When someone says the phrase "comfort food," this generally brings to mind thoughts of things like macaroni & cheese, pot roast, or spaghetti & meatballs. All hot foods that make you feel good. While lemonade is not hot, this is a comfort beverage that is generally consumed in the heat. There's something comforting about getting out from the hot summer sun and enjoying a long drink of the lightly sugared lemon drink that cools and refreshes the whole body. Finding the perfect glass of lemonade however can be fairly elusive. Too acidic, too much sugar, not enough lemon, too much lemon; it's a fairly difficult balancing act. I'm going to take a look at Simply Lemonade and see if they come anywhere close to a perfect glass of lemonade… or miss the mark entirely.

Simply Lemonade is a brand of the The Simply Orange Juice Company, which is part of The Coca-Cola Company. The first thing you can't help but notice are the many bottle sizes. They start with the 13.5 oz "travel size," work up to the popular 59 oz, and finally cap out with the jug-like 89 oz. The small size is something you can easily fit in a lunch sack and somewhat mocks the larger 59 oz shape. A funny note here on pricing: The small size can generally be found for about $2.50 a bottle, the medium size anywhere from $3-5 dollars and most of the time the "jug" size can be found for about $5-7 dollars — at least as experience from a local sampling of grocery stores in the Houston area. So if you're looking to save money, go for the larger size for sure, but then again, the point of this review is to see if it's worth even buying in general.

All of the bottles let the color of the lemonade show through: it is a vibrant pale yellow that doesn't contain any artificial colors. The labeling has a white background with a picture of a large lemon on it. Lettering is in a black frilly font, spelling "Simply Lemonade" on the front with the phrase "all natural" in yellow across the top. The screw-on top is a nice solid green shade, reminiscent of the color of lemon tree leaves.

Looking at the contents on the back of the bottle solidifies what they say on the front about "all natural." Containing only "pure filtered water, natural sugar, lemon juice, natural flavors," this lemonade is also 11% actual lemon juice. (From my personal experience most lemonades stay in the 7 to 10 percent range). So right from the onset, Simply Lemonade is setting the bar fairly high. They don't hide their product behind colored plastic, they claim all natural ingredients, and you can only find it in the refrigerated sections (thus implying it'll go bad otherwise). An 8 oz. serving contains 120 calories, 15 mg sodium, and 30 g carbs (28 g sugars).

Let's pop the seal and see if it delivers on its promises!

The green cap is held in place with a green sticker that reminds you to "Shake Well," and once the green screw cap is removed there is a foil cap under that that needs to be peeled away. Once that is removed a faint hint of sweet lemon comes from the top. Pouring out the first few glasses provides a nice satisfying "glug" sound due to the concave nature of the neck of the bottle.

Simply Lemonade delivers on its claims: the lemon flavor here is strong, but at the same time (because of the natural sugar?) it isn't followed by a sickeningly sweet aftertaste. Another thing that amazes me is that it's not as acidic as I was expecting for 11% lemon juice. I've had lemonade that is 7% lemon juice that feels like a kick in the mouth. The "tart" flavor is held back very well and in fact it's one of the first times I have actually been able to refer to the more "fruity" nature of a lemon. It has a very clean finish due to the natural sugars and the taste is very smooth overall. This drink is almost the personification of "refreshing" in my book. They seem to have worked hard to perfect a lemonade recipe and it shows.

If you have been gun-shy about poorly made lemonade or it being too tart or acidic, I'd suggest giving Simply Lemonade a try. Its bottles don't hide the goodness they have managed to create and it might change the way you think about lemonade.

When it comes to mass produced ginger ale, Dr Pepper Snapple has a big footprint in the marketplace by having both Canada Dry and Schweppes in its flavor stable. The only other big player is Coke's Seagram's brand. This fact alone would seem to make Canada Dry a likely candidate for the "Ten" treatment, though I'd think it's also ideal because of the mixer element of the drink as well. Some innovative line extensions have been added over the years, including Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale, in hopes to expand the ginger ale offerings. Recently, the brand has been advertising that it's "Made with Real Ginger," despite that not appearing on the ingredients at all. Let's not fool ourselves here… Canada Dry isn't exactly a Reed's or Fresh Ginger-caliber product when it comes to the ginger experience.

