Hansen's Natural The Grove flavor comes in the redesigned can style that Hansen's recently rolled out, such as what we reviewed with their Original Soda. The accent color is a light green, which would hint at a lemon-lime soda. This is supported by illustrations of lemons, limes, strawberries, and cherries on the can.

When you crack open a can, you are greeted by a fruity scent. The beverage itself is clear, supporting the light lemon-lime assumption. But when you actually drink The Grove, you find that it's lemon-lime supported by other light berry flavors. It's light, crisp, bubbly, and tangy. I'd probably say that it harkens back to what we originally had with the Sprite Remix lineup (Tropical, Berryclear, Aruba Jam), may it rest in piece. Overall, The Grove is a very pleasant soft drink. Even though it's obvious the fruit flavors are somewhat artificial (no fruit juice is used), being sweetened by cane sugar provides a clean taste without much negative aftertaste.

Hansen's Natural The Grove Soda
Pure triple filtered carbonated water, sugar, citric acid, natural flavors with extracts of California and/or Florida limes and lemons, U.S. strawberries and yumberries

A 12 oz. can contains 140 calories and 35 g of carbs (34 g sugars). Caffeine free.

While nothing revolutionary, Hansen's Natural The Grove is a nice lemon lime drink with some bonus fruit flavors thrown in. And that's OK.

Official Website: Hansens.com

Here at BevReview, we quite favor the Hansen's Natural lineup, having reviewed their Mandarin Lime, Creamy Root Beer, Cherry Vanilla Creme, Kiwi Strawberry, and Pomegranate flavors. It's actually surprising that they hadn't attempted a plain ole cola before, but sure enough, that's true.

The new packaging is striking, with a heavy dose of silver accented by a green logo and and brown band around the top. In this case, brown ice cubes seem to indicate the cola flavor inside, accented by the phrase "with Real Cane Sugar."

When you crack open a can, it smells, well, like a cola. Probably more on par with a generic/off-brand vs. Coke or Pepsi. It's a pleasant scent, quite clean. The bubbly-ness also tickles your nose.

It's somewhat hard to describe the taste, however. Basically, it's a cola. I kept trying to see if it tasted more like Coke or Pepsi. Well, it's not as spicy as Coke, while not as sweet as Pepsi. There's a good cola flavor, probably more on par with what you would find with RC Cola. It's not edgy or harsh, which fits with the drink being caffeine free. The use of real sugar gives it a clean sip without a syrupy flavor or odd aftertaste.

Here's what's inside:

Hansen's Natural Original Soda
Pure triple filtered carbonated water, sugar, natural caramel color, citric acid, tartaric acid, natural flavors with extracts of kola nuts

A 12 oz. can contains 160 calories and 41 g of carbs (41 g sugars).

Hansen's Natural Original Soda is a clean take on the cola flavor. It's not super awesome or outstanding. Just a refreshing break from the everyday… and that's a good thing.

Official Website: Hansens.com

Compare to the previous look of the can, as noted in our review of Hansen's Natural Mandarin Lime Soda:

Our review of Hansen's Natural Pomegranate Soda:

What do you think of the new look?

For those in the Chicago area, I wanted to let you know that your editor here at BevReview.com, Steve Tanner (that's me!), will be speaking at a networking/education event this Thursday night, November 19… and you are invited! This monthly series of events is called Nightstand, and they are hosted by Headstand Media, a web design firm here in the city.

Yes, that's me in this goofy photo
(the guy with glasses, not the can!)

They've asked me to share about the legal fun we had last month… you remember, that whole "Monster Energy vs. BevReview.com" thing? Yeah, that was a lot of fun, wasn't it? And even though we haven't posted any updates on that situation, it did resolve positively. (We've held off talking about it while some conversations were still taking place behind-the-scenes; we'll post a full update soon!)

Anyway, the topic of my presentation? Social Media vs. Corporate America: A Monster-ous Case Study. Here's the event overview as shared on Headstand Media's site:

What happens when corporately-crafted public relations initiatives go bad and social media lets you know about it? We'll take a look at one such situation from October that targeted the folks behind Monster Energy drink. What happened, how did the company respond, and did the mobilization of fans via the 'net have an effect on the outcome?

