PRODUCT REVIEW: Marley’s Mellow Mood Lite – Half Lemonade/Half Tea from Marley Beverages

Product Information:

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy:  Marley Beverages

About Marley’s Mellow Mood:

Marley’s Mellow Mood is a new line of 100% natural relaxation beverages created in partnership with the family of legendary musical prophet, Bob Marley.

Learn more about this product here.

Taster’s Review:

I was a little hesitant to try this one, mostly because when I see the word “lite” on a beverage, I worry that it contains aspartame to which I’m allergic.  Having suffered one too many reactions because of this artificial sweetener, I tend to avoid “lite” products all together.

So, I read the ingredients:

water, sugar, erythritol, pear juice concentrate, lemon juice concentrate, black tea, sodium citrate, reb A (stevia leaf extract), natural flavor.

No aspartame.  But what was this erythritol?  It is a sugar alcohol which is safe … at least, safer for me to consume than aspartame.  So, I waited until late evening (as it does say it can make you drowsy), and opened the bottle and started sipping.

The pros:  This is pretty tasty.  The first few sips had a sort of artificial sweetener sweetness to it, and I suspect that this is the stevia.  However, once the other flavors started to emerge, I didn’t taste that funky sweetness anymore, and just enjoyed a very pleasant combination of sweet-tart lemonade and black tea.

The Cons:  Because the black tea is sharing center-stage with the lemonade, it is a less distinct (although still quite distinguishable) flavor.  And it is sweet.  A bit sweeter than I usually would want my iced tea to be.

Overall:  I am enjoying it, even though it’s a bit on the sweet side and even though the tea is not as prominent as I’d like it to be.  And… the mellow part works.  I’m already starting to feel drowsy, and before opening the bottle I probably would have been awake for at least a couple more hours.

So, even with the drawbacks of this beverage, I’d still give it two thumbs up because it does deliver what it promises, which is a mellow mood!