Review: Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale
Oct 27th, 2008 by Steve
I thought I'd take a look at a unique beverage from the folks at Canada Dry, which coincidentally, was imported from Canada via my friend Henry. Let's see what Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale has to offer!
With the increase in teas showing up on the beverage market these days, it's interesting to see how the more "traditional" producers of carbonated soft drinks adapt to these trends. In this case, Canada Dry has combined what they do best and created what they call "a refreshing blend of green tea and ginger ale." And I agree with that assessment.
If there ever was a drink that really was a split personality, Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale is it. There aren't that many drinks out there that are so much ginger ale AND so much green tea, but this beverage does that. Sure, you could say it's pretty much carbonated green tea, but the ginger ale elements really come through. It's an odd combination, that's for sure, but it just works.
Bilingual Label: English
I don't consider myself a green tea connoisseur, so the experience was a bit different for me, but I did enjoy the unique blend of flavors. It's a clean drink that has a distinct green tea sent when you first open the bottle (in my case, a 1.5 liter bottle). The color is on the clearish side, with a hazy yellow/green that you typically associate with ginger ale.
As for the taste, it leans more to the green tea side of things, but there's an obvious influx of ginger ale. The aftertaste also wasn't too syrupy, but the tea flavor does seem to last with you. The ingredients note the sweetener is "sugar/glucose-fructose", whereas in the U.S. it's listed as "high fructose corn syrup", so that may have some influence on the overall taste experience.
Bilingual Label: French
Thanks to the folks over at the Lesley Eats blog, we know that this drink does contain caffeine, which translates down to 0.83 mg/oz. For comparison, Mountain Dew has at 4.5 mg/oz. So while not completely caffeine-free, it's a pretty small amount, probably associated with the green tea. The packaging also makes a big deal about containing "52 mg of polyphenols per 250 mL serving". According to Wikipedia, "research indicates that polyphenols may have antioxidant characteristics with potential health benefits. They may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer."
A full ingredient list is as follows:
Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale
Carbonated water, sugar/glucose-fructose, citric acid, natural flavors, green tea, sodium benzoate, ascorbic acid, calcium disodium EDTA.
A 250 mL (8.5 oz.) serving will cost you 100 calories, 55 mg of sodium, and 26 g of sugars.
Overall, Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale is a refreshing change of pace, bringing two light flavors together with a blend that rewards your sense of adventure, while providing just a darn good drink to experience.
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I'm intrigued. Sounds good. I'll be looking to try this soon.
Don't they have this in America too?
Jordan, I'm pretty sure you can find this drink in the U.S. as well, but it's not as widely distributed. From what I've been able to tell, it's only in a few select markets… and it's sweetened with high fructose corn syrup here. If you can find it, it's worth giving a try!
We found this beverage while visiting in Davenport, IA. Being a big fan of both green tea (diet) and CDginger ale (also diet) we tried it and loved it. My daughter also likes it. We live in far south Texas and have yet to find it, but the search is on!!
It's impossible to be a "health" product and contain high fructose corn syrup.
Good to know. I actually bought a bottle of this a couple weeks ago and haven't opened it yet. (Got it at Wegman's.)
Now I'm looking forward to tasting it, (although I'll save most of it for my friends that don't mind gulping down high fructose corn syrup!)
I love this - found it by the case in Ohio but only can find the 2 liter bottles in western NC - hope it will be widely distributed soon
I've found this beverage in Worcester, Mass. Haven't seen anywhere else including N.Y.C. & Long Island. Excellent Beverage. Definitely worth trying.
I have had this in Colorado, and it makes a darned good mixed drink. I blended a little honey and vodka, added lime (or used lime vodka), ice, and then the green tea ginger ale, and topped off with a teaspoon or so of Jaegermeister. It combines the idea of a Moscow Mule (vodka, ginger ale and lime) and green tea with honey, and adds a note of the herbal Jaeger for depth. I think I'll add it to ExtraTasty.com…
I'm from Ontario, and yeah, they sell it in all the usual formats. Very good stuff, I was slightly taken aback by how good it is and how it really captured both tastes.