Like the other 2nd generation "Ten" flavors, Canada Dry Ten borrows from the design cues of Dr Pepper Ten through the addition of a gunmetal grey color to the label. The color actually works pretty well as a compliment for the white/green scheme typically associated with the logo, though the way "Ten" is added to the logo, one might miss the distinction or associate this with Diet Canada Dry. As established in the "Ten" lineup, the packaging proclaims that Canada Ten offers "10 Great Tasting Calories," utilizing 3 sweeteners: aspartame, acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

The "Ten" lineup from Dr Pepper Snapple Group seems targeted at a demographic that isn't buying the "Diet" versions of said drinks, and in many cases, as noted by the Dr Pepper Ten advertising campaign, that would tend to be the male demographic. To best see if Canada Dry Ten could lure drinkers of full calorie Canada Dry, we compared Ten against Diet Canada Dry and regular Canada Dry.

When all three drinks are poured side-by-side-by-side, the first thing one notices is color. Diet Canada Dry is a darker yellowish color, while regular Canada Dry and Canada Dry Ten are lighter and look similar. The Diet iteration is also quite a bit more foamy/bubbly than the other two. Finally, the scent of Diet Canada Dry is quite muted, while regular and Ten have a somewhat sweet bouquet.

Regular, full calorie Canada Dry isn't a bad drink. It's sweet and has a hint of ginger flavor. It's light and works well by itself or with food. There's a certain HFCS-syupyness that lasts in the aftertaste. In contrast, Diet Canada Dry's artificial sweeteners are pretty obvious when you sample it, really being noticeable in the bottom part of the mouth with a strong fake experience. Which brings us to new Canada Dry Ten, which actually does a pretty decent job of mimicking the flavor profile of the original. It's sweeter than Diet and closer in overall level to regular. Like the other entries in the "Ten" lineup, it starts out strong tasting like the original namesake, only later having the artificial sweeteners kick in. But that first blast of familiar flavor goes a long way in making Canada Dry more palatable than its Diet brethren. I'd argue that it's a good lower calorie substitute for the original if you are watching your calorie intake.

The use of artificial sweeteners in this ginger ale lineup seems to be a bit more finicky than some of the more bold flavors in the "Ten" lineup. I think they are more noticeable overall. Therefore, while Canada Dry Ten isn't perfect in taking just like a full calorie version, I think it does a pretty darn good job shooting for it!

Canada Dry Ten
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium citrate, malic acid, sodium benzoate (preservative), aspartame, natural flavors, acesulfame potassium, caramel color

A 12 oz can contains 10 calories, 115 mg sodium, and 2 g carbs (2 g sugars). Caffeine free.

For those interested in a comparison…

Diet Canada Dry
Carbonated water, citric acid, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate (preservative), malic acid, aspartame, caramel color, natural flavors, acesulfame potassium, calcium disodium EDTA (to preserve flavor)

A 12 oz can contains 0 calories, 120 mg sodium, and 0 g carbs (0 g sugars). Caffeine free.

Canada Dry Ten is a pretty well executed, low cal knockoff of the original. It's better than Diet and worth a try!

As any soft drink enthusiast knows, root beer can be quite subjective. We all have our favorites and those, well, we don't like as much. Sometimes our decisions are influenced by the simple fact that a flavor can be found everywhere (see Coke's dominance of the fountain world and how they tend to always feature Barq's Root Beer). Others have more nostalgic audiences, such as can be found around the A&W brand. I know as a kid, I remember being on vacation and stopping at a A&W Drive In for food, root beer, and a great collectible mug!

As Dr Pepper Snapple Group looked at adding more to their "Ten" franchise, the choice of A&W was probably a no brainer, given that it's one of the "mainstream" root beer flavors that everyone is familiar with (heck, the company even owns rootbeer.com!) The fact that diet drinks are on a nice growth spurt while full calories beverages decline also probably factored heavy into adding A&W as a "Ten" brand.

