Thursday, August 31, 2017

Fueling My End of Summer Denial with Watermelon Juices

Tsamma Watermelon Juice & Tsamma Watermelon Juice with Coconut Water - Aldi
Pumpkin spicers will have to pry summer out of my cold, dead, hands. (Says the girl who reviews 20+ pumpkin spice items each fall. #hypocrite)

Don't get me wrong, I am hype for all the Halloween goodies lining the shelves, but August is (almost) over and the only tan I have is on my left arm, courtesy of my long rides to and from work each day. This cannot be! I refuse to let summer disappear without having some fun and adventure. Or, at the very least, evening out my trucker tan.

Sadly, I don't think I'll find the time to even out my tan, but I did find some watermelon juices to prolong my summertime sadness.
Oh, wow. Turns out I've reviewed this normal Tsamma watermelon juice before! I guess it wasn't that memorable, since I completely forgot about it, and looking back...the old design and packaging were MUCH nicer. Now that I've refreshed my memory, will I still like this product as much as I did back then?

Once opened, the juice has a very authentic and refreshing watermelon aroma. It's crisp, a little on the unripe/tart side, but easily recognizable.
Hmmm, it looks a little less opaque this time around. Did they change their formula as well as their packaging? I hope not.

I took a sip, and the consistency was thinner than I remembered and the overall flavoring was significantly more tart than last time as well. This didn't have the bold fruity notes I enjoyed last year, instead, this tasted more like an unripened watermelon squeezed into a bottle. It was light and refreshing, but not as satisfying as I remembered it being. Maybe I got a bottle from an unripe batch? In the end, I am not loving this as much as I did before, and that makes me a little sad. Perhaps false memories are to blame? Let's put that theory to the test by trying something new (to me), watermelon AND coconut water!
This time the branding is more white in color to reflect the (supposedly) hydrating coconutty-addition. Other than that, this bottle is nearly identical to the last one. I really miss the older packaging, it was so lovely!! Nit-picky-nostalgia aside, this isn't terrible. It's colorful and easy to spot on the shelves, but it's just a little too obnoxious for my personal tastes. Speaking of taste...
I poured the coconut water infused watermelon juice into a glass and it looks pretty much identical to the straight-up watermelon juice. Nothing interesting or unique there, but it DOES smell different. I can smell slightly unripe watermelon mixed with a hint of tangy coconut. To me, coconut water always has this tart, slightly sour, aroma. Just imagine that, with some watermelon rinds mixed in for good measure.

One sip was all it took. This is not for me. Admittedly, I am not and never have been fan of coconut water. I think it tastes like sour coconut sweat and Gatorade, and my boyfriend agrees. This tastes like 60% coconut water to 40% slightly unripe watermelon, and that just isn't enough watermelon to salvage this drink. Well, it isn't enough for me. Like I always say, everyone has different tastes. I mean, someone out there must like coconut water, right? Otherwise they wouldn't keep putting it in everything. Or maybe it's a conspiracy? Like the Emperor's New Clothes? Does everyone only feel like they have to say they like coconut water when in fact everyone knows it tastes like sunscreen-y sadness? I better stop before the coconut water Illuminati shut me down...
Back in 2015, I really liked this product and had high hopes for the Tsamma brand. Sadly, something has changed in 2017. Maybe it's me, or maybe they changed their formula as well as their packaging. I think their straight up watermelon juice is refreshing, although it's much more tart than I remember it being, and if your taste buds have mutated to the point where you like coconut water, you may really enjoy Tsamma's take on it, but I am pretty disappointed in both purchases. Neither one was enjoyable enough for me to want to repurchase them, and it makes me sad because I really liked their watermelon juice two years ago. Maybe I got an unripe batch, but based on this experience, I wouldn't recommend picking these two up.
Pray for my tastebuds, I have a Tsamma and kale juice botttle to review next...
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1 comment:

  1. If you compare the ingredient lists it's clear that the product has been reformulated since 2015. It's much more straightforward now, but probably does explain why you don't like it as well.

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