Mix/Concentrate - 135 Reviews

Johnny was a small-town boy. He grew up in a town with one stoplight, one gas station, one barber, and a local grocery store. He was listening to the radio and heard a sweepstakes where he could win a trip to "the big city." He was the tenth caller, won the prize, and before you knew it, he was on his way. He had been on a train before, but only a few towns over, never this far. It was a two-day trek and Johnny was more than prepared. When he arrived at the hotel in the city, he brought his one bag up and headed back down to enjoy the city itself.

He was a bit thirsty and went next door to a small store to get a drink. There was an endcap, which advertised a low calories, iced tea mix that you could mix with a bottle of water. He remembered that the hotel had a six-pack of water ready for him so he bypassed some of the stranger drinks.

Johnny went upstairs to make some tea and ran into a couple cute girls who he invited them up to his room. He told the girls to relax while he went into the bathroom to mix up a bottle of tea so that in the case that it made a mess, it wouldn't be too bad to clean up. He heard the girls talking and didn't think anything of it. He sat down on the bath to drink a little of the tea and initially it was a bit strong. He could have mixed it into a larger bottle of water, but all he had was a smaller bottle. It was a little bitter and did have some acai flavor. Acai was not a flavor he was familiar with but he thought it was bitter on bitter but mixed with a lot of sweet kind of evened things out. He drank about half of the bottle before he got up to see what the girls were up to. He went to leave the bathroom but the door was stuck. There was a phone in the bathroom, which he used to call the front desk to tell them that he was trapped in the bathroom. They came up and let him out and asked him what he was doing. He told them that he let some nice girls come in the room while he made some tea and then the door wouldn't open. The man asked him what happened to the television and Johnny didn't know what he was talking about. When he walked out of the bathroom, he noticed that the television, radio, coffee maker, and desk lamp was missing. The girls had robbed him. The maintenance man said that there is a security camera that was in front of the elevators and they won't be able to make it out of the hotel without being caught.

Johnny had been in the city for less than an hour and had already gotten robbed. He will never wonder again why his parents and grandparents never went to the city. City girls were trouble and he spent the rest of his trip not talking to anyone.

This is the first concentrate that I am reviewing for Thirsty Dudes. Mike has done a couple, but I just want to come right out and say that I'm not a fan of concentrates. No matter what the instructions say I can never get the proportions correct. I've followed them to a T and measured everything out, and they just don't taste right. Then one of my friends will come along and mix it by eye and it will be delicious. The same thing goes with rice. I cannot make rice without either a mass amount of it to the bottom of the pot, or having it turn out soggy. I am just an idiot.

For further proof of myself being an idiot. I took this bottle down from a high up shelf to day to grab a drink that was behind it for a friend. When I placed it back on the shelf I accidentally did it so it sat there precariously for about 3 seconds before it tumbled to the floor and exploded everywhere. You would think a person's first response would be to start cleaning it up, but my instinct was to quickly grab what was left of the bottle and pour the remaining precious concentrate into a glass. Only after it was secured did I go about cleaning up the mess. Then I went back to work. When I was done I then cleaned up the mess again because even though I mopped the floor felt like that of a discount movie theatre. Not something you want in your home. Now that I am sure the floor has been thoroughly cleaned I am sitting here with what is left of the concentrate. After I mixed in the proper 3 parts water to one part concentrate I had maybe enough to half fill an 8oz glass. I took a few tiny sips and I have to say, it doesn't taste like something I mixed at home. It was strong, lemony and oh man did that ginger have a kick to it. I added just a little bit more water to calm it down a little and I think for once I got a mix right. It certainly doesn't taste like natural lemonade, but to be honest nothing is ever going to replicate that flavor properly unless it's just lemon juice sugar and water mixed together. The fact that it doesn't taste “real” doesn't detract from it at all though. This is a whole other beast altogether. It tastes like a lemon drink with a healthy dose of ginger in it. My ladyfriend couldn't handle the ginger, so if you're not a fan of the burn I would water this down a bunch more. Now I am a bit disgruntled that I had at most 6oz of this drink when I feel I could have had several gallons. I must learn to be more observant of my surroundings.

