Help Save Oogave

Today, there will be no review.

In its place, however, I would like to discuss an issue of personal interest and concern to me. Two years ago, I received my first email from a company offering to send me samples of their beverage to review on this site. Now, almost four years after their instantiation as an independent, health-oriented, organic beverage company, Oogave is in need of our help.

For those who are unfamiliar, Oogave is an independent soda company that produces a line of all-natural sodas sweetened with organic agave nectar. Oogave is a delicious, refreshing, and unique beverage in a market segment so often fraught with tiresome non-originality, and anyone who has the opportunity to try it should do so without hesitation. But while Oogave produces an amazing beverage, the company has found itself in a bit of a financial quandary this year, and has turned to the beverage community for assistance.

I don't want to belabor the point too much in this post, as Oogave has explained the situation in full in the description of their Indiegogo campaign, but the basic gist is this: Oogave needs $500,000 in donations (consider them "community investments, if you prefer) if they are to smoothly continue production into the next several years. For a small, independent packaged goods supplier in the United States, it takes about five years of sales to reach cash flow positive--business terms for sustained profit. Oogave has big plans for the next several years (signing on with major distributors such as Super Target and Sodexo), and if they can make it through this critical fourth year, they should be set to succeed in the years to come.

This, now, is where you come in. Oogave is currently a little bit short on cash in their plan for expansion into more major North American markets. Without the funds required to keep up with the costs of production, Oogave may be in danger of having to close their doors for good--something about which anyone who has ever tasted Oogave would be very upset. Oogave has estimated that they need approximately $500,000 in funds to reach cash flow positive, at which point they will be able to grow organically and continue seeking new opportunities for brand-building and expansion. If they can reach this goal, Oogave will stay in business and will continue to grace the beverage industry with their delicious products. If not, well...the future is very unclear.

If you are interested in helping Oogave reach this goal, head over to their Indiegogo fundraiser and take some time to read through their explanation of the issues at hand before determining how much money you might be able to contribute to the cause. Each level of donation does come with a corresponding reward perk, so if you are on the fence about bumping your donation up to the next level, just know that you will see some return on your investment (aside from a great company getting to stay in business, of course). If you are unable to donate, you can still do your part by sharing the information about the campaign with your friends, family, and social media networks.

$500,000 may seem like a long way off, but every little bit helps. If we all work together in donating and doing what we can to get the word of the campaign out to others, we should be able to help Oogave stick around for the long run.

For more information about Oogave and their products, please visit their website at: www.oogave.com. 
Help get the word out with Facebook and Twitter, and be sure to share the link to their Indiegogo campaign (http://www.indiegogo.com/saveoogave) wherever you see fit.

Harmless Harvest Coconut Water

I am really not sold on this recent coconut water craze. I have tried quite a few different coconut water drinks at this point, and all of them have been...well, frankly, they've been bad. However, I have had several recommendations to try Harmless Harvest's coconut byproduct, so I decided to pick up one when I came across some of them this past weekend. 

I think that I can finally say without any doubt that coconut water really just isn't for me. I have a really hard time drinking the stuff, and although Harmeless Harvest's coconut water is a little bit different from the others that I have had, it is still coconut water. It does taste very fresh, and I have to say that it is a lot more palatable than other brands. This may be due largely to the fact that Harmless Harvest does not use heat to pasteurize its product. Although pasteurization is often necessary to ensure that the drinks that we buy in the store are sanitary enough for general consumer use, heat does tend to have a bad habit of altering the flavor of things. So instead, Harmless Harvest subjects its coconut water to intense pressure before bottling. This sanitizes the drink without subjecting the coconut water to external heat, thus avoiding any potential change in the liquid's chemical make-up and therefore retaining the original, raw taste of the liquid.

I can definitely taste the difference in Harmless Harvest's coconut water. It has a more natural taste, and the flavor of the actual coconut is more noticeable than in other brands. Most of the coconut waters that I have had in the past just tasted salty, and bore little resemblance to the fruit from which they originated. Although the taste is more natural and a little bit more bearable than other drinks of the type, I still found myself struggling to drink it. Each return to the bottle was an exercise in willpower, and although I did finish the entire serving in one sitting, I found myself more confused than anything else. I found the taste to be pungent and strange for the first second or two, after which the aftertaste quickly becomes sort of light and intriguing. Although I don't really mind the aftertaste (in fact, I kind of liked it this time around), I still did not think that it was worth having to fight through the initial mouthfeel of the drink. 

Overall, I don't feel like I can recommend Harmless Harvest's coconut water. I do find their alternative method of sterilization very interesting, and I do recognize that of the coconut waters that I have had, this is the best. But I think that I am now comfortable with accepting the fact that I just don't like coconut water. I have tried and tried and tried to enjoy the stuff, and I really just can't. It is too strange and salty for my tastes. However, if you do enjoy coconut water, or if you are looking for a unique and interesting new beverage experience, then this one is probably worth a shot.

Verdict: Not recommended

Purchased: Whole Foods Market [Greenville, SC]

Size: 8 fl. oz. [235mL]

Price: $2.69   

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

Argo Tea: Charitea

This is the second Argo Tea variety that I have tried in the past couple of months, and I am happy to say that I now have enough data to officially regard Argo Tea as a favorite of Drinkable Review. I really like these drinks a lot, and I am eager to continue trying some of the other flavors. 

