Ayala's Jasmine Vanilla

Aroma: The jasmine wafting from this drink easily catches your attention as you prepare to take a sip. The softer vanilla undertones are also detectable, and they serve to round out this fragrance quite well.

Taste: Firstly, (I've noticed this with all the flavors), the water itself tastes pure and has no trace of that bottled water or mineral water taste that I have come to despise.
That said, wow. I've never had a jasmine-infused beverage before, but let me tell you, it's an amazing experience. You can actually taste the flower blossoms. It's like a bouquet of deliciously sweet smelling flowers...but in your mouth. That's the only way I can describe it. Let me lay it down for you this way: if you like seeking out new and interesting flavors, you have to try this.

Price: $2.00/bottle when purchased in a case of 12 - available through their online store. At first I thought this a bit pricey, but then I realized it includes free shipping, which can be a bear when shipping heavy beverages.

Ingredients: purified water, honey, extracts of vanilla beans and jasmine blossoms

Other Comments: It's almost creepy how well these guys matched our drink submission requirements and our overall mission. They're a small independent company that hasn't yet been gobbled up by one of the big boys (as far as I can tell). They're locally distributed in New York City and Philadelphia markets, but they are available nationwide through their website. They have a hard-core distaste for high fructose corn syrup and anything artificial. They have a passion for healthy living. And they make some of the most interesting natural drink flavors that I've ever seen. (I'm a chef, so I got all giddy when I read about their different herb and spice-based flavors). The herb selections aren't all arbitrary, either. They have an outline of all the herbs on the label which tells you about their individual benefits.
Ayala is the name of the woman who created these drinks, and not surprisingly she is a cook and a doctor (a pediatrician, to be exact). Evidently she was looking for an alternative to sugar-laden and artificially flavored beverages. A clip from their site: "Americans are getting heavier—in fact, two-thirds of us are overweight or obese. We simply consume many more calories than we need, and a significant amount of those extra calories comes from sugar and high fructose corn syrup." Boom! Short and sweet.

Overall: Here again Ayala's has succeeded in making a tasty drink with no sweeteners, fillers, or artificial crap. As noted on the other Ayala's reviews, I am quite impressed with the company's efforts to be green, which along with their focus on health earns them extra points. Jasmine vanilla is one of the most interesting and unique flavors that I have tried from Ayala's or from anywhere, and I like it quite a bit. Five stars for taste, originality, nutrition, concept and company.

Rating: 5/5 stars.

-Danithius

Ayala's Ginger Lemon Peel

Aroma: The lemon peel really shines through at first whiff, and is followed by deeper ginger overtones. It smells very fresh.

Taste: Firstly, (I've noticed this with all the flavors), the water itself tastes pure and has no trace of that bottled water or mineral water taste that I have come to despise. This flavor is very well balanced between the two main ingredients - at first you get a nice refreshing splash of lemon flavor, then right after you swallow the spicier ginger flavor comes out to play. I must say, I enjoyed the whole experience quite a bit.

Price: $2.00/bottle when purchased in a case of 12 - available through their online store. At first I thought this a bit pricey, but then I realized it includes free shipping, which can be a bear when shipping heavy beverages.

Ingredients: purified water, extracts of lemon peel and ginger root, natural herbal flavor

Other Comments: It's almost creepy how well these guys matched our drink submission requirements and our overall mission. They're a small independent company that hasn't yet been gobbled up by one of the big boys (as far as I can tell). They're locally distributed in New York City and Philadelphia markets, but they are available nationwide through their website. They have a hard-core distaste for high fructose corn syrup and anything artificial. They have a passion for healthy living. And they make some of the most interesting natural drink flavors that I've ever seen. (I'm a chef, so I got all giddy when I read about their different herb and spice-based flavors). The herb selections aren't all arbitrary, either. They have an outline of all the herbs on the label which tells you about their individual benefits.
Ayala is the name of the woman who created these drinks, and not surprisingly she is a cook and a doctor (a pediatrician, to be exact). Evidently she was looking for an alternative to sugar-laden and artificially flavored beverages. A clip from their site: "Americans are getting heavier—in fact, two-thirds of us are overweight or obese. We simply consume many more calories than we need, and a significant amount of those extra calories comes from sugar and high fructose corn syrup." Boom! Short and sweet.