Like the other 2nd generation "Ten" flavors, A&W Ten borrows from the design cues of Dr Pepper Ten, namely with the use of a grey color on the label. Though, unlike the rather odd juxtaposition found on Sunkist Ten and 7Up Ten, the addition of grey to the orange/brown color scheme of A&W actually works really well. It's a sharp looking package! As established in the "Ten" lineup, the packaging proclaims that A&W Ten offers "10 Great Tasting Calories." We've got 3 sweeteners at play here: aspartame, acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

As we have done with some of our other Ten reviews, we tasted A&W Ten side-by-side with Diet A&W, stacking both up against regular A&W to best gauge the differences. Part of the appeal of the Ten line is to lure non-diet drinkers (a.k.a. Men) into trying something low-calorie. Right off the bat, one of the notable changes is the amount of foam that is produced when the product is poured into a glass. We found Diet A&W to be quite a bit more foamy than both A&W and A&W Ten. On the other hand, A&W Ten had a sweeter scent than Diet A&W, but not like the sweet/bitter combo in original A&W. Diet A&W was mostly bitter in scent overall.

Regarding flavor, when you first drink Diet A&W, it's pretty obvious that it's an artificially sweetened drink. I find that those sweeteners compete with the root beer flavor a bit, producing a mixed taste message. On the other than, A&W Ten tastes a lot like the flagship when you first sample it, though the pleasant "harshness" associated with the original is muted a bit in the Ten iteration. A&W has always been on the sweeter side of root beers, and that's reflected here. That sweetness frontloads A&W Ten, delaying the realization that this isn't a full calorie drink. Your taste buds are like "hey, this is pretty good, wow… oh wait… hey, are you trying to fool me?"

In the grand scheme of things, A&W Ten is far superior to Diet A&W when it comes to tasting more like the full calorie original. It's not as "birchy" as regular A&W; rather, it's more creamy. The sweetness and flavor are great out of the gate, and only later do you realize that there are artificial sweeteners in play. Still, I felt that Sunkist Ten and 7Up Ten both did superior jobs of hiding the negative elements typically associated with diet drinks. A&W Ten tries, but doesn't succeed as well as its sibling Tens. Still, it's light years better than what Diet A&W tastes like, and presents a better entry point for a lower calorie alternative.

A&W Ten
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, sodium benzoate (preservative), natural and artificial flavors, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, malic acid, quillaia extract

A 12 oz can contains 10 calories, 80 mg sodium, and 3 g carbs (2 g sugars). Caffeine free.

For those interested in a comparison…

Diet A&W
Carbonated water, caramel color, sodium benzoate (preservative), aspartame, acesulfame potassium, natural and artificial flavors, malic acid, quillaia extract

A 12 oz can contains 0 calories, 108 mg sodium, and 0 g carbs (0 g sugars). Caffeine free.

In conclusion, A&W Ten is better than Diet A&W when it comes to tasting closest to the original. It's not perfect, and the frontloaded flavor only fools your tastebuds to a point, but it's an appreciable effort!

7Up seems to be the product that can't catch a break these days. It's dwarfed by Sprite and Sierra Mist in U.S. sales, and seems to undergo a new formulation every other year. We're fans of the current version, which arrived in 2010, and seemingly brought back some of the distinctive flavor that set apart 7Up from the other lemon limes. New line extensions have been added with varying success, such as the decent 7Up Mixed Berry and the atrocious reboot of Cherry 7Up. I'm not not sure who thought it was a good idea to dress the brand up as a freak show with the release of 7Up Retro in cans (thankfully, the bottle was classy). Great taste there, just oddly marketed. With the mixed bag of quality execution, one has to wonder about the fate of 7Up Ten.

Like Sunkist Ten, 7Up Ten borrows from the design cues of Dr Pepper Ten, namely with the use of a grey color on the label. This provides a counterpoint to the expected green 7Up branding, but does a nice job of setting apart the drink from the existing original and diet versions. The addition of the "TEN" label is the same style at Dr Pepper Ten, though it doesn't thematically blend well with the existing 7Up look. As established in the "Ten" lineup, the packaging proclaims that 7Up Ten offers "10 Great Tasting Calories." Remember, this drink is not only sweetened with both aspartame and acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), but also high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), with the thinking that this allows for better, non-diet flavor.

So what about that taste? To better gauge the flavor and offer comparisons, we tasted 7Up Ten side-by-side Diet 7Up. Additionally, since the target audience for 7Up Ten is probably converting folks from full calorie 7Up, we had a bottle of that handy as well. When you pop the tab on 7Up Ten, you are greeted with a very sweet, almost candy-like scent. This differs slightly from Diet 7Up, which tends to smell just like the 7Up you expect. The look and color of the drink is the same no matter what version you choose… it's clear and bubbly.