I spent a good bit of time talking about the fantastic bottle in the last Argo Tea review, so I'll steer clear of it this time by simply stating that the bottle is, in fact, still fantastic. However, what is inside of the bottle could not be more different. Argo Tea's Charitea is comprised of a relatively straightforward combination of hibiscus tea (just hibiscus and water), cane sugar, cherry juice, and vanilla flavoring. The hibiscus, cherry, and vanilla are all immediately evident in the drink, with the hibiscus and cherry tastes being more dominant than the vanilla. This strikes an excellent balance, though, as I think that vanilla works much, much better in the background rather than acting as a primary flavor. 

My only warning about the drink would be that the hibiscus flavor may be a bit strong for those who are not incredibly keen on botanical flavorings. If you fall into this group, I would recommend trying out one of the other varieties. Otherwise, there is really a lot to like here. Everything in the Charitea tastes very natural, and the added sugar really helps to bring the three seemingly disparate flavors together into a unique and interesting beverage that is quite easy to recommend.

And, as an added bonus, Argo Tea donates a portion of the proceeds each year from seasonal sales of the Charitea to various non-profit organizations. This season, they are partnered with the Sierra Club, one of the largest environmental protection and sustainability organization in the United States. For more information on Argo Tea's charity involvement, feel free to visit the Charitea page of their website.

Verdict: Recommended

Purchased: Whole Foods Market [Greenville, SC]

Size: 13.5 fl. oz. [400mL]

Price: $2.99

Borojo: Pink Guava Passionfruit

Ever since Glaceu's success with Vitamin Water, I have noticed an overabundance of various "performance juices" appearing on store shelves. Although many of them are likely just attempts to cash in on a recent trend, I do like to give them a try, as they are often at least decent enough to enjoy and contain far fewer calories and much less sugar than the typical soft drink alternatives. Borojo was an immediately interesting one, though. The packaging was a little bit more colorful than the surrounding beverages, and the logo design really caught my attention. Furthermore, I had never heard of borojo superfruit before, and I was highly inclined to pick one of these up and go find out.

"Superfruits" have been increasing in popularity lately (particularly within the health foods community) because of their relatively high nutritional content. Typically, one is inclined to think of cranberries, acai berries, pomegranate, or one of the other more conventional fruits that are so frequently marketed as "super," but borojo is a little bit less well known. According to Wikipedia, borojo is a tropical fruit native to several select regions of Columbia and Ecuador. It has been shown to have high concentrations of several dietary like protein, calcium, and iron, to name a few. It is also believed to be a good source of various polyphenols, which - according to modern research on the topic - may or may not actually be relevant to your health.

I wasn't entirely sure to expect from Borojo besides some remotely tropical tasting juice. I'm usually not too big on tropical flavors, so I didn't initially have my expectations set too high. But I was pleasantly surprised by this drink. Unlike a lot of tropical fruit beverages, Borojo has a light flavor that is somehow simultaneously watery and very distinct. The taste sets in more in the back of the mouth than it does on the taste buds, and the aftertaste does not linger for very long at all, again defying most of my previous experience with tropical flavors. Borojo is certified organic (OTCO), and while it is additionally sweetened with cane juice, all of the flavors taste very natural in a "fresh squeezed" sort of way.

Although all of the flavors worked well together to produce a great tasting final product, I was a little concerned by the selection of fruits in this particular variety. Guava and passionfruit  both have very distinct and powerful tastes, and I'm afraid that I had a bit of a difficult time picking out the borojo amid the other rather strong flavors. This may have a lot to do with the fact that I have never had plain borojo fruit before, but I do think that the guava and the passionfruit may have been competing a bit too much with the base flavor. But overall, I still think that this is a great beverage. It's all-natural, filled with antioxidants and vitamins, low calorie and low sugar, and generally just very drinkable. Definitely check this one out if you have the chance.

Verdict: Recommended

Purchased: Whole Foods Market [Greenville, SC]

Size: 16.9 fl. oz. [500mL]

Price: $2.69

Sambazon Lo-Cal Acai Energy Drink

My history with acai-based beverages has been a bit shaky, at best. There have been plenty of acai drinks that I have liked, and an almost equal number of those that I haven't, so I picked up Sambazon's energy drink with a sort of reserved hesitancy. But, in the end, I was glad that I gave it a try, as this one definitely falls into the "have liked" list.

Just as a preliminary note, Sambazon does offer a regular calorie version of their all-natural Amazon Energy concoction. I don't normally go for the low-calorie versions of drinks, as they almost always harness the less tasty power of artificial sweeteners or some form of Stevia. The latter is the case with Sambazon's "lo-cal" energy drink, as some of the evaporated sugar cane juice has been replaced with a Stevia extract alternative. Given my consistently poor history with Stevia, I was fairly worried about trying the low calorie version first, but it was the only option available to me at the time, so I decided to go with it anyway.

