Italy - 29 Reviews

It's not often that we find "regular" drinks on the shelves everywhere but today I found this while buying a seasonal corned beef sandwich. I was surprised when we hadn't reviewed it because both Jay and I enjoy a nice can of San P when given the opportunity. It's more calories than we like but they're good so we like it. How did this far? Well it fared well because sitting next to me is an empty can. It's very fruity and all of the orange and pomegranate juice comes through nicely. It's not overly sweet or fruity. It hits you right in the sweet spot. If you gave this to a scientist and said, "Dr. Scientist? Why are there so many calories in this juice?" They would probably say something like, "You mispronounce my name. It's 'Craig' and it's because there are a lot of calories in fruit and you know…€¦.sugar."

So fruit has calories. Calories are displayed as "joules" in the UK, right? That's cooler. American's hate calories. Joules sound way cooler. We should switch. Let's take the metric system while we're at it. Oh, and get rid of daylight savings time. Just rip those bandages right off all at once. Be on the right side of history, friends.

You have to appreciate when a company makes a large effort with their presentation. The size/shape of bottles and cans has become so uniform and standard that when a company mixes things up it's hard not to take notice. Sure, Galvanina didn't create something new, but their embossed glass bottles with minimum label are just classy. They could have easily thrown their sparkling juice into any old bottle and it would have just blended in with the scenery, but the way they present it makes it stand out and makes it special. It's similar to the way that San Pellegrino stands out because of the foil they put over the top of their cans. You feel a small specialness when you drink them. Just one glance at this bottle and I could tell it was most likely made it Europe. It feels old in the best possible way.

On top of having all the right looks this also tastes pretty fantastic. Normally when beverages are made sparkling carbonation is just added to regular water. In here mineral water is used and it does give it a bit of a regal feel. Also involved are clementine and carrot juice concentrates as well as orange and lemon pulp. It does fall on the sweeter side of how I like my sparkling juice, but it still mostly tastes like juice and that is the important thing. This wins all around.

What we have here is a beverage with an identity problem. It knows what it is as a beverage, but not where it's from. It most certainly is a sparkling blood orange juice with sugar added. That is obvious from one delicious taste of the bitter fruit whose edge has been taken off by something sweet. What of its origins? The bottle says that it is a product of Italy, the website says that it is from the UK, and yet I found it in a run of the mill grocery store in Lansing, MI of all places. Where does It's story start, and will it come to an end in Michigan? I can safely answer “no” to that as I traveled with it through Canada back to Buffalo, NY, where I consumed it. It's a drink of the world, and you can enjoy it wherever you happen to be.

Back to the classic taste of energy drinks where one dumb nerd just throws a package of packs of (American) Smarties into, I don't know, like a generic fruit punch. It's not terrible and it's better than "the old days" of energy drinks. Is it because it's organic? Probably not. It's probably better ingredients so, yeah, in hindsight; it probably is because it's organic. It's not terrible but it's kind of pretty standard tasting. As far as energy drinks go, this does taste "original" in the sense that it tastes like all of the other "original" energy drinks out there.

I can also say that this is better than both of the other versions of Dark Dog's stuff. Jay liked them. Good thing he reviewed them. This is good, though. I enjoyed it and I didn't get "the shakes" which I appreciate because I am trying to work and can't with "the shakes." Keep it original, Dark Dog.

I have never tried the original Dark Dog energy drink, but I have come across images of it on the internet and I have always found the yellow can with the weird black silhouette of a dog very intriguing. I don't know who that design is marketed towards as it doesn't look EXTREME or classy, but it's always made me want to try it. Okay, so I guess we discovered that it is marketed towards weirdos like me. Unfortunately I've never come across it in a store, so I've yet to try it. The company was nice enough to send us a bunch of samples of their new Organic line, and if these are anything like the original I was right to want to try it.

The design of the cans is definitely more on the classy side of things. It's simple and clean in a way that would appeal to the stereotypical health food yuppie. It still has that strange dog silhouette, but it's smaller and your eyes aren't immediately drawn to it. There is nothing intriguing or offensive about it, and that is probably how a food label should look.

The taste of this is very different than your classic energy drinks. There is absolutely nothing candy-esque about it. It tastes like a slightly bitter blood orange juice with a bit of lemon thrown in. It makes sense because 25% of what is in the can is blood orange juice. It's lightly carbonated, which with the juice makes it taste more like a nice Italian soda rather than an energy drink. The energy aspect of the beverage comes from natural caffeine and seven different vitamins. A lot of the time when energy drinks are like this the effects aren't that strong, but this can has certainly given me a little kick in the pants to get me moving on this sluggish day. It's nothing that will make you twitchy, but it certainly did more for me than a cup of coffee would have. Now I just need to know the story behind that dog. I fear he may haunt my dreams.

