Crystal Light Liquid

In further keeping with my recent tradition of seemingly non-stop water enhancer reviews, I have—thanks to some samples sent over by the wonderful people at Kraft Foods—one of the newest additions to the water enhancer market to talk about today: Kraft's new Crystal Light Liquid. By this point, most people are familiar with Crystal Light. As one of the first low-calorie drink mixes to reach widespread popularity, Crystal Light has become somewhat of a household name, and with the recent rise to prominence of Kraft's MiO Liquid Water Enhancer, it was only a matter of time before the company's trademark powdered flavoring mix was converted into a handy liquid concentrate.

As alluded to in the first sentence of the paragraph above, I have been reviewing a lot of water enhancers lately. These portable, "on-the-go" bottles of flavoring concentrate have become very popular over the past couple of years, and the industry is responding to this rise in popularity by releasing new enhancers en masse. It seems like every time I walk into the grocery store, there is a new water enhancer on the shelf with the rest of them. Some stores in my area have even had to install new, specialized shelving to make room for new brands and keep all of the tiny bottles organized.

Custom, dispenser-style shelving at a local Bi-Lo grocery store.

While I am always glad to see a new idea take hold so firmly in the beverage industry, the sudden proliferation of so many water enhancers into the marketplace has left me at a bit of a disadvantage in that it is becoming somewhat difficult to come up with adequately descriptive ways to differentiate between all of the different brands. Many of the water enhancers that are currently available are—if we are to be completely honest—fairly similar. Most of them use similar ingredients and sweeteners (most commonly a combination of sucralose and acesulfame potassium), have the same general serving size and number of servings per bottle, and offer flavor lines relatively similar to most of the competition.

Crystal Light Liquid is no exception to these standards. The sweeteners and list of ingredients are almost identical to that of MiO, and the serving size remains constant at 24 servings per bottle. Where Crystal Light Liquid differentiates itself from the rest of the shelf, however, is its choice of flavors. The array of Crystal Light flavors is not only a good bit different from many of the flavor lines currently available on the market, but it is also varied in and of itself. At the time of this writing, each flavor in the line (Iced Tea, Pomtini, Peach Bellini, Strawberry Lemonade, Mango Passionfruit, and Blueberry Raspberry) is unique, and no one flavor element is repeated between the different varieties of Crystal Light Liquid. So far, I have tried the Mango Passionfruit and Blueberry Raspberry, and I have been satisfied with each.

While I can't say that the two flavors that I have tried have been worlds apart from the taste of other water enhancers that I've had recently, I can say that I have enjoyed both of them quite well. The Mango Passionfruit flavor is appropriately sweet in a "fruity, but not sickeningly so" sort of way, and the Blueberry Raspberry has a fitting "berry" taste that cuts the sweetness with a hint of tartness. While they obviously don't taste particularly natural, the flavors are quite good, and the formulas seems especially well-balanced in comparison to some of the flavors offered by the competition.

One thing that I noticed almost immediately upon sampling Crystal Light Liquid was that the flavor seems a bit lighter than it does in other brands. The artificial sweetener—while certainly still present—is not quite as noticeable in the flavor, and the artificiality of the drink as a whole is not as evident in the experience as it has been in previous efforts to perfect the portable water enhancer formula. From my experience so far, Crystal Light Liquid makes for a generally more pleasant drinking experience than many of the other water enhancers that I have tried. It is one of the first enhancers that I have ever used in two glasses of water in a row, and I don't find myself facing the "last ounce struggle" (having to either force myself to finish the last bit in the glass or pour it out due to an accumulation of artificial sweetener aftertaste lingering in my mouth) quite as often as I do with quite a few other enhancers.

All in all, Crystal Light Liquid is a welcome addition to the exploding world of liquid water enhancers. If you are a fan of water enhancers and have yet to give this one a shot (or perhaps a squirt), be sure to pick up a bottle on your next trip to the store. You won't be sorry.

Verdict: Recommended

Samples sent courtesy of Kraft Foods, Inc.
For more information about Crystal Light Liquid, visit the official website at:
www.crystallightliquid.com
Or follow Crystal Light on Facebook or Twitter

MiO Fit

Those who have been following Drinkable Review for the last year or two will be well aware of my long, involved history with Kraft's line of MiO water enhancers. I have been sampling new types and flavors of MiO since the original line was released in March of 2011. MiO Fit, intended to be a more economical replacement for conventional sports drinks, is the newest addition to the ever-expanding MiO arsenal.

MiO Fit, as one would expect, operates very much the same as other types of MiO. You simply add as much or as little MiO as you would like to your water, and give it a quick stir or shake to mix everything up. MiO Fit differs from its predecessors, however, in that it is intended to be a replacement for conventional sports drinks like Gatorade, Powerade, and Propel, to name a few. Each bottle of MiO Fit is fortified with electrolytes and B vitamins to help replenish the nutrients that your body burns up during exercise. Although I have not used MiO Fit in an athletic setting (I'm...uh..."taking a break" from my old jogging routine), this is the same approach as most of the well-established "professional" sports drinks. Because they work in essentially the same way, MiO Fit has one distinct advantage over its pre-bottled competition: multiple servings per bottle. For the same price as three 20 oz. bottles of Gatorade (7.5 servings), one bottle of MiO Fit will convert 18 equivalent servings of water into delicious exercise fuel.

And I do actually mean delicious. To be honest, MiO Fit sort of surprised me in that the flavors were good enough to stand alone as tasty beverages even before considering the added functionality. Anyone who has had a sports drink is likely familiar with the lingering, salty aftertaste that is generally only appealing during breaks from heavy workouts during which your only concern is how quickly you can get a liquid of some kind into your face. But Mio Fit has, on the whole, managed to avoid this aftertaste. It is still noticeable if you focus carefully on detecting the flavor, but it is very easy to overlook during regular consumption. This is actually somewhat impressive, as electrolytes are—from a chemical standpoint—essentially just salts. It's fairly obvious that Kraft put some time and effort into hiding the lingering saline aftertaste that haunts so many other sport/performance beverages.

