Monster Pipeline Punch

Here for a limited time, Monster Pipeline Punch was named after the world's most famous wave on Oahu's North Shore...which explains the little hand gesture on the front of the label. I picked up a few of these when from a 7-11 I was in Michigan last weekend. At the time, it seemed like every 7-11 had a giant display of these.

Taste

The aroma here is absolutely amazing with its intense passion fruit and guava notes. The"Juice" part of the label accurately describes the contents of this can.

The flavor is similar to the aroma - guava up front, followed by passion fruit and just a hint of a tangerine/orange/citrus combo near the end. This is like drinking a mix of guava juice and club soda. The aftertaste is rich and fruity and very long lasting.

The one thing I didn't like about this drink is its high level of sweetness, which gets more and more intense with each sip. I found that near the end of the can, my mouth was very sticky and I had to drink a bit of water to cleanse it.

Energy

There are 160 mg of caffeine in the can. The sugar rush comes in quick and it makes itself noticeable with a mild case of the jitters. After 15-20 minutes of leg shaking jitters, the caffeine starts to kick in and you feel happily energized for a few hours. I didn't experience a crash at the end, but I did have this drink first thing in the morning after a pretty decent sleep.

Scores:
Cost - 2 for $4 from 7-11
Taste - 8.8/10
Energy - 8.1/10

Overall - 16.9/20...like real juice mixed with club soda...delicious

Grace Sparkling Coconut Water

For those of you who are not familiar, Grace is a manufacturer and distributor of Jamaican products across Canada and the Great Britain. In Canada, Grace's products are available at every grocery store that has even the tiniest international section.

Though Grace manufacturers and distributes Jamaican products, the coconut waters that I reviewed for this post are actually made in Vietnam because Vietnam is a huge grower and exporter of coconuts and coconut products.

Original

This flavor has an earthy tone to its predominant coconut aroma. The carbonation is medium and fits the coconut flavor. Any more and I don't think it would have worked, any less and it would have been a tease. The coconut flavor has a medium intensity and is a little salty due to the carbonation process. The saltiness sounds odd, but it works and makes the drink even more refreshing than it already is and gives the finish a lingering and rich coconut aftertaste. This is nowhere as good as the fresh coconut juice I had at the Cold Pressery, but it is one of the better ones I have tried.

Taste - 9/10

Pomegranate

Not much of a difference in color, but a sweet, floral aroma is present. The flavor is a little sweeter and very perfumy but without any apparent pomegranate notes. The flavor is muddled and seems like something is there in addition to the coconut, but not sure what. There is even no acidity that you would normally expect to taste in a pomegranate drink. Maybe I got a dud.

Taste - 6/10

Lemon

This one seems to have a slight yellow tint to it. The lemon comes through in the aroma and mixed with the coconut creates a creamy illusion. The lemon flavor is very light throughout and is eclipsed by the coconut for most parts. It does come out in the finish and gives the aftertaste a lingering, refreshing lemon note. Surprisingly good combination of flavors. Very refreshing.

Taste - 9.2/10

GoodDrink Organic Spritzter Ruby Red Grapefruit

The 2015 Labour Day weekend was relaxing enough to give me the boost I needed to plow through a bunch of drinks sitting in the fridge. This Ruby Red Grapefruit is the last of my GoodDrink beverages and I am so very glad I left it alone until the 40+ C Labour Day Monday.

First, a bit of info on the GoodDrink beverage. I got this for $2.99 from Marcello's City Market at Shaw and King West in Toronto and there were tons when I was there in early August, 2015. Can't wait to go back and buy some other refreshing drinks there.

OK, now back to the Ruby Red that has been tempting me from the corner of my desk for the past few minutes with its glistening can and pale red/orange insides. Let me start by saying how AMAZING the aroma is!!! I almost lost it when I smelled it. It is like someone grabbed the freshest grapefruit and used my nose to squeeze all the juice out. The flavor is UNREAL! I had to make myself leave the glass on the desk so that I can write what this tastes like. I really wanted to consume this in one go.