And I have to admit, it's really not that bad. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the Stevia actually sort of works with this drink. There are only a few drinks about which I have been able to say that, and Sambazon seems to be one of the companies that really understands that a little bit of Stevia goes a long way. The taste of the acai is also very strong and natural, which I actually found to be very tasty and pleasant on the palette. The acai berry can be a bit strong, as it has a fairly pronounced tartness, and by itself (or when overused in a beverage) it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. Luckily, Sambazon is really on the ball when it comes to acai (as you would expect from a company that specializes in the fruit), and the mix of ingredients in Amazon Energy creates a very unique and pleasant flavor that is diverse enough to cut the tartness of the acai without detracting from the natural taste of the berry. The acai berry's unique taste is still very present in this drink, but the other ingredients make it more recommendable as a "beverage for everybody" than something like a straight acai juice that is more pure to the source. 

Overall, I think that this is a great drink, especially for those who like the taste of acai. It is strong enough to appeal to fans of the berry, while still being mild enough to appeal to those who may have not yet developed a taste for the fruit. And it's USDA certified organic, to boot. Definitely check this one out.

Verdict: Recommended

Purchased: Big Lots [Greenwood, SC]

Size: 12 fl. oz.

Price: $0.60 [Discounted; comparative price of $6.98 for a 4-pack]

Mamma Chia

Every so often, I stumble across a drink that is so demanding of my attention that I have no choice but to purchase it, regardless of price or taste appeal. Mamma Chia was one of those drinks, as it's not particularly common that I find drinks that are filled to the brim with tiny seeds. When I noticed it sitting on the shelf among the other organic drinks at a nearby Whole Foods Market, I found it to be quite odd that the seeds were just sitting perfectly suspended in the liquid, rather than sinking to the bottom. At first, I thought that maybe it was due to the sheer number of seeds in the drink, but upon closer inspection I realized that there was actually a good deal of space between each seed; too much space for that to be the answer.

So, I picked the drink up off of the shelf to take a closer look. I had expected the seeds to swirl around in the beverage upon picking it up, much like ink dispersing through disrupted water. However, rather than floating around freely in the fluid, the seeds simply lurched around with the liquid and promptly stopped in place when I stopped moving the bottle. The liquid didn't seem especially viscous, and my second hypothesis was that the seeds were extremely non-dense and that the effect of Pascal's Law (which states that any point in a confined incompressible fluid is subjected to equal forces in every direction due to the pressure of the surrounding fluid) was enough to overcome both gravity and buoyancy and hold the seeds in place. But I was still not entirely correct.

After doing a bit of research, I learned that chia seeds, when mixed with water, react to create a somewhat gelatinous substance. The resulting liquid is more dense than water, but still flows freely like a more conventional beverage, thus explaining the tendency of the seeds to remain fixed in place. This satisfied my curiosity about the strange behavior of the seeds, but I'm afraid that it caused problems when it came time to actually taste the drink.

I am sincerely at a loss for what to think about this drink. To start with the positive, the blackberry hibiscus juice was very good. Exceptionally good, in fact. The flavor is very light and natural and hits just the perfect amount of sweetness. Honestly, this may be one of the best juices that I have recently. However, the chia seeds give the drink one of the strangest consistencies that I have ever experienced. There are a lot of seeds in each Mamma Chia. So many seeds, in fact, that it is hard to tell that there is actually any liquid in there at all. Each seed has a sort of gelatinous "husk" around it that causes the seeds to slide around and bounce off of each other in your mouth, and each sip of the drink is reminiscent of the sensation caused by sucking squished up jello off of a spoon. The seeds themselves don't really taste like anything, but the sensation is just too weird and distracting for me. 

Like I said above, I really like the juice used in Mamma Chia. But the seeds - while they are an interesting concept - just get in my way of enjoying the beverage as a whole. Chia seeds do have several health benefits such as high protein, fiber, and essential mineral content, but the consistency is really just too odd for me to tolerate. However, if you don't think that the gelatinous nature of the seeds will not bother you, or you think that the health benefits are worth the added texture, then this is definitely one to try out. The experience itself is worth having at least once, anyway.

Verdict: Worth a try

Purchased: Whole Foods Market [Greenville, SC]

Size: 10 fl. oz. [296mL]

Price: Unfortunately, I forgot to write the price down. It was somewhere between 2 and 3 dollars, I believe.

blk.

When I first came across this water several months ago, I did not think much of it. It was sitting on the shelf with several other brands of mineral/spring water, and I picked it up for a moment or two. I thought that it was interesting enough, and the bottle certainly caught my eye, but I set it back down believing it to be just another bottled water product that cost a little bit more than I wanted to spend at the time. It wasn't until about a month later that I learned that the eye-catching bottle was actually clear. So impressed by the novelty of it all, I rushed out to the store to pick up a bottle, but was unfortunately unable to find one until just recently.

BLK (capitalized for ease of recognition in the following paragraphs) is an all-natural spring water enriched with fulvic acid. As you can see in the image above, the water is indeed black. While this is definitely odd or unsettling at first, I can assure you that there is no reason to be alarmed. The color of the water comes directly from the fulvic acid, which is a naturally occurring mixture of mineral components. Fulvic acid is found in nature as a liquid colloid, thus resulting in the opaque color. If this has piqued your curiosity on the subject, visit the following Wikipedia pages for more information on colloids and the Tyndall effect that renders many of them opaque to the eye. It's very interesting stuff.