The flavors themselves are also very tasty. The Arctic Grape flavor is very tasty, and while it does smack of artificiality, the grape flavoring is actually fairly subtle and easy to drink. It is not overbearing like many artificial grape flavorings and works well with the mild flavor-altering effects of the electrolytes and vitamins. The Berry Blast flavor, however, is where I was most impressed. I have a long history of generally disliking beverages with the sort of vague "artificial berry" flavoring that has become so common of these sorts of drinks, so I was not particularly excited to try the MiO Fit version of the flavor. But despite my hesitation, MiO Fit is officially one of the first berry-flavored things that I have legitimately enjoyed. Like the grape, the berry was much more subtle and understated than I expected it to be, and the sort of caustic, chemical taste that normally comes with artificial "berry" was surprisingly absent. Both flavors are excellent, and while I prefer the Arctic Grape to the Berry Blast, I do so only slightly. Either flavor would make a great choice when trying to decide which to try first.

Overall, MiO Fit is a very welcome addition to the MiO family. Those who exercise frequently will find a lot to like in the portability and "value for money" of MiO Fit. But even for those who do not follow a regular workout routine, MiO Fit offers two wonderful new flavors to the MiO family. Functionality and appealing taste can often be difficult things to simultaneously work into the same beverage, but Kraft has done so with flying colors. Definitely check this one out.

Verdict: Recommended

Samples sent courtesy of Kraft Foods, Inc.

For more information about MiO and MiO Fit, visit the official website at:

http://www.makeitmio.com

Or Follow MiO on Facebook or Twitter

Five Alive

Although I am just now getting around to reviewing it, Five Alive has been a longstanding favorite of mine. I used to drink Five Alive a lot as a kid growing up in the 90s, and in the Baltimore-area grocery stores of my early youth, the juice was readily available in a wide variety of different forms: concentrate, cartons, cans, family-sized jugs...you get the picture. But when my family moved to South Carolina during my teenage years, I thought that I had essentially seen the last of it. I would stumble across the juice every now and then, but in general, Five Alive seems to be somewhat uncommon in this area. However, on a recent stroll through my local Wal-Mart, I noticed a shelf of the familiar blue cans among the few other frozen concentrates that the store actually still carries.

Needless to say, I was excited to learn that Wal-Mart had begun stocking the stuff. Five Alive is one of my favorite citrus juices, and after several years of estrangement, I was very happy to find a new supply of it. True to its title, Five Alive is a citrus juice medley of five different fruits: orange, lemon, lime, tangerine, and grapefruit. As I have said countless times before, I absolutely love citrus, especially in beverages, so Five Alive could not be more of a perfect fit. But even outside of my personal biases, the drink is excellent in its own right. Citrusy flavors tend to be strong, and they can often be difficult to balance within a beverage, but the makers of Five Alive (MinuteMaid: therefore, Coca-Cola) have managed to balance five different citrus juices very, very well. 

Each of the five juices in Five Alive has been carefully proportioned to compliment the other four flavors, and none of them take over as a predominant flavor. I would say that the orange is a little bit stronger than the rest (especially considering the extra orange flavor from the tangerine), but it acts more as a base for the juice as a whole, rather than as an overwhelming presence that drowns out the others. Each of the flavors blends together perfectly, and the juice takes on a sort of "citrus all-flavor," rather than tasting like a many store-bought juice cocktails in which all kinds of flavors are just sort of smashed into a bottle.

Overall, Five Alive is a wonderful, relatively healthy beverage that has really withstood the test of time. The formula is just as tasty as I remember, and the frozen concentrate is always a nice option, as it is much less expensive and requires a lot less space to store. The finished mixes up to make about 48 oz. of juice, and it does require you to supply your own pitcher, but the small, 12 oz. can of concentrate can be easily kept out of the way in the freezer until you are ready to make the juice, unlike pre-bottled juices that are heavy and awkwardly shaped and require large amounts of space to store before opening. 

The popularity of frozen juice concentrates has dwindled a good bit over the past couple of decades, and many grocery stores and food retailers have decreased their stock dramatically to reflect this declining demand. But Five Alive is definitely one that is still worth checking out.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

Purchased: Wal-Mart [Greenwood, SC]

Size: 12 oz. can [48 oz. when mixed]

Price: $1.54

Twinings Cranberry Green Tea

This is another tea that I have been meaning to review for a while and just haven't for some unknown reason. Although the package in the picture says "new," I have had this particular box of Twinings for quite some time now, and I am sure that the graphics and design have changed significantly since I bought this one. The flavor was introduced over a year ago during the surge in popularity of superfruits such as acai and cranberry, and I have been occasionally enjoying it ever since.

Although I tend to prefer green teas that are supplied more directly from Asia, Twinings will certainly do in a pinch. Now, Twinings certainly knows a thing or two about tea, and I am not trying to imply that their green tea is bad by any means, but there is just something about it that has always seemed a bit too manufactured to me. It is hard to describe, but the flavor is wrought with the qualities of mass production, and it just doesn't have the character that many other imported green teas do. That being said, I really like Twinings Cranberry Green Tea. The cranberry is light but flavorful, and the tea maintains a dry taste that is more true to the nature of the actual fruit than the sweeter and more juicy cranberry flavor that has been popularized over the past few years. 

I was fairly skeptical of the blend at first, as I wasn't sure how the aromatic flavor of green tea was going to blend with the bitterness of the cranberry, but they actually work very well together. The two distinct tastes meld into one resultant flavor that is pleasant and very easy to drink. As I said above, the tea is a bit on the dry side, so this is definitely not one to drink if you are already thirsty. But in a way, the dryness is necessary to properly represent the cranberry, and I am glad that Twinings decided not to dull the flavor by making a more "accesible" tea. Keep and eye out for this one. It is quite good.