Sprite and 7-Up. That's what we think when we hear "lemon lime". To drink something lemon lime that isn't carbonated is just kind of strange. It's not the non-pop company's fault; they were just there first and more prominently. Now the new jacks have to make up for lost time. Fresh Healthy Stuff helps themselves to the cake by making a cool, interactive cap that snaps on any bottled water. Surprisingly, it doesn't spill when you shake it. I am notorious for using too much water, having to take the cap off to compensate, and then spilling some water, but that's because I'm a dumb dummy.

One thing I will say is that it is so hard to get the cap to push the mix in the drink. First one I didn't have a terrible time. My girlfriend couldn't do it. The one that I had last night though, brother. No way. I was pushing so hard and couldn't get it. I eventually had to put the cap on and slam the cap against the bottom of my cabinet to get it to go. It did, it mixed and I drank it.

Flavor hour? It's good. It's a bit...vitaminy, but it's not terrible. The orange was better. It was an expectant flavor but was a bit...tingy. Is that a word? It's underlined red which means that it isn't but you know what? It, like Yiddish, translates.

Concentrates are a daring thing. The companies put their trust in you to mix accordingly and not mess it up. The directions are always clear and it's a good thing. The last thing the company wants is for you to not read the directions and slam a big mouthful of overpowering syrup. Kids like to do that, though. Kids thick they're so tough. Oh, you mixed Kool-Aid in an appropriate, eight ounce glass? That's cool. I made a packet of it in a shot glass. That's what companies are afraid of.

Since I am quasi-responsible, I mixed the appropriate amount in a glass and brought it back to the table. It's early, not terribly, but it's early. I didn't want something super strong that was going to destroy my precious teeth. I don't like peaches the fruit, but I do like this drink. It's a great iced tea that tastes like something that I didn't mix with my bare hands. It didn't taste like I made it with my bare hands because I used a spoon but the mix is pretty good. It had a very fruity peach taste and the tea was crisp. Thank you "real" sugar.

I used four tablespoons and I have so much more left in that bottle. This is a wise investment that you will never look back on. Enjoy your time with peach iced tea, friends.

The bees have started revolting. The world is upset because "bees are going extinct" but in reality, the bees are fine, they're just mad. They're mad because companies have been making "pretty close" honey in powder form rendering the hard working bees of the past obsolete. Bees. They are annoying when you're allergic but they're fine. It's the typical, "don't bother them and they won't bother you" mantra. It's what the kid bee's parents say to them, too.

So man comes along and creates natural things unnaturally and sells them back to people who know and love the natural version of the unnatural thing. Makes sense...These super scientists have created a green tea with lemon and honey that isn't terrible for you, sweetened artificially, and made from powder that isn't absolutely revolting. I know, I know. "Absolutely revolting" isn't a hard level to surpass, but it's been done. It's not too sweet and actually tastes like you want it to all the while being 20 calories. What more could you ask for? Oh, I don't know. A tea made with real honey, lemons, and green tea. Beggars can't be choosers. Remember that mantra while you're categorizing the other one I reminded you of.

I am lucky. I have a good metabolism. I am not bragging. I don't eat like garbage, but I don't eat terribly well. I don't do diets. I have gone on stuff like a "no pizza for a month" diet. I don't put extra cheese on things. I don't do sour cream. I'm responsible. With all of that being said, I don't need to drink diet drinks. What that does for me is gives me a perspective of not being used to that "diet" taste. I don't have to give anyone credit because it's all that I have. When I review a diet drink and say, quite repetitiously "it has that diet taste" that doesn't mean that it's bad, that just means that people who don't drink diet drinks know what to expect and people that do drink diet drinks are already expecting it.

This drink has that diet taste, but the tea taste and the mangosteen are pretty good. It's a decent blend. If you're going to be a whiner, awesome. Enjoy being a jerk and hating everything. Not everyone has the luxury of eating an entire pizza and staying at their target, bathing suit weight. It's sweet and fruity and actually has a pretty good oolong tea taste. It's not the best I've had, but for a powder made from another powder, beggars can't be choosers.

Don't be a jerk to diet drinks and don't be a jerk to people on diets. I'm guilty, but at least I'm aware of it.

Powder drink mixes are great. They fit in small, secret locations so you can have a drink made out of water that you can buy anywhere. This tea is surprising, it is because the white tea leaves and blueberries and yes, a little bit of artificial sweetener, were zapped with a sweet laser that just turned whatever it hit into powder. The company sets up the leaves and everything on a special table in a special room, put on their protective goggles and zap away carefully. Once everything was powderized, they would take the janitors broom, climb on top of the table, and sweep the powder into a garbage can to be brought to the packaging facility.

The answer to your question is "yes." "What question?" you ask? The question of "Do they shoot other things with that sweet laser?" Yeah, dude. It's the ultimate prank prop. They powderize people's shoes and put the powder back in their locker. They powderize some of the people's food, like sandwiches and stuff, and put it back in the tupperware with a Post-It note that says "Just Add Water" and put it back in the fridge. They have a lot of fun but they never are unsafe around the laser. They know its powerful powers and do take safety precautions around it.

With this tea they created, they actually got it down. Nice, light bitterness, good berry flavor, and although it is a bit diet, it's better than regular, bottled diet iced teas. The bitterness covers up any nasty dietness that arises pretty quickly.

I don't know if they are hiring, but they will, for a small fee, powderize anything you want them to. You just need to supply a container to get rid of the dust and you also need to clean it up. They're not working for you. Also, a powderized ham sandwich tastes just as good in a little bit of water. It's frightening, but true.

Carol loves a good jog. She's in her mid-forties and has always done a good job taking care of her body. Sure, she "cheats" every once in a while. She's determined but still human. She'll have some ice cream every once in a while and loves chocolate. She eats less of it than she would like to, but she has self-control. Admirable, I know.

While making her bi-weekly shopping trip, she came across a new version of Crystal Light. She used to drink it a lot in the last 80's, early 90's but after the whole diet/cancer scare, she's tried to stay away from it. This looked like something new and used Stevia so she bought it.

So took her evening, after work jog and came home to make a glass of this drink. She took one sip and was part relieved and part unsatisfied. She liked the fruit flavor of the drink but it was a bit too sweet. It has the Stevia taste that she was used to, but it was as if it had just too much sugar in it. She mixed it correctly. She checked the size of the bottle and the directions on the box. She finished the bottle and would probably finish the rest, but just in a longer time than she thought.

It was not what she expected and although it was better than the Crystal Light she was used to, they hadn't exactly "done it" quite yet. Keep going, Carol. We're all rooting for you.

When I got this pouch, I figured it was an all in one drink mix so I filled up my water bottle, poured this in, and mixed it around a little. Then I took a sip and couldn't believe how bad it tasted. It didn't taste like much, but it tasted like bad water. Then it hit me: you're supposed to add this to an already flavored drink. I'm an idiot.

So basically, this is to give your drink a kick of energy (hence the name of the company). Speaking of the name of this company, they might want to consider changing it since people might mispronounce it as a racial slur.

This is a weird sub-section of drinks, because it's impossible to fairly judge it on it's taste because it's not meant to be consumed on it's own. As far as function goes, it's great! I was feeling sleepy and now I'm totally awake after drinking half of it.

I didn't want to review this. I just wanted something to drink. I figured, hey, I've got like eight of these things, so I can casually drink it. Oh, no. I now don't know what I'm going to do with the other approximately seven packs because this is vile. I was not at all expecting what was going to happen when I drank it. No, it's not like I got hair on my palms or anything like that. It just made me make a face every time I drank it. I thought, "Hey, tropical. Rad." and now it's like a 60/40 vegetable/fruit combo kit that is 100% undesirable. It's like someone is feeding me a pineapple, except they bored out the core and crammed a giant carrot in it and are forcing me to eat this bastard food.

Roger Waters Knudsen, or whatever R.W. stands for, this is not for me. Is that why I found it at a Big Lots? Probably. Good luck getting rid of them. I hope your customers don't read this before they buy it. I don't want to knock anyone out of business, but this is just plain terrible. Wish me luck on the grape because I bought that, too. I'm a supporter with a strange taste in my mouth.

Honey, I think that I picked a poor career decision. Look, I love kids. They are adorable and having them as toddlers really allows me to instill good morals and watch them learn from nothing to something. That's all well and good except those little buggers are always sick. There isn't one day when at least one kid isn't sick.

