Sunkissed (Sunkist)

Member Name: ButterBear

Product:	Sunkist
Date:	14/04/08 (57 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Nice orange drink

Disadvantages: Carbonated drinks are never healthy. Hard to find

Fizzy drinks are a real downfall for me, I know they're bad for me but I just can't resist a little carbonated fizz now and then, a brand that makes a nice change despite its low profile is Sunkist orange.

Sunkist-
Sunkist is an orange flavoured fizzy drink, much along the same lines as big name brands Fanta and Tango. Designed to give a refreshing burst of orange flavour the drink provides a welcome change from market dominating cola drinks (of which I'm not allowed now I'm expecting) The drink is presented very similarly to Fanta with bright orange packaging using vivid blue writing, and with much the same taste it is easy to get the 2 brands mixed up, however Fanta is at the top of the orange fizzy list with Sunkist having a hard time in the battle for supremacy, despite claims of being the number 1 orange drink in the US.

Few of this style of drink are of any nutritional value however it is possibly here where the drink really has it's faults, lacking any actual nutrition worthy of note it does however contain 190 calories in one can and almost 52g of sugar, also containing caffeine (an ingredient not often used in other orange drinks) and many different colourings and preservatives including Sodium benzoate, of which gives you 2% of your daily sodium allowance, that might not seem a lot but it's a bit much for one drink I feel, especially when you consider other similar drinks only contain "Trace" of this component. It is far from the healthiest of carbonated drinks, perhaps the reason for it's suffering at the hands of the orange drink giants.

The Kiss Of Sunkist-
Now despite the "nutrition" of Sunkist it does have some charm which draws me to it, that being the flavour (and before you mention it, yes I know this is where all that sugar comes in)
The first mouthfull see's you swept under a wave of orange flavour,it has a full orange taste, not particularly tangy or citrussy but a more smooth, rich, all round orange taste, it fills the mouth with a far fuller taste than you get from rival Tango and, as I mentioned before, is quite similar to Fanta. Many orange flavoured drinks can be too bland or too sharp and zesty but Sunkist has a good balance in regards to the citrus hit you recieve. You actually feel as if you've drank something after a glass of Sunkist unlike the sensation you can get from cheaper fizzy oranges which leave you wanting more to drink.

The appearance of the drink is also more along the lines of Fanta with a more solid orange colour, not cloudy or clear like some cheaper brands and with that full fizz which you know is naughty but cant resist. Served chilled, even in a glass with ice if you like, Sunkist can give a real refreshing burst of flavour on a warm summer day and even perk up a greyer day like today (it's January, the most you can expect is a cloud free sky) served warm it's not the nicest of drinks but then very few fizzy drinks are nice warm, it's alos best to make the most of Sunkist while it's fizzy because once it's flat that sugar really takes over and becomes syrupy like a squash with too much cordial.

Sunkist has a satisfying flavour that doesn't leave an unpleasant after taste like other fizzy drinks such as 7-up or cola can, it is however very sweet so if, unlike me, you do not have a sweet tooth the drink may be a bit much for you, drink too much and you may be left feeling like the tooth fairies best friend soon to be eating all your meals through a straw, much the same feeling as you get from Cherry Coke in fact. I find each mouthful of Sunkist as pleasant as the next, never loosing any of it's great flavour from the first sip to the last.

The scent of the drink is much like it's taste bright & breezy, obviously orangey and promising oodles and oodles of sugary goodness (sorry, slap my wrists, I mean- naughtiness) it's an unmissable smell that escapes with the smallest crack in the ring pull tempting you to consume the whole drink. Very much the smell of summer it is a delicious and enticing aroma.


Price & Availability-
Now here's where things get complicated you see because the company that created Sunkist was originally Canadian but they sold the brand onto Del Monte and it was produced by Cadburys Schweppes (this is the US section of the company, UK is Cadbury Trebor Basset) now it is distributed in the UK by the people who make Vimto and has become quite a difficult beverage to get hold of over here (at least it is round my way) as a result of all that changing of owners, it seems to have been sidelined for their more popular drinks, plus the competition of Fanta & Tango is simply too much for the lesser powered brand to really compete against. I'm unable to find the drink in any of my local major supermarkets including Sainsbury's, Somerfield, Tesco Metro and Asda, instead it's a garage and corner shops kind of drink, rarely found in its bottled form instead finding its way to me in cans.

When I am lucky enough to spot this rare breed of orange drink it's usually in the 330ml can variety and can range anywhere between 49p and 65p depending on the location. Large 2 litre bottles and multi pack cans are available out there somewhere but you've more luck of spotting a blue whale in the Thames then finding them (although I've heard of a lot of people finding the drink with ease, maybe it's just not popular in my area)

If you're lucky enough to be in the US any time soon (or happen to live there) you've got a whole world of extra flavours available to you including strawberry, peach, pineapple & fruit punch, us British have to satisfy ourselves with orange (if there's any other UK flavours they've escaped my radar)

Overall-
If you're a sugar lover then you're likely to enjoy this drink, it has a bright fresh flavour that's wonderful when served chilled, however it's not the best option from a nutrition point of view and you wont be your dentists friend should he find out you drink it! Those who don't like such levels of sugar, additives and general carbonated nastiness should avoid Sunkist at all costs, but then you need to be able to find it before you can avoid it. For a similar yet healthier drinking experience try real fruit juice mixed with a little diet lemonade.


Go to www.Sunkist.com or www2.sunkistsoda.com (yes the 2 is meant to be there) for more on the company, its history, products and Sunkist nutrition listing and ingredients.


---Also on Ciao (Piggypine)

Summary: A nice change if you can find it.