Columbia Gorge Organic Apple Cider
Price: $2.50
Serving: 12oz., 1 bottle
Servings Per Container: 1
Calories: 180 per serving
Fat: 0%, 0g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 3%, 67mg
Protein: 9g
Carbohydrates: 15%, 43g
Fiber: 7%, 2g
Sugar: 39g
Weight Watchers Points: 3 Points
Columbia Gorge says: Unparalleled in the world of apple ciders. We blend several different kinds of apples to achieve the tart yet sweet flavor of this cider. Making it from soil-enriched grown organic apples is the best way to taste the real apple flavor.
Abi Says: In Washington State, Fall means apples and apples mean cider. Okay, cider and apple sauce and deliciously cinnamony pies. But this is not a pie blog.
During a six-day visit to Seattle I figured that I’d just drink my way across every coffee shop in town. This is a good idea in theory, but in actuality it means jitters, possible tooth stains, and peeing all the freaking time.
In order to avoid the uncomfortable side-effects of diuretics, every noontime I switched to juices. Sometimes it was the blackberry version of an Izze sparkling soda and other days I turned to one of these adorable bottles of juice from the Columbia Gorge Juice Company.
The organic cider was lighter and clearer than I expected, a forewarning that the drink would exhibit few of the qualities of farm-fresh pressed cider. Columbia Gorge delivers a refreshing drink, made simply with organic apples. However, their cider walks a line between juice and true cider.
So, if you’re looking for something to mull with spices and wine, or spike with a bit of Jack Daniels and you have lots of cash to burn, you can’t go wrong with this cider.
Filed Under Vegan, Apple, United States, No Preservatives, Columbia Gorge Organics, No Genetically Modified Organisms, Organic, High Fructose Corn Syrup Free, All Natural, Juice, Fat Free, Four Stars
Izze Sparkling Blackberry
Price: $1.69
Serving: 12oz., 1 bottle
Servings Per Container: 1
Calories: 135 per serving
Fat: 0%, 0g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 1%, 30mg
Protein: 9g
Carbohydrates: 10%, 33g
Fiber: 0%, 0g
Sugar: 33g
Weight Watchers Points: 3 Points
Izze says: In some folklore blackberries symbolize generosity, in others, grief. Ancient Europeans used blackberrie in spells to create wealth, and in old England, a walk underneath blackerry runners was said to be curative. All very interesting, but we just love them because they taste so good.
Abi says: My mom gives me a hard time for drinking soda. Specifically, I have a Diet Coke problem. According to her, the carbonation leaches calcium from my bones and makes osteoporosis and broken hips much more likely in my future.
It turns out that non-caffeinated beverages are not the culprit in bone loss, thus it is safe to continue drinking Izze’s Sparkling Blackberry Juice. This vibrantly colored beverage is available at the following places: coffee shops.
Yes, that’s all. Okay, okay, so once I also saw it in a bar. But I did not order it. Thus it may or may not have existed. Izze beverages are the Schroedinger’s Cats of the juice world.
With a barely discernible blackberry flavor, this Izze juice lacked the tart punch I expected from such a prickly cane berry. Fortunately, the carbonation gives the drink additional zing, rescuing what might otherwise be described as watered-down blackberry juice and elevating it to the ideal mixer for a cheap white wine cocktail.
Filed Under United States, Izze, Blackberry, Juice Cocktails, Fat Free, High Fructose Corn Syrup Free, Soda, All Natural, Four Stars
Trader Joe’s Triple Espresso Mocha
Price: $1.29
Serving: 8 fl. oz. (236 mL)
Calories: 130 per serving
Fat: 4%, 2.5g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 3%, 80mg
Protein: 2g
Carbohydrates: 8%, 24g
Fiber: 0%, 0g
Sugar: 19g
Trader Joe says: Three shots of espresso and cocoa
Abi says: Before I ever drank coffee, I drank bottle Starbucks Frappuccinos. Only in vanilla. Only in a bottle. Why? Because they were on the meal plan at school, a meal plan that carried only Pepsi products, and thus no Diet Coke. So, I drank one Vanilla Frappuccino every morning for approximately 2 weeks before my body began rejecting all milk-heavy forms of beverages.
Hello, self-diagnosed lactose intolerance.
When I saw these Trader Joe’s espresso drinks in my Silicon Valley store, my first thought was “What a rip-off of the Starbucks DoubleShot.” My second thought was “Oh, well that’s Trader Joe’s recipe for success: similar things for lower prices.” and my third and final thought before putting this item in my basket was “I hope this doesn’t make me sick.”
And it doesn’t. Make me sick, that is. Instead, it is a sweet and creamy blend of milk, cocoa, sugar, and espresso. It is a nice mid-afternoon substitute for a bowl of ice cream and a great way to treat myself for getting through beta-testing that should be done by a machine, not me.
Thanks Trader Joe’s, for making your own, slightly cheaper version of a Starbucks product that I can drink without feeling like I have morning sickness.
