Cascade Ice - Fruit Punch

(Written in February, posted for reference)

Aroma : Pleasantly peachy, with a hint of apple and grape, not syrupy sweet and too-intense, like many fruit punch beverages. It even smells healthier, like a bowl of ripe fruits on a warm mid-summer day.

Taste : The mild sweetness combines well with the natural fruit flavors, and the sweetness sticks around, with no chemicals to leave a bizarre aftertaste like many brightly colored fruit punches. There was really no unpleasant flavors at all in this 'Flavored Vitamin Enhanced Water.'

Price : available at Albertson's

Ingredients : Water, organic cane sugar, citric acid, monopotassium phosphate, natural flavor, grape juice concentrate (color), ascorbic acid, magnesium lactate, calcium lactate pentahydrate, black carrot juice concentrate (color), niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate, red cabbage juice concentrate (color), pyridoxine hydrochloride, retinol palmitate, cyanocobalamin. (don't worry, all those things you can't pronounce are vitamins)

Other Comments : I had a difficult time finding out any information about this product, other than it is manufactured by Cascade Ice Water under the direction of Unique Beverage Company out of Washington. They also make the Wired Energy drinks, though we wont be doing many reviews of energy drinks, being somewhat against our guidelines. If anyone has any other information about this company and it's products, please contact us.

Overall : This is probably one of the best fruit punches I have had, although there isn't much fruit juice in it, which in my opinion is a good thing, since it can he drank in larger quantities without a sugar overload. I was slightly annoyed at the USDA Organic logo placed directly in the middle of the label in two spots, and the packaging itself isn't all that impressive, and it isn't widely available as far as I can tell, at least not yet. I hope it gets better distribution, because I enjoyed this drink.

Rating : 4.5/5 stars.

--WiseGuise

Honest Tea Sublime Mate

Aroma:You get a sense of the leafy Yerba Mate as soon as you open the cap. It smells slightly sweet, slightly sour, most likely due to the blending of organic lime and lemon juice with the ginger syrup and cane sugar. The Yerba Mate's scent is strongest, though, and reminds me of green tea.
Taste: This drink has a nicely blended and complex flavor. It is, as the label states, "a tad sweet". I think the sugar level is just right. The flavor of the Yerba Mate tea (again, similar to green tea) is enhanced, as any other tea would be, with a nice squeeze of lemon or lime juice and sugar. They go together just fine. You can detect a little trace of the ginger if you really try. The flavor of the Yerba Mate sticks around the longest, but it's not really bitter, it's quite pleasant. I'm a fan.
Price: $1.25 (on sale) at local health food store, available online.
Ingredients: purified water, organic cane sugar, organic lime juice, organic Yerba Mate, organic ginger syrup, natural lime flavor and organic lemon juice concentrate.
Other Comments: About 20g of sugar per bottle - not bad compared to about 40 in a can of soda. Honest Tea seems to be committed to good business ethics, as well as producing fair trade certified and certified organic products. Most all their products are low on sugar and nutrition-focused, making them good alternatives to soda. This particular drink, Yerba Mate, is described as a traditional South American energy drink that only has approximately 1/10 the caffeine of coffee. Evidently people get together and drink this out of gourds for a good time. I'm down with that, let's go get some gourds.
Overall: This is a solid drink, with well balanced flavor, low sugar, fruit juice, and a solid company to back it. Flavor wise it's nothing revolutionary, but there's something to be said for the traditional taste of slightly sweetened tea with lemon (and lime, in this case). It's a good flavor, and they do it well.

Rating: 4.0/5 stars.

-Danithius

***Review Rebuttal!***
Danithius stole this one right out from under me, I bought it the day he posted it. Curses. Anyhow, I have become a fan of Yerba Mate, and this drink didn't disappoint. It reminded me of a lightly sweet lime-ade flavored with Mate. It finishes smooth, and there is that hint of ginger. I found this very refreshing, I'll be drinking this again.
4.5 stars.

-WiseGuise

Crystal Geyser Mountain Raspberry

Aroma: There's a nice, deep berry scent emanating from this drink.
Taste: They're fairly spot on with the raspberry flavor in this. It's not too sweet, and has just the right amount of tartness. The light touch of carbonation is a nice finish.
Price: $0.69 at local health food store, nationally distributed.
Ingredients: pure juice from grape, red raspberry, lemon and elderberry juice concentrate, sparkling water, natural flavors and the following B-complex vitamins: niacinamide and vitamin B12.
Other Comments: This drink is sweetened only with fruit juice, and can be a great alternative to soda. It does have a good amount of sugar, with this particular flavor clocking in at about 29 g for one 12 oz bottle. Still, one that's about 10 g less than your average can of Coke. As far as I can see, the company is still independent.
Overall: The price is right, the taste is good, and they use real juice. It is carbonated and you do have to watch the sugar, but overall I am very pleased with this drink. This is superior to regular soda in all the ways that count, and you'll be much better off turning to a beverage like this when you want a sweet treat.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars.

-Danithius