Better Libations is proud to present the Top 10 Healthy Drink Picks of 2008, chosen from our extensive collection of reviews for that year. By default, we already only review drinks that have some health value, and we ban anything with high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. But in order to make our list of the BEST whistle-whetters, you have to wow us on multiple levels – we look at the flavor, sugar content, originality, and corporate eco-friendliness, just to name a few. Buckle up, grab your favorite beverage and read on!
# 10
Metromint
chocolatemint water
Metromint boasts a refreshing line of minty flavored waters with no sweeteners. While most of their flavors are so simple that you could make a reasonable substitute with a bottle of water and a couple drops of mint essence, chocolatemint water delivers a delicious chocolatey taste we didn’t think was possible from an unsweetened beverage, thus earning it a place on the top 10.
# 9
Cascade Ice
All flavors
Ahh, Cascade Ice. The almost-as-good-as-LifeWater, but not as widely available, alternative to corn syrup-laden drinks like Gatorade. The thing is, these guys have no web presence whatsoever (at least at the time of this writing), so it has been very difficult to find any further information about the company itself. Still, they have a stand-up product and have earned a place on our list.
# 8
Tazo
Iced Apple Spice
This Tazo’s official title is now “Simply Red”. (It changed from the time that we originally reviewed it, but still delivers the same flavor.) This entry from Tazo has a wonderful spicy blend of apple, cinnamon and herb flavors that you’ll want to sip and savor every drop of. It comes in low on the sugar content meter, so you don’t have to feel guilty about downing a bottle with lunch. Tazo is owned by mega-coffee house Starbucks.
# 7
Guayaki Yerba Mate
Pure Mind
Coming in at number 7 is Guayaki Yerba Mate (pronounced “mah-TAY”). Different, interesting and good for you. It has similar benefits as tea, with a much different flavor. Check it out! As a bonus, these guys are uber-committed to the environment. Check out their page on reforestation efforts in South America.
# 6
Honest Beverages
Pomegranate Red Tea with Goji Berry
This beverage by Honest Tea happens to be our first review here on Better Libations. By an amazing coincidence, it also happened to be our first five star review! This baby has low sugar, amazing flavor, and a stellar company to back it up. The rooibos (African Red Tea) and honeybush combine with the pomegranate and berry juice flavors for an all-out assault on your tongue. We’re still in love with it, after all this time!
# 5
hint
All Flavors
A personal favorite of BL author Wise Guise, hint has a vast array of flavored waters. They stand tall and admonish the sticky-sweet world of soda with their motto: “Drink water, not sugar”. As all are unsweetened, they are perfectly suited for those trying to avoid excess sugar intake. And they have enough flavors to keep any beverage aficionado busy for weeks!
# 4
Fizz Ed
Red Raspberry
Fizz Ed is one of our favorite alt-sodas here at Better Libations. It is produced by a company called Apple and Eve, which specializes in healthier drink alternatives for kids. It’s pleasantly carbonated, and it comes in an eight-ounce can. It’s sweetened with real fruit juice! And thus, it’s a great way to get your soda fix without signing your soul away to the corn-sugar devils. (Or your kids’ souls, for that matter, you heartless wretch). This is one company that we can actually root for to get into our schools, as long as they keep doing what they’re doing right.
# 3
Crayons
All Flavors
Crayons’ line of juice drinks are a relatively recent discovery here in the halls of Better Libations, and they have made quite a splash. They earn big points with us in a number of ways. They sport an 8 ounce can (a real serving size). They use real fruit juice and pure cane sugar as their sweeteners. (And to offset the sugar, they include a portion of fiber in their drinks as well). They actually make their drinks taste like the fruits pictured on the can, and not like some chemical flavoring that was developed in a plant off the New Jersey Turnpike. And they proudly proclaim on their label, “NO high fructose corn syrup”. They were practically made for us.
# 2
Sobe Life Water
All Flavors
Clocking in at # 2 is SoBe’s better tasting answer to Gatorade and all of its high-fructose corn syrup-ridden pals. Life Water is our personal favorite in the “Vitamin-enhanced Water” genre here at Better Libations, because they manage to deliver great-tasting flavors without any of the crap found in certain ‘other’ vitamin-type waters abd sports drinks. Life Water uses only sugar and Erythritol, a natural sugar-alcohol that is non-caloric, doesn’t affect blood sugar, and doesn’t cause tooth decay. And just recently they have released a line of three tasty flavors containing no sugar whatsoever, using only the Erythritol to give them a pleasant level of (non-fake tasting) sweetness. They may be owned by fizzy juggernaut PepsiCo, but this is a big step in the right direction, for which we applaud them. Clearly, the market has spoken, and they are beginning to hear.
# 1
Ayala’s Herbal Water
All Flavors
And finally, we come to #1 on this years list: Ayala’s Herbal Water! Ayala’s has met and exceeded all of our standards for both a beverage and a beverage company. We loved the interesting array of herbal flavors. We loved their simple food-for-the-body philosopy. We loved the fact that both the drinks and the company were created by a Medical Doctor (Dr. Ayala herself).
These herbal water drinks have the best of both worlds: health and flavor. Throughout all of our reviews, we see companies struggling with this balance. It seems that they just can’t go too far in one direction without sacrificing the quality of the other. But this is where Ayala’s shines. On the one side, you can’t get healthier than unsweetened, no-calorie, no-preservative, no-nothing water, so you can drink to your heart’s content without any guilt whatsoever. (There are also purported health benefits from different types of herbs, which are all organically grown for these drinks). And on the other side, Ayala’s delivers enough original, tongue-tickling flavor to keep your palate happy with every drop. You don’t even miss the sugar.
And to top it all off, Ayala’s is a Philadelphia-based independent company, not a part of mega-conglomerate Coca Cola Company or PepsiCo. How could we ask for more? Ayala’s is now the company to beat for 2009!
And thus ends the Top 10 Best Healthy Drinks list for 2008. Stay tuned for the 10 Worst, coming soon!
Dan Purdon is a food enthusiast and blog writer located in the breathtaking metropolis of Provo, UT. He is the creator and author of “Better Libations”, located at http://www.healthydrinkreviews.com. In his spare time he enjoys cooking, reading, motorcycling, and plotting to take over the world.