Anyway, for those who are still not convinced that black water can be natural, just keep in mind that I bought this product at Earth Fare, an organic grocery store with very strict rules about what level of artificiality is allowed in the products that pass across company shelves. Additionally, according to the Wikipedia page for humic acid, attempts have been made to synthesize fulvic acid, but none have been successful. So, the long and short of it is that BLK basically has no choice but to use all natural ingredients. Fulvic acid has some health benefits as a dietary supplement, as well. The highly ionic nature of the compounds found in humic acids promote the absorption of other nutrients and minerals in the body, and are helpful in increasing the overall efficiency of other important dietary elements.

As far as the taste goes, there really isn't much of any. Which is actually good in the case of a product that markets itself as water. As far as I could tell, BLK tastes just like regular water, although there was a hint of plastic in the taste, but no more than any other bottled spring water. There is a very, very faint granularity to the water (presumably from the added mineral complex), but it is not noticeable enough to be an actual concern. Basically, drinking BLK is just like drinking any other water.

Now, I must admit that BLK is a bit of a novelty. If fulvic acid were clear, BLK would definitely not have much going for it other than the nutritional benefits of fulvic acid, and even those are a bit superfluous. From what I've found out about the science behind fulvic acid, the total nutritional benefits are somewhat slight, particularly when taken in small, irregular quantities. But frankly, it doesn't really matter. Sometimes it is okay for a beverage to rely largely on novelty appeal, and I feel like this is one of those times. The sheer peculiarity of drinking black water is enough to make me want to buy BLK, especially since it really isn't that much more expensive than any other bottled water. And the marketing campaign is absolutely fantastic. It was a lot of fun to slowly uncover the "enjoy the dark side" slogan as I drank through the beverage, and the bottle definitely does look good sitting on the shelf among its less exciting competitors. BLK may be a novelty, but I think that it is a fantastic novelty. If nothing else, it's a great conversation starter.

Verdict: Recommended

Purchased: Earth Fare [Rock Hill, SC]

Size: 16.9 fl. oz. [500mL]

Price: $1.99  

Tradition Oolong Tea

It has been a while since I have reviewed a tea, but I find it fitting that this one is yet another product from Tradition. I have yet to have a product from the company that I have not thoroughly enjoyed, and its oolong tea is no exception. 

Although oolong tea is not my favorite variety, I have always enjoyed partaking in it. I have very fond childhood memories of sharing warm pots of the stuff with my family during dinners out at some of our favorite Chinese eateries. The mildness of the flavor makes it a great tea to share with friends, as it is not likely to be offensive to anybody's taste buds. Tradition's oolong is a little bit more flavorful than other oolong teas that I have had in the past, but it still maintains the tranquil subtlety so characteristic of the tea. The flavor is very light and earthy, and the aroma does not linger long in the aftertaste, giving the tea a cleaner finish than other, similar types of tea. Unlike some of the stronger teas (i.e. black or green), oolong does not tend to dry out the mouth, making it easier to drink in larger servings.

Overall, I find that there is actually not much to say about Tradition's oolong tea. It is a pleasantly mild and benign tea that sits well on the palette and is likely to be enjoyed by most people with even a slight taste for hot tea. Although this one is somewhat unremarkable (as most milder teas often are), it is still a great example of the beverage, and is definitely worth the money. I am inclined to recommend some of Tradition's other teas over this one (such as their jasmine green or their barley tea), but if you are looking for something light and refreshing, or would just like to try something a little bit different from the usual norm, then this one is certainly worth checking out.

Verdict: Recommended

Purchased: Asian Market [Columbia, SC]

Size: 20 bags per box

Price: $3.99

Mr. Q. Cumber

I have been hearing/seeing things about this beverage for a while now, and although I have had cucumber beverages before and not really enjoyed them, I thought that I would give this one a try after finding it at a local organic market. Now that I have had one, however, I understand what some of the hype is about.

Mr. Q. Cumber, while not wildly different from other drinks of its type, strikes a balance between sweet and savory that many of its competitors seem to disregard. Cucumber is very strong, and it can often be quite an odd flavor to incorporate smoothly into a beverage. Many of the cucumber drinks that I have had in the past seem to simply embrace the odd bitterness of cucumber's flavor and do nothing to reduce or impair the overwhelming taste. Mr. Q. Cumber, however, is different from others in that it is more of a cucumber soda, rather than a cucumber flavored seltzer or water. The cucumber taste is, overall, not very strong, and the drink is sweetened just enough to compensate for the remaining bitterness of the diluted flavor.

As I have already said, my previous experiences with cucumber beverages led me to not expect much from this one, but I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised. I don't know that this one is one for the record books, but the strong balance between the cucumber flavor and the sweetness of the beverage results in a light and refreshing drink that is definitely worth a try. The seven ounce serving size is also a perfect portion of the beverage, as a larger serving size would likely grow tiresome towards the end of the bottle.

Verdict: Recommended


Purchased: Rosewood Market [Columbia, SC]
Size: 7 fl. oz. [208 mL]
Price: $1.19

Honest CocoaNova

As I am sure that I have mentioned in the past, I am a big fan of Honest Tea. So, needless to say, I was very excited when I saw the company's new line of CocoaNova beverages sitting on the shelf of my local organic foods market. Although all that I knew about the drink at the time was that it was some sort of chocolate and cherry infused beverage, I was still very much looking forward to giving it a try.

