Review: O.N.E Active Coconut Water Grapefruit Cranberry

I think I'm just gonna put non-tea/coffee/hot-cocoa/ soda drinks as reviews.  I don't expect to have many of these, but I don't feel like making up a name for every random new type of drink.

What:  Grapefruit and Cranberry flavored Coconut water.

Where:  USA

Why Should I Care:  Coconut water is all kinds of good for you.  It makes one of the best sports drinks (even better than Gatorade), it's full of potassium, it's isotonic to the body's fluid and supposidly, can be used as an IV fluid.  The sports drink part really stuck out to me though since I hate Gatorade (I bought lime flavored on clearance and despite loving lime, it's still sitting by me with 3/4ths in the bottle).  You really don't need any kind of sports drink unless you're working out heavily for more than an hour and a half, but they're nice to have.  Plus this one has Ginseng and energy-boosting herbs.

Packaging:  I like the box-type packaging.  

Non-Taste Senses:  It's a light red color and smells lightly of cranberry.

Taste:  You know what?  It's actually pretty good.  Unlike Gatorade, it doesn't have that hint of salt so it ends up tasting more like a light cranberry juice instead of a sports drink.  The texture is a little bit thicker than your average non-milk drink and it isn't as sweet or as strong as a juice, but it also tastes like they use actual fruit as opposed to artificial flavoring.  

Overall:  I recommend it.  It's not something I'd drink for fun, but as far as sports drinks or even coconut water goes, it's pretty tasty.  

My Rating:  Try it.  Here's the site.  

TasTEA Time! Revolution Lavender Earl Grey Tea

What:  Earl Grey Black Tea with Lavender

Where:  I've looked everywhere on the site and I honestly don't know.  If I'd have to guess, USA.

Why Should I Care:  I really want to try pure Lavender tea.  I know it sounds weird, but floral tea is more often than not really good, with sweet notes and really complementing the tea taste.  Earl Grey is something I rarely crave for, but i do like it and I suppose that it could possibly make a good combination with this.

Packaging:  They use the pyramid-shaped tea bags, which is great but they're not wrapped in anything.  There's foil but you'd think a company that boasts about their quality and "bringing real tea taste back" would make their product taste fresher longer.

Non-Taste Senses:  It's a really dark brown color with a slight reddish tint.  It has a light lavender scent mixed in with the earl grey.

Taste:  First off, this needs milk for me.  The Bergamont is really strong and mixed in with the lavender, it has a little bit of a soupy taste to it.  It's not horrible and the tea isn't bitter, but it is really strong and for me, it is practically undrinkable without milk and sugar.

Overall:  My mom said she liked it so I'm sure this may be appealing to some people, but I'm not really that person.  Yes, it's better with milk but honestly, it's not worth it for me.  There are better, cheaper brands out there.

My Rating:  Pass.  I really don't want to dismiss people from trying their other teas since they sound a lot better so here's the site.

Soda Pop! CasCal with hints of Apple and Anise

I'm sorry about the name;  I just want different drinks to be distinctive and this was the first thing that came to mind.

What:  Fermented Soda (soda made from fermentation instead of mixing syrup with carbonated water).

Where:  USA (or California to be precise)

Why Should I Care:  Well, it's not as terrible for you as regular soda is.  It only has 80 calories for the entire bottle.  Also, fermentation is how they make alcohol and the product description says it's made for a "grown-up" taste.  Some people may be wondering why anyone would want a drink that tastes like wine except without the alcohol and I really can't give people's personal reasons.  Maybe they're pregnant and want to have something nice with a fancy meal.  Maybe it's Thanksgiving and those jerks don't want to be too sleepy before shopping at Black Friday.  Maybe they just don't drink alcohol but find sparkling cider disgusting (I know I do).  I think there's a couple reasons that make sense but I haven't reviewed this yet so there may be a big reason to not want it.

Packaging:  Simple glass bottles with a twist-off cap.

Non-Taste Senses:  It is a not-quite clear yellow color and it does have a light wine scent.

Taste:  I think if you come into this expecting soda/pop, you're going to be pretty disappointed.  It's not that sweet and the fermented nature gives it that wine taste.  The juice is primarily made of apples so you're gonna taste that but I honestly didn't taste too much of the anise.  It's there, but it tastes more like gingerbread spice to me.  This stuff is probably best served chilled.  Also, mine is a little expired but I've had it not-expired and even then, it isn't super fizzy.  It's more of something you feel in your mouth than when you're drinking it.