We'll host a conversation facilitated by Steve Tanner, Editor of beverage review website, BevReview.com. A negative product review, overly litigious law firm, microbrewery in Vermont, and a horror film actor placed Steve in the middle of a battle with the folks at Monster Energy. He'll explain how "going viral" with his situation created a positive result in the end… but he won’t be providing any Monster Energy drinks for the discussion, so bring your own!

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Over the years, I've worked with some of the folks at Headstand Media on various Web-based, non-beverage projects, so I'm honored to have been invited to share.

Here's the best part… if you are in the area, you can attend too! This is a free event; all you have to do is RSVP before Thursday night to attend. How about that?

It all takes place at…

Headstand Media
333 W. Wacker Dr.
Suite 850
Chicago IL 60606

Informal networking & food begins at 6 p.m. (yes, there's free food and drink!), introductions start at 7 p.m., followed by some beverage review guy talking at 8:30 p.m.

Here's the official information about the night. Just reply to that post with your RSVP information.

Hope to see some of you there!

- Steve

Here on BevReview.com, we not only like to review beverages (it's sort of in our name), but also speculate and discuss trends & patterns we often see in the industry. We don't claim to be experts on the matter, but hopefully, we give you something to think about every now and then.

And while we've been reviewing beverages in various capacities since 2001, something interesting happened last week. Apparently, a company didn't like what we were doing and decided to send their lawyers our way. Fun stuff!

Here's the context… I received what appeared to be a legitimate message from a law firm last week, submitted via a web-based contact form attached to my personal discussion forums, TannerWorld Junction. (Without actual mail headers, we cannot confirm if this message is authentic, but we have our hunches.) The message was written in regard to a beverage review I wrote in March 2007 and posted on those forums, in a time before we formally launched BevReview.com.

Monster Energy
(Photo by Steve Tanner, March 2007)

The complaint referred to this review of Monster Energy — which can also be found cross-posted here on BevReview. Just so you know, Monster Energy is owned by Hansen Beverage Company. Read the original review for yourself and see what you think.

Original review via TannerWorld Junction
(Source: forums.tannerworld.com)

For those interested, here's the text of the complaint, received via e-mail on Wednesday, October 7 at 9:31 a.m.

Name:
Legal

E-mail Address:
Legal@ce-ip.com

Comments:

Re: Hansen Beverage Company Trademark Infringement

To Whom It May Concern:

As I am sure you are aware, Hansen Beverage Company ("Hansen") is responsible for the production of the Hansen brand juice, teas and energy drinks and the Monster brand energy drinks. Relative to this business, Hansen owns many valuable designs, trademarks, trade dress and copyrights, which it uses to identify and market its Hansen and Monster brand products ("the Hansen Marks"). The Hansen marks are of great value to Hansen, as they are used to indicate that goods or services are affiliated with and monitored by Hansen. Considering this, every time the Hansen marks appear in the marketplace, Hansen's good name and reputation are on the line.

Hansen Beverage Company
(Source: hansens.com)

Legally, it is the responsibility of trademark owners to protect and control the use of their trademarks. Often the need and obligation to protect its marks places Hansen in a very difficult position. If Hansen allows its marks to be used in any way that does not signify that Hansen is the source of good or service, then the value and meaning of Hansen marks are diminished. If Hansen allows these issues to go unaddressed, it may lose its rights to the Hansen marks.

Hansen is fully aware of the fact that it would not be as successful as it is without the continued passion and devotion of Hansen and Monster enthusiasts. However, the way in which Hansen allows its trademarks to be used is strictly prescribed by law. Hansen simply cannot allow the Hansen marks to be used without its explicit authorization. For this reason, Hansen is forced to consistently monitor the use of the Hansen marks or risk losing ownership of those marks.

Continental Enterprises
(Source: ce-ip.com)

Continental Enterprises ("Continental") has been engaged by Hansen to help control the use of its mark. You are receiving this letter because Continental has received information that you advertised and/or sold products bearing one or more of the Hansen marks, or confusingly similar derivations thereof. We understand that the inclusion of the Hansen marks on your product may have been an oversight. However, on behalf of Hansen, Continental must demand that you discontinue your advertisement and sale of these products.

Upon your receipt and review of this letter, please contact our offices so that we may work toward a resolution of the issue that is satisfactory to all parties involved.