Is this cola? I don't think so. Is it sparkling? Yeah. Is it sweet? Kind of. You know what it is? Bitter. Those Italians, they love their bitter drinks. I'm not "America versus Italy-ing” this thing but they love their bitter drinks that we filthy American's love sweet. Does it mean there is more sugar? I can pretty safely say that is the case. Is this good, though? Hey, that's the million dollar question, right? Well, aside from the fact that I expected this to be sweet, it's not bad I guess. Reading the word "traditional" means that it's pretty assimilated to people's taste buds and it also means that the people who enjoy this have been enjoying it for years and don't want anyone messing around with their things.

So, back to the question at hand; is this good? It's not for me. It's probably going to break people's hearts to hear that. A global apology to those that love this drink. I just can't get over it. I need some sugar on my teeth. I know it's not a sweet drink but the flavor just isn't for me.

Is everything nicer and classier in Italy? That was my experience in my brief time there. I have very little interest in coffee, and I extremely enjoyed my cups there. The baked goods were some of the best I've ever had and the people were all wonderful.

The picture on this label makes me wish I was in a little corner diner, or better yet a soda shop in Italy and a nice cold glass of Paoletti was being placed in front of me by a friendly waiter/ress. I would smile and nod politely, because I only know how to say excuse me and thank you in Italian, and as they walked away I would take a nice refreshing sip and all would be right in the world.

This is an exquisite grapefruit soda that borders on being dry. I don't understand how it has a dry flavor when there is 30g of sugar in it, but here we are. I mean it's definitely sweet, but I guess it's just not over the top like most other grapefruit sodas are.

I'm just going to sit in this cafè, slowly sipping on this soda, soaking in the atmosphere until the last drop passes my lips. Then I will get up with a smile, leave my money on the table and go get lost in a city I've never been to before and then none of you will have to read my ramblings anymore because I was too trusting of people and I was brutally murdered.

What better way to ring in the day after a wedding than to drink a crisp, refreshing Bellini? This drink, according to people that drink and people that do not drink, was faithful to its name. It was very sharp. I think the carbonation mixed with the sweetness of the peach juice made it such but it was good. There were little bits of peach in it and it was supposedly made with 25% peach juice. This is also to be used as a mix but honestly, I don't know why you would want to ruin this otherwise very good drink with alcohol. I guess that is why I don't drink because "I just don't get it."

I hope that this company follows their own path and uses this same model to create other drinks using the same formula because I think they would all be this good.

When I'm in my homeland and I order a lemon iced tea I know exactly what I'm getting myself into. A sweetened black tea that has far too much lemon in it for it's own good. Keep in mind that I am not a fan of lemons (except in lemonade form, try to figure that one out), and I always think that people go overboard when adding this flavor. While walking the streets of Turin, Italy I didn't expect much of a difference for what I was used to. I'm always assuming too much that that is my problem. When I assume, I'm more often than not, wrong.

For starters this did not have a standard black tea for a base. I can't read the ingredients, but from the floral taste I will say that it is some sort of herbal tea. It certainly didn't taste like black, white or green tea. It wasn't floral like jasmine tea; it was closer to something rose flavored, but not as specific and strong. That on it's own gave it immediate points. I love different varieties of tea. To make matters even better the lemon flavoring wasn't over the top, and neither was the amount of sweetener used. Overall it was a pretty mellow, slightly floral tea. It was a nice treat from the basic lemon black tea that I had expected to hit my lips.

There's nothing like spending a day at the beach and keeping cool with a nice tall glass of tanning oil. Wait…€¦No that is disgusting. Unfortunately that is how nearly all pina colada drinks smell/taste; A potentially great drink is ruined by olfactory association.

Lucky for everyone involved that this soda breaks free from that mold. This company is taking pina colada back for you, the common (wo)man. In fact, this may be the tastiest pina colada I have ever tasted (keep in mind I don't drink alcohol, so I've never had “the real thing.”). The flavor here is mostly pineapple, but the coconut smooths it out, and I do mean smoothed out. The coconut in here is almost like vanilla is in cream soda. It almost tastes like candy, but not in a “this tastes cheap, like candy” sort of way. It reminds me of those giant suckers you could get at amusement parks (specifically Crystal Beach) in the 80s/early 90s.

For a flavor that I don't normally get into, this really hit the spot on a nice hot day.

“I got OJ, purple stuff, soda…€¦Bravo?” That is the Italian version of the classic Sunny D commercial. Like Sunny Delight this is an overly thick juice drink that impersonates orange juice. At least in Italy they have a blood (red) orange version. Other than that I could be served this blindfolded and I would think it was something from the American company.