Overall:  It's not bad and I recommend people getting this for pregnant women as opposed to sparkling juice with enough sugar to make the baby hyper for 5 years.  It's not amazing and probably isn't good for kids, but it's a good substitute for wine.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the site.  They recently went through a product redesign so that's why mine looks different.

Coffee Break! Starbucks Frappuccino Lite Mocha

A comparison between the large diet and the small regular

What:  Diet coffee

Where:  USA

Why Should I Care:  I really don't.  Starbucks is a giant corporation that makes pretty mediocre coffee at a pretty high price.  The Frappeccino is a coffee drink meant for non-coffee drinkers, however they are pretty fatty (the smaller one in the comparison picture is 200 calories while this one is 150).  People are going to buy their drinks whether I say anything bad about them or not so let's just review this.

Packaging:  I actually like the bottle.  It has this milk-bottle shape to it which makes it seem classier than it actually is.

Non-Taste Senses:  It looks like coffee and it smells like coffee

Taste:  So, you probably wouldn't be able to tell it's diet from the before and middle tastes.  There's a hint of cocoa in there (Mochas are coffee drinks with a little bit of chocolate in the foam) and the coffee goes down smooth.  But then the Splenda hits you and stays in your mouth forever.  And since they're using skim milk, that hits you too (although I like skim milk).  Oh god, and the coffee breath!  I know you should expect it, but it just seems worse with Starbucks.  Unlike the Monster coffee drink, the coffee tastes cheaper than what you're paying for and I know this is because of the brand name (it's weak and it has that strong aftertaste cheap coffee has).

Overall:  Wow, I complained a lot there.  I think what I want to say is that this isn't something I'd recommend to most people (which is pretty obvious).  There are times when I give the go-ahead, like if you're in a hurry and need a caffeine boost and don't mind the horrid Splenda.  However, you can make this same product at home for about 30 cents at home (that's probably including the start-up cost of getting a coffee machine) and that's what gets it for me.

My Rating:  Pass.  You can get these anywhere, even if you're in other countries (I think).

Coffee Break! Monster Xpresso

First off, I'm sorry for not posting in a while.  It's been a crazy two weeks for me and this is one of the first days that I got a decent amount of sleep.  See, I worked 50 hours last week and 40 this week while hectically getting ready for my next semester at Pitt so even though I've got of big posts started, I was stupidly tired.  But it looks like I'll have some time next week.

Also in case anyone was wondering, my new adviser is awesome!  We both love tea and sci-fi and she was really nice and called the prof about one of the classes I needed but was full.  I'm taking Neuroscience 1, Psychology of Personality, Music History after 1945, Contemporary Literature and Science Fiction East and West (how awesome is that!).  I'm hoping this semester is awesome!

Anyway, here's the review.

What:  All the caffeine of espresso with even more caffeine from the energy drink.

Where:  USA!  But they make a point saying it was imported from Holand.

Why Should I Care:  I don't drink energy drinks often, partially because they are either horrible or expensive but also because most of them give me heartburn and I just don't drink things with caffeine often.  Coffee isn't something I frequently indulge myself in but I like it and enjoy drinking it (until the horrible caffeine crash).  I ended up getting the Monster Xpresso (it says Hammer but I don't think there's any other flavors) for 50 cents and it looks like it's just espresso (a stronger version of coffee) with cream and energy things.  Monster's stuff is  still drinkable at its worst so let's see how this holds up.

Packaging:  Seeing as this is caned coffee, this section isn't too important.  I will point out two things though:  the size and the description.  The can in eight ounces so you're getting a pretty small amount of liquid.  Also, if you have any kind of brain, ganglia, etc. don't read the descriptions on Monster products.  It sounds like it was written by a 16-year old douche bag   This one isn't the worst but they're talking about these "nifty cafe in Europe" with their "crafty foam' and some "madman" at Monster.  This might be why I stick with Red Bull when I want energy drinks because at least I don't feel dumber reading their product descriptions.

Non-Taste Senses:  It looks and smells like coffee.

Taste:  It's actually got a really nice texture.  The liquid itself is think but there's a little bit of foam in there from the Nitrous (yeah, that's in the product description).  It's sweet but not an overpowering, syrupy sweet and the espresso is...decent quality for the price (not great but not bad).  I just drank it room temperature but it probably is good cold.

Overall:  It's pretty good.  Obviously, you need to like coffee to like this, but it has a good flavor and it's actually only 80 calories per can.  The energy part made me feel numb (which means it's either not enough or too much) but it might be great for you.

