Saturday, February 4, 2012

An Unpleasant Health Drink, O.N.E. Active Grape Berry Coconut Water Fails To Sell Me On The Concept.


The Good: Generally nutritious, Comparatively inexpensive
The Bad: Salty taste, Not a thirst quencher, I’m not wild about the lack of environmentally conscientious packaging, Tastes bad, Not as nutritious as I thought it would be.
The Basics: More salty and sour than flavorful or fruity, O.N.E. Active Coconut Water Grape Berry is an unpleasant energy or health drink.


Health drinks are not going to get any slack from me. I love things that taste good and if they are good for me, huzzah! I’ll gladly drink a health beverage if it actually does what it claims in terms of being healthy and offering my body nutrients it otherwise is not getting. But if the beverage claims to be healthy, is objectively not exceptionally healthy, and then tastes bad, I see no reason to champion it.

That is where I come down on O.N.E. Active Grape Berry Coconut Water. This was sold to me on being a healthy beverage – there are actually hot chocolates that I’ve gotten more nutrients out of! – and it tastes absolutely terrible. It made it easy to not recommend.

Basics

O.N.E. Active Coconut Water is a health or energy drink, a type of beverage designed primarily for sports participants to quickly replace nutrients the body loses while working out. O.N.E. Active Coconut Water Grape Berry comes in a 16.9 fl. oz. cardboard carton that is bulky to the grip. Contoured slightly to fit a wide grip,not to slip, the carton is filled with the translucent purple liquid that is Grape Berry O.N.E. Active Coconut Water.

The 16.9 fl. oz. carton is intended as a single serving, though I had a difficult time stomaching a whole carton of the beverage which is designed to restore electrolytes.

Ease Of Preparation

O.N.E. Active Coconut Water is a liquid in the 16.9 fl. oz. carton, so preparation is as easy as opening a bottle. Shake the carton up and then open it. O.N.E. Active Coconut Water has a plastic cap that easily twists off and can be put back on in order to reseal it. It is important to note that this is supposed to be refrigerated after it is opened, so quality of the beverage may degrade if it is left out at room temperature or in summer heat after the bottle is open.

Taste

O.N.E. Active Coconut Water Grape Berry smells exactly like is claims to, like grape juice or mildly like berries. There is not even a hint of coconut scent in the aroma that comes from this cardboard container.

Unfortunately, grape is not the dominant flavor of O.N.E. Active Coconut Water Grape Berry. The dominant flavor is actually salt. This has a liquid salt flavor instantly reminiscent of Gatorade or other energy drinks. Not at all thirst quenching, this is not at all sweet and hardly fruity at all. Instead, the grape and raspberry flavors that the drink possesses (it’s supposed to be – based upon the picture on the container – strawberries and cherries I am tasting, but it tastes like raspberries with the grapes!) chases the salty flavor. There is no coconut flavor to this drink at all.

O.N.E. Active Coconut Water Grape Berry bears a very strong aftertaste. This drink has a very dry aftertaste that is anything but refreshing. To be fair, twenty minutes after my final sip, I licked my lips and tasted a faint coconut flavor that was not at all bad.

Nutrition

As a health or energy drink, O.N.E. Active Coconut Water Grape Berry is designed to replenish electrolytes quickly. This particular beverage does have a decent amount of potassium, magnesium and socium, but little else in the way of nutrients. Moreover, it does nothing that makes the consumer feel refreshed or energized. In fact, I've no proof that the drink actually restores electrolytes at an accelerated rate, only the assertion on the carton that that is what the drink does. I did not feel more energized after drinking it!

Nutritionally, O.N.E. Active Coconut Water Grape Berry is mediocre. It is primarily composed of coconut water, water, and citric acid. It contains grape juice concentrate mostly for color, so it is unsurprising that it is not rich in a variety of vitamins. However, it is not the worst beverage one can drink as it has no fat and only 8 grams of sugar. Still, there is 130 mg (5% RDA) of sodium in each serving. The drink is surprisingly devoid of vitamins, but has 25 mg. potassium.

Storage/Clean-up

O.N.E. Active Coconut Water Grape Berry comes in a cardboard carton and it keeps for a few months. The carton my wife purchased for me the first week in January expired early on February 4, 2012. Stored in a cool place, it ought to be fine at least until its expiration date.

This drink is a light purple color, but if it gets on light fabrics it will certainly stain them. Consult a care guide for your clothes, though I suspect light clothes would need bleach to get this out. Still, the drink wipes off surfaces easily with a cloth, assuming they are impermeable.

Overall

O.N.E. Active Coconut Water Grape Berry could have gotten away with its gross taste if it actually was a healthy health drink. The fact that I can pick up a carton for fifty cents does not justify a lousy taste with dubious health benefits. I would rather pay a little more and get a lot more out of it, like I do with the Bolthouse drinks. As it is, O.N.E. Active Grape Berry Coconut Water was a seriously disappointing introduction for me to this brand.

For other ready-to-drink beverages, please check out my reviews of:
Bolthouse Perfectly Protein Vanilla Chai Tea
Powerade Fruit Punch
The Simpsons Duff Energy Drink

3.5/10

For other beverage reviews, please check out my index page for an organized listing!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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