It’s hard to believe that it’s already the end of September. For this month’s “Thirsty Thursday” I’m doing a beverage round-up of new drinks we’ve tried during the past month. Just when we think that the beverage market has reached its saturation point, new drinks continue to be created. And, of course, NY Foodie Family has to try as many interesting newcomers as we can!
bai Antioxidant Cocofusion – bai launched in 2009 and is the Mandarin Chinese word for “pure.” It is also an acronym for “botanical antioxidant infusions.” The company creates beverages using only natural flavors and without artificial sweeteners. This was our first time trying a bai beverage and I picked up this Antioxidant Cocofusion in Puna Coconut Pineapple at our local Acme. It was on sale but but normally retails for $2.29 a bottle. This is a coconut and pineapple flavored coconut water and the flavors were noticeable. The drink is sweetened with stevia which I thought had a noticeable taste. My husband noted that this particular flavor might be enhanced with the addition of some rum. There are four flavors in the Cocofusion line including Andes Coconut Lime, Maui Coconut Raspberry, Molokai Coconut and this Puna Coconut Pineapple that we tried. Although we weren’t huge fans of this particular flavor, I am interested in trying drinks from some of their other product lines.
Izze Fusions – Izze brand beverages was co-founded by best friends Todd Woloson and Greg Stroh. The brand is named after Todd’s daughter. The Izze line of products include sparkling juice, sparking water and these fusions. Izze Fusions are fizzy fruit beverages that come in three flavors: orange mango, lemon lime and strawberry melon. The drink is sweetened with stevia extract, which had a noticeable taste. The rest of the family enjoyed these though. Fusions are sold in a box of eight at local grocery stores and retails at our local Acme for $5.99.
Langers Cucumber Lime with Mint Juice Cocktail – Langers is a family-owned juice company that has been producing a variety of beverages since its formation in 1960. When I saw Cucumber Lime with Mint juice cocktail on the shelf I had to give it a try, since I’ve never seen anything comparable before. This juice cocktail has no high fructose corn syrup. It definitely has a very evident cucumber and lime flavor. I have to be honest, neither the kids nor I were fans of this drink. My husband made good use of it by mixing it with some bourbon to create a cocktail. I purchased this beverage at our local Shoprite on sale for $1.99.
O by Oshee (Kombucha energy drink) – This beverage came in our MunchPak snack subscription box. While I don’t think that this beverage is available in local stores, it is available through the MunchPak store. This drink comes from Poland. My husband enjoys kombucha but when he tried this drink he couldn’t detect any kombucha flavor. Instead, this drink reminded him of a regular Red Bull.
Ocean Spray Cran-Pineapple – I grew up drinking Ocean Spray cranberry juice cocktail. Over the years, Ocean Spray has continued to expand their line of cranberry juice beverages. Whenever I see a new cranberry flavor, I have to try it. We all enjoyed this Ocean Spray Cran-Pineapple. I liked the combo of sweet and tart flavors. These drinks tend to be sweet and have quite a bit of sugar. But we always dilute our beverages with 3/4 seltzer and 1/4 juice which makes a nice spritzer. I bought this juice at our local Shoprite on sale for $1.99.
ROAR Organic Electrolyte Infusions – (I received samples of this beverage for review purposes only. All opinions are my own.) ROAR Organic kindly sent me a sample of their beverages to sample. Founded in 2016, ROAR Organic is a line of USDA certified organic coconut water-based electrolyte infusions. They currently come in four flavors (Pineapple Mint, Cucumber Watermelon, Strawberry Coconut and Mango Clementine). They are made with all-natural flavors and sweeteners. We received the three flavors pictured above. Like many of the other drinks reviewed this month, these drinks contain stevia. I find stevia to have a bitter taste and prefer to drink beverages that do not contain the sweetener. However, my husband and kids enjoyed these drinks. The electrolyte-infusions in these drinks set them apart from the other coconut waters on the market. Out of the three flavors we tried, the favorite was the Strawberry Coconut. ROAR Organic can be purchased online at Taldepot.com and Amazon.com. They are sold in bulk and retail on Taldepot.com for $31.00 for a pack of 12 (18 oz) bottles.
ROAR Kids – (I received samples of this beverage for review purposes only. All opinions are my own.) ROAR organic also sent me a sample of their new kids line of beverages. ROAR Kids is a water-based beverage that is naturally flavored. As you can see, they partnered with Disney’s Marvel Studios for their packaging. With just 2 grams of sugar per serving, ROAR Kids comes in Grape, Apple and Fruit Punch flavors. Both my kids enjoyed these drinks, with their favorite being the grape-flavored. ROAR Organic can be purchased online at Taldepot.com and Amazon.com. They are sold in bulk and retail on Taldepot.com for $21.00 for 12 (12 oz) bottles.
Have you tried any new beverages recently?
