Ribena - 3 Reviews

I could have sworn that we had already reviewed this. I mean I know Mike and I purchased some years ago, because that is when Mike proclaimed that blackcurrant smells like feet and urine. I can't really argue with that statement, but I think it tastes just fine.

Growing up we had red currants growing in my backyard. Those berries were wonderfully tart, and nothing like this. Black currant falls somewhere between a grape and a blueberry, with the grape is on it's way to becoming a raisin. Luckily it tastes better than it smells, but it also tastes a bit watered down.

Could this be a great drink? I personally don't think it ever had any hope of that. It is okay though, and it could be a little bit better without being so watered down, but this is a huge company in the UK so they have to be doing something right.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Let it be known that I hold grudges. I don't care if you've become a pillar of the community and do all the work in the world to bettering life for the poor and needy, if you treated me like crap at one point I will hold that against you until the day I die. Sure there's the whole forgive and forget thing, but sometimes people are too forgiving and horrible things are welcomed into a community. I'm trying to get better at this, and let the small stuff go, and only hold on to my big grudges, such as you hooked up with an ex while we were still dating and oh you have Nazi tendencies. The small stuff though, the small stuff I'm going to try and let slide. In fact I'll start right here with this drink.

It's right there on the label. “Pineapple & Passionfruit.” That's all I want, a strong taste of both of those wonderful fruits. Instead what I am greeted with is something less than that. Sure it has percentages of both those juices, but it also has orange juice in it in equal amount as the pineapple and double the quantity of the passionfruit juice. Dear readers, this should clearly be called “Orange, Pineapple & Passionfruit,” if the company wants to be accurate, which I hold my suspicions about.

Even though it's the lowest in percentage of content, passionfruit is the strongest flavor in here, with the pineapple riding a little lower, but taking the lead in the aftertaste. The problem is that the orange juice is in there mucking things up a bit and making them taste light and a bit watered down. This is not the end of the world, and I'm going to let it go. Sure this could have been a much better drink without the OJ, but I understand price points, and this is a perfectly acceptable beverage with it included. I would just prefer more honestly from the companies out there.

It's always weird going to another country and walking into a corner store/gas station. Everything is familiar yet different. It's almost like being in a dream where you know what you want and when you reach for it you realize that something is off. Names and packages are different, and sometimes unreadable due to language barriers, but for the most part this could be the store around the corner from your house.

The UK may not have companies like Motts and Veryfine, but they do have Rebina. I've had their original (blackcurrant) beverage before and it was pretty alright. I'm a bit shocked we hadn't reviewed it already because I've seen it in some little markets around Buffalo, and I didn't think it had been that long since I drank it. It's nice that they have expanded their line of drinks. They may have done so decades ago, but this is the first I've seen of it, being holed up in Buffalo.

Essentially Rebina puts out fruit juices that are sweetened and a bit watered down so that they don't taste like actual juice, but instead become juice drinks. This flavor in particular is mostly mango with just a pinch of lime. It has a ridiculously mango smell to it, that I wish was more present in the flavor. I think it's the orange juice that is involved that makes it taste so little like juice.

I have no real qualms with this drink, as it has its place. I just prefer my juices to be what they are and not diluted into what this has become.