Tony Andrew Meyer

Skinny Fizz Lemon

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 20:50:56 +1200

(Post theme: one good thing by Lyn Lapid)

Last time: St Andrews Limes Limonade, this time: Skinny Fizz Lemon.

330mL can, bought online, same as the raspberry and the lime.

This tastes much like the other two, which is to say a strong sparkling water taste with a hint of lemon behind it. If I liked sparkling water then I suspect I would like these, but I don’t, so I don’t. Neither half of it works for me: not the base, and not the lemon on top of it.

St Andrews Limes Limonade

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 20:40:54 +1200

(Post theme: When Will I by Emerson)

Last time: Six Barrel Cola Six, this time: St Andrews Limes Limonade.

330mL can, bought online, I think.

Three ingredients: sparkling water, lemonade juice and lime juice. That’s the whole thing, and it tastes like it. Mostly what you get is sparkling water, with a hint of lemon and lime somewhere behind it. On its own that’s fine: not interesting, but not more objectionable than regular sparkling water either.

Six Barrel Cola Six

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 21:04:12 +1200

(Post theme: Safe Space by Jack Gray)

Last time: NZ Natural Juice Feijoa, this time: Six Barrel Cola Six.

330mL can, ordered online, same as the rest of the Six Barrel range.

The name is the six flavours that go into it: lime, orange, cinnamon, kola nut, coriander seed and vanilla. That list tells you exactly what sort of cola this is going to be, and it’s the sort I like least - the citrus-and-spice craft cola, as far from Coke as a cola can get while still being called one. I’ve said before that what I actually like is Coke and things adjacent to it, and this is at the opposite end.

NZ Juice - Feijoa

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 16:53:25 +1200

(Post theme: I Knew I Loved You by Savage Garden)

Last time: Pete’s Natural Feijoa Lemonade, this time: NZ Natural Juice Feijoa.

250mL glass bottle, bought online - I’ve never seen these out and about.

I’ve complained about the plastic wrapper around the lid in the apple, orange, wildberries and gold peach posts, so I’ll skip a fifth round. What I haven’t complained enough about is that the lids themselves can be extremely hard to open. It took me three days of periodically having another go before this one gave in. If I’d been at a café I would simply have given up and ordered something else. It’s worse when the bottle is cold, I think, but obviously you want the juice to be cold, so that’s no excuse.

Pete's Natural Feijoa Lemonade

Sun, 30 Aug 2026 23:02:35 +1200

(Post theme: You You You by Maisie Peters)

Last time: Karma Drinks Organic Gingerella, this time: Pete’s Natural Feijoa Lemonade.

250mL can, and I think this one was a gift from my sister. I’ve ordered Pete’s online before, but I’m not sure that I’ve seen these anywhere else - but I did find the plain lemonade at New World so maybe there?

This is nice, and the feijoa is distinct. It’s only part of it, though, rather than the full feijoa flavour - perhaps the lemonade half overpowers it?

Karma Drinks Gingerella

Sat, 29 Aug 2026 20:04:11 +1200

(Post theme: All The Things She Said by t.A.T.u.)

Last time: Picky Hydrate Lemon & Lime, this time: Karma Drinks Organic Gingerella.

330mL can. I don’t remember where I got this one, but Karma is pretty widely available - supermarkets, cafés, and direct from Karma online if you want a dozen.

The URL calls it a ginger ale and the page calls it a ginger beer, and to my taste it lands nearer the beer end, which ought to be a point in its favour: I generally prefer ginger beer. Somehow it isn’t. Outside of the actual ginger-beer taste there’s something here I don’t much like, and I can’t put my finger on what. Lower sugar, maybe? I have an awful suspicion that if I graphed my scores against sugar content I’d get quite the straight line.

Picky Hydrate Lemon & Lime

Sat, 29 Aug 2026 19:43:08 +1200

(Post theme: Gonna Fly Now (Theme from “Rocky”) by Bill Conti)

Last time: Skinny Fizz Lime, this time: Picky Hydrate Lemon & Lime.