I was told that I needed to try this, as it was something unusual. It may be unusual in Europe, but it just tastes like a junk American fake juice to me, albeit with a little twist.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Step right up. Step right up! Do you love the sour citrus taste of limes? Does your body crave the brisk, refreshing taste of mint? Then do we have a product for you! We have created a soda with an extremely strong lime flavor and added just the right amount of mint to give it the perfect taste. I know what you're thinking, and you're right who wants the sensation of drinking soda while chewing gum at the same time? No one, that is who. We have carefully engineered this drink to perfection so that it has no similarity to imbibing post tooth brushing or while chewing gum.

When flavors commingle like this true magic occurs. Not only does it taste amazing but also it is also ridiculously refreshing. This is a nice take on a classic alcoholic beverage. Kids and adult teetotalers can now enjoy it at their leisure. All for the low, low price of one Euro. Where are you going to beat that on the streets of Italy, friends?

Pete went to Italy to try to experience new things. He was a huge car fan and really wanted to see Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Alfa Romeos in their natural habitat. On the plane over he said that he wanted to see a Countach, 512 TR, and a GTV 6. Anything else was pure icing.

Pete was there for a couple days and didn't see any of the main cars on his list. Sure, he saw some Alfa 164s, some newer Murcielagos and a Ferrari Mondial but he saw those in the States a fair amount. He was only there for one day and he decided to get something to drink. He stopped at an Italian cafe and rather than drink some coffee, he decided to get something local to where he was, which was lemonade. He sat down with his lemonade and watched as his final hours passed him. He was happy, though. He got to relax and now he was relaxing with a pretty good lemonade. It was lightly sweetened enough to let the sourness of the lemon to come through. Also, it made him feel good that there was pulp in there. It made him feel like it was handmade.

Just as he was finishing up, he heard something loud coming around the corner. He looked up and a gorgeous, red Ferrari F40 sped past him. He never though he'd see one and thought that it was alright that he didn't see the other ones. Maybe next time, he thought.

Little. Yellow. Different.
…€¦or is it Wet. Bubbly. Standard.
I'm not exactly sure.
This was sent to us, and as I'm not a connoisseur of sparkling mineral water, it tastes like every other one that I've ever had. This really isn't our forte, but it seemed decent enough. I don't know what else to say about this.

It would be unfair to call this soda, because it really isn't. I could see how someone could mistake it for soda, but in reality it's a sparkling juice; the juice being grapefruit juice in this case. Now me and grapefruit juice have an on-again/off-again type of relationship, I like grapefruit flavored things, but in moderation. I can't really stomach a full glass of the juice, but a little bit here and there or mixed with something I can handle.

Which is why I love this drink. It's only 16% grapefruit juice but in my eyes it's the perfect mixture. It's just the right amount of sour without destroying my taste buds for weeks. San Pellegrino is good like that, knowing the perfect mix of things for their drinks.

I can only hope beyond hope that the folks from the Amsterdam based band Vengaboys moved to Italy, took all of the money they made from their hit single We Like to Party (The Vengabus) and started a functional beverage company. I seriously don't think I've thought about that band in at least 15 years, but as soon as I read the name of this company that damn song was instantly stuck in my head.

I mean this drink would totally fit into their wheelhouse, right? After all that time riding around in the Vengabus, partying all the time, they would need to just kick back and relax sometimes. The problem is EVERYONE knows about the Vengabus, so as soon as they see it they instantly switch into party mode. As a result the members of the band needed to lock themselves in the backroom of the bus and get a little herbal aid. Not pot you savage. The Vengaboys are a wholesome group that only drink copious amounts of alcohol, but it's legal, so it's fine…€¦wait they are from Amsterdam…€¦hmm. Okay when they are at home maybe they use other herbal aids, but when on tour they stick to drinks like this.

This has a nice smooth taste. You mostly get pink grapefruit out of it, but the grape and orange and maybe the tea help to mellow out the acidity of it. On the opposite side of the spectrum all of the juices help to negate the bitterness that is normally associated with white tea. It all works together wonderfully.

So not only does this drink help to chill you out (but not make you sleepy) it also does it in a way that tastes great and doesn't leave you with any sort of medicinal/herbal aftertaste. You hang out in the back of the bus for a hundred miles or so and then you're ready to party again from New York to San Francisco and wherever else your dancing dreams may take you.

It is a little known fact that in Italy volcanoes reign supreme. Many know that such practices occur in places such as Indonesia, but for centuries the denizens of “The Boot” have kept their rituals a secret. I'm about to blow up their spot in a major way.