The flavor itself is much different, however. While Diet 7Up has noticeable medicinal flavoring and obvious artificial sweetener aftertaste, 7Up Ten does a much better job of masking that experience. For one thing, it's a lot more lemony in taste, quite a bit more than even full calorie 7Up. The drink is also quite sweet, considerably more than Diet 7Up. The flavor profile is therefore slightly different than the 2010 reboot of 7Up, but in this case, it works. While you can still taste hints of the artificial sweeteners, it's nowhere near as bad as Diet 7Up. (It should be noted that the sweeteners became easier to pick out the warmer the drink got; we found the best results when cold). In effect, 7Up Ten creates an alternate reality take on a no/low-calorie version of the lemon lime classic. The increase in sweetness and lemon flavor make for an excellent drink!

7Up Ten
Filtered carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, potassium citrate, potassium benzoate (preservative), natural flavors, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor)

A 12 oz can contains 10 calories, 45 mg sodium, and 2 g carbs (2 g sugars). Caffeine free.

For those interested in a comparison…

Diet 7Up
Filtered carbonated water and contains 2% or less of each of the following: natural flavors, citric acid, potassium citrate, potassium benzoate (protects flavor), aspartame, acesulfame potassium, calcium disodium EDTA (protects flavor)

A 12 oz can contains 0 calories, 45 mg sodium, and 0 g carbs (0 g sugars). Caffeine free.

I was skeptical when I saw another rebooted version of 7Up in the pipeline, but 7Up Ten does deliver the goods. If you can afford the 10 calories, it's far superior to Diet 7Up.

…Starting as early as January, the company will start testing 7Up Ten, Sunkist Ten, A&W Ten and Canada Dry Ten in Columbus, Ohio, Des Moines, Iowa, and central Pennsylvania. It will also test RC Ten, a cola, in Chicago, Evansville, Ind., and Des Moines.

Thus, it appears that "Ten" is DPSG's response to Coke's "Zero" and Pepsi's "Max" franchises. Let's take a look at the first of these new Tens, Sunkist Ten.

In our Dr Pepper Ten review, we felt that it didn't taste better than what was already a quality reduced calorie drink, Diet Dr Pepper. Many BevReview readers disagreed with our perceptive, and let us know accordingly in the comments (thanks for your passion, everyone!) For this review, we sampled Sunkist Ten alongside Diet Sunkist to get a similar comparison.

As part of the Ten line extension, it's obvious that Sunkist Ten borrowed some heavy design cues from Dr Pepper Ten. First off is the use of the gunmetal grey color, which apparently is DPSG's version of Coke Zero's black color. This is combined with the orange style and logo typically associated with Sunkist. The addition of the "TEN" label is the same style at Dr Pepper Ten, though it feels more tacked on and less organically added when compared to the flagship. Instead of proclaiming "10 Bold Tasting Calories," Sunkist Ten simply offers "10 Great Tasting Calories." And for those questioning the math on Dr Pepper Ten's calorie count vs. the calories/ounce proclamations, we can thank the confusing calculations of the FDA's Rounding Rules, which oddly allow for drinks with less than 5 calories to report as "0 calories", while those with 50 calories or less need to round to the nearest 5 calorie increment — thus how the same drink can have zero calories in one size but non-zero calories in another. Confused yet?

Like Diet Sunkist, Sunkist Ten is sweetened with both aspartame and acesulfame potassium (Ace-K). Ten also has the addition of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to round out its sweetener profile, which DPSG argues adds the ability to better portray the original full-calorie flavor of these drinks. Crack open a can of Sunkist Ten and it smells like your typical orange soda. The bright orange color is also in line with what you've come to find with Sunkist.

As for the flavor, the initial sip is dead-on for Sunkist. It's sweet, syrupy, and bold. But with any diet drink, the details are really in the aftertaste. You can definitely tell that this is a non-full-calorie beverage. The aspartame and Ace-K are obvious. Orange is one of the easier drinks to mask artificial sweeteners in, and Sunkist Ten doesn't disappoint in this area. You can tell the sweeteners are there, but they aren't too distorting. The aftertaste lingers a bit and then disappears. This flavor experience is in contrast to Diet Sunkist, which tends to taste fake from the start. Whereas Sunkist Ten tastes like the original in the beginning of the taste experience and then transitions to artificial, Diet Sunkist feels artificial throughout. When it comes to most closely resembling the original, Sunkist Ten is the winner (of course, it also has more calories than Diet Sunkist, which features 0 per serving).