I am fully aware of this and I do what I can to take care of myself. I wash my hands like a dozen times a day. I drink orange juice all the time. I eat apples in hopes that it truly keeps the doctor away. I even have tried and still occasionally try Airborne since it's from a teacher to a teacher.

I don't know what else to do. There has to be something else. I can't get sick. If I leave, then I have to call a substitute and that never goes well. These kids are less than one year old and they are downright evil to subs.

What's this? Immunity Support? I need that! I love that! Where did you find this? Oh, the store. Well, why did I even ask? I'll try it right here and now. Can you hand me that bottle, please? I can't wait to smash this cap and drop the mix in the water. I love interactive drinks. Dear, I'm liking this drink. It's nicely sweetened and tastes like orange and maybe cranberry but it's good. It doesn't really taste medicine-y and, if anything, might taste a little Flintstone vitamin-y. I love them, though so it's alright.

I can feel myself getting stronger. I can feel those little sneezes and snots just bouncing right off me. Thank you, honey. You are the best.

What's the matter boy? Ahh. Scurvy. Twas a terrible disease when we were at sea. There was all that water with no citrus to keep us from getting sick. We lost many men to that dreadful disease. I'll tell you, being a fisherman is not as glamorous as it sounds. Sure, you get to spend all day fishing, but have you ever eaten fish every day for sixty-two days? It gets old kid. Real old. Real fast. Especially when you run out of those McCormick spices. Paprika fish is great until it is no more. You end up marinating fish in other fish to try and get something different. Then you start mixing fish and potatoes or fish and old socks. I'm telling you. It gets bad.

So yes, vitamin C deficiency is no joke. Everyone's wives told them to bring these little packets of True Orange but they thought that they would be picked on for having flavor packets so they traded them for "tough guy" stuff like razors, cigarettes, and fingerless gloves. Me? I brought it and no one made fun of me. It was fine, too. It tastes like if you split a glass of orange juice between ten people and watered it down to make it work. It's lightly sweetened and still, somehow, 25% of your daily vitamin C intake.

I know you like the sea, lad, but please don't worry about what the other guys tell you. There is nothing cool about a dead guy wearing fingerless gloves because as cool as they were when he was alive, you certainly aren't going to take them off his cold, dead hands and call them your own. Well, unless you're Zeke. That dude is crazy.

The thing I hate about Vitamin Water is my intake of stale vitamins. There's nothing worse than taking a nice big gulp of a cool refreshing beverage and getting a mouthful of old vitamin. This is apparently what Activate wants you to think. I don't know if it's even possible for vitamins to go stale, and it has never affected the taste of my Vitamin Water, but I do like the novelty of the Activate line.

These drinks come in two parts; a bottle of water that is sweetened with stevia and a cap full of powdered vitamins. You twist one part of the cap and the vitamins drop into the water, which you then shake up. The idea is that the vitamins are healthier because they are fresh. Aren't the vitamins the same age whether they already come in the water or not? I suppose it doesn't really matter, it's still fun.

This tastes like what a modern grandmother would have for breakfast. Every morning my grandmother would cut a grapefruit in half and dust it with sugar, then chow down with the tiniest knife and spoon I have ever seen. I think she may have stolen them from some tiny race of people in the forest, but I can't be sure. So yeah, I can only assume a more health conscious modern grandmother would dust her grapefruit with stevia. If you ate said grapefruit right after eating your chewable kids vitamins, then took a sip of water then you would know exactly what this drink tastes like. The flavor is light and faint. The stevia is there, but not overpowering. Just like it should be. Well played activate. Now I just need to see if your vitamins really are fresher and healthier, or if you're just a big stupid liar head.

Remember that scene in Better Off Dead where Booger, or whatever his name is in that movie, you know who I'm talking about, is on the top of the mountain, probably the K2 when he says that the snow is like cocaine and snorts it? For some reason that's what I think of when I have powder drinks.

This is such a step in the right direction I don't know where to start. Flavors roll call! Orange. Blackberry. Passion fruit. Bam. Delicious cubed. Also, you can taste the Reb-A a little bit but it's mostly real sugar, good sugar, and awesome fruit flavors. Low calories. This is such a win in my book and like I said, a step in the right direction. A low calorie drink using natural sweeteners with delicious fruit flavors that doesn't suck and doesn't taste like it's diet and all that other stuff. Great.