250mL can, my third in the Hydrate range after the Berry and the Orange & Mango.

Picky make great juices - the Apple & Feijoa is one of my favourites - so I keep hoping there will be a sparkling water I enjoy. I’m not a sparkling water person so it’s a challenge. But this is definitely not it: the flavour itself is unappealing.

Skinny Fizz Lime

Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:11:23 +1200

(Post theme: serena joy by Olivia Rodrigo)

Last time: NZ Natural Juice Gold Peach, this time: Skinny Fizz Lime.

330mL can, bought online, same as the raspberry.

I like water. I like water with a touch of lime in it. This is that, with bubbles, and I do not like it. Short story, but a true one.

3.9/10.

NZ Juice - Gold Peach

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 19:38:41 +1200

(Post theme: I Feel Pretty (Sometimes) by Maddy Low)

Last time: Six Barrel Lemonade, this time: NZ Natural Juice Gold Peach.

250mL glass bottle, ordered online - I’ve not seen these anywhere else. Same plastic wrapper in the lid as every other one of theirs, and it’s no less annoying the fourth time around.

I’ve never loved peaches. A nectarine is alright, but even that’s not something I’d go out of my way for, so a peach juice was never likely to be a winner here, and it wasn’t. This is very much peach: if you like peaches, I’d guess this is a perfectly good example of one, made as carefully as the rest of the range. That’s about the most useful thing I can tell you, because the flavour is the thing I don’t want, and there’s nothing else going on to distract me from it.

Six Barrel Lemonade

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 19:31:44 +1200

(Post theme: Writing’s On The Wall by ROLE MODEL)

Last time: Skinny Fizz Raspberry, this time: Six Barrel Lemonade.

330mL can, ordered online. I don’t think I’ve seen these anywhere else.

There’s a distinctive Six Barrel taste that runs through everything of theirs I’ve had, and, unfortunately, I’m not much of a fan. When I had the Ginger Ale I put my fairly lukewarm response down to not being a ginger ale person, which was true enough, but with a lemonade in front of me that can’t be the only issue. It’s the house style I don’t enjoy, not the flavour it’s wrapped around.

Skinny Fizz Raspberry

Thu, 27 Aug 2026 19:14:02 +1200

(Post theme: Mr. Brightside by The Killers)

Last time: Good Juju Pre+ Pro+ Postbiotic Raspberry Soda, this time: Skinny Fizz Raspberry.

330mL can, bought online. I have a feeling I’ve seen these somewhere else as well, but I can’t think of where.

This is a soda water with a splash of flavour, not a raspberry soft drink. Despite the impression recent posts might give, I drink a lot of water, and I like it. I also drink plenty of soft drink, and like that. But sparkling water is the one I’ve never been able to get on board with, and adding a bit of flavour doesn’t change that. This is better than plain soda water, and the raspberry that’s there is a pretty decent taste. It’s just not my thing.

Good Juju Pre+ Pro+ Postbiotic Raspberry Soda

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:35:38 +1200

(Post theme: Miracles by Sam Major)

Last time: NZ Juice Wildberries, this time: Good Juju Pre+ Pro+ Postbiotic Raspberry Soda.

330mL can, and a delightfully bright pink one at that, found in a Wellington supermarket - like the lemonade, I haven’t seen it anywhere else.

My expectations were very low, based on that first Good Juju experience. I was very pleasantly surprised. This has a very nice raspberry flavour, and while there’s a hint at the end of what I assume is the pre- and post-biotic taste, it’s pretty mild - nothing like the lingering disgust of the lemonade.

NZ Juice - Wildberries

Sun, 23 Aug 2026 18:05:13 +1200

(Post theme: Edge of the Earth by The Beaches)

Last time: Benjer Raspberry & Apple, this time: NZ Natural Juice Wildberries.

250mL glass bottle, with the same annoying plastic wrap around the top that I’ve complained about in the apple and orange posts. Third time, still annoying, still going straight in the bin.

“Wildberries” is dominated by blueberry and blackcurrant.