Sunkist Ten
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium citrate, malic acid, sodium benzoate (preservative), aspartame, modified food starch, natural flavors, acesulfame potassium, caffeine, ester gum, Yellow 6, Red 40

A 12 oz can contains 10 calories, 130 mg sodium, and 2 g carbs (2 g sugars). Caffeine content is 3.42 mg/oz. (For comparison, Mountain Dew contains 4.5 mg/oz.)

For those interested in a comparison…

Diet Sunkist
Carbonated water, citric acid, sodium citrate, malic acid, sodium benzoate (preservative), aspartame, modified food starch, acesulfame potassium, natural flavors, caffeine, ester gum, Yellow 6, Red 40

A 12 oz can contains 0 calories, 128 mg sodium, and 0 g carbs (0 g sugars). Caffeine content is 3.38 mg/oz.

In the end, Sunkist Ten brings a more authentic Sunkist flavor compared to Diet Sunkist. If you are looking for a lower calorie orange soft drink, Ten is what you seek.

Being a Hispanic-oriented beverage, Nestle launched their Aguas Frescas last June not only here, but also in other markets that would relate to its origins: Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, San Francisco/San Jose, San Antonio, Fresno, Sacramento, San Diego, and McAllen, TX.

Billboard in Chicago

Unlike Coba's entry, Nestle went more mainstream with their package design, portraying their drinks in a more standardized bottle shape and over-the-shelf design. You won't find much in the way of "Hispanic origins" or taquerias on the label, other than the "Aguas Frescas" name itself.

While they are all part of the same selection, there is a difference in bottle design among the flavors. We found each of Nestle's lineup at local convenience stores offered at the same pricepoint. However, it should be noted that the Horchata flavor comes in a label-wrapped 14 oz bottle, while both Jamaica and Tamarindo come in larger 20 oz bottles with a standard "label band" design to the packaging.

Nestle Aguas Frescas Horchata
Horchata is often a combination of some sort of milk (sometimes from rice), cinnamon, sugar, and other flavors. Nestle's entry uses sweetened condensed milk. As mentioned, unlike the other two Aguas Frescas offerings from Nestle, you can't actually see the color of this beverage through the plastic bottle. The entire unit is covered in a shrinkwrapped label portraying a light tan and milky substance. When you actually see the drink itslef, it's more milky white in color, with just a hint of tan (i.e. the portrayed color in the label is far more attractive).

We've reviewed other ready-to-drink horchatas in the past, and Nestle's seems to stack up pretty well. It's very sweet, but the cinnamon and nutty flavor could use a little more strength. Texture was smooth and milky. Overall, the flavor was somewhat bland when compared to authentic horchata, but for a bottled version, not bad!

Ingredients: Water, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, and less than 2% of rice flour, natural flavors, calcium carbonate, garageenan, gellan gum, and cinnamon. A 14 oz. bottle contains 230 calories, 60 mg sodium, and 48 g carbs (40 g sugars).

Nestle Aguas Frescas Jamaica
Next up is the hibiscus flavor, a cranberry-colored beverage in a 20 oz. clear bottle. There's a slight fruity scent when you remove the cap. As for the flavor, it's pretty solid on the front end, but the sweet hibiscus flavor is diluted. Far more watered-down than Coba's Jamaica. The taste is good, but it just doesn't last. Unfortunate, since it would seem like all the elements were in place, including sugar, but it was not to be. The drink is still refreshing and unique, but lacking overall.

Ingredients: Water, sugar, hibiscus (extract), and less than 2% of natural flavor, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), and citric acid. A 20 oz. bottle contains 210 calories, 0 mg sodium, and 53 g carbs (46 g sugars). It also contains your daily supply of Vitamin C!

Nestle Aguas Frescas Tamarindo
The use of tamarind is popular in aguas frescas drinks, so it's not a surprise that Nestle included this flavor. The color is very cloudy, sort of a yellow/apricot look, with just a hint of scent that most closely aligned with mango, in my opinion. Like the other flavors in this lineup, Tamarindo is quite sweet. If you've never experienced tamarind, it's somewhat hard to describe the flavor, because it tends to dabble in sweet as well as tart. When compared to Coba's Tamarindo, Nestle's came up a bit bland in taste. Lots of sweetness, and in a way, somewhat syrupy and not as clean as others we've tasted. Still, it's a unique flavor that does offer a good does of refreshment.