Water is great. It's super refreshing and I drink it all the time unlike some people I know. A lot of people hate that water tastes like nothing, so that's where companies like MiO come in. The tag line on this little bottle says it all, it's a "liquid water enhancer". Unlike other varieties of MiO, this also has caffeine in it so it turns your water into delicious energy water.

Let's be honest, most energy drinks are gross. Sure we have found a few that are good, but for the most part they are vile things in a can. Most are also carbonated, and I'm not always in the mood for a carbonated drink. As far as energy drinks go, this is one of the best I've ever had. The black cherry taste is delicious and sweet. I know they recommend only using one squirt per 8 oz glass but I put a little extra in because I really like the strong cherry taste.

Now I don't recommend this to other people, but in the name of science I squeezed some of this straight into my mouth. It was INTENSE! It is concentrated for a reason, because drinking it straight is like taking a shot of liquid caffeine. It instantly woke me up. I'm really glad Kraft sent these to us to sample because I never knew a delicious energy drink could come in such a small bottle.

Blackberry and blueberry? Is there a line that I can draw a giant, red "x" on because I want it. Oh, I can simply pay a little more than $2 and buy it? I suppose that is just as easy. Mix in water? Childs play. No problem. I can mix stuff and remember not to breath while the deadly fruit dust occupies my nasal cavities.

Oh...hold on a second here. What went wrong? Sixteen ounces of water, check. Mix, check. Mixed, check. Clean glass? Check. What's the deal? It smells great. Inviting. I keep going back for more but why? It has a bit of a bitter taste to it. It tastes like water first, or just wildly weak juice, which is strange, then like a sucralose taste, even those there aren't any unnatural sweeteners. I'm counting Stevia as a natural sweetener here, folks. It's almost bitter and it is not until the end when you get a woosh of fruit and cool Stevia sweetness. Yes, the final battle is worth coming back for more and I have almost finished my entire glass, but at what cost?

If you are down with diet drinks, this will be an easy fight for you. If you, like me, saw a naturally diet drink mix that comes in delicious flavors and think that you are on to something, you are only half right.

Mark always thought that the life of a magician would be all glamour and no gutter. It had been his dream for as long as he could remember to wow crowds with his illusions. It was in his 47th year that his wife left him for the clown that had been the entertainment at their daughter's communion party. He had wondered if a clown would be appropriate for a day full of religion, but since he himself had no savior, he brushed it off. Turns out his wife had seen him at a coworker's son's birthday party and just wanted to rock the sheets with this white-faced wonder. After she left and he was alone, he knew it was time for a change. He left his medical practice and went to magic school. No not Hogwarts, that isn't even a real place. Don't you know the difference between fantasy and reality? He went to The Montana Institute of Magic and Illusion. He worked his butt off and graduated first in his class. He had nothing but positive thoughts about it all, that was until he was actually in the working world. There is very little glamour in being a magician these days. You worked long hours for unappreciative audiences, and the pay was next to nothing. Luckily he had a nice nest egg, so he decided to stick with it. It was after about six months of working 18 hour days that he was a broken man. His true love magic had worn him out to the point where he couldn't get through a show without downing a huge energy drink. Not only was this expensive, but he found that all of his special compartments in his props were getting filled up with cans for later on in the day. That is when he remembered his medical knowledge and he created Hijinks. It was essentially concentrated energy (namely taurine, caffeine, inositol, glucuronolactone, and l-carnitine). The only problem was that when he drank a little of it on its own it tasted absolutely horrible. It was like someone added a little bit of sweetener to weed killer. He then decided to package it in small bottles, and all he had to do was add it to whatever beverage was on hand. It became basically indistinguishable in whatever sweetened drink he added it to. When he had to resort to water, he could taste it slightly but it wasn't bad. He was elated. No longer did he have to worry about downing obscene amounts of sugar and chemicals. Well he still was ingesting the chemicals, but they somehow seemed safer.

He started giving it to other magicians and he became the belle of the magician's ball. Everyone knew his name and gave him thanks. He even made the cover of MAGIC Magazine for magician of the year. Sure his illusions were nothing special, but he had given the word of magic a way to make it through each and every day. That is why we are here today to unveil his statue in honor of the memory of Mark Jinks. As I'm sure you all know he sadly left this mortal coil when an illusion went horribly wrong and when he pretended to cut his assistant in half, he somehow cut himself in half. Always the one to see a trick through to its completion he continued sawing through the pain until his body was completely separated in two.

