I was looking for a sweet coffee drink and this seemed to be different than the usual bunch, so I thought I would try it.

Flavor

The flavor is very reminiscent of Starbucks Frappuccino beverage, with a strong milk flavor over a light coffee taste. The sweetness is quite subdued, no surprise considering the relatively small amount of sugar.

Although 20% of this drink is coconut water, there is little to no taste of it. To me this is a good thing since I’m not too fond of it’s taste.

To be honest, the Starbucks drink tastes better, but for the lower calories and sugar (see next section) the minor compromise in flavor is worth it.

Nutrition/Ingredients

In one bottle (281 ml), there is 70 calories, 10 from fat. There is also 9 grams of sugars and 5 of sugar alcohol. There’s 2 grams of protein as well.

When compared to a similar Starbucks drink, this one has less than half the calories and sugar, even if you include the sugar alcohol, erythritol.

Stevia is also used as a (nearly) zero-calorie sweetener. Though there have been some controversies regarding this additive, it seems that currently there are no major known health concerns with it. It may even have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory benefits.

The crypticly named ingredients at the end of the ingredient list are all vitamins. For example, niacinamide is Vitamin B3. There is 25% of the following vitamins in this product: Vitamin A, Niacin, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Panthothenic Acid.  There are divided opinions on how healthy adding vitamins are, but for those who believe they are beneficial, this drink is a good supply of them.

Ingredients: Brewed Coffee (water, coffee solids, coffee extract, reduced fat milk, coconut water concentrate, erythritol, dried cane syrup, sodium phosphate, carrageenan, sodium bicarbonate, natural flavor, ascorbic acid, stevia rebaudiana leaf extract, di-alphatocopheryl acetate, calcium, d-pantothenate, niacinamide, vitamin a palmitate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, cyanocobalamin.

Price/Availability

I got this for only $1.99 at Whole Foods Market.

Ratings:   Flavor: 7.0   Nutrition/Ingredients: 8.5   Price: 9.0   Overall: 8.2

Summary

This product succeeds in its goal: making a product with low calories (70), low sugar, and a reasonably good taste. Add to that a little bit of coconut water and a load of different vitamins and you have a very well-rounded drink.

References

http://realbeanz.com/products

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia