OKF Aloe Vera Sparkling Original
too sweet, yet truly refreshing and surprisingly delicate
i do not know what to expect with this one. OKF, the manufacturer, sounds familiar - perhaps i’ve had some of the products before. nonetheless, it’s a Korean drink, which makes me feel slightly uneasy. tastes differ wildly, especially between continents. plus, aloe vera is not the tastiest, most interesting ingredient, as far as i am concerned.
the copy on the bottle clarifies a few things from the get go: “solution to sweeten your day.” hey, at least i know this is going to be liquid sugar. it also raises expectations: “great taste that brings you joy.” will it?
taste profile: smells grassy, sweet, ever so slightly like artificial grape. it’s still fizzy, i can feel it in my nose as i inhale. in fact, after the initial vapours have mostly gone, what dominates is the grape.
it’s edging on unbearably sweet. all it really tastes like is grape, but an overarching aloe flavour “embraces” the entire combo. in spite of all the sweetness, it’s delicate and the two flavours engage in a sort of dance, taking turns at coming to the fore of the palette.
the aftertaste follows the very same pattern. there is no evolution and for once, i am glad about that. any more than this would have likely ruined it. it’s not particularly sticky either, which makes me even happier. taking a deep breath brings hints of aloe to the fore, at the very back of my tongue - a pleasant surprise.
rating: 8/10 - it’s truly refreshing and surprisingly delicate. too sweet for my taste, but it gets extra points for openly admitting to it on the bottle.
health impact: 11g/100ml added sugars. a bit much if you ask me. this means you’re putting away 55g of sugars per bottle. it also contains artificial grape flavouring, which could raise some questions. overall, doesn’t sound too healthy.
background: OKF is a Korean drinks manufacturer. based on the company website, it targets the global market with variations of their aloe vera drink. looking at the page’s generous footer image, it looks like OKF manufactures quite a few strange (by European standards, i guess) beverages, including a collagen drink of sorts.