Sincerely,
Darlene R. Seymour
General Counsel
1292 East 91st St.
Indianapolis, IN 46240

P 317.818.0523
F 317.566.2453

http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=8751

The firm sending the complaint is identified as Continental Enterprises, which according to their website, "is an intellectual property consulting firm that takes a novel and aggressive approach to brand protection and infringement issues."

After the initial shock wore off, along with questioning "is this for real?", I talked with some associates who run similar websites that also feature reviews. After some consultation, we decided to withhold a response, waiting to see if a second communication would arrive and/or to verify the authenticity of the original complaint.

Well, yesterday, another e-mail arrived in our Inbox, again through the same web contact form. This time it arrived at 1:48 p.m. on October 18:

Name:
Legal Dept

E-mail Address:
Legaldept@ce-ip.com

Comments:

Re: Hansen Beverage Company Intellectual Property

To Whom It May Concern:

I have yet to receive a response to my prior correspondence with you.

Hansen Beverage Company considers this a serious matter and, if you do not take immediate steps to resolve this issue, they will be forced to take more aggressive action to protect their intellectual property rights.

I await your immediate response.

This correspondence is being sent in an attempt to achieve a prompt and informal resolution of this matter, and is thus privileged.

Nothing contained in and/or omitted from this letter or any prior communications is intended to be or should be considered an admission of any fact or a waiver of any right or defense, all of which are expressly reserved.

Sincerely,
Darlene Seymour
General Counsel
1292 East 91st St.
Indianapolis, IN 46240
P 317.818.0523
F 317.566.2453

Link of violation: http://forums.tannerworld.com/showthread.php?t=8751

First of all, to the folks at Hansen and Monster Energy… what the heck? Ever hear of "fair use". I fail to see anything in my reviews that could be considered us having "advertised and/or sold products bearing one or more of the Hansen marks, or confusingly similar derivations thereof."

Of course, the more ironic part… Hansen Beverage Company has previously provided BevReview.com with samples of their beverages for the purposes of online review. Perhaps the marketing/PR department should talk to the legal folks!

What's your take on all this? Post in the comments!

In the past few years, pomegranate flavored drinks and juices have taken off, especially in the health food sector. We've taken a look at many of those, including Pomegranate 7Up, ViB Pomegranate Berry, Hansen's Natural Green Tea Soda Pomegranate, and Hansen's Natural Sparkling Sleek Pomegranate Green Tea. In this installment, I look at Hansen's Natural Pomegranate Soda.

Statistically, pomegranate cane soda has no high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and uses real cane sugar, both of which are made clear on the can, and are positives out of the gate. In addition, each can contains 130 calories. The ingredient list is as follows: "pure triple filtered carbonated water, cane sugar, citric acid, natural flavors with extract of California pomegranate."

Moving to the actual sensory experience, I cracked open the can and immediately heard a soothing fizz while taking in a fruity smell. If I didn't know it was pomegranate, my first instinct might have been to say strawberry. Upon further olfactory inspection, it is clear that the aroma was not strawberry, although in a blind study I don't know that I would have identified it as pomegranate either.

Speaking of clear, once again, the drink was absolutely clear and from a visual standpoint looked like a lemon-lime drink. When I opened the can it gave me a nice big crack and as I poured it fizzed up nicely. It was carbonated just right. Not the key factor in enjoyment, but it helps.

Moving to taste, as that is the most important aspect of a drink, I am somewhat ambivalent. That is not to say that the drink isn't good, because it is, but the taste is not overly powerful and in some sense the aftertaste and smell are better than the actual taste. The flavor contains a slightly sweet finish that may take a bit of getting used to. It is definitely sweeter than some fruit-flavored drinks, but not in a sugary way – almost in a flowery way, think metaphorically.

As a disclaimer, I am not a huge fan of pomegranate drinks, but am also not a detractor of them. Even with that said, I do not know that I would identify this drink as having authentic pomegranate taste, but again, this could just be a personal opinion. To be fair, it is more of a niche flavor and is a harder taste to create accurately in a soda than, say, cherry or strawberry.