CocoaNova is unlike any other drink that I've had in the past. As one would expect, the theme here is certainly chocolate. However, the chocolate is not as strong as other chocolate beverages that I have had in the past, and tastes more like natural cocoa than many other drinks of its "type." I say "type" in quotations because although there are obviously other chocolate-oriented beverages on the market, Honest CocoaNova is quite unique. Rather than tasting as though the drink is made from chocolate, the chocolate serves to add more of a background flavor to the overall drink as a whole. I was not anticipating this subtlety, as there was a thick layer of chocolate sediment that had to be shaken into the drink before consumption, but I really enjoyed the lighter, almost watery taste of the beverage. I have had both the cherry and mint flavors, and I must say that both are very well balanced, although I prefer the combination of mint and chocolate over that of cherry and chocolate.

Overall, CocoaNova is a very unique and delicious beverage. It is surprisingly refreshing for a drink that contains a significant amount of chocolate, and I have really enjoyed both of the bottles that I have had so far. However, with most highly unique beverages, there is a bit of risk in purchasing this one. I don't know that this is the drink for everyone, and there are sure to be some consumers out there who find the subtlety of the flavors a bit strange and off-putting, but I think that anybody with a taste for chocolate will almost undoubtedly find something to like in Honest CocoaNova. Definitely give this one a try.

Verdict: Recommended


Purchased: Earth Fare [Columbia, SC]
Size: 10.1 fl oz
Price: $1.50

Dry Lemongrass Soda

For those of you who are unaware, I absolutely love to cook. Although it usually leaves a bit of a mess behind, I am a particularly avid fan of Asian cooking. Lemongrass ranks pretty high on my list of favorite Asian seasonings, so I am sure that you can imagine my excitement when I found this beverage sitting on the shelf in my local organic grocery store. 

Upon buying the beverage, I was not familiar with Dry Soda Co., but after doing a bit of research, I came to find out that they are a fairly new soda manufacturer that focuses on creating all natural sodas that are less sweet than the competitors and better for your health, overall. I always tend to enjoy sodas that focus more on the flavor and less on the sugar, and I was naturally excited to give this one a try.

Unfortunately, I was met with a flavor that I can only describe as "strange." Although the drink did have hints of a distinctly lemongrass flavor, I'm not entirely sure how to describe the overall taste. The aroma of the beverage smells a bit like lemon-scented dishwasher detergent, which is a bit odd, but not necessarily bad. It just didn't smell or taste like I what I was expecting. I think that I was anticipating a taste more along the lines of lemongrass after it has been cooked into a recipe, but was instead met with a more raw, natural lemongrass taste. 

Overall, the drink was not bad by any means. The level of sweetness is well-balanced, and is present without being overbearing. However, I don't know how much the sugar adds to this particular flavor, as the taste of the lemongrass is so prominent that the marginal sweetness almost doesn't affect the beverage. Again, the taste is not really bad, per se. It's just really strange, and I don't know that I can say that I like it. I think that this one is definitely worth a try if and only if you like lemongrass, but I would not recommend this one to the general consumer.

Lemongrass makes for an excellent spice, but I don't know that it is the best ingredient in a soda. The "healthy soda" ethos of Dry Soda does incline me to give some of the other flavors a try, however, and I think that many of the other flavors that the company offers would lend themselves better to a "less sweet" soda approach.

Verdict: Not recommended

Purchased: Earth Fare [Columbia, SC]

Size: 12 fl. oz. [355 mL]

Price: $6.99 [4-pack]

Numi Organic Pu-Erh Tea

I am by no means an expert when it comes to pu-erh tea. However, the experiences that I have had with it have all been very good so far, and Numi's organic pu-erh is an excellent example. I must admit that, at first, I held on to this one for several days before actually working up the nerve to try it. The full opacity of the liquid and the thick layer of sediment at the bottom of the bottle led me to believe that this was going to be a very strong beverage.

However, Numi was not nearly as strong as I originally thought that it might be. In fact, it was very mild and tasty and surprisingly refreshing. Pu-erh tea already has a very unique, earthy flavor, and Numi's organic take on the beverage tastes even more natural. Numi's pu-erh is sweetened, but only mildly so. I am accustomed to drinking pu-erh without sugar, but the amount of sweetening was just right and was subtle enough to add to the flavor without diminishing the taste of the tea. The residue at the bottom also added to the freshness of the taste, although I did have to keep shaking the drink between returns to the bottle to keep the particles distributed.

Despite my slight hesitations about the potential strength of the beverage, I enjoyed my experience with Numi very much. It is a very easy drink to recommend, particularly to tea drinkers, and I definitely want to try some of Numi's other flavors in the future.

