Sweetened With Stevia / Hartwall Sparkling Waters

Remember my post about Sweetened With Stevia? I mentioned that there should be more drinks that are sweetened with the natural stevia. I also said that Hartwall has couple sparkling water flavors that are sweetened with stevia but I hadn't had a chance to taste them yet. Well, now I do. Hartwall was super kind and sent me few bottles of their Novelle Friss- sparkling waters for me to taste.

Hartwall was the first drink maker in Finland to start using this natural sweetener derived from the leaves of stevia in their drinks. According to the press statement from Hartwall, their stevia products have had an extremely positive reception, and the public has shown a great deal of interest in beverages combining lightness and naturalness.

And there is a reason to love stevia. It has virtually no calories, and it is also better for your teeth. I have also noticed that stevia doesn't bloat my stomach like some artificial sweeteners.

I received both flavors of Hartwall's new Novelle Friss- sparkling waters. The pink one on the left is Berry-Citrus and the light green one on the right is Citrus. The fresh and fruity taste of these drinks is derived from real fruits and berries. The sweetness of the drink is created by steviol glycosides and fructose. Hartwall offers these sparkling waters in two different sizes, 0,5 liter and 1,5 liter recyclable bottles.

Both of the flavors contain only 7 kilocalories / 100 ml. Who wouldn't like that?

I first tasted the Berry-Citrus that is flavored with grapefruit, red grapefruit and cranberry. The taste is very refreshing and the water has a lot of carbonation.

The bottle is also cute and easy to take along for a trip for an example. The drink of course taste better if it is really cold but it doesn't taste bad warm either. If you drink warm soda pop, it is not very pleasant but these flavored waters are ok to be served warm. That's why they are ideal to take with you anywhere. 

Second I tried the Citrus Novelle Friss that is flavored with grapefruit, lime and lemon. It is also very refreshing and had a lot of bubbles. This is a great drink to wake you up in the morning or in middle of a tiring day at work.

Just unscrew the cork...

And enjoy!

To be honest, in both drinks, you can taste a hint of the distinct flavor of stevia. It is not bad but if you don't like it, you will taste it in these drinks. I was able to taste it more in the Berry-Citrus than the Citrus. I don't mind the flavor of stevia, it is just a little sweet and it has a hint of licorice. It is a way better taste than aspartame. I like to drink sparkling drinks, no matter if it is soda pop or sparkling water, as long as it has bubbles, I'm happy. I much rather drink stevia than some artificial crap.

I can already imagine a summer day and a big glass of Citrus sparkling water with ice cubes and slices of lime. Yummy! But since the summer in Finland will take its sweet time to arrive, I guess I will need to enjoy this after a hot sauna to cool me down.

My favorite flavor out of these two was the Citrus. My husband on the other hand liked Berry-Citrus better. So, you can't go wrong with either of the flavor that you get. They are both great and an awesome addition to Hartwall's stevia drink family. Thank you Hartwall!!

P.S. I still would like to get a cola that is sweetened with stevia here in Finland (*smile*).