I live in Michigan and have tried it and I love it. I'm a big green tea drinker and the combination with gingerale is very refreshing and adds sparkle to the green tea taste. I have found it at a few stores here mostly in the 12oz. size in the 12 in a package. I prefer the 2 liter size but they are hard to find.
I found this at Bel Aire Supermarket in Roseville, CA — hadn't heard of it previously, tried a bottle and now I want to find it in my area in So. Cal. It's very good.
I tried the beverage, and found it to be quite disgusting. I took a few sips and threw it away. I love ginger ale and I love green tea. Unfortunately, both of these perfect drinks do not mix well together. Ginger ale's sweetness does not mix with the tea flavor any more than you would want to mix milk and coca-cola together. I have had an unique chance to observe several of my tour bus passengers buy this drink at a local shop and throw it away without finishing more than one-quarter of it.
Canada Dry should have just released a green tea instead of dumping green tea into pop. This drink gets two thumbs down.
[...] infusion of antioxidants. For example, we found it an odd combination last year when we reviewed Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale, but the experience was quite positive, even though you probably didn't expect tea in your ginger [...]
I can't find this product here in Birmingham, AL. I tried it in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. Can you tell me how to find this product?
I absolutely love this drink. I live in Canada, and I can get my hands on it quite easily. In fact, I bought about twenty 1.5 L bottles of the stuff. They were on special for 99 cents. It's really unfortunate that it's not as readily available for you guys down in the states, because the drink is just as the review says. It's probably the greatest carbonated beverage I've ever had.
I live in Orange County, Ca. I love Green Tea Ginger Ale! Had one 6 pk. & don't remember where I purchased it. Where can I find it in my area?? I have been looking & haven't seen it anywhere. Can you help? Please! Thanks
I picked up a bottle this week when I did groceries and I have to say I really enjoy it so far. I'm a green tea fan and a ginger ale fan so it was like a match made in heaven for me. I'm actually not a big fan of Canada Dry Ginger Ale and tend to prefer Seagrams but I really enjoyed this beverage. The green tea overtones really compliment well the crispness of the Ginger Ale. In the USA recently there seems to be a bit of a Green Tea craze in the beverage market and Canada Dry was smart to capitalize on it. This is really sort of a niche drink but it does an excellent job of filling that niche.
I bought this at Kroger, Michigan and I love it! I'm not a pop drinker. My pop consumption is about 1 can every 2-3 weeks, but I really do like this a lot. It is not too sweet and has a very refreshing taste. I bought a 12 pack for a party and everyone just loved it! I think this will be my drink from now on. I just wish more stores and restaurants would carry it.
I need at least ten packs of 12. I shop in the bronx, westchester & manhattan. I like the cans not the plastic bottles. Down to my last
6 cans,help. Thanks
Do they sale it in SC, if so where?
I just tried it while visiting relatives in Charlotte, NC — I loved it! I bought it in SuperTarget. I'm from Charleston, SC; and, I have yet to see it here. Hopefully, both the regular and diet versions will be available here soon. If someone knows where I can find it in the LowCountry, please advise. Thanks.
I live in Chico, CA. This product is readily available in Safeway stores here. I have not tried it yet. I am a big fan of SoBe diet green tea and like Canada Dry ginger ale (diet), so I will probably try it. I wish they made it in diet because 20 some grams of sugar is a lot for a diabetic. Maybe I'll share it with a friend.
I live in Michigan and buy green tea ginger ale at almost all grocery stores! I always get the 12 pack of cans and I'm in love with the taste! Its so yummy and since I'm pregnant I try to limit my caffeine so its almost perfect! I love this drink, coca cola used to be my favorite pop and now its gross to me