Granite - Blackcurrant Blast product reviews

Health foods and drinks seem to be taking the world by storm at the moment as the new big thing and I have noticed more and more tonics being released into the market, however they are not something that I have tried up until now. Working in a Early Childhood setting I am always looking for ways to boost my immune system especially in the lead up to the winter months where bugs and illnesses are all around. I decided to try this tonic for this reason, maybe it could be the boost my body needed, there was only one way to tell.

Reading the list of ingredients on the back of the bottle, it is great to note that each and everyone of these is natural, I must admit I was interested to see that even the water was written as being filtered rain water, and that apple cider vinegar was also one of the main ingredients. The ingredients were all organic, raw and living so I had a feeling that this had to be good for me. As I continued to read the rest of the labels on the bottle I enjoyed finding out about the properties and benefits of each of the ingredients used in this drink, it is important to note that this drink is not a miracle cure however, it is not going to make all your problems go away, it is more so going to help boost your immune system and provide you with perhaps some much needed energy.

As a fan of berry flavoured drinks I liked the idea of this being a blackcurrant flavoured drink, the rich red colour really reinforced this with me. After giving the bottle a good shake to mix the sediment at the bottom of the bottle I was ready to give it a taste. I poured a small amount of liquid, 100mls as suggested into a glass and gave it a quick sip, I must admit I was overwhelmed by the strong apple cider vinegar taste, and was surprised by how strong the ginger came through, however as I got used to this drink I did find it to be quite enjoyable and was able to pick up the flavour of the blackcurrant which was quite nice. The one thing I did find interesting was that this was not a carbonated drink as I presumed it would be from first smell as it seemed to have a fizz to it.

Over the past 3 days I have had 100mls of this each morning, and Miss4 has had 10mls diluted in water also, I definitely feel as though I have more energy than usual nearing the end of the day and can actually see a slight improvement in Miss 4's skin since she has been taking this, so I do feel it quite possibly does improve your health in a positive way, however it is hard to see true results after just 1 bottle!

I'm always keen to try something that will help boost my immune system so I was looking forward to trying Granite's Blackcurrant Blast Lifeforce Tonic. It comes in a clear 330 ml glass bottle with a simple but attractive label. The 'tonic' is raw, organic and living and is mainly made up of apple cider vinegar, honey, ginger, raw freeze dried blackcurrants and Maca root. The recommended serving size (for ages 5+) is 100 ml which means you would get 3.3 serves per bottle.

You need to make sure you shake the bottle thoroughly before serving as there is quite a bit of sediment at the bottom. When I took the lid off and did the sniff test, the smell of the apple cider vinegar and ginger was the most prominent. It's not carbonated which is a nice change and I decided to try the drink in a shot glass as I thought the drink may be a little overpowering to start with. As with the sniff test, the drink tasted predominantly of vinegar and ginger to start with but had the aftertaste of honey and blackcurrant. I must admit that this tonic grew on me and started to taste better the more I had. Although I could have drunk a 100 ml serving, I quite liked my shots and it made the drink last longer. If the taste is too strong you can also dilute with hot or cold water. I took to drinking this in the morning for a 'get going boost' and found it did help. It contains electrolytes and minerals and claims to be 'exceptional for an athletic and active lifestyle' so would be good to have on hand if you were out and about.

I really liked this and it's one of these drinks that actually feels like it's doing you good. It's unpasteurized to retain the health benefits and has no sugar so it's definitely a drink I will be buying again in the future, plus, it's made in New Zealand which is always a bonus!!

Trying this product was certainly a big jump out of my comfort zone. Once receiving it I was still a little hesitant and it has been one of the last products in my box of review goodies that I have tried. Upon receiving the bottle I placed it in the fridge after reading on the bottle that it needed to be refrigerated at around 4 degrees.

Reading the label it was easy to see the ingredients that have been used to create the drink. They are written very clearly and it includes information about the percentage of each ingredient used. For people who want to know exactly what they are putting into their body they can easily see what is included in this drink. Noticing that apple cider vinegar was one of the main ingredients in this drink I knew that it had been created to be healthy. A fellow work mate often takes a shot of straight apple cider vinegar at work, swearing that it does good things for her and her body. I haven't yet been able to get past the smell and taste of apple cider vinegar to trial it and see what it can do for me.