In conclusion, if I were offered this drink at someone's house, or at a barbeque, I would probably have one, but if I were at the store purchasing, Hansen's has better choices from which to pick. I also think this selection might be a better accompaniment to food than as a stand-alone drink. In general, pomegranate is a solid, but not spectacular offering.

Continuing to look at the Hansen's lineup, this time around I look at Hansen's Natural Kiwi Strawberry Soda.

As with the previous soda review, Cherry Vanilla Creme, the packaging puts a strong emphasis on the cane sugar sweetener, which is a definite plus. Imagine that: natural sweetening actually tastes better and seems to be healthier for you. But enough about sugars, on to the actual soda.

When first opening the can, the tab cracked and the aroma of fresh strawberries entered the air. After a while, the aroma dissipates, but you can still smell the strawberry in the drink. As with the Cherry Vanilla Creme, the soda is clear, indicating a lack of artificial coloring.

The taste is not as strong as the initial smell, but is a fruity and understated. It is not bold, but the kiwi seems to come through, at least somewhat. It had a nice, bubbly consistency, but was not overly fizzy.

It contains 140 calories and the possibility of fruits from four different continents with New Zealand, Chilean, and Italian kiwis and U.S. and European strawberries in the mix. At least this makes for an interesting piece of trivia. A full ingredient list is as follows:

Hansen's Natural Kiwi Strawberry Soda
Pure triple filtered carbonated water, cane sugar, citric acid, natural flavors with extracts of New Zealand &/or Chilean &/or Italian fruit U.S. &/or European strawberry.

In sum, the Kiwi Strawberry flavor is solid, and a nice fruit drink, but didn't overwhelm me as strongly as did the Cherry Vanilla Creme. Some of this is a matter of taste. I would drink it again, but I wouldn't call it a must have. Could be a nice, fruity refreshment on a hot day.

When you think of natural sodas, Hansen's is one of the first names that comes to mind. In this review I will be looking at Hansen's Natural Cherry Vanilla Creme Soda, one of the flavors in their cane sugar soda lineup.

We've previously looked at Hansen's Natural Creamy Root Beer Soda and Hansen's Natural Mandarin Lime Soda, and frankly, based on the positive experiences we had with those natural sodas, we were looking forward to the Cherry Vanilla Crème flavor.

It's hard to miss the emphasis on cane sugar, which appears in a bright yellow star near the top of the can, and honestly, they are justified in touting it there. This flavor blew me away with an incredibly clean taste. I am not one to gush over the taste of soda pop, but this flavor really made my day.

Opening the can, one smells a clean cherry aroma that is plain awesome. The look of the drink is crystal clear, like what you might expect out of a lemon-lime drink, showing that there are no unnecessary artificial colors added.

It really mirrored other "healthy" black cherry sodas I have tasted in this appearance and smell. The catch is, this is not just another black cherry drink, which becomes evident in the taste. Once I tasted it, I was met with a great balance of crème and vanilla along with the cherry. The aftertaste is amazing, with both cherry and crème evident – understated, but very good with a clean finish.

Moving to the nuts and bolts of the drink, it contains no high fructose corn syrup because it is cane sugar sweetened, and it shows. Each can contains only 160 calories, and is definitely worth it for so tasty a treat.

A full ingredient list is as follows:

Hansen's Natural Cherry Vanilla Crème Soda
Pure triple filtered carbonated water, cane sugar, citric acid, natural flavors with extracts of madagascan vanilla and washington cherry

As the label states, there is no caffeine, sodium, or preservatives – all positives. I would buy this again in a heartbeat. I am normally not this excited about a drink, but can't say enough about this one. Anyone who is a fan of both crème and cherry sodas has just hit the jackpot. Hansen's has achieved a major coup in the drink world.

This line of drinks is officially described as a "refreshing taste of fresh fruit and real cane sugar lightened with the perfect amount of bubbles." It features 4 core flavors & 2 green teas — with Sugar Free versions of each of these flavors also available.

The packaging design on this line features 10.5 oz. cans, bundled in 4 packs, similar to the trends we've seen with Tava and Nutrisoda. The shape and design of the can convey a light drink with nutritional/healthy overtones. The primary flavors come in silver cans, the green teas in green cans, sugar free flavors in light blue cans, and sugar free green teas in light green/yellow cans. They all follow a simple, restrained design that is prevalent in "Web 2.0" visual trends these days.

