Sierra Mist Natural

I may be a diehard Coke drinker, but I really have to give Pepsi props for their continuing use of real sugar over HFCS in special editions of their products.

Sierra Mist is a relatively new member of the Pepsi family, having been launched in 1999 (to replace lemon-lime Slice) and gone national in 2003 or so. With that in mind, since there was never a version made with sugar, it was clear that they couldn't call this part of the Throwback line. Instead, it is joining Pepsi Natural as a new Natural edition. And let's be honest: the very name "Sierra Mist" already sort of conjures up a kind of crunchy, hippie vibe for me anyway.

I should also be honest, that while I looooooooove the Sierra Mist Diet Ruby Splash, I have never been a huge fan of the original Sierra Mist. For me it's been because the carbonation has always seemed on the flat side -- which I normally like, but in this case it does nothing for me. The lemon-lime flavor seems a bit diluted, and I tend to think there's a funky aftertaste. Sorry guys, but I prefer the stronger, more carbonated Sprite Zero, or even regular HFCS sweetened Sprite better. But how could I resist giving Sierra Mist a second chance when it was made with real sugar?



So how did it taste?

Well, better than hippie bathwater, I will give it that...

Okay, seriously though, all the things I already did not love about the "old" Sierra Mist are still present and accounted for in the Natural version. The lemon-lime flavor is still more muted than I prefer it to be -- but I do have to give it credit at the same time for tasting cleaner and crisper than its HFCS-sweetened sibling. Had it just been stronger, I would have really liked it.

The carbonation is beyond light. When you pour the soda it does foam up, but almost immediately the bubbles die down and the carbonation level drops to almost nonexistent.



I will also give points to the Natural version for managing to do away with the funky aftertaste that I think the "normal" version has -- although I am pretty sure that aftertaste was caused by the HFCS to begin with.

All in all, as much as I applaud the use of actual sugar, I still can't say I am a fan of Sierra Mist...although if I had to drink it, this is the version I would pick.

Be sure to also check out BevReview's take -- which is chock full of info on changes being made to the Sierra Mist line, plus news on the return of the seasonal Cranberry Lime flavor.



PURCHASED FROM:
Target

PRICE
$1.00

CALORIES:
100 calories per 8 ounces.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Caffeine free. No artificial ingredients, colors, flavors or preservatives.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE
sierramist.com

The Power of Fruit: Tropical Fruit Bar

Summer weather has finally hit Southern California. Boy, has it hit! We've had high temperatures around 100 for about a week now, and a couple days ago it reached 106 degrees F. (For those of you outside the States, that's a hair over 41 C.) And let me tell you something: just because this is reclaimed desert and it's dry heat, that doesn't make it any less oppressive. Air conditioning, IMHO, is the greatest invention since the wheel.

Anyway, one of my favorite warm weather snacks is the frozen juice bar. And the good people at The Power of Fruit were kind enough to send me a stash of their 100% whole frozen fruit bars.

When these guys say pure fruit, they mean it. There are no added colors, preservatives or sweeteners, and each bar is the equivalent of half a day's serving of fruit. They sent me three varieties, and I decided to start with the Tropical Fruit bar because my flavor obsession of the moment is pineapple.

The Tropical bar features pineapple, mango and banana. These bars are actually old school stickless tubes, the kind you squeeze out of their plastic wrappers.



What I liked best about the bar/tube is that you can actually see the chunks of fruit. I also liked that the fruit was in such big pieces that it was easy to tell which was pineapple and which was mango. The banana chunks were less distinct, and seemed to act sort of like a binder to hold it all together. The flavors of all of the fruits were really bright and fresh.




Because it's a plastic-wrapped tube, you push your portion up so there's minimal drip. Texture-wise, this is what kind of threw me: As I said, everything is in what looks like decent-sized chunks. And that's what it feels like too. So it wasn't what you'd think of as a Popsicle. It was more like you'd made a fruit mash yourself and frozen it solid -- not a texture I am used to, but which I guess is the whole idea, and it's a good one.

All told, it's a really refreshing treat! I'm looking forward to tasting the others.



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample from company

CALORIES:
30 calories per bar.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
poweroffruit.com

Q.bel Crispy Rice Bar: Milk Chocolate

I like a good crispy rice bar. There's something about their texture -- even more so than the taste -- that does it for me. I like when you bite into something and it's crunchy, yet smooshy at the same time. (Does that even make sense?)

Q.bel's version consists of two bars that are comprised of layers of chocolate, wafers, then topped with rice and covered in milk chocolate. And the whole thing is all natural. Sounds promising, right?



Each of the two fingers that form the serving are generously sized. The bottom layers of the bar are alternating layers of wafers and chocolate. Sprinkled across the top are grains of puffed rice.

The bar smells sweet -- sort of like chocolate covered Frosted Rice Krispies. I liked the wafer layers a lot. They were crisp and fresh and tasted sort of like a cake-style ice cream cone (yummm...). The puffed rice on the top brings extra crunch, and -- shock of all shocks -- it does in fact taste like cereal. And golly gee, wanna take bets if me and my Seinfeld-like cereal addiction liked it? Of course I liked it!



It was really only the chocolate I that didn't love. Now, don't get me wrong; it's not bad by any stretch. It's just sweeter than I prefer my chocolate. It's very milky and creamy, but it does seem as if "sweet" is the strongest part of the flavor. I have a feeling that I am going to love the dark chocolate version, because I loved the rice and I loved the wafers. I just needed something a bit more bitter to tie it all together.



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company

PRICE:
$1.29 MSRP.

CALORIES:
180 calories per bar

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Made on equipment that may have processed peanuts or tree nuts. Contains wheat, dairy, soy, and eggs.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
qbelfoods.com

Q.bel Crunchy Crispy Wafer Rolls: Dark Chocolate

I had read Cybele's recent review of Q.bel's bars (here), and her review on this particular product (here), so when Q.bel offered me some samples of their candies, I could not resist.



I opted to start with these wafer rolls because I love wafers to begin with -- and I was hoping that they would remind me of a really high-end Piroutte type candy.

Smelling the rolls, they have a really deep cocoa scent right off the bat. But as good as the smell is it can't prepare you for the flavor.

It has a very strong, bordering on bitter taste, but it manages not to step into the land of "why the hell did I just eat that-ville?!" It's a 53% dark chocolate. In my old age, I am starting to find that I prefer my dark chocolate to be under 70%, so this was perfect for me. (I am getting to be such a wuss!)



The outer layer of chocolate is thick enough to totally cover the wafer roll. The wafer roll is thin -- I don't think it is quite as thick as the Piroutte's. The center is filled with the same dark chocolate that the roll is enrobed in. The wafers are crispy, and seemed slightly buttery to me. The inner chocolate layer gives you a deeper hit of the chocolate. The center is not completely filled. There are air bubbles or gaps, but not so much that you wonder where the chocolate went. The chocolate is smooth and melts fast for a dark. It has rich coffee notes, and the aftertaste reminded me of good hot cocoa.



All told, these are seriously good.

Q.bel products are all natural, contain no preservatives, no HFCS, and come in at 120 calories for a two finger serving. Since everyone seems to still be stuck on the 100 calorie snack kick (and since most of those products taste like cardboard), you should sacrifice those extra 20 calories and have one of these instead!



PURCHASED FROM:
Sample from company

CALORIES:
120 per package (2 rolls)

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Also contains wheat, dairy, soy and peanuts.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
qbelfoods.com