Like the aroma, the flavor is as fresh as it gets short of squeezing a fresh grapefruit. The sweetness is just right to avoid build up and enough to give you a sweet twist. If you are the kind of person that enjoys that grapefruit bitterness, you will be happy to know that there is some of it in the finish for that authentic finish. Some lingering sweetness comes in after the bitterness slowly dethroning it. The leftover grapefruit notes are long deep. The best GoodDrink spritzter!

Taste - 10/10...loved everything about this one. Definitely buying more

GoodDrink Organic Spritzter Eureka Lemon

Next on my GoodDrink list is the Eureka Lemon. I love lemon sodas, especially when I am super thirsty and it is hot outside. Very few beverages can hit the spot when this moment arrives.

GoodDrink's lemon soda...excuse me, spritzer (actually it is spelled spritzter on the label to be accurate), has a cloudy, pale yellow color with a great fresh lemon aroma. The flavor starts off moderate, but quickly gets intense and shakes your brain awake. The lemon is done very well and it is as fresh and real as it gets...OK, maybe not as real as squeezing a lemon but you get the point. 

The finish is tart and dry with a clean lemon note. There is a little sugar which helps cut the acidity down, but not enough to make you want to cleanse your palate with a glass of water.

Taste - 8.9/10...tart and refreshing...mmmm lemon soda...I mean spritzer 

Gesundheit! Grape Juices

A few weeks ago we took a trip to Niagara on the Lake to celebrate my mom's 50th birthday and to enjoy some local wines and food. One of the wineries we stopped at, Konzelmann, also sold Gesundheit! grape juices, which I just couldn't resist.

Made by Niagara Juice Co., the Gesundheit! juices come in 2 sizes and 2 varieties - 240 mL and 750 mL and in Baco Noir Grape and Vidal Grape, respectively. I bought the smaller bottles, which retailed for $3.49 each to try each. The larger ones were closer to $10.

Vidal Grape Juice

The lighter of the two has a very sweet, grape jelly-like aroma with a sour twist. The mouth-feel is velvet-like and the flavor is similar but the sweetness is cut by the slightly tart character while you are sipping. The finish is where the tartness goes away and the sweetness builds up. A hint of grape skins lingers and gives this juice a rewarding end. Great!

Taste - 9/10

Baco Noir Grape Juice

This one has a beautiful, deep plum color. The aroma is rich with Baco Noir grapes and a touch of moist fruit cake. The flavor is tart throughout with a wonderful grape composition that builds up from the start and well into the finish. Fruity notes appear for a brief moment near the finish but are cut by the tart grape skin finish. Love the tartness of this one.

Taste - 9.3/10

GoodDrink Organic Spritzer Wild Blackberry

Wow, this GoodDrink Spritzer has an amazing blackberry aroma. I can hold the can under my nose for hours. It has the potency of a Jolly Rancher-filled field of berries!

The flavor is not bad either, but definitely not as potent...at least at first. The start of each sip is a little watery but as the liquid travels down your tongue, the profile develops and the flavor almost the same Jolly Rancher potency as the aroma near the end...with a slightly citric, wild spike.

The only thing separating the blackberry flavor from the real thing is the candy-like finish, which I absolutely love. It is just sweet enough to give you the sensation of having enjoyed a piece of blackberry candy, but not sweet enough to make you want some water.

Delicious. Love that candy-like finish with a touch of acidity.

Taste - 9.2/10

GoodDrink Organic Spritzer Granny Smith Apple

Just a few days ago I came across a stash of GoodDrink beverages at a fairly new grocery store near us - Marcello's City Market. The Granny Smith is the first of 4 that I will be reviewing.

The Granny Smith Spritzer has a light golden color with a Golden Delicious/Granny Smith aroma. Though the flavor starts off sweet and mellow, the typical Granny Smith sour bite emerges quickly and lingers until the finish. A good balance of sweeter apples is present cutting down on the sourness while adding some depth.

There are only 16 grams of sugar in the can which, in my opinion, is the right amount. The sweetness never builds up, but there is enough of it to balance out the sourness.

Taste - 9/10...great and refreshing apple juice. Love it.