Move over cocaine. You're so last year and also so 1980s simultaneously. You are no longer the energizing powder powerhouse that you once were. Phix beat you hands down. Allow me to count the ways that Phix is better than cocaine:

1. Legality - Phix you can buy from a store without prescription and no one is going to think twice when you have that and you itch your nose.


2. Flavor - Citron is basically citrus. Lemon and orange, if I had to place it. Maybe a pineapple, but a great overall citrus taste. Cocaine? Oh, sandy gas flavored? Awesome.


3. Side Effects - Lemon breath and energy. Cocaine? Crashes, feening, jail time, bloody noses.


4. Cost - A five pack with cost around $12. It seems like a lot, but it's quite good and works out to be a little over $2. Using $50 as the going rate for a gram of cocaine, that would translate to one pack of around twelve grams costing you around $600.

As you can see Phix is a win-win.

Number one: I have read the title of this product well over a dozen times and I still, in my head, read something about dolphins.

Number two and so on: I saw this at a discount store and due to the price ($1.50) a few emotions came across my mind. This being a company I had never heard of, I assumed that it would be a company I would never hear from again because that's what graces the shelves of stores like that. Bad ideas, poor judgment, and excessive inventory. Thing is, black cherry isn't something I hate, nor are probiotic drinks and Reb-A stuff. Cash in hand, and a ton of baby food later, I purchase my items and headed home.

Side topic: Remember ten years ago? 2001. Great year minus that one thing that happened in early Fall. Think about this, though. No one back then knew or cared about things like probiotics, prebiotics, free radicals, and antioxidants except maybe scientists. Everything was made from either cane sugar or corn syrup and there was no scare or wondering what was going to happen if you OD'd on one or the other except for inevitable tooth decay. We didn't know about ADD or ADHD and things like autism were in their infancy of knowledge. Only hippies and gardeners are organic and we all had a lot more money in the stock market than we do now. What a frightening world we live in now though, in retrospect. We didn't have to worry about anything it seemed. We didn't care where our food was coming from or worry about how it wasn't wise to buy a $450,000 house on a secretary's budget. Everything was A-OK. Look at all the stuff we have to worry about now. Drinking probiotic drinks filled to the gills with new, antioxidant-rich fruits to help avoid getting sick. Taking all our money out of the stock market and investing in cold, gold ingots. Frightening. I don't think I've changed much except I've become deader inside and more cynical than ever before.

Back to drink mix. It's really good. It's a powder that you stir in a tall glass of water. It stirs up nicely, tastes nice, and got me to easily put down two, sixteen ounce glasses of water today. It's good for you, contains no calories, and you can carry it with you. Thumbs up. I really do hope that you come through with your website's promise of new flavors. I'll try them when I see them.

Blackberry is sacred between Jay and myself. We used to go to Chili's all the time. Alright, maybe once a week, tops, but that's not the point. The point is that every time we would go, and this is probably still true, we get the unsweetened blackberry tea. It's quite marvelous and I believe bottomless. When the person who runs L3 Home sent us this flavor, I was pretty psyched.

I've had these samples at my house for a while but they're so small, they often hide behind even the smallest cans. I put my hand in what I thought was an empty space and found them and decided that I would review them, finally. So here goes.

You've got MiO, and that's cornered the market. It's a great product. It's small, able to be carried in a purse or something, and comes in an array of flavors. The only unfortunate thing about Crazy Drops is that you may have never heard of it. You can buy all their stuff on their site, which is nice and they've got like twenty flavors, including CinnaCherry, which intrigues me to no end. Onto the flavor...

It's not bad. It's a titch diet, but between a diet Pepsi and this, I'd rather have this. It doesn't have a sting and actually tastes like a lightly diet, watered down juice. Also, there is no color to it which is nice considering it's a concentrate and all that colors got to come from somewhere and therefore also has to go somewhere.

If you've had all the flavors of MiO and you crave more options and you like to help out a small business, try them out. They've got to have a flavor you are curious about.