Upon opening the bottle I was met with an over powering aroma of vinegar. Trying to get past the apple cider vinegar there is then the aroma of ginger, another ingredient that isn't a favourite of mine. Unfortunately I can't pick up the smell of any of the other ingredients, it definitely doesn't smell berry like to me. Perhaps this is because the two most dominant smells are ones that I don't hugely enjoy! Upon taking a sip I have to admit I didn't enjoy the drink. The taste of the apple cider vinegar is just too strong for my liking. There is definitely the sweet taste of honey to it, and the ginger is there too, but I just can't pull out the flavour of the berry. I do see how other people would enjoy this, and if you are someone who can stomach having apple cider vinegar you would probably quite enjoy this, it just isn't for me.

Of all the varieties I have tried in this range, this one is my favourite. In comparison with the others, it has a milder, more mellow flavour, but its success lies in the balance of ingredients. There is just the right proportion of sweet to sour, and the blackcurrant flavour shines through without overwhelming everything else. I also discerned a hint of citrus, and sure enough, lime was listed as one of the ingredients.

I have been using the Granite Lifeforce Tonic drinks for a fortnight now, and so far have weathered two weeks of broken sleep, long hours at work, and a household full of people with colds. It may not be by chance that I have stayed perfectly healthy without so much as a sniffle, and have had the energy to carry out my work and leisure interests as well as all the extras that seem to have cropped up at home. I imagine that the tonic has certainly contributed to my ongoing fitness and ability to stay on top of everything.

I like the clean lines of the bottle - like the others in the range, the Blackcurrant Blast comes in a distinctive, rather classy bottle with a colour coded band on the top and bottom of the label. It is wine red in colour, in keeping with the colour of the crushed fruit. Blackcurrants are widely known for their high levels of Vitamin C, and because Granite uses only fresh, raw products, the full Vitamin C component is assured. In winter, this vitamin is a powerful weapon against viruses that thrive in damp conditions, but even in warmer weather, there are bugs around so anything that helps to combat them is beneficial.

The first time I tried this variety, I drank it at room temperature and really enjoyed it. In fact, I had to make sure I did not use it all in one go. After that, I stored the partly used bottle in the fridge as the instructions specified that it should be kept chilled so it maintained its freshness. However, because I did not like the chilled version quite so much (as there was some loss of flavour), I reverted to pouring it from the fridge and then leaving it at room temperature for a while before drinking it. This meant I was continuing to enjoy the drink each time I had some.

Will I buy it again? Yes, I think it has proved to be useful in maintaining health and at the same time it is an enjoyable drink with breakfast. I don't think it will replace my mandatory coffee at the start of the day, but it will happily accompany it.

How intriguing.....I don't think I ever tried a drink calling itself a tonic, but this is exactly what Granite Blackcurrant Blast says it is on the bottle. I keenly checked the ingredients and saw that the main one was apple cider vinegar, now that made me quite nervous; a few years ago I bought a big bottle of it with every intention of following some fad diet by drinking it daily but frankly I couldn't stomach it! But getting over myself I noticed the drink had so many other good points; organic, raw, naturally preserved and made in New Zealand, so I thought I'd better give it a try.

When I opened the bottle I was surprised to see that the drink wasn't carbonated, for some reason the liquid looked like it was but I was pleased it wasn't as it added to the organic raw feeling of the drink. I'm not going to lie the first taste has a little vinegary but as I continued to sip it (and I think you should sip it), the tastes of honey, ginger and blackcurrant really came through. I began to quite enjoy the tart taste and decided the recommendation of 100ml minimum daily for adults would be good for me, so over a course of three days I enjoyed drinking it in the morning. I think the tonic did give me a pick me up for the day and I loved the fact it was very low in sugar, a perfect way for me to start my working week.

I would recommend to anyone who is interested in improving their energy and is looking for a natural way to compliment their heath and body regime.