Oasis Summer Fruits - I'll consider it if I was stranded in the desert with nothing else to drink (Oasis Summmer Fruits)

Member Name: ChrisGeering

Product:	Oasis Summmer Fruits
Date:	29/06/09 (14 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The initial taste is quite palatable...

Disadvantages: ...However the aftertaste tastes of artificial sweeteners. Also contains a lot of sugar.

During my lunchtime walk, the weather was decidedly muggy and hot so to make the journey back easier I decided to try out a drink that I haven't consumed in a long while, Oasis Summer Fruits.

What is it?: Made by the Coca-Cola company Oasis Summer fruits is a soft non alcoholic drink contained within a wide necked, plastic recyclable bottle. The drink is a dark red colour, that is clearly visible in the transparent bottle.

Smell: The drink gives off a fairly distinctive smell that is somewhat reminiscent of fruits. The label claims the fruits are fruit juices from concentrates including apple, strawberry, redcurrant and cherry). However, it is difficult to distinguish which fruit, and the smell may be more artificial (e.g. from a flavouring).

Taste: I bought this product from the refrigerator which is the recommendation on the label. The taste comes in two stages. Firstly, you get a cool sweet liquid sensation that does taste like fruits which is quite palatable. However, the second taste is a not so palatable aftertaste, the type of taste you get after drinking "Diet Coke". I suspect this is caused by the artificial sweeteners in the product (also present in Diet Coke), aspartame and acesulfame K. I also tried this drink when warm (i.e. room temperature). I recommend you do not try this - the initial taste is less palatable, and the artificial sweeteners are even more noticeable.

Healthy?: The sugar content of this drink is high so this is not a healthy product if you are watching your sugar intake. A 250 ml serving contains 10.5 g sugars (12% of an adults guideline daily amount). Note that the entire bottle is 500 ml - so just one bottle is 24% of an adults daily amount of sugar!

Value for money: The price on the bottle had a special price of 75p which is cheaper than normal for these types of drinks, as they normally cost over £1. The value for money is OK if you like this type of drink, but I am not a fan of the aftertaste, so I think the value for money is not that good.

Overall: This drink is initially quite palatable if stored in the refrigerator, however the aftertaste tastes of artificial sweeteners. Also, the drink has a high sugar content and is not particularly healthy. Overall, I now know why I have not bought this product in a long while. If I was stranded in the desert with nothing else to drink other than this product, I consider drinking it!

Ingredients: Water, Sugar, Fruit Juices from Concentrates 5% (Apple Strawberry, Redcurrant, Cherry), Citric Acid, Flavourings, Preservatives (E202, E211), Colours (Caramel E150d, E122), Stabiliser (E452), Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K).
Nutritional Information
Typical values per 100g
Energy 75kj
Energy 18kcal
Protein Trace
Carbohydrate 4.2g
of which sugars 4.2g
Fat 0g
of which saturates 0g
Fibre Trace
Sodium 0g

Summary: Initially palatable, but does not have a good aftertaste - also very sugary.