Ingredients: Water, sugar, tamarind puree, and less than 2% of gellan gum, natural flavor, citric acid, pectin, and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). A 20 oz. bottle contains 250 calories, 10 mg sodium, and 62 g carbs (57 g sugars). Like the Jamaica flavor, Tamarindo contains your daily supply of Vitamin C.

We applaud Nestle for bringing this unique flavors to a broader market, and there seems to definitely be a growing market for ready-to-drink aguas frescas. Still, these entries feel a bit too corporate and mass-produced, rather than authentically-flavored. They are great entry points for those curious about aguas frescas, but in no way represent the best flavor experience to be found in the sub-genre.

Coba was founded by Jose Luis Domene and Arnulfo Ventura as a way to bring ready-to-drink aquas frescas to the marketplace, based on all natural recipes. The description on the back of the bottles provides the setting for the flavor experience:

In the tropical jungle of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, nourished by the cooling waters of four natural lakes, lies the majestic remains of the ancient Mayan city of Coba. Revered for its agriculture and with a name meaning "waters stirred by wind," Coba captures the purity, heritage, and spirit of one of the most ancient, beloved drinks of our culture, aguas frescos!

In each bottle of Coba we strive to capture that purity, heritage, and spirit in honor of our Meso-American forefathers as we bring the tradition of refreshing agues frescos to a modern, on the go world. Lightly sweetened with agave and made from the finest traditional ingredients, we invite you and your taste buds to come with us on our journey to the land of Coba.

So, that's the spin. Let's talk a little more about the product itself.

The packaging is quite attractive, coming in 16 oz glass bottles that resemble barrels, or vitroleros jars, traditionally used to make aguas frescos. A vibrant paper label wraps the bottle, featuring bright artwork and traditional style of the flavor features inside. Overall the look stands out as something more of a juice, not an high-production run soda.

On to the flavors…

Coba Jamaica
A redish/purple juice color, you unscrew the cap and are greeted by a strong hibiscus scent, which reminded me of another drink we've reviewed that uses that as a primary ingredient, OOBA Hibiscus.

There aren't a whole lot of ingredients inside: purified water, natural roselle (hibiscus), and organic agave nectar. What results is a sweet, yet slightly bitter drink, that does a nice job quenching thirst. I like the combination of flavors on my tongue. A 16 oz. bottle contains 140 calories, 0 mg sodium, and 36 g carbs (36 g sugars).

Coba Guayaba
One look at this flavor and you may see a slightly darker pineapple juice, with a tropical scent. Then you taste the guava and find that it's smooth, but still "puckery." The overall texture is thicker than other Coba flavors, and that reflects on the overall experience as well. This drink is a heavier tropical entry with a distinct flavor that stands out.

Like Jamaica, there aren't a lot of ingredients inside: purified water, natural guava puree, organic agave nectar, and natural flavor. When I think of Mexican drinks, this flavor seems like something that fits right in flavorwise! A 16 oz. bottle contains 220 calories, 0 mg sodium, and 56 g carbs (54 g sugars).

Coba Mango
Pop the top off Mango and it's hard to mistake the flavor. You are overwhelmed with a clean, strong mango scent. The look is that of a bright orange juice, but the texture, like Guayaba, is quite thick. This feels like the definition of a "refreshing fruit water." It's strong, unmistakable, and pure in execution. Mango done right.

In order to do the right thing, it only takes 4 ingredients: purified water, natural mango puree, organic agave nectar, and natural flavor. This flavor could do a nice job cutting the spiciness in food, or as a standalone refreshment. A 16 oz. bottle contains 230 calories, 0 mg sodium, and 60 g carbs (56 g sugars).

Coba Tamarindo
With a color that looks like dark apple juice, just what does tamarind taste like? It's a staple of aquas frescas drinks and probably can best be described as a tad sweet while also a tad sour. The flavor experience is almost akin to that of a light tea. Not an overpowering taste, but one that is very welcomed and refreshing!

Ingredients: purified water, natural tamarind, organic agave nectar, and natural flavor. Very quenching juice experience, but light and complimentary. A drink you'll return to again and again. A 16 oz. bottle contains 140 calories, 0 mg sodium, 130 mg potassium, and 36 g carbs (36 g sugars).

