Stevia based cola weak and watery

October 4, 9:24 AMCaffeine ExaminerBig Red Boots  

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ZEVIA is the world's only all natural sugar free alternative to diet soda. No artificial anything, this is about the healthiest you could possibly get to drinking water - maybe even healthier than water. This stuff is sweetened by an extract of Stevia, the sweetleaf herb, a relative of the sunflower.

Also, Zevia is a small time operation, not here to compete with PepsicCo and Coca-Cola. That means this family-run, pacific northwestcompany can choose to use all-recycled aluminum cans and by buying it you are supporting the little guy.  You also know where your money is going - unlike knowing you are supporting CEOs and all sorts of nefariousness like Coca-Cola is into.  This drink does not cause tooth decay, is certified Kosher and has a low glycemic index to boot, so it is supremely healthy.

The can is nice, albeit a bit goofy. Big fonts and very simple design - the look of a "natural" drink that looks like something between Blue Sky Soda and a little Mom and Pop product sold to super-specialty stores ( which is what this is). While I am not sure how it would fare next to cans of real soda, this would look right at home surrounded by bars of glyceryn soap, little jars of hand-filled tea tree oil and Soy milk cartons.They do a good job providing the consumer with stevia facts, a caffeine count, and all the right company info.

There is only 45 mg of caffeine in here, which is more than you would find in a Diet Pepsi or Coke, but about on par with a Coke Zero. So it has enough caffeine that you don't want to feed it to your kids ( who tried the other flavors they went with varying degrees of indifference), but not enough that you would get a buzz, unless you planned on knocking back 3 or 4 of them.

But my biggest problem with this stuff is the taste.
You cant really do much complaining about the flavor- because it is barely there. What you can taste from the cola flavored water is mostly ungood.

Its not that I have big ugly burned-out-from-too-much-high-fructose-corn-syrup taste buds either. But I do like the flavor of Diet coke and Diet Pepsi - so just to be sure I was not biased I shopped it to my fellow workers ( guinea pigs) at the office. Most of the office thought it tasted weak and poor - like mixing a Whole Foods brand cola with club soda. The all-natural-superveg people here thought it tasted like slightly sour water, and even the guy who has a bottle of stevia on his desk has for his morning coffee thought this drink sucked.

I completely agree with metavitae.com which wrote about Zevia:

It really does taste like the stuff that came from old health food stores. -And by that, I mean it tastes like it’s made for sickly post-hippies who’ve burned out their tastebuds & nostril hairs freebasing spirulina sometime back in the 60’s.

From the only cola out ther stevia sweetened, I was pretty excited to give this rave reviews.  But unless they add  flavor this drink is one to leave rotting next to the pine nuts and carob chip cookies.   I am sure people who want to be healthy could still find something better than this stuff.

Although, I really do appreciate the samples they sent me to try.