Verdict: Recommended

Purchased: ...don't remember

Size: 20 individually sealed bags

Price: $2.99

Yamamotoyama Genmai-cha

As I sit here staring at my box of Yamamotoyama Genmai-cha tea, I find myself somewhat surprised that it has taken me as long as it has to write this review. I've had this box of tea for a fairly long time (over a year now), and for some inexplicable reason, it seems to keep ending up in the bottom of my tea box, forgotten and unloved. This is mystifying to me, however, as it is a wonderful tea, and I'm really not sure at all why I keep overlooking it. So, after making myself a cup of Yamamotoyama's Genmai-cha last night, I wanted to make a point of finally giving it the attention that it deserves.

But first, let's talk about some history. For those unfamiliar with the drink, genmaicha (or genmai-cha) is green tea combined and steeped together with grains of roasted brown rice. Years ago, genmaicha tea was created in Japan as a way for tea houses to offer a less expensive alternative to their more pure blends. Tea was a relatively expensive commodity at the time, and the rice acted as a filler to extend the shop's supply of green tea, thus reducing the price of each serving. At first, this was an effective solution for allowing the less wealthy to enjoy green tea without breaking the bank, and it was even frequently made with the lower quality and less flavorful "bancha" leaf (as opposed to the more premium "sencha" leaf) to further reduce the price. However, as time progressed, the genmaicha mixture grew more and more common, until eventually word got out about the blend's pleasant taste. Soon, tea enthusiasts began making the blend using high-quality tea leaves, and the drink became known more for its unique taste than its previously scorned social pretenses. Once the "tea for the poor" stigma that surrounded the tea began to fade, people from all wealth brackets grew to enjoy the added flavor of the roasted rice, and what had begun as a financial compromise reserved for the lower classes quickly became a widespread cultural icon. 

Yamamotoyama's Genmai-cha blend is a very good tea. The taste is very mild and soothing, and the roasted brown rice gives the tea a very earthy and robust flavor. It is difficult to describe exactly what the tea tastes like, as the flavor is very unique, but it is safe to say that the tea is very pleasant. It has a flavor so inoffensive that I doubt that anyone could actively dislike it. Trying to imagine what a rice/tea combination might taste like may be strange for some people (particularly those with more western tastes), and while I'm not really sure how to describe it in more detail, I can offer assurance in two (technically three) fairly simple words: it's good. Yamamotoyama's take on genmaicha makes it clear why the blend grew from its deeply utilitarian origins to its modern nationwide popularity, and you should definitely keep an eye out for this one.

Also, each of the bags are aluminum-sealed, which works wonders for keeping the tea fresh. Excellent work, Yamamotoyama.

Verdict: Highly recommended

Purchased: Asian Market [Columbia, SC]

Size: 16 bags per box

Price: $2.30

Beefeater 24

Beefeater 24 is excellent gin. I am already a pretty avid fan of Beefeater as it is (I would say that it is my favorite gin of what I have had so far), so my thoughts on their more premium artisan cut might be a bit biased. But sometimes that is okay, especially when the product is just undeniably good, anyway.

The first thing that I noticed about Beefeater 24 was its unexpected smoothness. While Beefeater's regular London Dry Gin is already fairly smooth, it still has a fairly strong kick. Beefeater 24, however, is not quite as strong. At first, it seems like it will be, as the alcohol tends to sting the lips and the front of the mouth. But the bite is very quick, and the sting dissipates almost immediately without moving on to the back of the palette. All of the bite remains in the front of the mouth, allowing the aroma to settle unprohibited in the back of the throat. And this is a good thing, because the taste is very pleasant. The flavor is mild yet intricate, and Beefeater's mix of botanicals blends very well with the juniper-rich spirit. 

The mildness of Beefeater 24 stems from the slow distillation process after which the blend was named. The 12 botanicals used in Beefeater 24 are steeped together with the spirit for a full 24 hours before distillation, which gives the gin a uniquely smooth and homogeneous flavor. Although this process is used for all Beefeater gin, what really sets Beefeater 24 apart is the inclusion of three extra botanical ingredients that are not found in the standard product: Japanese sencha tea, aromatic Chinese green tea, and grapefruit peel. While Beefeater 24 is not wildly different from regular Beefeater, these three ingredients do give the premium cut a more unique and robust flavor profile.

Beefeater 24 is very, very good. The flavor is pleasant and interesting, and the more mild taste and less powerful sting is likely to make this one a much easier sell to those who do not normally drink gin. It is clear that the selection and proportioning of the added botanical ingredients was considered very carefully, as the  extra flavors are present and evident without standing out, and they contribute to the taste without taking anything away from the original formula. It feels like the three new ingredients belonged in the formula all along, and I definitely think that Beefeater 24 is worth the extra money.

And it certainly doesn't hurt that the bottle is absolutely gorgeous.

Verdict: Highly recommended

Purchased: Total Wine and More [Greenville, SC]

Size: 750mL

Price: $24.99

Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin

Bombay Sapphire is a very good gin. Although my overall experience with gin up to this point has been more limited than that of a true connoisseur (I have only had two years and a very limited budget with which to try this sort of stuff so far), but it is still not difficult to tell that Bombay Sapphire is a premium gin not only in comparison to the competition, but also in its own well-established right. I am, in general, a fan of strong, full-bodied liquors that have a lot of bite while still presenting a complex and flavorful aroma that melds well with the sting of the alcohol, and Bombay Sapphire's Vapour Infused London Dry Gin is a superb example.

