Stevia based cola weak and watery

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.