Overall: Here again Ayala's has succeeded in making a tasty drink with no sweeteners, fillers, or artificial crap. As noted on the other Ayala's reviews, I am quite impressed with the company's efforts to be green, which along with their focus on health earns them extra points. I found this flavor quite refreshing, and enjoyed every second of drinking it. The best part is, it won't make you hate yourself in the morning. You can drink this to your heart's content and will only be the better for it.

Rating: 5/5 stars.

-Danithius

Ayala's Cinnamon Orange Peel

Aroma: When you inhale deeply you can smell the orange peel mixed with some floral scent I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe the honey plays into this mystery scent as well, although there isn't even enough to make a gram of sugar.

Taste: Firstly, (I've noticed this with all the flavors), the water itself tastes pure and has no trace of that bottled water or mineral water taste that I have come to despise. As noted in the aroma section, there is more at play in this drink than just cinnamon and orange peel. It has a sweet, flowery flavor with that in fact largely overshadows the other ingredients. It is a fine flavor, but personally I would prefer a stronger, spicier cinnamon-orange kick.

Price: $2.00/bottle when purchased in a case of 12 - available through their online store. At first I thought this a bit pricey, but then I realized it includes free shipping, which can be a bear when shipping heavy beverages.

Ingredients: purified water, honey, extracts of orange peels and flowers, extracts of cinnamon bark, natural herbal flavor

Other Comments: It's almost creepy how well these guys matched our drink submission requirements and our overall mission. They're a small independent company that hasn't yet been gobbled up by one of the big boys (as far as I can tell). They're locally distributed in New York City and Philadelphia markets, but they are available nationwide through their website. They have a hard-core distaste for high fructose corn syrup and anything artificial. They have a passion for healthy living. And they make some of the most interesting natural drink flavors that I've ever seen. (I'm a chef, so I got all giddy when I read about their different herb and spice-based flavors). The herb selections aren't all arbitrary, either. They have an outline of all the herbs on the label which tells you about their individual benefits.
Ayala is the name of the woman who created these drinks, and not surprisingly she is a cook and a doctor (a pediatrician, to be exact). Evidently she was looking for an alternative to sugar-laden and artificially flavored beverages. A clip from their site: "Americans are getting heavier—in fact, two-thirds of us are overweight or obese. We simply consume many more calories than we need, and a significant amount of those extra calories comes from sugar and high fructose corn syrup." Boom! Short and sweet.

Overall: Here again Ayala's has succeeded in making a tasty drink with no sweeteners, fillers, or artificial crap. As noted on the other Ayala's reviews, I am quite impressed with the company's efforts to be green, which along with their focus on health earns them extra points.
However, with this particular flavor I was expecting a more spot-on cinnamon orange taste. It's a fine flavor as it is, but I would consider renaming it so people won't be surprised. And for this reason I am docking off .5 points from an otherwise five-star product.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars.

-Danithius

Ayala's Lavender Mint Lemongrass Thyme

Aroma: A deeply herbal scent consisting mainly of the lemongrass, lavender and thyme.

Taste: Firstly, (I've noticed this with all the flavors), the water itself tastes pure and has no trace of that bottled water or mineral water taste that I have come to despise. This flavor is deep and complex, with each of the four individual tastes playing its part. The thyme and lavender make for an especially interesting combination- kind of a sweet but down-to-earth flavor that holds my interest well. The herb taste is fresh but never overpowering or bitter, and it lingers in your mouth after the water is gone.

Price: $2.00/bottle when purchased in a case of 12 - available through their online store. At first I thought this a bit pricey, but then I realized it includes free shipping, which can be a bear when shipping heavy beverages.

Ingredients: purified water, extracts from lavender leaves, spearmint leaves, lemon grass, and thyme leaves

Other Comments: It's almost creepy how well these guys matched our drink submission requirements and our overall mission. They're a small independent company that hasn't yet been gobbled up by one of the big boys (as far as I can tell). They're locally distributed in New York City and Philadelphia markets, but they are available nationwide through their website. They have a hard-core distaste for high fructose corn syrup and anything artificial. They have a passion for healthy living. And they make some of the most interesting natural drink flavors that I've ever seen. (I'm a chef, so I got all giddy when I read about their different herb and spice-based flavors). The herb selections aren't all arbitrary, either. They have an outline of all the herbs on the label which tells you about their individual benefits.
Ayala is the name of the woman who created these drinks, and not surprisingly she is a cook and a doctor (a pediatrician, to be exact). Evidently she was looking for an alternative to sugar-laden and artificially flavored beverages. A clip from their site: "Americans are getting heavier—in fact, two-thirds of us are overweight or obese. We simply consume many more calories than we need, and a significant amount of those extra calories comes from sugar and high fructose corn syrup." Boom! Short and sweet.