The flavor of Bombay Sapphire is very complex, and it utilizes so many different botanicals (such as angelica, orris root, and cassia bark, just to name a few) that it is difficult to identify any one specific flavor, aside from the juniper. It is not uncommon for beverages that includes so many different ingredients to end up tasting busy or lost in their own variety, but this is not the case with Bombay Sapphire. All of the flavors meld together perfectly into one complicated but consistent "all-flavor" that tantalizes the palette with every sip. This is due largely to Bombay Sapphire's relatively unique vapor-infusion method. Rather than boiling the botanicals directly in the spirit (a more commonly used method), Bombay Sapphire suspends the botanical ingredients above the spirit in copper baskets. The heated vapors from the spirit base then rise and release the flavors of the botanicals into the gaseous spirit before it is condensed back into liquid form. This is said to give the gin a more unified and balanced flavor, and the taste certainly speaks to the validity of the process.

Overall, this is an excellent gin. It is tasty, dry, and highly-flavorful, all while maintaining just the right amount of bite. The bite of the alcohol is just strong enough to constantly remind you that you are drinking a distilled spirit without interfering with the taste in the slightest. Bombay Sapphire is just great, and has definitely worked its way toward the top of my list of favorite spirits.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

Purchased: Frugal's ABC [Greenwood, SC]

Size: various

Price: $24.99 [750mL]

Punjana Irish Breakfast Tea

I am, in general, a fan of Irish Breakfast tea. So I'm sure that you can imagine that I was excited to find this large bag of the stuff at Big Lots for such an affordable price (80 bags for $4.00). Unfortunately, my excitement was rather short lived, as Punjana's Irish Breakfast tea is a good bit too bitter for my tastes. Being a black tea, Irish Breakfast tea in general usually has a bit of bitter kick to it, and I have come to expect that when trying out different varieties. But Punjana's tea is just too bitter. When I first tried the tea, I just assumed that I had let the bag steep too long, so I tried again...multiple times, each time at a different time interval. However, none of them seemed to make much difference in the bitter flavor, even after a round of steeping the tea for only one minute. Each time I was met with the same overwhelming bitterness that hid most of the actual flavor of the tea.

Nothing that I did really seemed to help much, and although adding cream and sugar may have been a more immediate solution than repeatedly trying to fix the tea "properly," I decided just to skip the alterations and enjoy some Adagio Irish Breakfast tea, instead. I am generally of the opinion that if you have to dress a tea up to enjoy it, then it's probably safe to say that you just don't like that tea. 

So, if you like teas with very heavy tannins, then Punjana's Irish Breakfast tea may suit you just fine. But I can only handle so much bitterness in my tea, and as a result I unfortunately can not recommend this one.

Verdict: Not recommended

Purchased: Big Lots [Greenwood, SC]

Size: 80 tea bags

Price: $4.00 [discounted]

MiO Lemonade

(I apologize for the terrible quality of the picture above. It did not look this blurry on my camera's screen)

I realize that I have already done several MiO reviews within the past few months, but every time that I begin to think that I have caught up with the new flavors, the good people at Kraft are already adding new varieties to the line. This is in no way a bad thing, however, as I am very excited to see MiO gaining popularity as quickly as it has been over the past year or so. I always look forward to trying the new flavors, and although I don't drink MiO quite as much as I did during the latter years of my undergraduate career, it is still always a pleasure every time I return to the small, grey bottle. And I have been given a very good reason to do just that, as Kraft has recently sent me samples of the two newest MiO flavors: Lemonade and Blueberry Lemonade.

I have always been somewhat hesitant when it comes to instant lemonades, as many of them tend to be either extremely acidic and "chemically" or tooth-destroyingly sweet. I am therefore relieved to report that this is not the case with MiO's take on the drink. The plain lemonade is actually very mild, and has a light sweetness that is uncharacteristic of production lemonades, particularly those that are artificially sweetened. The taste is reminiscent of other instant lemonade prodcuts (think Country Time Lemonade), but the balance of sweetness and lemon flavor is more refined than a lot of the competition. Unlike some of the other MiO flavors that I have reviewed before, the lemonades are sweetened only with sucralose (rather than a combination of sucralose and acesulfame potassium), but it is actually very difficult to tell that it is artificial. The only real indication of artificial sweetening is in the aftertaste, and even then it is fairly remote. There is a slightly dry sensation that the drink leaves in the back of the throat, but that is common among most alternative sweeteners, particularly when combined with lemon flavorings. All in all, the lemonade is a great flavor. It's light, well-balanced, and tasty, and avoids a lot of the usual pitfalls of artificially flavored lemonades. However, it is worth noting that these qualities only hold fast when using small quantities of the MiO liquid. The first time that I made the lemonade, I used too much, and the resulting drink was very tart and extremely sweet. But I had accidentally used far more than the recommended serving size, so as long as the reccomendations are followed, this is a great instant lemonade.

The blueberry lemonade, on the other hand, is a very different drink. I will go ahead and say up front that it is very good. In fact, it is possibly my favorite MiO flavor so far (rivaled only by the previously reviewed Orange Tangerine). Much like it's plain lemonade counterpart, the blueberry variety is perfectly sweet and is full of flavor without being overbearing. The bluberry is more of an artificial "candy" taste than it is a natural representation of the fruit, but it is still quite tasty, regardless. Also, I found that portioning out the blueberry lemonade concentrate was not quite as touchy as the regular lemonade, as the taste is relatively consistent over a fairly large margin of serving size error. Again, like with the regular lemonade, the artificiality of the sweeteners is only really evident in the distant aftertaste, but the dryness found in the regular lemonade is absent in the blueberry version. However, this may be due in part to the fact that the blueberry lemonade really does not taste very much at all like lemonade. In fact, the blueberry almost completely takes over the other flavors, and I actually found myself wondering at first if there was really any lemon in the drink at all. The lemonade taste is there, but it is buried deep within the background of the drink, and you really have to be looking for it to notice it among the strong blueberry flavor. Although the lemonade may not be immediately apparent, it is present in that it alters the taste of the blueberry somewhat. But this is a sort of vague approach to the mixture, and although the resulting drink is still very good, it makes me wonder if Kraft may have just been better off making a strictly bluberry flavored MiO. I really like the blueberry lemonade, but I can see how the taste might come across as a little bit lacking if you went in expecting a perfect mixture of the two flavors.