Filed Under Trader Joe's, Chocolate, United States, Milk, Coffee, High Fructose Corn Syrup Free, Coffee, Four Stars
Honest Tea Pomegranate Red Tea with Goji Berry
Price: $0.99
Serving: 8 fl. oz. (236 mL)
Servings Per Container: 2
Calories: 40 per serving
Fat: 0%, 0g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 0%, 5mg
Protein: 0g
Carbohydrates: 3%, 10g
Fiber: 0%, 0g
Sugar: 10g
Caffeine: 0mg
Honest Tea says: Red is the color of passion, and this red tea combines three of our strongest passions: great taste, good health, and social impact. There’s the antioxidant power of pomegranates, sweet goji berries from China, and caffeine-free red tea from a community-owned farmer’s co-op in South Africa. It isn’t just tasty tea with a long name. It’s passion with a purpose.
Honestly yours, Seth and Berry
P.S. When Seth and his son went to South Africa to meet our red tea farmers, they climbed Table Mountain where his 9-year-old wondered “Is this what heaven is supposed to look like?” This organic tea has a heavenly taste and you don’t have to climb a really steep mountain to enjoy it. Just take a sip.
Joe says: As one of Honest Tea’s nine new flavors for 2007, the Pomegranate Red Tea with Goji Berry is a little rough around the edges but is clearly ahead of other tea brand offerings.
First, this tea is downright delicious. The flavors complement each other beautifully, demonstrating that pomegranate and red tea were destined to be together. However, a delicate balance exists in the tea flavorsphere when it comes to flavored teas, and this one barely walks the line between too fruity and too tea-y. The pomegranate doesn’t quite overpower the unique red tea flavor, but it almost does. In each sip, you get the sweetness of the sugar and pomegranate up front, and the earthiness of the red tea at the end and in the aftertaste. If I were to design this tea, I would bring the pomegranate level down just a skosh… but then they would probably have to call it “Red Tea with Pomegranate and Goji Berry.”
Speaking of goji berries, what the heck are those things anyway? As it turns out, they come from places like China where they have been used for centuries as medicine. That’s right, these exotic little superfruits are said to “enhance immune system function, improve eyesight, protect the liver, boost sperm production and improve circulation, among other effects” (Wikipedia). The supposed tartness of the fruit was understated, although I admit I don’t know what they actually taste like. It’s only a shame that they are the last ingredient on the list. Medicine in my tea? Sounds great! I probably would have amped up the berries a notch.
I would also bring down the sugar content a little bit. Although it is labeled as “a tad sweet,” it is definitely a tad too sweet for my tastes, especially compared to many of their other teas. I would have liked to see a tad more flavor instead. Toward the end of the bottle it almost tastes like not much more than sugar water. If you are used to drinking Mountain Dew, this is your tea.
In fact, this is probably the perfect crossover tea for fans of sugary sodas and very sweet teas, like Lipton Brisk, Nestea Cool, or the Snapple varieties, so it makes a lot of sense in Honest Tea’s tea lineup. And, since they are such a socially conscious company, purchasing their teas with organic and fair trade stamps of approval instead of another company’s almost seems like a no-brainer.
From a marketing perspective, the fact that they feature pomegranate so prominently makes me wonder if Honest Tea is trying to ride the pomegranate popularity wave a little. Honestly, I can’t blame them.
Filed Under Honest Tea, United States, Pomegranate, Organic, Fat Free, Tea, All Natural, Four Stars
Stonyfield Farm Organic Peach Smoothie
Price: $1.69
Serving: 10oz., 1 bottle
Servings Per Container: 1
Calories: 240 per serving
Fat: 5%, 3g
Cholesterol: 3%, 10mg
Sodium: 6%, 140mg
Protein: 20%, 10g
Carbohydrates: 14%, 42g
Fiber: 8%, 2g
Sugar: 40g
Phosphorus: 30%
Calcium: 40%
Weight Watchers Points: 5 points
Stonyfield Farm says: Every delicious sip of this incredibly smooth and refreshing drink delivers all of the natural benefits of our yogurts - calcium, protein, dietary fiber and six live active cultures. Now that’s a toast to your health. Cheers!
We say: Luscious summery peaches are the perfect complement to the creamy sweetness of yogurt. Not that yogurt needs a ‘complement’ per se, just that sometimes you need a little something to go along with the yogurt and really, who wants to glug down a bottle of vanilla anyways? Is it really that satisfying?
Stonyfield is still pleasantly pesticide and hormone free, making their yogurt with all organic ingredients. That’s why I’m still confused by the use of added (albeit natural) coloring in such terrific product. And that’s why I just sent them this letter:
Dear Stonyfield Folks,
We at Imbibable.com love your yogurt smoothies. They are quite fantastic. However, they are also colored with added, unnecessary ingredients. We know that the stuff isn’t bad for us, but we also know that peaches don’t make yogurt bright yellow/orange and raspberries don’t make yogurt a shocking pink. The smoothies come in opaque bottles, so it isn’t as though people are making purchase decisions based on the colors. Would you ever consider getting rid of the beet juice?
Sincerely,
Abi Jones
Editor, Imbibable.com
I hope they get back to me sooner rather than later because it really is quite frightening to look into a bottle of peach yogurt smoothie and see an otherwordly glow emanating from deep within. Orange coloring ≠ thinking highly of this line of smoothies.
Filed Under Probiotic Bacteria, Stonyfield Farms, Peach, United States, Smoothies, High Fructose Corn Syrup Free, All Natural, Organic, Three Stars
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