Overall, we're quite impressed with the Coba lineup. Here in Chicago, we have a lot of authentic Mexican food & drink. The flavors presented match a lot of what we've been able to try locally. Great job, Coba. Highly recommended!

Official Website: DrinkCoba.com

During the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show in Chicago last year, Avitae had a small little booth on a aisle across from the huge Monster Energy installation. Monster had models, hot tubs, giveaways, and a lot of foot traffic. One benefit of this, however, was that the crowds tended to build and back up folks to be near the Avitae booth. It's here that many may have discovered the simple caffeinated water in a funky bottle.

The ingredients are pretty basic: Purified water, natural caffeine, and natural citric acid. That's it. There are no calories or any other nutritional elements of note. With such a simple recipe, the product stands out with the uniquely-shaped bottle. It's basically a clear, upside-down plastic wedge. The plastic in the front is transparent to showcase the clear water, while the rear of the bottle features silver coloring and product information, with a well-designed transition between the two. It's a sharp-looking package!

Avitae comes in two versions, with differing levels of caffeine. Their base product is 45 mg, which features that amount of caffeine per bottle. They describe this as "about the same as a diet soda." Then there is the more potent 90 mg version, "about the same as a cup of coffee." For comparison, Mountain Dew contains 4.5 mg caffeine/oz. Avitae 45 mg comes in at 2.66 mg/oz, while Avitae 90 mg measures up to 5.33 mg/oz.

The product itself tastes very clean and unaltered. You could not really tell that anything such as caffeine was added to the water. I liked that. The caffeine effect was noted not to long after, however, as I did get a sense of "pep." Granted, I'm a new father to a 3-week-old newborn baby, so we've had many long nights. I'll take all the caffeine I can get these days, and Avitae fit the bill nicely. I guess there was a sense of less guilt associated with consuming the product, as it provided the benefits typically associated with caffeine without the added overhead of calories, syrups, or artificial sweeteners.

Avitae is clear, clean, and quite appealing — and that describes both the flavor and the great packaging. A unique approach for a simple idea!

Official Website: MyAvitae.com

I first encountered Doc 360 at the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show in Chicago last fall. It's produced by WIS-PAK, a large Pepsi bottler out of Wisconsin. They came up with the formula on their own to distribute to markets looking for a Dr Pepper alternative, as they have manufacturing locations not only in "America's Dairyland," but also Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Illinois, Tennessee, and Mississippi.

I must say, I'm impressed by the packaging approach, in that it's not just another "Dr. [Fill in the Blank]". The drink looks contemporary and energetic from the packaging design. From the sales sheets I was given at the show, it's interesting to read who is being targeted by this drink. An excerpt:

Why 360?

Doc 360 take the consumer out for a full circle of flavor. We know once they try it, their tastebuds will flip.

The term 360 is also closely associated with the extreme sports world. The extreme sports market segment has been exhibiting rapid growth in the popularity over the last decade.

This segment fits perfectly with Doc 360, it allows and encourages individual creativity in the innovation of new maneuvers and in the stylish execution of existing techniques.

Who's It Made For?

Heavy users within the flavor category, Millennials & Gen-Xers, C&G consumers [Convenience and Gas], mostly male 18-34 years, looking for value, variety, & stimulation.

These are the people who pride themselves in participating in challenging, cutting-edge activities and are constantly searching for new ways to test themselves.

You'll note that none of this sales text actually talks about the flavor of the drink itself. Given this positioning, however, I can understand why they are attempting to describe this drink as "The Mountain Dew of Dr Peppers". It's a Pepper clone that's higher in caffeine and positioned at the same Dew market.

As for the taste, it's actually very good. It doesn't taste exactly like Dr Pepper, obviously, but it's a pretty good copy. I'd say it's missing some of the spicy "kick" that we associate with the original, but it's not bland by any means. There's a quality sweet flavor there. I'd definitely drink it again.

I think I was more impressed with Diet Doc 360, because while you could tell that it was a diet drink (sweetened with aspartame and Ace-K), it had a decent aftertaste and flavor. The scent, coloring, and base taste all are in line with what's you'd expect from Dr Pepper. Nice job!

