very appealing, at least to me.

With a crack of the seal, I get strong indicators of cranberry and lime, a good sign for a beverage that is mostly water and white grape juice.  With one sip, I know I’m going to like this.  The tart of the cranberry leads in and followed closely by a bit of sour from the lime, then finishes with the natural sweetness of the cane juice and fruit juices.  The sweetness is light, only 28 g per 16 oz bottle.

I’m quite impressed with this, my first experience with Purity.Organic.  The flavors are well balanced and the sweetness doesn’t take over and cover them up.  I can definitely see myself consuming this rapidly during or after a good workout, run, hike or bout of video-game play, all exhausting activities.  I wish I had seen these before, but I’m not surprised since the closest place I can find that carries them is a restaurant I rarely go to.  Look for them yourself if you are interested.

Score: 5 out of 5. Sweet-sour-tart functional drink from the heavens–or wherever Purity.Organic is located.

– WiseGuise

User Reviews: (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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5-Star Reviews, Purity.Organics all natural, organic

I haven’t reviewed an iced tea in a while, and this one was politely donated by my girlfriend and purchased from the local Good Earth health grocer, and couldn’t say no.  This is not my first Steaz, I have sampled their tea before, but never managed to sit down and review one.  In a world of sub-par teas, it’s nice to find a company that focuses on theirs and strives to make them flavorful and conscientious.

After my last experience with a mint flavored tea, I was hesitant to try this, but my worry was needless.  Scent-wise, the mint isn’t overpowering, and the tea is tangible.  Flavor-wise, it’s tangy and pleasantly minty, finishing with a soft tea flavor and a perfect dryness.  This is what Lipton iced tea should taste like, (minus the mint) with less than half the ingredients and 6 g less sugar.  Iced teas have been pushed out into the market as something that should be syrupy-sweet and lemon-sour, with hardly any recognizable tea flavor and a generic taste.  This doesn’t have to be, and this tea shows it.

This entire line of iced teas are all natural, organic  and fair trade, and at least with this particular tea, only 20 g of sugar in the 16 oz can.  Light on sugars and organic like Honestea, environmentally conscious and next-door sexy like Hayden Panettiere.  Okay, that last one is only opinion, and I’m probably going to get in trouble for it.  If you like iced teas, these are definitely worth a try.

Score: 4.5 out of 5. Pleasant and minty and definitely not generically flavored.

– WiseGuise

User Ratings: (1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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4-Star Reviews, Steaz all natural, green tea, organic

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

As is usual when we receive a group of drinks to try, we split them up according to our preference, expertise, or just at random.  In this case it was all three.  I chose Esteban’s Rootbeer as my first, since Danithius had already tried it, and I gave my rebuttal.  My second oogave choice was this fruity number, since I am fond of citrus in mostly healthy ways.

Popping the top, my nose is greeted by  light, grapefruit-y scent, sweet and bubbly as your favorite waitress.  The taste follows with an undeniable link to the citrus waft, although more hinted at than fully explored, finishing with a grape-y mellow sweetness with a lingering memory of grapefruit o the back of your tongue.  None of the sour or bitterness I expected is evident, which is usually associated with this particular fruit, but not necessarily in a bad way.  Many are turned off by this pithy flavor in grapefruit, which is unwarranted.  Good grapefruits are sweet.

The agave tends to coat your mouth and throat, definitely leaning this towards being a sipping soda.  The agave nectar does seem to make me feel fuller after topping off my lunch with this, I don’t need to hit the water cooler or find something else to snack on.  I am refreshed and full.  I found this a welcome alternative to traditional sodas, oogave definitely has something here.

Score: 4.5 out of 5. A tad sweet, but definitely a citrus soda I will remember.

– WiseGuise

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4-Star Reviews, oogave oogave, organic