I'm going to go ahead and ruin everyone's fun right away; they don't perform human sacrifices. I mean they aren't savages. They aren't trying to over throw the world. They are just looking to help their crops, by appeasing to some old gods. You might find yourself asking why has it been kept such a tight-lipped secret for all this time. It's simple actually, with the Vatican basically in their back yard; you don't really want to upset the Holy See with what they would see as false worship. Basically if the church blacklists you, your tourist trade goes in the turlet.

Back to the important garbage: The main item that is sacrificed to the volcano gods is blood oranges. You know how gods are all into symbolism, well they like to pretend that the juice of the blood orange is actually human blood, like the old days. Gross. The Italians may not be savages, but the gods really wished they were. Some people just throw bushels of oranges into the fiery depths, but others believe that the gods prefer you to take the time with your sacrifice and juice it. I mean, what's more impressive: a tiny body, or a big jug of blood?

Dream Foods started pilfering from their sacrifices in order to sell the deliciousness to the public outside of the country. With a mixture of three different varieties of blood oranges with no sugar added, how can you go wrong? It tastes like a mix between a sweet orange and a grapefruit. It's glorious. Once you get a taste, you'll never want to go back to plain orange juice again. Don't let the name fool you though. This is not an Italian soda; it's not carbonated. It is straight up juice meant for a sacrifice. By drinking it you may be taking away from fields of rigatoni and penne, that would feed a nation, but hell, I think it's worth it.

On our great Canadian drink adventure about a month ago Mike and I came across theses sodas in a Shoppers Drug Mart. I called dibs as quickly as I could because it's a soda with pineapple and passion fruit in it. I'm pretty sure that if Mike would have tried to grab it for his own I would have drug him out to the parking lot and we would have had to put up our dukes. The idea of Mike and I in fisticuffs is absolutely absurd. I can't even envision it in my head without the visions of us putting our fists up like an olde timey movie and erupting in laughter. Luckily, it never came to that, as Mike knows my taste buds and gave it up happily.

You might ask yourself, if I was so excited to an extent that I would have been willing to pummel one of my dearest friends, why did it take me a month to drink it. The answer is simple. The night was the first night of a tour I was on and Mike and my ladyfriend brought the drinks I purchased back home for me. This bottle was lost in the shuffle and it just resurfaced. What a glorious day it was.

All of my expectations of this drink were not only met, but they were surpassed. It's sparkling water, fruit juice and nothing else. The folks at Nativa were smart enough not to gunk up the mix by adding sugar. It tastes like some one blended up some pineapple and passion fruit, squeezed in a spritz of mango and strained out all the bits. Then they poured the remains into some sparkling water. The fruit itself is sweet enough to overcome any potential seltzer flavor. It's the perfect fruity soda. I've never had one that was better.

It turns out that this is the beverage version of an M Night Shyamalon movie. It turns out the soda has been dead the whole time. Wait, that's not right. It turns out that this wasn't made by some specialty soda company. Nativa is actually the Shoppers Drug Marts' store brand. Now that is true magic.

“…€¦that brings in the whole category of countries. Where to start? Well, the obvious one. The birthplace of spaghetti and pasta, all the oily stuff... Italy.” Very smooth Coop, but you forgot one thing; Italy also produces one hell of a peach ice tea under the Paradiso company. I don't know if this would really pair well with pasta, but it would certainly be great to be sipping on a bottle of this while strolling through some Italian city or another, just taking it all in.
It says that it's made with tea flavor, but it does taste more like real tea than any other “tea flavor” teas I've tried. The really star of this drink is the peach though. It has both peach juice and peach flavor in it. That means that while you're drinking it your mouth is filled with the flavor of real peaches. Then when you swallow you get a hint of peach gummy candy. It's be best of both worlds (even though the gummy candy flavor is only faint). The peach flavor is strong. I would prefer a little more tea in the ratio, but I'll take what I can get. Now if you'll excuse me I told Coop I would help him clean up some goat turds. How did I get suckered into this?

I just found my new favorite drink. I wish I could say I was exaggerating but I'm really not. This is exactly what I always hoped a coffee soda would taste like. It has a really strong coffee taste, but it is also sweet and bubbly. It almost has a cream soda taste to it as well. I just passed this bottle around a room of skeptical people and they all said it was delicious.

This little bottle was $2 but it is so worth it. It would be awesome if they sold this in larger bottles because I feel like I'm drinking all 6 oz of this way too fast and I want it to last forever. Isn't a normal cup of coffee like 12oz? That would be a good size. I'd pay $4 for that, probably far too often than I'd like to admit.