Review of Izze Sparkling Clementine Juice

Recently, I was given a four-pack of Izze Sparkling Clementine juice. Since I don't particularly like orange soda pop I was contemplating whom I could give this to. But one afternoon it was warm, I was thirsty, and I decided to give Izze a try. What a pleasant surprise!

The taste was just what a natural juice should be, if pulp-free and slightly diluted. And it has bubbles, which I like a lot. To me, the balance between flavor and sparkle was just right. It was not overly sweet, which was my main concern before I tasted the Izze Clementine.

Izze has two main ingredients; it's 70% juice, and sparkling water. No sweeteners, no preservatives, no caffeine, no chemicals. But yes, I said "main ingredients." The juice is not all clementine, but includes apple, white grape, and orange. These juices come from concentrate, not freshly squeezed fruit. There is gum arabic (a natural product which stabilizes and thickens many foods), and beta carotene for coloring. The ever-mysterious "natural flavor" is also listed as an ingredient.

Each bottle is 12 ounces, a nice size for a quick thirst quencher, and has 120 calories. You might be tempted to use it as a breakfast drink, but its vitamin content is almost nil. Better stick with real juice for that need.

I decided to research other flavors, and discovered that Izze makes a full line of sparkling juices. All eight flavors come in 12 ounce glass bottles, and all have either 120 or 130 calories per bottle. The flavors available are Apple, Blackberry, Blueberry, Clementine, Grapefruit, Lime, Peach, and Pomegranate.

The bottle caps are pry-off type, so you will need a "church key" opener. This might be important to remember if you pick up some on the way to a picnic. The metal caps will recycle.

The glass bottles are covered under bottle laws in the following states:
10 cents- Michigan
5 cents- Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Delaware
California Redemption Value (CRV)- may vary

Izze is a socially responsible company that supports the Global Education Fund. They recently donated $25,000 through a matching program to the Kenyan Leadership Program. Other not-for-profit's that have received donations from Izze include Sustainable Resources, Literacyworks, and Veggie U. They like to team with groups from places where their fruits are grown, and promote them on their four-pack cartons.

Although Izze sparkling juices are not considered an organic product, this small company with some very tasty sparkling juices gets a very high rating from this one consumer.

Izze.com