Overall, I really like both of these new flavors, and I think that they make two more excellent additions to an already very stong line of products. These are definitely flavors that are worth the investment, especially the blueberry lemonade. I can't wait to see what's next for the brand.

Verdict: Recommended

Samples sent courtesy of Kraft Foods, Inc.

For more information about MiO, visit Kraft's website.

Or follow MiO on Facebook or Twitter

Crystal Light Mocktails: Peach Bellini and Pomtini

Kraft's very popular line of Crystal Light powdered drink mixes has recently seen the introduction of a new series of cocktail-themed varieties of their pitcher-sized drink mix packages. These "Mocktail" varieties were previously only available in Mojito, Margarita, and Appletini varieties, but for a limited time starting this April, the collection will be expanded to include the two new flavors pictured above: Peach Bellini and Pomtini. The flavors will be debuting on a new episode of NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice on March 25th (9:00 PM eastern time), in which contestants will compete to introduce the limited edition flavors to the market. In the meantime, however, I have the opportunity to offer some early thoughts on the two new flavors, as Kraft Foods has sent me a very thorough Mocktail-making sample kit, complete with everything needed to enjoy the upcoming spring season with a tasty supply of Crystal Light.

Kraft even included several of those most crucial cocktail umbrellas.

Peach Bellini

I have had a somewhat touchy history with peach flavoring in artificially sweetened drink mixes. I'm not sure what it is about peach flavoring in particular, but it has never seemed to mesh well with other artificial flavorings or sweeteners in these sorts of low-calorie drinks. Fortunately, Crystal Light's new Peach Bellini may be the drink to change all that, as I think that it is one of the first artificially flavored peach beverage that I have had that I have genuinely liked.

For those who were as unfamiliar with the term as I was before a quick internet search, a Bellini is a very popular Venician cocktail that consists of a mixture of sparkling wine and peach puree. Seeing that the Crystal Light version of this Italian favorite is an alcohol-free imitation of the drink, the wine taste isn't really there with any sort of significance. There are some other somewhat difficult to identify flavors mixed into the Bellini mocktail, but the only one that really stands out is the peach. Usually, this would worry me with artificial peach, but this peach flavoring is somehow less abrasive and chemical-esque than other peach imitations that I have had in the past. At first, I was tempted to say that this one tastes more like actual peach than others do, but I don't know that that's exactly right. It still tastes like the candy flavor that we have all come to accept as "peach," but it is lighter and less shockingly sweet than usual. In fact, it is actually quite pleasant and refreshing, although the drink does have a bit of a parching effect on the tongue (as is common of these sorts of powdered beverages) when consumed in larger quantities. The artificiality is definitely still noticeable in the taste, but it's not nearly as bothersome as in other drinks of the type, and the rather surprising mellowness of the peach makes the Peach Bellini variety a welcome addition to my refrigerator.

          Peach Bellini Verdict: Recommended

Pomtini

I want to go ahead and preface the following discussion by saying that I think that the Pomtini flavor may officially be my favorite variety of Crystal Light. I have had a lot of exposure to Crystal Light over the past couple of years, and I have tried quite a few flavors, but I had never really considered any of them as "the best" until I tried the Pomtini. It tastes unusually natural for a drink of its type, almost on par with something like an Ocean Spray cranberry juice. There are really very few hints of artificiality. The artificial sweetener taste is effectively absent from this one, and the pomegranate flavoring is actually fairly convincing. I have to be honest, though; I'm not entirely sure what exactly the "tini" part of the taste is supposed to be, as I really only taste the pomegranate. There is a slightly dry, citrus bite in the aftertaste, but not enough of one to indicate anything other than the fact that citric acid is included in the list of ingredients. But this is not to imply in any way that the straightforwardness of the Pomtini is a negative quality. In fact, I actually tend to prefer more singular artificial flavors, as I think that drinks that try to combine too many of them often just end up tasting busy and convoluted.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the Pomtini, though, is how light the flavoring is. The drink is still sweet, but not as sweet as many other kinds of Crystal Light, and the flavor is one of the most subtle artificial flavorings that I have ever had. Pomegranate flavoring has really exploded onto the market recently, and there have been a lot of companies that have abused the novelty of the new flavor by cramming it into just about everything that they could get their hands on. I have had some very poorly flavored pomegranate mockeries over the past couple of years, and I have to say that I was a little bit nervous about trying the Pomtini at first. But I was happy to discover that Kraft has taken care to produce a light and refreshing artificial pomegranate beverage.

As much as I like Crystal Light, the flavorings can often still be a little bit too strong for me. I typically gauge the staying power of a beverage by how often I feel like I would be in the mood to drink it, and Crystal Light often falls into the category of "sometimes drinks." But the Pomtini is the exception to this rule. I feel like I could drink this fairly regularly and never really tire of it, which I think is one of the most telling factors of a satisfying beverage.

          Pomtini Verdict: Highly recommended

Overall, I really like Crystal Light's Mocktail selection. Although I was only sent the Peach Bellini and Pomtini varieties, I have already tried the Mojito and Margarita flavors and I like both of them, as well. I still have yet to try the Appletini variety, and I am waiting to do so before reviewing the core Mocktail offerings. However, in the meantime, be sure to pick up a container or two of both the Peach Bellini and Pomtini flavors. They will only be available while supplies last between April and June of this year, and they are definitely worth a look before the limited edition run is up.

