Advertised as ‘natural drinks’ with no added nasties and ranging from 100-113 calories per 330ml bottle, these refreshing drinks come in a range of flavours and are blended with active botanical extracts such as Green Tea, Ginger & Kola nut, so take your pick. The RRP is between £1.39 and £1.95 in the UK which is very reasonable considering the ingredients and health benefits of the drinks, and available from Waitrose, Holland and Barrett's and other independent health stores. My previous assumptions on health drinks and flavoured waters were that they were full of sugar, but these Firefly tonics contained no more than 8 grams of sugar.
As a sucker for packaging, I was delighted with my line up of brightly coloured, retro milk bottles, making for a colourful shelf in the refridgerator. This collection of thirst-quenchers are entirely natural, made up of purified water, fruit juices and botanical extracts. There’s no caffeine-laced sugar rush when you sip from one of these bottles – just subtle flavours, quietly doing you good.
Peach and Green Tea
As the first drink to try, I took an apprehensive sniff of sweet, succulent peaches. The smell is definitely stronger than the taste, as the first sip revealed a light, refreshing texture - nothing too syrupy. It has a delicate peach flavour, a hint of grape juice and an underlying taste of green tea. And for some, a nice change to the normal citrus and berry drinks you get.
Grapefruit and Passionfruit
If you're not a huge fan of grapefruit, it can take a while to warm to this flavour. It is quite punchy with the sharpness of grapefruit, but nonetheless refreshing on your pallet, with a satisfying aftertaste of rosemary and passionfruit.
Lemon, Lime and Ginger
This flavour is unbelievably satisfying and very tasty be it a morning refreshment or an evening after dinner treat. Think homemade lemonade with a hint of ginger. This one tasted the most natural of them all, and consists of zingy lemons and limes brimming with a punch of ginger, dandelion and burdock.
These drinks have a shockingly high amount of sugar at 25 grams a portion, but do contain 50% of your recommended daily allowance of 8 vitamins and minerals all designed to support the immune system. The amount of scientific research gone into the two flavours is impressive, and remains free from gluten, wheat, lactose, caffeine, added sugar, artificial sweeteners and preservatives. The drinks retail at £1.79 for 330ml, and are available at Whole Foods Market, Nutri Centre, and Holland & Barrett branches.
Original
The smell of Manuka honey was horrendously off-putting however pinch your nose and underneath the strong honey tones you will experience hints of cherry and black elderberry. If you're a honey monster, give this one a go for a kickstart before your walk to work.
Revive
The Mune Revive drink contains 88 calories of spring water enhanced with coconut, pineapple, blood orange, lemon grass and nettle, and 50% of your RDA from a host of vitamins. It smells of sickly-sweet pineapple juice, which can be overpowering on the accompanying fruit juices. As a water supplement, both flavours are quite sweet but I can see this product proving useful after a visit to the gym or an incurable hangover.
Little Miracles
Promoted as being an 'organic energy' drink, this mix of botanicals and juice extracts aims to provide you with natural energy from metabolism boosting tea, revitalising fruits and ginseng. Coming in two flavours: green tea & pomegranate, and white tea and cherry, these fruity antioxidant-filled waters are perfect for a refreshingly healthy lift.
As a hater of anything cherry, I stuck with the 'Green' bottle (as opposed to the purple bottle), which has green tea, ginseng, pomegranate, açai, and agave in. With 88 calories per bottle, and 6.3g sugar per 100ml, these are a tasty way to stay hydrated. They are not sweet in any way - think of it like a flavoured water, with very delicate undertones. The clear flavours you can taste in the green bottle are the green tea and a touch of pomegranate.
The purple bottle contains white tea, ginseng, cherry, açai, and agave, and these Organic Little Miracles can be found in Boots for 2 for £2 and large supermarkets.
Whilst it is advertised as being an alternative of red bull and other energy drinks, this is not something I would entrust to get me through a workout - other than helping with hydration levels. The ginseng can improve energy levels with it's active ginseonosides, and the açai has more active antioxidants than any other berry. The addition of either pomegranate or cherry, depending on which flavour you choose gives the drink a light burst of flavour (nothing too tangy or in your face) and extra vitamins from the fruit extracts.
If you were lagging at work and needed a burst of refreshment, this little miracle is for you.
Sirco is a 100% fruit juice that contains Fruitflow, a natural, active ingredient from tomatoes (but this isn't what they taste of) that keeps your heart healthy from the first day you drink it. Sirco and Fruitflow have been scientifically proven to help maintain cardiovascular health and benefit circulation of the blood, reducing risk of DVT. Despite being high in sugar (with 26.5 grams of it) it only has 125 calories per 250ml serving, so the countless 5-star reviews on Amazon can’t be wrong. As well as being healthy for your heart, it contains 1 of your 5 a day, provides a source of vitamin C, and contains no added sugar, artificial flavourings, preservatives or artificial colours.
Apple and Blueberry
The first whiff of the Apple and Blueberry flavour reminds me of tinned tomatoes, but once drinking, it has a strong flavour of apple juice and an after-taste of blueberry. Turns out it has 51% apple juice from concentrate, with added grape juice, lemon juice and blueberry juice.
Orange and Passionfruit
The Orange and Passionfruit flavour is invigorating and zesty, with an equal balance of both main ingredients. For an aquired taste but as a replacement for your morning fruit juice, this bottle of goodness certainly hits the spot.
You'd have to be living in a bubble not to notice these cartons of coconut water... everywhere. Fresh coconut water designed to replace lost electrolytes and potassium after workouts and improve on hydration and nutrient intake, these come in a seven flavours and are ideal for those with a hectic lifestyle. Or, those who want a tasty refreshing post-workout calm-down drink, that has additional benefits including being gluten-free, fat free, dairy free, lactose free, nut free, oat free.... Sold for £2.89 from Holland & Barrett, and can also be found in Sainsbury's and Waitrose. A note to those considering this drink - delicious when chilled, not so wonderful when warm. Keep it cool folks.
100% Natural Coconut
Now, I'm all for my vitamins and electrolytes, but plain coconut water is... eurgh. I'm not a fan of milk - unless mixed with chocolate Nesquick - so it was unsurprising that this felt like drinking breast milk or some sort of watered down soya milk. A hit with the celebrities, including Madonna, Sienna Miller and Rihanna, but unfortunately not a hit with me.
Acai and Pomegranate
Add a punch of acai berry, and you get a fruity and tropical kick on top of the healthy tasting coconut water. Whilst I'm not particularly keen on berry flavoured things, this was very tasty - not as refreshing as alternative flavours - but was a definitely an improvement on the natural coconut water.
Peach and Mango
This one is my absolute favourite of the Vita Coco range. Light, juicy and refreshing, the peach and mango flavours work together to make a delicate citrus-esque flavour. It is definitely not too sweet or overpowering, but tastes like a smooth nectar.
Lemonade
I loved the presentation of these Vita Coco Lemonade press packs, and the giant VC jug is incredible. All very retro, and a hit with me, before I've even screwed off the lid. This lemonade is the latest addition to their array of flavours, in time for summer. It is made with a lemon puree blended with their all-natural coconut water and like their other flavours, has more potassium than a banana. The lemon is very refreshing, particularly during a UK heatwave, but unfortunately is nowhere near as citrus and tangy as I'd like! More on the sweet/sticky side, but I would still recommend it (and not just because I have the matching sunglasses!). I will definitely continue to buy this as the lemons make it more refreshing than the mango and passionfruit one. Don't expect it to be fizzy though!
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