The big differentiator that Doc 360 likes to make is with caffeine content. Regular Dr Pepper contains 3.42 mg/oz of caffeine. Doc 360 and Diet Doc 360, on the other hand, contain 5.0 mg/oz. (For comparison with their target market, original Mountain Dew contains 4.5 mg/oz.) So you basically have a Pepper clone with an energy drink-type emphasis.

Overall, if you can find Doc 360, it's worth a try for something a little different, but familiar. Recommended!

Doc 360
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, natural & artificial flavors, phosphoric acid, sodium benzoate (as a preservative), and caffeine

A 12 oz can contains 150 calories, 55 mg sodium, and 40 g carbs (40 g sugars).

Diet Doc 360
Carbonated water, caramel color, natural & artificial flavors, phosphoric acid, aspartame, sodium benzoate (as a preservative), caffeine, and acesulfame potassium

A 12 oz can contains 0 calories, 55 mg sodium, and 0 g carbs (0 g sugars).

Official Website: DrinkDoc360.com

Let's once again take a look at the glass bottled beverage offerings of Old 52 General Store. Today we pop the cap off Kickapoo Joy Juice!

Kickapoo Joy Juice derives its name from the Li'l Abner cartoon that dates back to the 1930's. The Monarch Beverage Company began in 1965 with Kickapoo as its only beverage, but proceeded to acquire a number of drinks over the years, adding to its eclectic portfolio of beverages. Right away, you have to like the prospects of a drink that derived from a fictional world from the glory years of comic strips/books.

The bottle is a fairly standard green glass configuration. The cap is red as well as the highlights on the label. One interesting note is that this bottle's configuration is not found on the drink's website itself, which I am guessing is due to the licensing out of the product for this particular glass bottling. The label has what looks like a Li'l Abner cartoon with the catch phrase "The Original Dogpatch Recipe," which from what I can tell through some web searches, derives from the Li'l Abner strip itself (the website mentions the characters as Lonesome Polecat and Hairless Joe). Li'l Abner is a little before my time, so although I am familiar with it in name, I am learning too. I'm sure some readers feel very old right now, while others never even heard of the strip. I find myself in the liminal space between.

Also notable is that in dot-matrix-looking print on the side of the bottle there is printed (in really small lettering): "KICKAPOO IS GOOD 4 U." Now it is my turn to feel old as I'm sure some of you have never heard the term "dot matrix."

The ingredient list reads as follows: "Carbonated water, cane sugar, citric acid, concentrated grapefruit juice, caffeine, gum arabic, sodium citrate, natural flavor, EDTA (to protect flavor), sodium benzoate (a preservative), brominated vegetable oil, and Yellow 5." A bottle has 12 fluid ounces and contains 180 calories and 45 grams of sugar. So, just looking at the ingredient list, you can see that this drink does not have the early twentieth century roots of some of the other drinks I have reviewed from Old 52. In fact, it has that 1960's feel of experimentation with chemicals and coloring, but not to the degree of some beverages today. It also contains "less than 1% juice," just for the record. In addition, it is cane sugar sweetened, which is very promising.

Now, let's get to the meat of the review. Is it just me or does mentioning meat in a beverage review seem a bit odd? Anyway, I twist open the cap to a small "pop" and off we go. The first sniff reveals a strong lemon-lime scent, stronger than what I might expect out of the vast array of lemon-lime drinks out there. This is promising. The liquid is a light green color and the whole experience reminds me of drinking a Mountain Dew. At first taste, it tastes somewhat like Mountain Dew, but the carbonation has a bit more bite to it, almost like some of the ginger beer/ale that I have sampled before. The overall taste is sweet, and it leaves a bit of a sugary aftertaste, sort of like a fresh lemonade, where the sugar overpowers the lemons. In addition, the inclusion of caffeine in the ingredient list puts it more in line with Mountain Dew than with some of the other lemon-lime drinks on the market.

Overall, I really enjoyed Kickapoo Joy Juice. It is a bit more artificial than I would prefer personally, but the taste is great. It is the kind of drink that would go well with pizza, but could be solid as a standalone. For a standalone, however, I think I would like it a bit less sugary to enhance thirst quenching ability. Of course this is the difficulty with most soda pop as one drinks it for the taste. In the end, I was quite happy with the drink as a whole, and it was a bit better than I would have expected.

Full Disclosure: This beverage was provided compliments of Old 52 General Store

• Kickapoo Joy Juice @ Old 52