Review: Minute Maid - Strawberry Aguas Frescas

Minute Maid Strawberry Aguas Frescas is a strawberry-flavored, non-carbonated beverage that is inspired by the Latin American beverages of the same name, which literally means "fresh water" in Spanish.

A 16 fl oz can sells for roughly $1.49, but I received this can courtesy of the Coca-Cola company.

One thing that Minute Maid has nailed down with its line of Aguas Frescas beverages is the aroma. The Strawberry Aguas Frescas smelled like fresh strawberries and was quite appealing. The color was less so, with a very pale pink hue that reflected the low 3 percent juice content of the drink.

The Strawberry Aguas Frescas had a pleasantly tart and fruity flavor that was marred by excessive sweetness and a slightly bitter aftertaste due to the use of sucralose. The artificial sweetener wasn't too apparent in this particular flavor of the Minute Maid Aguas Frescas line, but the cloying sweetness was closer to soda than what I would expect from a mimic of aguas frescas. I think the tartness provided by the strawberry juice helped with balancing the sweetness a fair amount.

Of the three flavors, I would say that the Strawberry Aguas Frescas was the most successful variation. The tartness of the strawberry juice played well with the sucralose to dampen the artificial aftertaste, and the combination of sweet and sour has always been a winner for good reason. Personally, I would have preferred the omission of artificial sweetener for a milder drink, but I recognize that my penchant for less sweet drinks (and distaste for artificial sweetener) may not be the majority opinion.

By Renee.

Nutritional Info - Minute Maid Strawberry Aguas Frescas (16 fl oz)
Calories - 90 (from Fat - 0)
Fat - 0g (Saturated Fat - 0g)
Sodium - 110mg
Carbs - 22g (Sugar - 21g)
Protein - 0g