Lively Women

Product Review: Hansen’s Natural Sparkling Refreshment

by Kristen King on July 8th, 2008

The Product

Hansen’s Natural Sparkling Refreshment

The Claim to Fame

This new line of sparkling drinks combine the refreshing taste of fresh fruit, lightly sweetened with pure cane sugar and packaged in a sophisticatedly sleek and convenient 10.5 oz can. Available in a chic palette of distinctive flavors - Blueberry Pomegranate, Cranberry Grapefruit, Dragonfruit and Valencia Orange – Hansen’s Natural Sparkling is a stylish, guilt-free and indulgent treat. The tasty beverages are also available in green tea and sugar-free versions.*

Where to Get It

Finer grocery stores everywhere. In my area, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, Trader Joe’s, and Ukrops supposedly carry it, though admittedly I haven’t looked because I’m a cheapie and I shop at Costco and Food Rat — I mean Food Lion. You can also order from the Hansen’s Online Store.

Kristen’s Opinion

I was really impressed with the light and, yes, refreshing flavor of these beverages. They weren’t quite as bubbly as traditional soda, but when I was jonesing for some junky, sugary drinks, they totally hit the spot and I didn’t feel one bit bad about it because they really do seem to be all natural. Like, so natural that I can pronounce all of the ingredients and know what they are. For instance, in my favorite flavor, the Valencia Orange, the ingredients are pure triple filtered carbonated water, cane sugar, natural fruit flavors with extracts of Californian oranges, citric acid, ascorbic acid. That’s it. Awesome, right? That 10.5-oz can contained only 90 calories, too. You can find ingredients and nutrition facts for all four flavors and their sugar-free counterparts here.

And cooler still, I got some great recipes for cocktails and mocktails to make with the four favors. Although the one-sheet that accompanied the samples was a little cheezy, the ideas are solid and I had fun with all of them.

Hansen’s Natural Sparkling is a chic addition to any occasion – here are a few ideas to get you sparkling:
* Why not keep Hansen’s Natural Sparkling on hand to serve or mix up delicious, low-calorie cocktails? Glam up your party with a Dragonfruit Sparkling Mojito!
* Not a drinker? Not a problem. Hansen’s Natural Sparkling also tastes great as a “mocktail” – serve the Blueberry Pomegranate in a champagne glass and toss in a few fresh blueberries to make it classy.
* Add some ahhhhh’s to the office – afternoon blahs hit you hard? Sparkling refreshment to the rescue! Pop in a straw and drink it straight out of the can for a guilt-free treat.

I didn’t care for the Dragonfruit flavor, but my husband loved it, so that is a taste thing. I tend to gravitate toward citrus flavors, so it made sense to me that I would prefer the Valencia Orange and Cranberry Grapefruit over the other two.

Who Will Love This Product

I can’t think of anyone who won’t love this. Well, no, that’s not true. I guess if you don’t like sparkling beverages at all, this will not be on your list of favorites. But if you’re health conscious and are trying to avoid that icky high-fructose corn syrup but still enjoy drinking soda, this is a natural alternative that is WAY better than diet soda (which, as I have mentioned before, kind of freaks me out) and that doesn’t taste one bit like you’re missing out.

(image: courtesy of Hansen’s)

Contents © Copyright 2008 Kristen King

Tags: womens health blog, womens health, women, woman, health, product review, hansens natural, valencia orange, cranberry grapefruit, dragonfruit, blueberry pomegranate, sparkling drink, natural soda, sugar-free soda, healthy soda, lively women, kristen king

Share This

Related Stories

Fun Cocktails With Hansen’s Natural Sparkling
Product Review: Hansen’s Organic Junior Water
Voluntary Product Endorsement: Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion
For PR Folks
Product Review: Wii Fit

POSTED IN: Product/Book Reviews