Overall: Here again Ayala's has succeeded in making a tasty drink with no sweeteners, fillers, or artificial crap. This particular flavor was quite interesting to me. You could sip this drink while contemplating its intricacies on a Sunday afternoon, or you could slam it down after an intense workout session. Either way I think you'll find what you're looking for. I am quite impressed with the company's efforts to be green as well, which along with their focus on health earns them extra points. I don't hesitate to give this product a full five stars.

Rating: 5/5 stars.

-Danithius

Crystalline Fructose: A WiseGuise Diatribe

This substance has been on my mind since I first discovered it in beverages a couple months ago. It has the sound of something natural, and for the longest time I have been under the false assumption that 'fructose' was strictly a fruit sugar. Not so.

I'm not going to go into the lengthy description of what it is and how it's processed by your body, you may need physics and biology degrees to understand some of it, and I have neither, so I'm not going to try and explain it. Basically it comes down to this. Crystalline fructose is a sugar that is created by letting fructose crystallize in 'fructose-enriched' corn syrup. Hmm.

Ergo, it is produced from and similar to HFCS, but NOT the same, however, both are high in fructose, which is broken down by the liver, and too much of this over time can have adverse effects, including a fatty liver and cirrhosis. Not good. And even more disturbing, (if that isn't enough), CF contains arsenic and other heavy metals, deadly poisons you do not want collecting in your body.

From now on there will be no more reviews of drinks by me personally on this website that contain this ingredient, and Danithius had agreed to the same. I am sorry for any previous promotion of any beverage containing this substance.

-WiseGuise

Frützzo Organic Pomegranate Açai

Aroma : Mmmm. The familiar scents of pomegranate and pineapple are the most prevalent, with hints of black currant and açai. And yes, you can smell the 41 grams of (natural) sugar too.

Taste : Sweet and tangy right out of the gate, thanks to the pineapple and pomegranate, followed closely by the fainter tastes of currant and açai. The small açai on the label must mean they were aware that the berry's flavor was diminutive. The tartness of the pomegranate lingers the longest, but doesn't dry your mouth out.

Price : About $1.99 or higher for a 12oz bottle, mostly at WalMart.

Ingredients : Organic pomegranate, organic apple and/or organic pear, organic pineapple, organic açai, organic black currant juices from concentrate, and natural flavors.

Other Comments : Frützzo has a fun, funky little site, but nowhere to purchase their drinks online. Actually, I couldn't find anywhere online to purchase them, but plenty of other reviews. But you're not reading those, are you? Good. They remain a small company, with a line of all-natural drinks based on pomegranate juice, known for its health benefits, including the fighting of free radicals.

Overall : The flavors are strong and balanced, though it seems lacking in açai flavor. The bottle is pretty cool too, and apparently they won awards for the design. All in all, I found it a refreshing, tangy beverage that is high in antioxidants, but also high in sugar. If I had my choice between this and a much cheaper juice blend, I would still probably stick with this.

Rating : 4/5 stars.

-WiseGuise

Tazo Plum Pomegranate Green Tea

Aroma : The sweet fruity smell of plum and pomegranate come first, followed by the familiar scent of green tea, which evanesces before you have a chance to enjoy the expected earthy aroma of green tea.

Taste : The sweet plum juice mixes with the mildly tart pomegranate and is followed by the unpresumptuous green tea, which vanishes in the tongue sapping tart of the pomegranate, leaving a faint sweet aftertaste of plum, but no tea.

Price : $1.39 at Good Earth. Available at stores nationwide.

Ingredients : An infusion of (water, green tea, and natural flavors), cane sugar, concentrated plum and pomegranate juices, natural flavors, and citric acid.

Other Comments : The same self-aggrandizement continues on this bottle as noted on the other Tazo sampling. One Thing Danithius neglected to mention, the website is very hip and pedantic, but a bit difficult to maneuver the first time around. And the second.

Overall : This is a pleasant juice blend, particularly for those fond of tart fruits like pomegranate, but it is supposed to be a juice/tea blend, and the barely recognizable hints of tea spoiled my opinion of this as such. Good as a juice, not so as a tea.

Rating : 3.5/5 stars.

-WiseGuise