Sprouts Organic Italian Soda Review
Author’s note: As always, this is not a paid or sponsored review. I have no affiliation with Sprouts Farmers Market.
When life hands you a weird chemical smell…
Sprouts Farmers Market has their own store-brand Organic Italian Soda. I tried the Pomegranate flavor.
I like the tall, elegant bottle (with slight greenish cast) and rich, deep garnet color of the juice. This is an eye-catching beverage for a special occasion.
Carbonation
The soda itself has a delicate fizz. Not as strong as some carbonated juices I’ve tried. A soft fizz. It caressed (rather than attacked) my tongue. I liked it.
(Are you new to Sprouts Farmers Market? Check out the summary of my first visit during a Grand Opening Event.)
Weird chemical smell
Unfortunately, there is some kind of odd odor in my soda. A weird chemical smell. A bad smell. Like, rubber? Used tires on a hot highway. Or something. Gah.
I’m hoping this is not supposed to be there. I don’t taste it so much as *smell* it, when my nose gets close to the cup. If I take a few sips in succession, I can stop smelling it. But then it returns when I take a break. What is that?!
It has real pomegranate juice
The soda is made from a base of water and organic sugar. But there are added pomegranate, apple, and black carrot juice concentrates. And also added “natural flavors.” I dunno if it could be the “natural flavors” that are contributing to the icky chemical smell. That might be better than the alternative. Or it might not.
Sophisticated flavor
Minus the chemical taste, the flavor is very fruity. A bit like berries with a dash of apple. Whispers of raspberries & cherries. But more complex and nuanced. A slight astringent aftertaste. It has a moderate, pleasant tartness. And an interesting, kiwi-like tingle that persists after sipping. It’s a sophisticated departure from the typical sparkling juice options. Fortunately, there is enough actual juice concentrate added that it doesn’t taste like sugar water!
Perhaps drink smaller servings?
Besides the chemical smell, the bad news is: it has a staggering 45 grams of sugar per serving. And a whopping 43 grams are “added sugar.” Alas.
But the good news is, you’d have to drink half the bottle (12 ounces) to consume that much. Tastewise, it really isn’t a particularly sweet beverage, compared to other sodas or sparkling juices.
I am not sure why they designated 12 ounces as a serving, instead of a more reasonable 6-8 ounces. But, whatever. No one asked me.
(For a fiber-filled juice option, check out my review of this Egyptian Fruit Cocktail Drink. It truly surprised me!)
Make an Italian Cream Soda!
Besides sipping this as a wine alternative, I also added a splash of heavy cream (and ice) to make an Italian Cream Soda. It was absolutely delicious!
I like that the deep color and rich flavors are strong enough to stand up to the cream without being lost. The cream also seems to mask the chemical taste. So, perhaps this is the ideal way to drink it.
Ingredients in Sprouts Pomegranate Italian Soda
Here are the ingredients from the label:
- Carbonated Water
- Organic Sugar
- Organic Pomegrate Juice from Concentrate
- Organic Apple Juice from Concentrate
- Citric Acid
- Organic Black Carrot Juice from Concentrate (for color)
- Natural Pomegranate and Apple Flavors
More information from the label:
- Product of Italy
- USDA Organic
- Contains 3% Juice
Curiously, this beverage is imported from Italy. But, Italian Soda is actually an American invention. So, that part doesn’t entirely make sense. Why, Sprouts?
Nutrition Facts
A serving is 12 ounces and contains 190 calories. You get 0 grams fat and 0 grams protein. There are 47 grams total carbohydrates, of which 45 grams are sugars (43 grams “added sugar”). There’s a teeny 2% your daily value sodium per serving.
Price and Servings
The 25.4 ounce bottle cost $4.99 at my local Sprouts Farmers Market. Assuming you stuck to the two servings per bottle, each serving would cost $2.50.
There was just one other flavor of this Italian Soda at my store: Pink Grapefruit.
Shelf Life
The “best by” date on my bottle allowed approximately 16 months to consume.
Dramatic Conclusion
In conclusion, I can’t get past the chemical smell. That’s a dealbreaker. Assuming it is an unfortunate fluke, I MIGHT give this soda another chance. But if all the bottles are like this, then NO.
It’s also loaded with sugar, but so are most Italian Sodas. I appreciate the real juices and complex flavor. And it does make a nice cream soda.
Thus, the Awesome-o-Meter rates Sprouts Italian Soda a nebulous “Maybe.” Let me know if you tried it and had a better experience!
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Check out these other reviews I’ve written. Or don’t. Free will!