My Rating:  Try it!  You're probably not going to find it for 50 cents, but here's the site with all the other awful product descriptions we know and love from Monster.

Hot Cocoa Time! Stephen's Candy Cane Cocoa Peppermint

What:  Hot cocoa with bits of candy cane in it.  A thing to note is that this candy cane is supposed to melt but will more likely end up sticking to anything and everything it touches from the mug to the spoon you mix it with.

Where:  USA

Why Should I Care:  Mint tends to be one of the more popular hot chocolate flavors and this one has little bits of candy mixed in the cocoa.  My mom got me a huge box of this stuff and I can tell you that it's great for company after a night of throwing snowballs or walking two miles in the opposite direction from the dorm (I will never trust that person with directions again).  But I have matured and tasted many more a hot cocoa so how will Stephen's hold up?

Packaging:  Foil bags.

Non-Taste Senses:  It's standard hot chocolate with a little bit of a pinkish tint.  There's also that hint of peppermint in the smell.

Taste:  Well, it's not as creamy as Land-o-Lakes, but it has a really strong minty candy cane taste.   It's sweet but not too sweet and another nice thing is surprisingly, it does mix well and doesn't leave as much of a cocoa residue as other brands.

Overview:  I think one of the nice things about getting close to the holidays are some of the limited edition flavors of food and this is no exception.

My Rating:  Try it!  Here's the site.  Something tells me that this is the uber-bulk pack, though.

TasTEA Time! Zhena's Cacaoberry Tea

What:  Zhena's Gypsy Tea:  Pink:  Tea for Women's Health Cacaoberry (to be exact)

Where:  California

Why Should I Care:  So, this is by far one of the most interesting teas I've seen.  Unfortunately, this was a special edition and is not available though the site (we got it about a year and some months ago).  However, Zhena's has a lot of interesting flavors and is generally a nice company.  They're fair-trade, organic, give you these cool tins for your tea and offer cheap(er) refills.  This particular tea is a mixture of Sencha (Japanese green tea), Rooibos, Raspberry and dark chocolate.

Packaging:  All their teas come in these nice metal tins, whether it be loose-leaf or sachets.  Unfortunately, the sachets aren't individually wrapped, but they are made of corn-silk meaning that if you don't have a metal ball for brewing tea, this gives you the same effect.

Non-Taste Senses:  It's darker than your typical green tea but lighter than Ceylon.  The smell is fantastic.  It's like you have a cup of raspberry hot cocoa in your cup.

Taste:  The flavors really blend well.  When you drink it, there isn't a specific taste that overpowers and makes you say "Oh, I'm drinking green tea" or "Oh, I'm drinking hot cocoa".  I'm thinking the rooibos is used to make the tea have a slightly thicker texture and add a bit of that sweetness.  The green tea itself is actually really high quality, having none of that grassy taste that a lot of green tea does.  It's naturally a little sweet so you don't need sugar, but you can add it to bring out the chocolate notes and personally, I think this would be a little weird as an iced tea, but you can try.

Overall:  Let's see.  It has a hit of chocolate without the calories and even boosts your metabolism, organic, fair-trade, tasty.  The only two real downsides are that 1)  it's discontinued and 2)  Zhena's is a bit pricey.  I'm going to counter the second point by saying that it's high quality, worth the money you're paying and you really shouldn't buy it for everyday drinking anyway.  If you see it, buy it or beg the person who has it to make you some.

My Rating:  Buy it!  Here's Zhena's site.  I should also point at this sight for some great gift tea for holiday gift-giving, whether it be the tropical ones or the holiday ones.

TasTEA Time! The Tea Farm's Rosemary Tea

First off, the instructions they put on the package is wrong.  If you do buy this, make sure the water is boiling then soak it for at least 5 minutes.  The package gives instructions for green tea and it doesn't work so well for the tough rosemary.

What:  It's pretty much just rosemary

Where:  Apparently it's a product of China

Why Should I Care:  When I ordered from the Tea Farm, they mixed up the sizes of the tea I got so I'm stuck with a 4 oz bag of Rosemary tea (which is actually pretty sizable).  The question is, do I want to return this or should i just keep the tea since it'll last me for a while.  Wikipedia tells me that rosemary forms a neurlogical barrier against free radicals, is anti-carsigenic and improves the quality of memory although it reduces the speed of recall.  In other words, this might be a great study tea.

