After my disappointment with the cucumber Sparkling Essence, I was skeptical to try another flavor. Today I gave in and tried the blueberry. It had the same strong seltzer water flavor that I just can't get into. It does smell and taste exactly like blueberries. I just wish they would carbonate it differently. I did have a friend who likes seltzer have the rest of my can, and they loved it. So if seltzer is "on your list of the best things in life," this very well may be the sparkling beverage for you.

This looked so enticing sitting on the shelf. I had never even thought of it before, but a cucumber spritzer just sounds so refreshing. Unfortunately the carbonation in the drink tastes exactly like seltzer water, which I greatly dislike. I will say that underneath the bitter seltzer taste, it does taste exactly like cucumbers. Hopefully in the future a different cucumber spritzer will hit the market that I can enjoy.

I know the Honest company usually makes pretty straight forward unsweetened tea. When I saw a flavor called Agave Mate that knowledge left my brain. I was expecting this to be a really sweet mate. I was wrong. The agave in the tea is barely noticeable. Overall it tastes liked iced down yerba mate. I was a bit disappointed because of my expectations. After a few sips I got over it, and I realized I enjoyed it. If you're a fan of unsweetened tea, this is a drink for you.

About three years ago I got a carton of this, and it was the first coconut water I ever drank. I drank it before it was properly chilled and as a result I thought it was utterly disgusting, thus ruining coconut water for me for some time. I reviewed it for Thirsty Dudes and it only got one bottle. That is how gross I thought it was.

Now that time has passed, and I realized that when drunken ice-cold coconut water is actually great, I decided I should revisit this and give it a proper go around. I can say that when I wore a younger man's shoes I was a bit of an idiot. This is fairly tasty. It's not the best coconut water I've ever had, but rereading my old review I didn't give it a fair chance at all.

I will say that for the first time ever I think that a drink has too much juice in it. Okay, they call it puree, but I would enjoy if this were lighter; let's say 95% coconut water, 5% fruit. The fruit juice is making it a bit too sweet with 30g of sugar in the carton. I know that's not a lot of sugar, but it's more than I want in coconut water. Overall though it has a nice taste, and if you're into your coconut water hiding behind some fruit flavor, this is for you.


Here is my old review if you'd like to read what a big dummy that doesn't know you should drink coconut water nice and cold thought:

First off, I really dislike coconut, so I've avoided this beverage for a while. After several people assured me that it did not taste anything like coconut, I decided to have a go of it. I was nervous when I was about to try it, but they were correct. It doesn't taste like coconut at all. What it does taste like is a chalky milky substance, which is on the edge of curdling because of the acidity of the fruit juice. At first I didn't think it was bad, but the more I drink it, I can't get that thought of it going bad out of my mind. The other flavors might not be as bad, but I doubt I will be trying them any time soon.

I have probably drunk cases of this stuff in my life. I don't really like blueberries but this tea is great. I love the bitterness of the blueberry and tea together. The cane sugar really makes it not have that undesirable aftertaste. My team and I will review the whole line of Ito En Tea drinks in due time. Also, for $1.50, it's not breaking the bank and this drink goes well with everything.

At first I wasn't sure if we should review store brand beverages. The conclusion that I came to was that it shouldn't be a regular thing, but every once and a while it would be fine. This decision was easier to make because of the deliciousness of this beverage. It's your typical Italian Soda, but it's extremely flavorful, with a nice harsh carbonation. I just wish that everything that was orange flavored in the world were actually blood orange flavored. It's such the superior to a normal orange flavor.

When Sobe first hit the market I worked at a grocery store, and I would drink them on my break. I thought they were great, and had such strange flavors (keep in mind I was 17 and hadn't ventured much outside of standard beverages). My infatuation quickly faded, and I don't think I've had one in at least ten years. I bought this bottle because it was yumberry flavored. I've been seeing this in a lot of drinks lately and I wanted to check it out. For those of you from Western New York, I will say that my thoughts after the first sip was that it reminded me a lot of loganberry. Although the lack of high-fructose corn syrup, definitely gave it a thinner consistency then that local favorite. It was very sweet, and it didn't have the tartness that I've come to expect from pomegranate (and from yumberry as I learned online). I guess it is just way over sweetened. I still enjoyed it. I'll have to try some more of these new Sobe flavors. Look for some new reviews soon.

This beverage comes in an eye appealing little bottle. I had seen it at the grocery store for a while, but didn't actually pick one up until today. I had expected it to be very lightly flavored water, but in reality it was actually very flavorful. I don't believe I have ever had anything with hibiscus in it before, and I really don't know how to describe the flavor. It was sweet and tangy, nothing like what I would expect a flower to taste like. I'll definitely be picking this up again, and I'll be on the lookout for other hibiscus flavored things.

This is supposed to be an energy shot. The energy it supplies comes solely from the yerba mate and green tea, which are pretty much the only ingredients in the drink. If you are a fan of strong unsweetened tea and are looking for a little kick of energy, this is the drink for you.

Switch is quickly becoming one of my favorite beverages. If only I could get it somewhere closer to my house. 100% lightly sparkling juice. I think the fruit punch may be my favorite flavor. When I first had it, I thought it was a little weird, but by the time I got done with the can, I wanted another. It reminds me of Juicy Juice fruit punch, if it was carbonated.