Verdict: Recommended

Purchased: World Market [Columbia, SC]

Size: 12 fl.oz. [355 mL]

Price: $1.99

Nuun U Hydration: Tangerine Ginger

As someone who has never particularly fancied water enhancers in the past, I have been trying an unusual number of them lately. One of my more recent selections was one flavor from Nuun's U Hydration series of all-natural water enhancement products. The thing that intrigued me the most about U Hydration is that rather than being a powder or a liquid like other products of the same type, the flavoring is offered in tablet form. Using tablets in beverages is certainly not uncommon. Those suffering from indigestion (also known as "hangovers") have been utilizing tablets to combat discomfort for years, but there was something strange and outstanding about finding a package of tablets that functions specifically as a flavoring agent.

There are a few extra benefits from using U Hydration, such as added vitamins and electrolytes, but the primary purpose is, as one would expect, to enhance your water. U Hydration is definitely fun to use, and watching the tablet dissolve in the water has an almost disturbingly entrancing quality. When stopping to really think about it, it's not all that exciting in retrospect, but the tablet does sort of hop around in the bottle from the buoyant force of the water as chunks of the slab bubble away, and it managed to hold my attention for a while. However, I have noticed that the tab does not typically dissolve completely on it's own and a little bit of shaking towards the end is usually required.

The taste of U Hydration is actually a bit difficult to describe. I was fairly wary of the mixture at first, as it smells like liquid pharmaceutical antibiotics. Luckily, it does not taste like medication and instead has an easy taste that is light and refreshing. The tangerine and ginger both tasted fairly natural (as natural as solidified, powdered essence will allow), and the concoction is not very sweet, if at all. I wasn't sure whether to expect sweetness or not, and I unfortunately do not currently have the package with me to check, but the unsweetened approach was a nice surprise and definitely sets this product apart from its competitors. The added vitamins and electrolytes also gave the drink a faint "children's-chewable-vitamin-supplement" accent and acted as extra thirst quenching agents. 

Although I like U Hydration overall, and would most likely recommend it (granted, I can not yet speak for the other three flavors), there are a few problems. First off, while the tablets are interesting and different, they take a good bit longer to mix into the water, as the flavoring must take time to break apart rather than simply homogenizing into the mixture. Also, the tablets are a little big, and are likely not going to fit into most disposable water bottles. This is taken into consideration, and the tablets are recessed in the middle like many typical solid-body pills. This allows the tabs to be more easily broken by hand, but it is still just another step in a process that is already almost three times as long as those of competing products. 

Another big issue for me is the price. Each 16 tablet vial costs upwards of 8 dollars, which is a lot to commit to an unknown, multiple-serving product. I have had my share of unfavored expensive drinks, but for some reason it is much harder for me to risk the money on multi-serving products, as I always dread the guilt of disposing of an entire container of something. Luckily, my money was not wasted here, although I will say that it took me a long time to work up the nerve to risk this one.

I don't know that I will make U Hydration a regular purchasing habit in the future, but I am definitely glad that I finally decided to try it out. The taste is mild and pleasant, and if nothing else it is a unique and refreshing take on the water enhancer in a market full of sneeze-inducing powders.

Verdict: Worth a try

Purchased: Earth Fare [Columbia, SC]

Size: 16 tablets [Each tablet makes one 16-17 oz. serving]

Price: $7.59

Ginseng UP

I have seen Ginseng UP at most of the organic grocers that I have visited so far (and even some of the Asian markets), and have always wondered about it as I chose something else from the shelf. I finally decided to give one a try this past week, and although my curiosity has been satiated, I am starting to feel that ginseng really just does not make for a good beverage.

To start off positive, the flavor of the ginseng used in the beverage is very natural. It has a very dry, earthy ginseng taste, and it is clear that it is derived from organic ingredients. That, however, is about where the appeal stops. Ginseng UP is sweetened with fructose, which is fairly sweet and syrupy and doesn't really mix very well with the mild bitterness of the ginseng. The drink also has a bit of a thick taste, likely due to the heavier nature of the fructose (as opposed to sucrose). This thickness also causes the flavor to hang around in the aftertaste for quite some time, making the all around experience relatively unpleasant. Also, Ginseng UP promotes itself as a "100% Natural Soda," but it was barely carbonated at all. I will admit that I am a bit biased, as I tend to prefer my carbonated drinks as bubbly as possible (I like it to "bite" my mouth a little on the way down), but I don't think that anyone would consider this as carbonated as a soda should be. There is a chance that I may have somehow gotten one that had gone flat, but expecting carbonation and not really getting any is always a disappointing experience.

I like ginseng, and I couldn't finish this drink. That's not to say that nobody is going to like it, but I could not stomach the flavor and aftertaste for more than a few drinks. Ginseng UP is offered in a variety of other flavors, and perhaps some of the others are better, but based on my experience with this one, I think that it will probably be a while before I "try again." I think that if this drink had been unsweetened, it would have been a lot better. Ginseng has a very particular flavor that is only muddled by sweetening, and ginseng-based beverages are most often used as nutritional supplements, anyway. I don't know that sweetening is strictly necessary, and I think that a drink that simply emphasizes the very organic and earthy taste of the ginseng would be much easier to recommend.

Verdict: Not recommended

Purchased: Rosewood Market [Columbia, SC]

Size: 12 fl. oz. [355 mL]

Price: $1.59

Bossa Nova Acai Juice Beverage

I've been hearing a lot about acai within the beverage industry lately. The health foods community in particular seems fond of the drupe, and it seems like every other beverage on the shelf at most organic grocers have some form of acai in it. Known for its antioxidant nature, acai is widely considered a useful dietary supplement, and its ever-increasing store shelf real estate is a testament to its growing popularity.