Packaging:  It's in a nice foil-lined bag, which is resealable but still a total pain.

Non-taste Senses:  The tea itself is almost clear with a yellow-green tint.  It smells like Rosemary.

Taste:  It's actually pretty refreshing.  It has a light taste with a bit of a cooling effect and a little bit of natural sweetness.  Sugar is a nice touch and I'd recommend just drinking it warm.

Overall:  It's not bad, but I kinda wish they would have added some ceylon or something.  I mean, why would I want to order this when I can just go to Giant Eagle and get some rosemary.  On the other hand, I can make some delicious pork chops with the extra.

My Rating:  Try it while it's still november.  If you order something from the Tea Farm, you can add this to your order for free this month.  Yeah, it's just rosemary but if you don't like it, use it for some recipes   Pass any other month.

TasTEA Time! Tazo Zen

First off, all 10 of you may be wondering why I'm writing so many posts today.  Don't you have a life, Domino?  The answer to that last question is no, but there are a couple of reasons why I'm writing so much.  The first one is purely because I am bored.  The second one is because I'm going to be very busy in the next few weeks and this'll give you all (including new people) more posts to indulge yourselves in before the possible drought begins.  The last reason is because the Hot Coco and this tea were both drunk on impulse.  I only have one sachet of this tea and I honestly want to get it over with (which sounds like I'm biased against Tazo but i'm not.  If it's awesome, I'll tell you how awesome it is).  Now where were we?

Tommy was not feeling in a mood of Zen for this.  

What:  Green tea with lemongrass and...you guessed it, spearmint!

Where:  USA

Why Should I Care:  Seriously Tazo, I know you love mint and all but does it need to be in everything?  I mean, it makes more sense for a tea called Zen to have Lotus, Jasmine or even Ginger.  My rant aside, I do have a weakness for lemongrass and green tea.  Maybe this'll be awesome!

Packaging:  So, when I said before that Tazo had a paper/foil combination, I was wrong.  It actually has a paper/wax paper combination.  I don't know if that's supposed to be better or worse but legit tea companies use foil and that's what I want to see!

Non-Taste Senses:  It's a lot yellower than normal green tea and it smells like lemongrass.

Taste:  You know what, this green tea is awful.  It's just like the kind you get from Biglow (the worst tea company ever) where there really isn't a taste past some bitterness.  I brewed it right, the water temperature was at about 70 degrees but man, I don't taste the green tea at all.  Honestly, the only thing I taste is the mint (I'm not even being a jerk, that's just all I taste).  Sugar just doesn't do anything and I doubt it'll taste better cold.

Overall:  Look, just don't buy it.  It's bland, boring and overpriced no matter how you get it.  There are better brands of green tea out there.

My Rating:  Pass.

TasTEA Time! Yogi Egyptian Licorice Mint!

If you think this is cute, I'll let you know that he's snoring.  

What:  Mint Tea with Licorice.  It's organic and promotes well being too!

Where:  USA

Why Should I Care:  I was going to write about how my stomach is still a little sensitive and I need some mint as well as ginger, but then I looked up the company information to see where they were established.  Yogi Teas are blended using traditional Ayurvedic spices and are made to promote well-being and holistic health.  I especially love how they have different teas that are supposed to help with different ailments, like tea for cold, arthritis and even Women's Health (Note:  I don't want people to think that by drinking tea, you'll cure your ailments.  However, a lot of medicine is naturally derived and using herbs has helped people with certain conditions).  I'm trying the Egyptian Licorice Mint, which sounds a little terrifying thanks to the licorice.


Packaging:  First off, this tea is probably about three years old but thankfully is packed in individually foil-wrapped sachets.  

Non-Taste Senses:  It's yellow colored and it smells strongly of mint.


Taste:  You know, for a tea that's at least three years old, it held up pretty well.  The licorice is there, it's not excessively strong, but it's there and you have to deal with it.  I also read that the tea has Stevia flower in it (an ingredient found in artificial sweetener) and that attributes to this strange sweet taste.  It takes sugar well if only because it already has a bit of sweetness and I just don't recommend drinking it any other way than hot.  


Overall:  You know what, I review things on taste and price and not whether they're healthy for you.  There's other mint tea out there and more than likely, they're better than this.  If you want strong mint tea or something that REALLY takes care of a sore tummy, check this out.  It's not bad, I just can't say go out and buy it.


My Rating:  Pass (unless you want something more healthful than your average mint tea which is already pretty healthful.  Or you like Licorice).  Here's the site.