I was buying some basics at Target when I spotted this fancy end-cap display by the registers. I guess Target is trying to get fancier with their food options to compete with Trader Joe's and Whole Foods? Or maybe they're trying to cash in on everyone's health related New Year resolutions? Either way, there was an entire display at the check-out featuring healthy soda alternatives. I don't drink a ton of soda, but the layout and designs for these beverages were just so different and interesting, I grabbed a bottle to review.
I tried my best, but due to the clear nature of this product, and the packaging, it was hard to photograph, but trust me, it looks a lot cooler in real life.
It may look like there is a lot going on, but the "label" for this item is deceptively simple. Everything you see is printed directly on the glass. No stickers. No labels. Just thick raised printing directly on the glass itself. I can't remember the last time I've seen a bottle with this kind of printing. I can actually feel each letter and image with my fingers. Texturally, that is so cool! Even the ingredients and nutritional information on the back is printed this way. Already, I love this packaging, but as I have said before, I love textures. In a world were all the stuff we eat and drink is packaged in smooth aluminum cans, or with paper labels and foiled plastics, something like this really stands out.
As for the graphics, they are very simple and modern. The cross-hatch style shading gives this a hipster-vibe, and I think this looks much fancier than your normal Target beverage fare. I can't say I am a huge fan of the layout and design, it's a bit too "hip" for my personal tastes, I am in love with the printing process and texturing.
Since this stuff was such a struggle to photograph, I left it in the bottle and didn't pour it into a glass like I usually do.
Once opened, the liquid inside smells really sweet and authentically fruity, like real apples and cinnamon. It's kind of amazing how strongly it smells while being so colorless. It smells just like cinnamon applesauce, but it looks like sparkling water!
I took a sip, and it doesn't taste as strongly as it smells, but it's very flavorful and carbonated. Something that I drink quite often is flat water with a cinnamon stick and apple slices, it was something I saw on Pinterest, and it tastes really refreshing. This apple cinnamon FOUND beverage tastes a lot like that, only a bit tangier
(from the citric acid) and carbonated. This entire bottle is only 62 calories, but it doesn't taste like a diet drink at all thanks to using Beet sugar instead of sucralose and other sugar alternatives, and I gotta say, I like it a lot.
The flavoring for this is a combination of apple, cinnamon, lemon, and sparkling water. It's crisp, simple, and the carbonation keeps things interesting. If you really like sparkling waters, and hate artificial sweetener, I recommend trying something from this line. I've only had this flavor, but I really enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to trying more of this line in the future.
If you're a soda addict, I don't think this item will be flavorful enough for you to really drink this instead of your normal carbonated beverage of choice, but I don't think you would hate it either.
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