Overall Verdict: Recommended


Samples provided courtesy of Kraft Foods, Inc.
For more information on Crystal Light or Crystal Light Mocktails, visit the website.
Or follow Crystal Light on Facebook or Twitter.

What was supposed to be Touch Organic: Apricot White Tea

Well, I'm going out of town today, and I stayed up really late last night writing today's review. It was actually a really long review, too, but apparently when I tried to access the site through my iPad this morning to post the review, it just decided to wipe the draft clean, instead.

So, unfortunately, there won't be a review today. And, out of frustration, I may not be re-writing the one that was supposed to go up today any time soon. It took me two hours to write, and I don't know that I'll be able to get my thoughts about the drink down quite the same way again.

So I will see you all back here again on Friday.

Peace.

- Hayden

Dilmah Mint Ceylon Tea

Just a few weeks ago, I reviewed Dilmah's blackcurrant Ceylon tea, and I really liked it. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I decided to go back out and pick up a box of the mint Ceylon tea, as well. And, as I expected, this one is just as good as the last.

Dilmah really has a good thing going on here. The company's Ceylon tea is delicious, and the flavorings are perfectly balanced with the natural taste of the tea, making these some of the best flavored teas that I have ever had. The mint used in Dilmah's mint Ceylon tea is very carefully tailored to the flavor of the tea so as to not overpower the Ceylon taste. I've had my fair share of mint teas in the past, and while I've enjoyed most of them, I had simply grown accustomed to the mint drowning out the tea. In fact, this happens so often with mint infused teas that I had begun to assume that mint was just too strong a flavor to work in proper unison with the more subtle attributes and complexities of tea. But Dilamh's mint tea has proven me very wrong, as neither the tea nor the mint takes a primary role in this mixture. Rather, the two flavors mix together to create a rich and aromatic "third" flavor that fills the olfactory with hints of smooth, Sri Lankan excellence.

Like the blackcurrant tea (although radically different in just about every way), this tea is just great. I have been met with difficulty in trying to find a point of comparison for the drink, as I really haven't had anything else quite like it. It's somehow just different from the competition in a way that I can't exactly put my finger on. None of the mint teas that I've had in the past come close to the quality that Dilmah provides, and I wholeheartedly recommend that mint and/or tea enthusiasts track this one down and give it a try. 

Verdict: Highly recommended

Purchased: Big Lots [Greenwood, SC]

Size: 20 bags

Price: $2.00 [Discounted]

Temple of Heaven Gunpowder Green Tea

I have actually been wanting to try this tea for a while, but I was only ever able to find it in humongous quantities in the Asian markets local to me. While the size (and price risk) was not necessarily a problem in and of itself, my tea box has been dangerously full for the past several months, and not really having a place to store yet another large container of tea persuaded me to wait until a smaller container was available. And just a few weeks ago my patience was rewarded, as I found a much smaller box of the tea at an Asian market during one of my recent visits to Spartanburg.

For those who are as unaware as I was about what "gunpowder" green tea is, it is a specific form of green tea from China's Zhejiang Province. Each leaf is rolled into a small bead before drying, which gives the tea an appearance similar to that of the black powder used in early firearms. 

Although the tea was given its English nickname purely based on the aesthetics of the rolled leaves, rolling the tea leaves actually helps to prevent damage during handling, therefore allowing the leaves to keep more of their original flavor. Feel free to visit the Wikipedia entry for more relevant information about gunpowder tea. 

As far as the flavor goes, this tea is excellent. It has a pleasant, full-bodied aroma that is very flavorful and yet somehow a bit more mild than a lot of other green teas. I like green tea a good bit, but I have had varieties in the past that have a somewhat pungent aroma that ends up being a little bit too strong for my tastes. But that is certainly not so with this one. The flavor is delicate, fresh, and subtle in ways that others often aren't, while still being a definitive example of a high quality and authentic green tea. I really like this one a lot, and I definitely suggest that tea drinkers pick up a box.

Verdict: Highly recommended

Purchased: Unkown Asian Food Store [Spartanburg, SC]

Size: 250 grams

Price: $2.99

MiO Liquid Water Enhancer: Orange Tangerine

Those of you who have been following the blog for the past year know that I have a bit of a history with MiO products. Aside from the MiO Energy line, the new orange tangerine flavor is the first new flavor to be released since the product launched last March. Additionally, this is the first flavor of MiO to be fortified with vitamins, and it includes ten percent of the daily value of vitamins B3, B6, and B12.

This is easily my favorite variety of MiO so far. I'm not exactly sure what it is about the flavor that makes it so good (although the tangerine may have a lot to do with it). It's just good. The artificial sweetener, although already very tolerable in the other MiO flavors, is barely even noticeable in the midst of the tangy citrus taste. You can taste the added vitamins a little bit in the final mixture, but I actually sort of like the taste, and I think that it adds an interesting character to the beverage. I have always been somewhat partial to citrus-flavored beverages, so perhaps my enjoyment of the new MiO is simply a bias on my part. But nevertheless, I still affirm that this is the best MiO yet, and I often find myself having to fight back the urge to add some to every single glass of water that I pour.

Also, if you decide to pick up a bottle, it's very good with club soda.

Verdict: Highly recommended

Purchased: Wal-Mart [Greenwood, SC]

Size: 1.62 fl. oz. [48 mL, 24 servings]

Price: $3.89

Gevalia Kaffe

I am very excited about today's post, as it marks the first coffee review ever on Drinkable Review. I typically don't drink very much coffee (particularly in large quantities) because it tends to give me indigestion, but I do love the stuff, and I often find myself wishing that I could drink more than ten ounces of it at a time. Kraft Foods recently sent me this sample of the newly released Gevalia, and I think that it is a wonderful place to start off a line of occasional coffee reviews.