I stumbled upon this drink when stopping for provisions to go camping. Since then I've been searching high and low for it. Recently my search paid off, as I found it at a grocery store about a half hour away from my house. Switch really knows what they are doing. It's straight up juice mixed with sparkling water. Nothing else is added. If you're a fan of black cherry, I highly recommend this. It tastes like someone mashed up a bunch of cherries and then carbonated the juice that was forced from them. I'm not a huge black cherry fan myself, but it is still tasty.

After a day of hiking I stopped at a store to get a beverage. I normally wouldn't grab an energy drink under such circumstances, but the fact that it was in the natural section, and it said "Jitter Free" convinced me to take a chance. I was very pleased with my purchase. This beverage had none of the normal chemical flavors that you would normally find in energy drinks. It really just tasted like sweetened white tea with a slight ginger taste to it. I felt like I was just drinking a normal iced tea. I actually forgot it was an energy drink until my lady friend asked if it did anything as an energy drink. I did find myself feeling more alert, but not like a spazz like I normally would after an energy drink.

I am a fan of most of the Goya Nectar drinks. I usually get them in the larger bottles, but this flavor I've only ever seen in a can. I learned today that although the bottles use natural sweeteners, the ones in the cans all seem to be sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup. In my opinion that's already deducted points. The taste of the nectar reminded me of a mix of apple and grape juice, with a strange earthy undertone. It really did nothing for me.

I've never been a huge fan of the Jones company. I do appreciate that they were early to the game in using cane sugar, but their sodas so sugary that they left a film on my teeth. This is my first tasting of one of their juices, and I have to say that I enjoy it much more than their sodas I've had in the past. It tastes like a thicker, but not syrupy, orange juice with a hint of lime. It may only be 10% juice, but it doesn't make you feel like crap like most other "juices" do.

I have never tasted a drop of alcohol in my life, so I'm not sure if this actually tastes like sangria. I must say, Sangria Senorial smells just like alcoholic sangria. Since it smells so familiar and I have a negative outlook on alcoholic drinks, I think that might be part of the reason why I don't like the taste of this. It has a bitter grape taste with light carbonation. The only positive thing I can say is that it has real sugar in it.

I really need to invest in a bottle opener because I keep finding that imported soda companies aren't fond of twist off caps. Oh well, I managed to get this cap off with my handy staple remover again. It's not everyday you see green apple flavored soda, so i had to try this bottle of Sidral Mundet I found at the international grocery store. It's made in Mexico and is made with real sugar, which is nice. It tastes EXACTLY like a green apple Jolly Rancher. It's really strange how exact the taste is. But it's super delicious, and actually has some apple juice concentrate in it!

I found this bottle of Sarsi at a large international supermarket near my house. Judging by the color, ingredients, and uncanny similarity to the Pepsi logo, I thought this was going to be a cola. I also didn't see the "I" at first and was really excited that there was a drink called Sars. After i pried off the non-twist bottle cap (all I had was a staple remover to help with this), it didn't smell nor taste like cola. It's more of a light sarsaparilla, but with a bitter aftertaste due to the use of aspartame instead of sugar or high fructose corn syrup. It's not bad, but it's not amazing. If you're a fan of sarsaparilla and don't mind artificial sweeteners, it's worth a try.

Boysenberry soda? Really? I was pretty shocked when I saw this, but also excited to try it. It's a local Portland soda made by the people who run the Hotlips Pizza chain. It has a strong berry smell, but luckily the taste isn't as strong. I was afraid this was going to taste like carbonated juice, but it definitely was not the case. The boysenberry is represented perfectly: not too sweet, not too watery.
The only major complaint I have is the price. At $2.50 a bottle, it's one of the most expensive specialty sodas I've seen in a while. I could see myself picking this up once in a while as a treat, but my wallet would never forgive me if it became a regular drink of mine. I am excited to try the other flavors Hotlips sells, especially the blackberry and pear flavors.

Edit: I wrote this review when i was half way through the bottle. I just finished it and was surprised by little chunks of boysenberry near the bottom. This might make some people happy, but when you're not expecting it, it's a little off-putting.

Warning: do not take a big sip of this the first time you try it. You will be in for a big surprise as the strong taste of lemon juice stings your tongue and singes your insides all the way down until it settles into your stomach. If you have ever drunk pure lemon juice, you know the feeling I'm talking about.
That being said, Columbia Gorge knows how to make good lemonade. If you like yours extra tart, then this one is for you. It's sweetened with agave syrup, which I've never seen before but I welcome the change. It really lets the lemon in the lemonade shine through when it's not loaded with sugar.

I have yet to meet a cream soda I have not liked. Luckily, Natural Brew's Vanilla Creme Soda does not break my streak. As the name states, it has a strong vanilla flavor that sits on the tongue very nicely. One really nice thing about Natural Brew is they use evaporated cane juice as a sweetener. Cane juice is processed much less than sugar, therefore it retains a lot more of the naturally occurring nutrients in the sugar cane.
Natural Brew is manufactured and distributed by Smucker's Quality Beverages (yes, the same Smucker's that makes jam). I'm holding out for a peanut butter and jelly soda.