BevNet Slams Gatorade Rain

BevNet is an beverage industry Web site that frequently does reviews of the latest and greatest in the drink world. Well, I just came across their review of Gatorade Rain, the new Gatorade line with a lighter taste profile. They say the Berry flavor "tastes like watered down candy" and didn't have a favorable review on the lime product either. "We simply don't see the point of this product," the reviewer writes. The illusion of a lighter product didn't work for us." While I'm not in the position to fight hard to Rain -- I haven't switched over from regular Gatorade -- I do, unlike BevNet, like the packaging. Thoughts on Rain are encouraged. So fire away!

Comments

[Tim]

I really liked all of the rain products. They do well for me when I am in an active state unlike the sweeter heavier flavors like the lemonades which i can only enjoy in a meal setting. Bevnet is also known for writing bad reviews for the bigger name brands. I dont know why but they just do.

[Josh]

My wife and I drink Gatorade for both sports and general drinking and we both like all three of the Rain flavors. I especially like the berry. I miss the Cool Blue, which had a great fresh citrus flavor, the old Tropical Burst, and the really old Lemon Ice, but the new lemonade and Rain flavors are nice options.

[David Evertsen]

I think the flavors are okay. The lime tastes like a kids popsicle watered down. The others do as well. They aren't bad though, just not my favorites. I really prefer Xfactor Lemon-lime and some of the old Ice flavors.

[Darren Rovell]

The funny thing is I water down my Gatorade anyway sometimes because if I'm not exercising I don't want all those calories. So the Rain tastes the same as my watered down Gatorade, except it has all the calories still in it!

[bathow]

Hope you don't mind. I submitted your story to
sportsken.com to share w/ some other people.

http://sportsken.com/article/show/58

[Joshua Taj Bozeman]

I picked up a bottle of the Berry flavor the other day, and to me it didn't taste like much of anything. It has a sort of watered down flavor. It doesn't list this as a flavored water drink, but that's what I thought it was when I drank it.

Much too light for me- it was like drinking water with a small hint (and I mean very very small hint) of berry.

I like the labels tho- the font that spells out "rain" definitely lets you know it's a different category altogether. It stood out, which is why I picked up a bottle to begin with.

[Matt]

They all taste like Jello.

[John]

I bought a bottle of gatorade Rain Berry.

All I can say is it's like a watered down light version of gatorade.

Taste great but I'll stick to the older stuff like burry and Burry X factor.

[Aaron]

The point of the new gatorade rain which many people seem to be missing is that it does not include the dyes used in normal gatorade that have been implicated as carcinogens.

[Jacquilyn]

My favorite gatorade outdated flavors were the Citrus and Watermelon. I know a lot of people on the US Mainland are hooked on the Mango cuz the store shelves would be empty or near empty of this flavor from East coast to Midwest to West coast 2005. I am living on the Big Island of Hawaii on the Puna-side and Malama Market is the only store in Pahoa that keeps the Mango well stocked.
I haven't tried the Rain yet....LOL We sure got plenty/choke RAIN here on the islands!!!

[Dave]

I wonder if those who don't like the gatorade are kids that like to eat sweets and drink sodas all the time. I really like Gatorade Rain since it is less sweet and really refreshing when exercising or being active. I think the flavor is fine also. I prefer water over sodas and like to add a bit of flavor. I have often watered down regular gatorade. As a weekend football coach we tell our kids to only drink water due to other drinks having too much sugar.

[Adam]

I recently tried the Tangerine Rain flavor and it nearly made me puke. No, I'm not exaggerating. Granted I wasn't using it while being active, but I can't imagine it being that much better. I'm also not a kid or someone that is addicted to sugary drinks. The new Gatorade Rain actually does taste like a watered down version of those cheap kids freezie pops. I would defitnetly buy one bottle and try this before buying a 24 bottle case, like I did. Ugh.

[Derek]

I think it tastes like watered down gatorade. Since I frequently water down my gatorade, I think it tastes fine, but I can get twice as much drink by watering down the non-rain. I'm stunned to see the nutritional info shows just as many sugars as regular gatorade; my taste buds disagree. The coloring comment seems ridiculous to me. Nearly all processed foods, including Gatorade Rain, all use the same dyes.

[Nate]

Rain is maaaaaaad nice, I drink it all the time. Lime is def. the best, they're all mad clean and crisp, I dig the sh*t. Wicked smooth feel to it, it almost slips down your throat. And no cottonmouth or phlegm afterwards. This is the best Gatorade, I love it, and anyone that disagrees is out their tree.

[Chris A.]

I LOVE the Rain line of gatorade, I work in shipping where there's no A/C and while loading trailers it can reach up to 110 deg. or more, now I love gatorade, I just don't like all the dye and what not that they use (not that they probably provide any flavor) so the Rain is nice because it's a light taste with not so much coloring, I try and freeze them for about 2-3hrs so they just turn into a smooth slush and that's really refreshing when you're working in the heat.

[mr0t]

The above post about carcinogens is indeed correct. Sodium benzoate is a preservative in Gatorade (and many other drinks as well). Epidimiological studies show a slight correlation between benzoate consumption and cancer, and in vitro experiments show that the benzoate ion can indeed convert to benzene, a known carcinogen. The process is accelerated in the presence of organic acids, especially ascorbic and citric acids. These are all found in abundance in regular Gatorade. So, drink up.

For the record I like Rain better than regular gatorade because it doesn't have the overwhelming sweetness and acidity of regular gatorade. I have to drink constantly due to a medical condition and I consume about 1.5 L of berry rain a day.

I can see why people wouldn't like it though. My mouth is really sensitive, I cant even eat mild sauce at taco bell. So, my palate is not typical.

Anyway, there's not a *definitive* verdict on the benzene problem, because the FDA hasn't issued any statements on the matter, but the consensus in the scientific literature is that chronic consumption of benzoate containing drinks will increase one's risk of cancer by a slight but statistically significant amount. Studies to the contrary are out there, but are all funded by major beverage companies and generally published in journals that have no connection to the subject (a common marker of junk science). I still drink soda that has benzoate, but only a few per week.

Of course, I smoke cigarettes so it's not like it makes a difference@!

[mr0t]

WTF? my post was attributed to "ChrisA" not me, mr0t.

I couldn't agree with Derek more. Also I think to truly appreciate Rain it has to be very very cold. I sometimes drink a quarter of a bottle and put ice cubes in it. gotta melt them down to size over the sink first, though.. the bottles should have wider caps for bigger slugging. thats my only complaint.

[Scott L]

I love the lime flavor - really refreshing. But - has anyone ever noticed with the Rain flavors that if you freeze them so that they are very cold but not frozen, you can either drink them refreshingly cold, OR shake it lightly and watch the ENTIRE bottle of Rain crystallize before your eyes. It's very cool to watch, plus you get to enjoy a slushy right afterwards.