MY 'PURPLE PASSION' LETS LOOSE THE JUICE! (Kia-Ora NAS Mixed Fruit)

Member Name: totalserenity

Product:	Kia-Ora NAS Mixed Fruit
Date:	16/05/09 (156 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A GREAT QUALITY DILUTABLE DRINK WITH A LOVELY FRUITY FLAVOUR WITHIN!

Disadvantages: DOES CONTAIN CONTENTIOUS SWEETENERS ALSO...

'Ahh' now here's a product close to my heart, dooyoo'ers, in fact I love it so much I buy it in bulk!

Called 'Purple Pop' in my home - it being a bit of a left over nick-name from Gothy (my teenage daughter's) much younger days, as her way of telling Mummy what diluted drink she wanted with her meal, so the pet name has always stuck since...

Now this is one dilutable liquid I love with a passion; plus it's actually been a great aid to my dieting days - not only as a very low calorie beverage, but also helps to keep my fluid intake higher to keep well hydrated (a much-hyped fact for healthier living).
I do use water in its neat form too of course, but much prefer my meal accompaniment drink to have a nice flavour to it.

Manufactured by 'Coca-Cola' with the famous 'Kia-Ora' crazy crow on the front label, this 'No Added Sugars' version of the old fuller sugared 'Mixed Fruits Squash' was an instant smash hit for us when it was first introduced!

My particular bottle had 100% extra free (bonus!) for the great price of 99p for a huge 2 litre plastic bottle, along with a BBE 11/10.

The bottle label is light blue in colour with the daft, grinning fully suited and very dapper crow, stood to one side pointing at the included mini-medley of several different illustrated luscious-looking fruits, yummy!
Down one side of the container's outer plastic label all the nutritional information can be found, in addition to a list of ingredients within my squash.

Comprising of a sweetened highly concentrated fruit basis, the 'squash' in this product is made with real fruit juice made up of a 3% mixture of apple, redcurrant, strawberry and cherry, along with low calorie sweeteners.
This sweet soft drink is recommended to be diluted four parts water to one part squash - in which case a 250ml serving would contain 5 calories with only 0.7 gram sugars within the made up solution.

If you served a smaller 100ml amount however the calories are reduced to a mere 2 calories with 0.3 gram sugar.

You see why I love it so now?!

However, it's not all good news I'm afraid.

The sweetening element to this rich deep reddish mixture has both the contentious substance Aspartame plus Sodium Saccharin added in, as well as 'a source of Phenylalanine' - which in high doses can cause tummy upsets.

Nevertheless, I have to say I drink this in copious amounts every day and have never had any adverse reactions at all; and I preferred my daughter to consume diluted drinks when younger, rather than fizzy pops (although I did used to dilute fresh orange juice down also, to suit Gothy's young palate).
It does actually state on the blurb to dilute further for toddlers, good advice as in my opinion it would be way too overpowering a liquid for a wee Munchkin to swallow and enjoy.

I certainly couldn't consume this Kia-Ora at the four parts to one ratio though, it would be far too strong for me - I would say my cordial mix is six to one which makes for a pleasant, refreshing taste without the strong aftertaste of the artificial sweetening additives.

So to the taste description then, dear readers...

Well on opening the plastic screw-topped lid I am met with a sweet odour - not unlike the sugary confectionery scents of my childhood...glucose lollypops, 'sucky' sweeties, and the like.
I like it and think the colour is attractive, but then I am a fan of all the fruity essences described on the label.

The tangy taste is very fruit-like as to be expected; but what is somewhat surprising is how well the different tangs merge together to create a very 'natural' taste for the old taste buds to savour.

I would say the redcurrant is the leader in this zesty pack however, with the strawberry running a close and stimulating second!

With advice to shake well before diluting, this does actually seem to make a big difference to the consistency of the flavours...maybe the heavier cherry juices sink to the bottom when the bottle's sat for a while?!

The biggest thing in this squash's flavour is that is doesn't taste cheap and nasty.
Am sure like me you have all tried different brands on your travels if you are lovers of diluted soft drinks, and the lower calorie types of cordials can taste particularly sickly with all the man-made flavours involved.

The after-taste is nicely pleasant, with no palate-plated saccharine coating attached!

Kia-Ora I would say is one of the best products of its kind purely because you can tell the makers have concentrated on a high quality offering, without compromising too much on 'natural' flavourings.
With oodles of ice added, this make a really refreshingly cold alternative to carbonated pops or pure fruit juices, which - while they are lovely are definitely more calorie-laden than this review's subject.

Thus without further ado I award a tasty, tangy full 5 stars for a great soft dilutable from Coca-Cola of all people!

PS
***
Did you know 'Kia-Ora' is the Maori greeting for both 'Hello' and 'Goodbye' according to Wikipedia? According to my new, favourite website it literally means 'be well/healthy'...

By 'eck I learn something new everyday whilst am doing this reviewing lark!

Summary: THIS IS A FIRM FAVOURITE IN MY HOUSEHOLD, HAVE NEVER FOUND A FLAVOUR TO BETTER IT!