I think that is important to note here that I have never had a solely acai-flavored beverage before. I've had acai in plenty of smoothies and other juice cocktails, but never by itself. I found Bossa Nova at a local organic foods store, and after convincing myself that giving it a try would be worth the rather high price tag, I decided to pick one up. Unfortunately, I made the rather foolish mistake of deciding to drink it during a meeting with my engineering design group's project advisors, so I was not able to focus solely on the taste of the beverage, but I do remember enjoying it. The drink has an air of bitterness on the way in (likely the taste left over from the peel of the fruit), but becomes pleasantly sweet quickly thereafter. Seeing as it is fruit juice, the beverage is pretty sweet, but it is still not quite as sweet as other more common juices. The acai had a very mild taste, almost like that of a red grape.

Overall, Bossa Nova sits well on the taste buds and has a smooth and rich effect on the olfactory, but it does leave a bit of that dreadfully specific and lingering "berry" aftertaste in the throat. Regardless, I would definitely drink it again. However, I find that asking over three dollars for 10 ounces of beverage is a little bit high, especially for something that does not have any "stand-out" qualities with regards to the taste. I know that it is intended to be used for the health benefits, but there are cheaper and more "tasty" ways to obtain antioxidants through drink. The price tag alone is not enough to break the recommendation, however, and I do suggest that you give this one a try, even if it's only a one time thing.

Verdict: Recommended


Purchased: Rosewood Market [Columbia, SC]
Size: 10 fl. oz. [296 mL]
Price: $3.59

Oogave

Until Oogave, I had sworn off many of today's alternative sweeteners as not much more than "passable." Agave nectar in particular has been seeing an increase in popularity lately as one of these said sweeteners, and while it has seen its fair share of abuses in the hands of experimenting companies, Oogave sets itself apart from the competition with a fantastic product that avoids many of the downfalls of the viscous, golden substance. 

Oogave recently sent me a sampler pack of their sodas (one of each flavor, as seen here), and I must admit that I had some mild doubts at first. I have had beverages in the past that were sweetened with agave nectar (cocktails, primarily), and they are usually just too sweet and syrupy for my tastes. I am glad to say, however, that my initial reservations about the product were blown to pieces upon tasting the beverage. Oogave is, in a lot of ways, the perfect soda. There are a lot of things that Oogave does right, and several of their flavors were absolutely exemplary of not just appropriate usage of agave nectar as a sweetener, but also of the flavor in general. The agave nectar is balanced in such a way that the flavor of the nectar itself is not prominent in the beverage. It is still there if you look for it, but it does not rebelliously stand out like in many of the other agave-sweetened drinks that I have tried. 

Most people consider the following statement to be a distinction without a difference, but I believe that the purpose of a sweetener is to sweeten the beverage, not to make it sweet. To me, "sweetening" something means to add sweetener so as to bring out the natural flavors of the other ingredients and add a bit of drinkablility to an otherwise bland or bitter beverage. To "make a drink sweet" means to intentionally add sweetener so as to make a beverage that someone would not normally enjoy sweet enough to palate. A perfect example of the latter would be the way that people in the southeast U.S. drink their tea. Very few people who I have met in the area enjoy unsweetened tea. In fact, many have a strong aversion to the beverage. However, once so much sugar is added that the liquid is no longer recognizable as tea, it becomes the cultural beverage of choice and people drink it as though their body's chemical make-up depends on it. Over-sweetening is a pitfall that I feel many mainstream companies find themselves stumbling into time after time, and it is always refreshing to find a company like Oogave that understands this difference and keeps its sweetener on the right shelf (so to speak).  

Anyway, Oogave tastes great. Each flavor (Root Beer, Watermelon Cream, Mandarin Key Lime, Ginger Ale, Grapefruit, and Cola) is crisp, easy to drink, and well-balanced, and the flavors used are clearly very natural. The mandarin key lime stands out particularly in this regard, as both the mandarin and the lime taste like natural citrus rather than their typical, candy-like counterparts. The only flavor that stuck out to me as odd was the root beer. It is by no means bad, and is definitely better than any mainstream competition that I've had, but the agave nectar and root beer flavoring just didn't seem to mesh with each other quite as well as the others. 

The ginger ale, on the other hand, is absolutely perfect. I have been searching for essentially years now for a natural ginger ale that has the taste of real, fresh ginger, but does not leave my throat burning after each sip. Oogave has rescued me from my long-running series of failed attempts, and I think that it is safe to say that I have, at long last, found "my" ginger ale. 

All in all, Oogave is pretty incredible. I don't want to do the brand injustice by trying to describe it too carefully with mere language. This is definitely one that everybody should experience for themselves, and I highly recommend picking one (or as many as you can hold) of these up when and if you have the chance. Oogave has developed a spectacular beverage, and I can not wait to try whatever they come out with next.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

Purchased: Whole Foods [Check your local health food markets, as well]

Size: 12 fl. oz. [355 mL]

Price: About $1.50 per bottle 

Check Oogave out on Twitter

Honest Tea

Honest Tea has been in beverage news a lot lately. The company's investment partnership with Coca-Cola has raised a lot of eyebrows, despite Honest Tea's efforts towards not giving in to marketing demands made by the corporate giant, and a lot of hasty accusations and assumptions have been made about Honest Tea "selling out." But, I would recommend that those who would dismiss the beverage outright because of unrelated political quandaries within the beverage industry should give Honest Tea a try. The taste will speak for itself.