This is a well-made juice, and if blueberry is your berry then you’ll do very well out of it. But I’ve been working my way through a run of berry drinks lately, and the conclusion keeps being the same: these aren’t the berries I’d prefer to drink. It wasn’t bad at all - it’s just not what I’d reach for.

Benjer - Raspberry & Apple

Sun, 23 Aug 2026 18:02:11 +1200

(Post theme: Pleasure and Pain by the Divinyls)

Last time: Good Sh*t Ginger, this time: Benjer Raspberry & Apple.

275mL glass bottle, ordered online.

This is very close to the Boysenberry & Apple, both in taste and in the conclusion I came to: it turns out that I would rather eat a raspberry than drink one.

A perfectly reasonable juice, but there are others I would have before it - including several other Benjer ones.

Good Sh*t Ginger

Sun, 23 Aug 2026 17:47:57 +1200

(Post theme: Who Loves Who The Most by The Exponents)

Last time: Benjer Boysenberry & Apple, this time: Good Sh*t Ginger.

330mL can, from a supermarket - New World, I think, although I wouldn’t swear to it.

This is more ginger ale than ginger beer, which is unfortunate since I prefer the latter. Apparently, there are three other flavours, all of which I think I would prefer, so I should try thise at some point.

Benjer - Boysenberry & Apple

Sun, 23 Aug 2026 17:39:40 +1200

(Post theme: Tip Of My Tongue by Emerson)

Last time: Benjer Cherry & Apple, this time: Benjer Boysenberry & Apple.

275mL glass bottle, ordered online.

The boysenberry comes through clearly. There’s nothing wrong with the juice. Turns out, I’d rather eat a boysenberry than drink one.

5.8/10.

Benjer - Cherry & Apple

Sun, 23 Aug 2026 00:20:00 +1200

(Post theme: Hands to Myself by Selena Gomez)

Last time: Karma Drinks Organic Karma Cola, this time: Benjer Cherry & Apple.

275mL glass bottle, ordered online.

I love cherries. They’re a top-three fruit, at least. So it’s genuinely strange to me that I have never found a cherry juice I like, and this one doesn’t break the run.

The taste of cherries is definitely here, and yet in a drink I still don’t love it. Cherry 100% works for me when I’m eating it and not when I’m drinking it.

Karma Drinks - Karma Cola

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 22:05:12 +1200

(Post theme: Odds are 3 to 1 by The Clintons)

Last time: Benjer Orange, this time: Karma Drinks Organic Karma Cola.

330mL can, bought at a supermarket, although these are available all over the place.

I’ve been circling this for a while, and I think I’ve finally settled on it: there are three kinds of cola to me. There’s Coke and the inferior Coke imitators. There’s the ones that taste like some variant of SodaStream cola - Coes and Foxton’s Kola both live around there. And then there’s the ones like this, which I suspect are the more pure cola taste, and which are my least favourite of the three.

Benjer - Orange

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 21:56:00 +1200

(Post theme: She Looks So Perfect by 5 Seconds of Summer)

Last time: Karma Drinks Organic Lemmy Lemonade, this time: Benjer Orange.

275mL glass bottle. Ordered online - I still don’t see these anywhere else, unfortunately.

A good, solid orange juice. It’s more tart than Keri, which remains my favourite, but it’s non-pulpy, which is very much my preference, and it makes for a properly refreshing cold drink.

6.2/10.

Karma Drinks Lemmy Lemonade

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 21:31:16 +1200

(Post theme: Smile by Maisie Peters)

Last time: St Andrews Limes Passionade, this time: Karma Drinks Organic Lemmy Lemonade.

330mL can, bought at one of the supermarkets, although these are widely available - supermarkets, cafés, and direct from Karma if you want a dozen.

This is a lot like Lift, which is not a criticism: Lift is a perfectly good lemon drink and this sits comfortably in the same space. If anything the lemon here is slightly sharper, which I would prefer some days and not others. Cold from the fridge it does exactly what a lemonade should.