frutop - Lemon-Lime, sparkling
closer to Sprite or 7Up than i would like, an enjoyable product nonetheless.
a dive into the obscure drink scene of otherwise unrelated stores (such as Jumbo, where I got this one) reveals all sorts of unusual beverages, such as the previously-reviewed mastic drink. i can imagine the profile of frutop’s lemon-lime drink just by looking at (or through) its clear presentation. Sprite, 7Up, you name it - all of these taste similarly, the “soapiness” of lime varying in accordance with the amount of sugar crammed into the drink. the previous drink genuinely caught me by surprise - let’s see if this one is any different.
taste profile: the lime hits hard as soon as you open the bottle. to my disappointment, not much of the fragrance pervades the room - this has gone flat over the months it has rested in my fridge. goes to show plastic bottles may not be the best solution for long term storage, but that topic for another time. the lime in this appears honest and I am about to take a sip.
it’s devastatingly sweet and the lime absolutely dominates the entire range of taste. it is not unpleasant at all, refreshing even, but, just like its more recognisable counterparts (see Sprite), it’s sweet beyond belief. while its competitors do well to mask the sugar, this one clumsily (or perhaps, honestly) brings it to the fore. “you know what this is and you’re going to enjoy it to the very last drop.” anyway - lime to the front, middle, and back. no variation here: soap all the way, laden with sugar and maybe, just maybe a little bit of lemon sourness, if looked for.
rating: bordering on acceptability, definitely a feasible option for a situation requiring hydration and a boost of sugar. nonetheless, it is hardly a recognisable product. 7/10.
health impact: 9.5g of sugar /100ml.
background: founded in 1973, frutop is a Greek company, producing drinks and the plastic bottles containing them. as an institution, they are quite transparent - with active linkedin, facebook, and instagram pages, frutop appears to have an active online presence. i am especially fond of the company’s selection of flavours, which i would honestly like to try. their instagram page looks quite active too, with over 4000 followers and a good number of likes on each post. on the facebook page, people appear to comment actively, but my Greek is… well, i can’t speak Greek, so i may as well stay away from translating those. hey, bonus points for all of this: i feel reassured i’m not chugging down the products of a dubious shadow company.