Now, it is important to note here that "newly released" only applies to the U.S. retail market. Previously, Gevalia was only available online to customers in the states, but Kraft Foods has recently begun selling this Swedish favorite in retail stores across the U.S. That is not, however, to suggest that Gevalia is a "new" product, as the company actually has a fair bit of history behind it. Gevalia was founded as a Swedish trading company by Victor Theodore Engwall in 1853. Engwall's high quality coffee imports eventually secured the company a position as an official coffee purveyor of the Swedish Royal Court, and business has been booming ever since. To this day, over 150 years since the company was founded, Gevalia is still the highest selling coffee in Sweden.

As I said above, I am not a huge coffee drinker. But this is purely a technical issue; a mere limitation of my unfortunate biological intolerance of the substance. I can handle coffee in small amounts, and I still like to partake whenever I can, regardless of the frequently undesirable effects on my stomach after the fact. It is one of those things that is just too good not to drink. And if there has ever been a prime example of the beverage that incites my reasonability to throw caution to the wind, it is Gevalia. This may honestly be the best coffee that I have ever had. It has a prominent, aromatic, and full-bodied flavor, with a balanced and pleasing mouthtaste and a smooth finish. The aftertaste remains present on the palate for some time after drinking (as is expected with most coffees), but it is not overbearing in the slightest, and I actually found the lingering aroma to be quite enjoyable.  

Gevalia's traditional roast sits in a perfect middle ground of my personal coffee tastes. It is strong and flavorful without being overly bitter or offensive to the palate, and manages to retain a calm and consistent taste throughout the experience. This is a coffee that has clearly withstood the tests of time, and has reached a level of maturity that many modern beverages have yet to touch. I generally try to avoid personifying the beverages that I drink, but Gevalia just feels like one of those drinks that knows who/what it is and is comfortable with its identity. This attitude really shows through in the taste, making this one of the most well-balanced and tasty coffees that I have had in the past several years. I highly recommend Gevalia Kaffe to those looking for a great new coffee to try, as well as those who may be new to coffee and are looking for a good entry point to an often overwhelming market. Definitely check this one out.

Verdict: Highly recommended

Sample sent courtesy of Kraft Foods.

For more information about Gevalia, visit www.gevalia.com

Or follow Gevalia on Facebook or Twitter

Adagio Teas: Irish Breakfast

As soon as I saw this tea sitting on the shelf, I knew that I was going to be purchasing it. This is easily one of the most enticing tea containers that I have ever come across. The fact that I love Irish Breakfast tea certainly didn't hurt, but the swooping design of the graphic and the minimalism of the color palette was so eye-catching and different (for a tea container) that I had to pick it up. The container is made of a sturdy, matte-finished metal (feels like aluminum), and is covered by a domed, UV-blocking lid with a double-hinged clasp design that makes the container very easy to open and close while still maintaining an air-tight seal. The design of the container is absolutely superb, and the fact that such a sturdy piece of beverage engineering costs less than ten dollars makes the purchase a no-brainer.

And I haven't even mentioned the tea yet. As I said above, I love Irish Breakfast tea, and this one is an excellent example of the category. The tea is a combination of black teas from Ceylon and Assam that has a rich and full-bodied flavor with just the right amount of bite. The aftertaste does tend to linger (as with most black tea blends), but the remaining flavor is pleasantly mellow and the tea is so good in the first place that it's really just hard to mind. If you like black tea at all, or you've had bad experiences with darker teas in the past and would like to experience a proper black tea blend, this one comes with my highest recommendation.

Also, since I'm not sure when I'll be getting back to reviewing another Adagio tea, I'm going to go ahead and plug their website [http://www.adagio.com] in this review. Adagio has one of the widest selections of loose-leaf tea that I have ever seen from a single distributor, and their site definitely deserves a look. 

Verdict: Highly Recommended

Purchased: Earth Fare [Columbia, SC]

Size: 4 oz. [112g]

Price: $6.99

MiO Energy

Kraft recently sent me a promotional sample pack of their new MiO Energy flavor line. As many of you likely remember, I reviewed MiO when it was first being introduced about nine months ago, and I really liked it. But to be honest, I was a little bit nervous going into MiO Energy. I've never been a fan of the taste of most energy boosting beverages, and I have been disappointed in the past by companies attempting to branch out into the energy drink market. However, I am happy to report that MiO Energy maintains the ease of use and great taste of the original, and I think that both the black cherry and green thunder varieties are great additions to the MiO brand.

It should be said, however, that the secret to MiO maintaining the elements that made the original product so good is the fact that MiO Energy isn't really all that different from the original. In fact, it is essentially just two new flavors of MiO with caffeine added into the mix. But this is by no means a bad thing. The size of each bottle has been scaled down to approximately 12 (8 oz.) servings per bottle, and each serving contains about 60mg of caffeine; about the same as a typical cup of coffee. I have always been somewhat impervious to the effects of caffeine, especially in smaller quantities, so I can't really attest to the "energy-giving" capabilities of MiO Energy, but the 60mg of caffeine should be enough to give most drinkers a quick pick-me-up. Both flavors do contain trace amounts of other energy enhancers such as taurine and guarana extract, but not enough to really affect the flavor in any way (so no worries there). Both flavors are still sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium, but the typical "diet" taste is subdued and is not nearly as intrusive as it is in so many other artificially sweetened beverages.

Both flavors are quite tasty, although I am partial to the black cherry. The black cherry is pretty straightforward, and has a sweet, cherry taste without being overbearing or cough syrupy. The green thunder, on the other hand, has a more generic, acidic energy drink taste. Normally, I would consider this to be a bad thing, but this time I don't. Although it does have that energy drink taste (some refer to it simply as "citrus punch"), it is not nearly as acidic as the usual energy drink, and has a much less abrasive and more mild flavor. I actually like the taste a good bit, and any doubts I initially had about the flavor were based purely on precedent.

