Zevia – Natural Twist Review (Old)
***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.***
Smells like sprite lite!
This stuff is sweetened with Stevia, an herb extract that was banned by the FDA, reportedly after receiving one anonymous complaint. Hmm… I wonder if that call could be traced back to the Corn Refiners Association. Anyway, check out the Orange flavor for a more detailed exploration of the Stevia topic.
Down to business. While I’m an advocate of Stevia use (especially when compared to other artificial sweeteners on the market), it has to be used right. If you don’t have the right flavor to begin with, it doesn’t matter what you use to sweeten it, you’ll still end up with a subpar finished product. This drink had an off aftertaste, and hardly any citrus flavor, or any flavor at all, for that matter. The lemon and lime flavor could be much more pronounced. Nay, they must be more pronounced for a beverage that’s trying to subvert the diet drink market! I’ve tasted lemongrass teas that had stronger flavor than this. There’s no punch, and it leaves a bit of phlegm buildup in the back of your throat.
Again, I love the idea of getting away from heavy sugar use, but you still have to sport sufficient flavor to give me and the rest of the population a reason to switch to you. If I was dieting and I had a choice between this and water, I’d go with water. For the narrow segment of people that want something fizzy without any sugar and without chemical-based artificial sweeteners, this may do the trick. But I warn you, Zevia, they’d be fair-weather consumers at best! As soon as another Stevia option comes along with a halfway decent flavor, you’ll be wondering where your sales revenues have gone.
I love what you’re trying to do, but you could be so much more than than what you are now! With the right flavors on your side, you could make something that would woo all soda drinkers into your sweet herbal embrace!
Rating 2.0/5 – great potential, but this particular entry fizzes out.
- Danithius -
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Stevia was just approved by the FDA on Dec. 18th. Both Pepsi and Coke have announced they’ll have beverages that use will use it.
Well, well, so they have! What a nice Christmas present. I just hope that the Big Soda bunch don’t find a way to “chemically enhance” the stuff somehow.