Trying Crystal Light Pure Flavor Packets for Water

May 2, 2011

110501pure Trying Crystal Light Pure Flavor Packets for Water

I have three ceramic canisters on my kitchen counter. The smallest is filled with Splenda packets, which I use to sweeten my coffee. The largest is filled with tea bags. And the middle canister holds individual flavoring packets for water. J. adds them to his water bottles a few times a week, and I use them a little less. Accepting the offer to try new Crystal Light Pure was a no-brainer for us. This is already a category of product on which we spend our money.

Crystal Light Pure’s selling point is that it contains no artificial sweeteners, but is still a low-calorie beverage. (Yes yes, we all know water alone has no calories. But sometimes you want more flavor than just cold nothingness.) The drink mix is sweetened with sugar and Truvia, a processed sweetener derived from the leaves of the stevia plant. I’ve written about Truvia before, since I sometimes struggle with the contrast between my regular use of artificial sweeteners and my goal of eating lots of produce and whole grains. Truvia bills itself as a natural sweetener, which gives me pause. Yes, it is derived from plant-based materials but it is highly processed and I can’t imagine it has much of a different effect on your body than using something like Splenda in moderate amounts. So the “natural” aspect of Crystal Light Pure wasn’t a sell for me.

What did appeal to me, though, was the taste. J. and I had the chance to try three Crystal Light Pure flavors: mixed berry, lemonade, and grape. He felt neutral about all of them, but then again this product is not pitched towards men. I am not a big fan of fruit punch or mixed berry anything, so that packet was just OK but was not something I’d seek out. The lemonade had a nice tartness to it, and wasn’t terribly sweet (a don’t like very-sweet anything, even dessert). But it was probably not a flavor I’d buy again. However, I surprised myself by adoring the grape-flavored Crystal Light Pure. I like grapes but can’t think of other grape-flavored foods or drinks I’ve liked, except for this one. Again, I think it’s because there is a nice balance of tart, mouth-puckering flavor that reminds me I did not just steal my kids’ juice pouch. And the sweetness is balanced; not too much, and without an aftertaste from either the sugar (like that gross, sweet coating you get from sugary soda) or the Truvia (didn’t taste like chemicals).

I tried the packets in both 16.9-oz. bottles of water (for which the packets are intended) and my 27-oz. Klean Kanteen. I actually preferred the flavor when mixed with the larger quantity of water. Plus, my Klean Kanteen has a wide neck that can take ice cubes. Tap water + ice cubes + grape-flavored Crystal Light Pure has been my formula for beverage happiness these past few weeks.

My supermarket sells the box of 7 flavor packets for $2.49, which is less than other name brands but more than the store brand. Each packet has 30 calories and theoretically contains two servings. I find the “15 calories per serving” a little disingenuous, since no one is going to use half of one of these obviously single-serve packets at a time, nor are they going to empty the whole packet into a bottle of water and then split it with a friend. Up until now, I’ve purchased whichever flavor packets were the best deal at the time, eliminating a couple of brands (like my store brand) if J. didn’t like them. As we head into spring and then summer, I’ll be switching from indoor courts to playing tennis outside, and chugging water like I’m preparing for a drought goes along with that switch. I’ll continue buying other flavor mixes for J., but I am going to treat myself to Crystal Light Pure grape packets as well.

I received free samples of Crystal Light Pure from Kraft Foods, but I did not receive monetary compensation for this review. All words, images, and thoughts are my own. Read my Disclosure Policy for more information.