Overall, MiO Energy is a very worthy addition to the already impressive line of MiO products. My only real complaint is that the "squirt nozzle" on the MiO bottles is still a bit hard to control, and I often find myself accidentally adding a bit more flavoring than I necessarily meant to add. Other than that, I find very little about MiO Energy to dislike. This is definitely one to try out. Especially the black cherry.

Verdict: Recommended

Samples provided by Kraft Foods, Inc.

Be sure to check out MiO on facebook and Twitter. And be sure to check out "Thunder" Dave Steinman's hilarious (but probably NSFW) promo video for MiO Energy.

Teavana Jasmine Dragon and Roobios Tropica Tea Blend

I have been sitting on this review for quite some time now. This past summer, I went on a weekend trip to Washington D.C. with some friends of mine. While we were there, we stopped by a rather large shopping mall, where I had the opportunity to visit a Teavana tea shop for the first time. My experience at Teavana was strange, to say the least. Teavana has an interesting sales hook in that the store offers about thirty different kinds of fresh, loose leaf tea in bins behind the counter, and the custom flavors and varieties that are offered by the company are achieved by simply mixing and matching the individual tea varieties. 

As I found out soon after deciding to visit the crowded shop, Teavana runs a pretty aggressive sales pitch routine on their customers. The second that I stepped in the door, a sales associate was offering me samples of some of Teavana's special blends and filling me in on what custom varieties were currently on offer. After finishing the samples offered at the door, I was whisked away by another employee to sample several more teas at another station. It was here that I tried the subject of today's review, and also where I made the mistake of simply stating, "This is really good. I think that I might get some of this one." Before I really realized what was happening, I had been escorted to the register and was standing face-to-face with a cashier who had already launched into a lengthy explanation of Teavana's convoluted pricing system and was preparing to fill a container with the tea. It became fairly apparent to me at this point that Teavana's prices are specifically designed to disorient the customer. 

The prices listed on the bins of tea in the store represented the price of two ounces of that particular tea. As I'm sure that you can imagine, trying to calculate how much half a pound of an uneven mixture of two separately and unconventionally priced teas will cost while standing in front of an anxiously waiting store employee is the mathematical equivalent of Olympic level gymnastics. Even with my five years of engineering education, I was at a loss to come up with an estimate, and after several moments of hopelessly trying to figure out how much money that I was going to be spending, I simply gave up and asked for a quarter pound of the tea. The tea ended up costing me $25, and although I was left feeling a bit unsettled by the confusing prices and the out-of-control nature of my visit, I am happy to say that the tea was worth every penny.

As pictured above, the tea is a combination of jasmine buds and a rooibos blend mixed with dried strawberries and other tropical fruits. The jasmine buds have an excellent flavor, and have a strong "jasmine" taste while still remaining mellow and crisp. Although I am not typically a huge fan of rooibos tea, I found the blend included in this mix to be quite pleasant. The tropical elements mixed into the rooibos give the tea a light, fruity taste, without making the tea taste sweet. The fruity undertones of the rooibos blend also help to mellow out some of the the strong, earthy overtones of a typical red tea. This works well with the mellow taste of the jasmine, and the flavors complement each other much better than I originally expected. 

Overall, this is a wonderful tea. Although my experience in purchasing it was a bit manipulative, I have to admit that it is very difficult to complain about the end result. $25 dollars may seem like a lot for a quarter of a pound of tea, but the estimated serving size of 1/4 lb. is about 25 cups, and $1 per cup really isn't that bad, especially for a tea of this quality. If there is a Teavana near you, I recommend checking out their selection, and I definitely recommend their jasmine dragon and rooios tropica blend as a good starting point.

But a word to the wise: If a Teavana sales associate asks you if you've ever shopped there before, just do yourself a favor and say yes.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

Purchased: Teavana [Washington D.C.]

Size: 1/4 lb. [Approximately 25 cups]

Price: $25.00 [Approximation]

Crystal Light Pineapple-Lemonade Punch

This is the last of the three drink recipes recently sent to me by Kraft Foods. Due to an unexpected grenadine syrup shortage at the stores nearby my place of residence, I was not able to procure the ingredient on my way back from class. I should be picking some up soon, however, and I will update this post with my feelings on the drink once I am actually able to make it.

Crystal Light Strawberry Lemonade

(Click for larger image)

Although Labor Day typically marks the end of the summer season in the minds of many, I thought that it would be a great day to keep the summer spirit alive by sharing with you all some wonderful Crystal Light lemonade punch recipes that I was recently sent by Kraft. Today's recipe marks the first of three that I will be posting to the blog this week, and it is a tasty and refreshing strawberry lemonade made with Crystal Light's Natural Lemonade flavored drink mix. I was recently sent a sample pack of Crystal Light Natural Lemonade by Kraft so that I could give these recipes a try for myself, and I was able to mix this one up early last week.

I really liked Crystal Light's strawberry lemonade concoction. The tangy bite of the Crystal Light lemonade lends itself well to the sweetness of the strawberries, and the two flavors just worked very well together, melding into one appetizingly sweet-and-sour taste. The drink did not blend up into the same thick consistency that is pictured in the recipe above, but that may be because I was preparing a double portion for some friends and the berries may have just not blended as well given the larger quantity of things in the blender. With regards to consistency, the resulting drink was more like a viscous lemonade with small chunks of strawberry floating throughout, but I actually really liked the extra texture provided by the bits of fruit floating around in the liquid.

Overall, this drink is an easy recommendation. It is easy to make, relatively inexpensive, and tastes great. This is definitely one to consider whipping up for your next party, cookout, or otherwise equally casual social gathering.