When I first opened the can of Pomegranate Green Tea, there was a certain "berry" scent that appeared. The flavor reflected this, with a sense of light, bubblyness, accented by just a bit of cherryish flavor. As for the tea element, it was minimal, as far as I could tell — though I'm no expert on the taste of green tea. Overall, it created a pleasant taste experience and something far different from the norm.

The sweetener of choice is cane sugar (24 grams), which provides 90 calories to a can. The drink also claims that each can contains 35 mg of EGCG per can (Epigallocatechin Gallate, an antioxidant).

A full ingredient list is as follows:

Hansen's Natural Sparkling Sleek Pomegranate Green Tea
Filtered carbonated water, cane sugar, natural flavors with extracts of Italian pomegranate, citric acid, green tea extract

The can also proclaims the following: "No High Fructose Corn Syrup", "No Preservatives", "No Artificial Colors", "No Sodium", "Caffeine Free", and "All Natural Flavors".

The same flavor characteristics carried over to the no calorie version of the drink, Hansen's Natural Sparkling Sleek Sugar Free Pomegranate Green Tea. Whereas the packaging of the regular version was a avocado green color, the Sugar Free version is a lighter, silvery green can.

This version of the flavor uses sucralose and Ace-K as the primary sweeteners (and it's even noted with a "Splenda" brand mark on the back). The drink has 0 calories, but still everything else claimed by the original.

Hansen's Natural Sparkling Sleek Sugar Free Pomegranate Green Tea
Filtered carbonated water, natural flavors with extracts of Italian pomegranates, citric acid, sucralose, green tea extract, acesulfame potassium

Overall, the diet edition wasn't bad, but probably was more pronounced in the artificial sweetener taste than I would have liked.

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The packaging design on this line features 10.5 oz. cans, bundled in 4 packs, similar to the trends we've seen with Tava and Nutrisoda. The shape and design of the can convey a light drink with nutritional/healthy overtones. The primary flavors come in silver cans, the green teas in green cans, sugar free flavors in light blue cans, and sugar free green teas in light green/yellow cans. They all follow a simple, restrained design that is prevalent in "Web 2.0" visual trends these days.

Upon opening the can, Valencia Orange had a "bubbly" tingle on the nose, similar to other sparkling waters. As for the taste, I can confirm that it was rather dry, in the sense that it didn't feel very syrupy or heavy in context. This is probably due to emphasis on it being a "sparking water with flavor from pure fruit." There was a slight hint of orange there, though if it was Valencia, who knows!

The sweetener of choice is cane sugar (23 grams), which provides 90 calories to a can. The drink also claims that it provides your full day's supply of Vitamin C. Be aware that there isn't any real fruit juice in the drink, however.

A full ingredient list is as follows:

Hansen's Natural Sparkling Sleek Valencia Orange
Pure triple filtered carbonated water, cane sugar, natural fruit flavors with extracts of California oranges, citric acid, ascorbic acid

The can also proclaims the following: "No High Fructose Corn Syrup", "No Preservatives", "No Artificial Colors", "No Caffeine", and "All Natural Flavors".

Overall, while I'm not a die-hard sparking water drinker, I must admit that Hansen's Natural Sparkling Sleek Valencia Orange provided a nice change of pace. It was light, but flavorful, and the carbonation was just about right. I'd probably try it again.

We also took a look at the "diet" version of this drink, Hansen's Natural Sparkling Sleek Sugar Free Valencia Orange. It has the same basic makeup as the original flavor, but uses sucralose and Ace-K as the primary sweeteners. This gives the Sugar Free version of the drink 0 calories.

Hansen's Natural Sparkling Sleek Sugar Free Valencia Orange
Pure triple filtered carbonated water, natural fruit flavors with extracts of California oranges, citric acid, acesulfame potassium, ascorbic acid, sucralose

The can design is similar, though the Sugar Free version uses a light blue background color vs. the silver scheme used by the regular edition.

Even though I'm not a fan of diet beverages, I have to say that the Sugar Free version of Valencia Orange was actually pretty good. Yes, you could detect the artificial sweeteners, but the rest of the flavors still shown through, making it a tolerable experience. Overall, not a bad substitution.

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