I had been unintentionally avoiding picking one of these up for my own reasons. I must ashamedly admit that the packaging did not draw my attention enough to inspire me to select Honest Tea over other options during my beverage shopping trips. However, a friend of mine recently gave me one of these to review, and I was very impressed. Honest Tea is essentially exactly what is advertised: tea. The tea has a very natural, green tea taste (several other tea blends are available, as well) that is unimpeded by the added flavorings. The tea pictured above was flavored with passion fruit, and the taste was evident and distinct, but was not so strong as to mask the flavor of the tea. And the disclaimer at the bottom of the label is dead on. The beverage really is "just a tad sweet." The ingredients are balanced perfectly, and the sweetness adds just the right amount of drinkability without spoiling the "healthy beverage" motif. The sediment in the bottom of the tea also adds a bit of body to the fluid without thickening it, making this a unique and wholeheartedly recommended choice amongst pre-bottled tea options. Honest Tea is offered in a wide variety of flavors and blends (several of which I have had at this point), and I have a hard time imagining someone who could not find something to like with at least one of their products. Definitely give this one a try.

Verdict: Highly recommended

Purchased: Earth Fare [Columbia, SC]

Size: 16 fl. oz. [473 mL]

Price: $1.69

T42 Tropical Nectars

I have always had an aversion to nectars. In general, I am of the opinion that a beverage should not be viscous enough to use as a pancake topping. I picked this one up this past weekend while I was at Earth Fare trying to activate a coupon. The canned Sapparo that I had originally selected did not count towards my total due to its alcohol nature, so I swapped it out for this and an Honest Tea to push my total high enough to legitimize my coupon. I knew going into this one that I probably was not going to like it. I have yet to have a nectar that I found palatable, and T₄2 was no exception.

As soon as I opened the drink, I could tell that it was too thick. A few bubbles rose to the top of the liquid upon the fluid's reintroduction to the air, but they moved so slowly that I could watch each individual bubble struggle its way to the surface. The beverage even smelled thick, and had a dense, syrup-like aroma. My hypothesis was confirmed upon consumption, as the nectar was indeed of high viscosity. 

I'm not really sure as to what exactly the appeal of nectars is supposed to be. I guess they are, generally, very natural and close to their source of origin, but I don't really know that the taste is worth it. T₄2 is very, very sweet. It is a natural sweetness, to be sure, but it is still too sweet and sugary for my taste. The mango is also very strong, and overpowers any hint of the carrot that may be there. If you like mango, then you may like this one, as it tastes pretty much like a liquefied mango. I am not the world's biggest mango fan, so my opinion of the flavor may be slanted, but I feel that this would be much easier to consider recommending to other adventurous beverage consumers if there was something to help balance out the sweetness of the mango. The carrot is a good start; there just needs to be more of it. The product as is, however, is too heavy and sweet for me to recommend to anyone but the most die-hard mango fans.

Verdict: Not recommended

Purchased: Earth Fare [Columbia, SC]

Size: 16 fl. oz. [473mL]

Price: $1.99

Guru Energy Drink

I have been noticing this energy drink more and more often as of late in the beverage sections of many of the stores that I frequent. I first saw it at Earth Fare, and have officially managed to buy everything else in the store before resorting to this one, but it is becoming more popular as an organic alternative to the typical energy drink. I’m not sure why I avoided this one for so long (although, to be honest, it was probably the price tag), but I finally decided to give it a try and I have to say that it’s not too bad.

In general, I am not a fan of energy drinks, and I usually prepare for the worst during the initial sips of whatever brand I have most recently worked up the courage to try. Guru was no different, and, although I have found that I have had better luck with natural energy beverages, I still pre-loaded my wincing face. The first taste was…interesting. It started out tasting pretty good, but then suddenly switched to tasting terrible in an instant. My reaction to the switch made the friend who I was riding with chuckle, as I believe that I verbalized the event as: “Mmm…uugh!”

The sudden shift in taste disheartened me, but I continued to sip the beverage, so as to give it a fair chance. And I am glad that I did, as the shifting taste was apparently a one-time thing. The more I drank the beverage, the more it grew on me. It has a fairly unique flavor that is difficult to describe; not unlike the flavor of many other conventional energy drinks, but different and more refreshing somehow. Guru still has the same acidity and sourness of other energy drinks, but it is overall less pronounced and more natural in taste, rather than tasting blatantly of its chemical origin.

Overall, Guru was pretty good. I don’t know that I would buy it again due to its high price tag and mostly generic flavor, but it is definitely a great alternative option for those looking for a more healthy energy drink fix with a more conventional taste.

Verdict: Worth a try


Purchased: Earth Fare [Columbia, SC]
Size: 12 fl. oz. [355 mL]
Price: $2.49