poppi Prebiotic root beer

 

Background information: (from the website): "Founded by husband-and-wife duo Stephen and Allison and based in Austin, TX, poppi combines fresh fruit juice, apple cider vinegar, and inulin prebiotics for a deliciously refreshing, full-of-flavor soda with benefits.

With the help of an investment on Shark Tank, poppi has gone from farmer's-market-favorite to sitting pretty on the shelves of thousands of retailers across the nation. Along the way, we’ve become beloved by some new besties like Hailey Bieber, Kylie Jenner, Billie Eilish, Russell Westbrook, JLo, Olivia Munn, and more."

(from the can) "Facts... No one wants a basic drink. So make every hour happy with this bubbly, better for you prebiotic soda that keeps your gut happy and gives your bod a boost. Classic flavors that are downright delicious, these bubbles with benefits will be your new BFF."

Product details: 12 fl. oz.  Distributed by: poppi, Austin, TX 78731. 25 calories, 5g sugar. Aluminum can. https://www.drinkpoppi.com/

Ingredients: Sparkling Water, Organic Cane Sugar, Apple Juice*, Fruit Juice Color, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Agave Inulin, Natural Flavors, Stevia, Natural Tartaric Acid. *Concentrate (Contains 3% Juice)


My thoughts: Prebiotic soda. These words strike some fear into my root beer loving heart. From the swampy depths of prehistoric earth emerge microorganisms, whose essence is being distilled into a soupy blend of sludge of slime molds, fungi, and bacteria, with the sole purpose of ruining what might be a perfectly decent root beer. Okay, perhaps I mischaracterize a perfectly decent beverage trend. Maybe this will be the best root beer I've had yet. We shall see if my preconceptions, though slightly exaggerated, hold true.

The initial flavor, when one expects root beer, is a bit confusing. It has a strangely subtle fruitiness which I can't quite explain (looking at the ingredients, I now see "apple juice" and "apple cider vinegar" listed, which likely gives it that flavor). Seeing those ingredients might also explain the tangy sensation with the vinegar. It's such a strange flavor combination, I don't quite know how to describe them. It's not bad, exactly, but I don't know that I particularly like it, especially as far as root beers go. There is a little bit of that rooty sassafras flavor in there, which becomes a more prominent as the initial flavors fade into the aftertaste. It also has a vanilla taste that grows stronger as an aftertaste.

Carbonation is fairly good, maintaining a decent fizz throughout the can. I tend to prefer my CO2 quite prickly, which this is a drink with smaller, less aggressive bubbles, but it does a decent job. The smaller bubbles don't froth a whole lot, which leaves it a little short on that bubbly creaminess I really like in my root beers, but something in the drink is leaving a thicker, creamier sensation behind. As for sweetness, I'm usually a bit skeptical of drinks sweetened with agave and Stevia, but the blend with cane sugar here works well, with no unusual sweetness related flavors I can detect. With only 5g of sugar (about 1/8 the usual amount), if leaves a much cleaner sensation behind.

I'm a bit puzzled on how I should rate this. It's not a great root beer, but it's fairly decent as a "healthy" probiotic beverage. I wouldn't mind having it again, but if I'm putting it purely into the context of a root beer, it's certainly not one I'd seek out again. So when you see the lower score, just keep in mind that I think it's a moderately decent Prebiotic soda (and not some awful swamp water sludge), but not exactly a great root beer. But, if I had to keep my sugar or calorie intake low, I do think it beats most diet root beer options and would likely be one of my low sugar picks.

Rating: C-
flavor: D+
aftertaste: C-
sweetness: A-
smoothness: C
carbonation: B