Karvan Cevitam Ice Tea Zero Peach Review
A little while back I got one of Karvan Cévitam’s newest products, Ice Tea Zero Peach syrup! Karvan Cévitam has made fruit syrups which have to be diluted with water to get a delicious glass of lemonade since 1948. Did you know the name Karvan Cévitam emerged right after World War II? There was a fruit shortage and thus a vitamin C shortage, which can lead to scurvy. Karvan Cévitam, then known as Zwaardemaker, had the solution: lemonade syrup that contained a caravan of vitamin C! The name Karvan Cévitam was born.
First Impression
It’s an aluminum can of 0,75L that feels comfortable in the hand. We know the shape and color from the other ice tea syrups that were introduced in 2013, a nice can with an appealing look. Because of the size of the can it’s not easy to carry around, unlike their range of syrups called Karvan Cévitam Go. What is striking is the blue band at the top of the can that says “no added sugars” and the text zero at the bottom of the can.
When we look at the back, it says that it contains no added sugars and is therefore low in calories. The syrup is sweetened with the sugars that are naturally present in fruit. Also, no coloring agents are added.
The ingredients are: water, peach juice from concentrate (10%), acid (citric acid), tea extract (0.7%), acidity regulator (sodium citrates), flavors, sweeteners (sucralose and acesulfame-K), preservatives (sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate).
“For your health, it does not matter whether sweeteners are natural or synthetic. They are both equally safe.”
Voedingscentrum – The Dutch center for food safety
Nutritional Value
| 100 g Syrup | 200 ml Drink(1:7) | |
| Energy | 48 kJ | 12 kJ |
| Energy | 11 kcal | 3 kcal |
| Fat | 0 g | 0 g |
| Saturated Fat | 0 g | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 1,3 g | 0,3 g |
| Sugars | 1 g | 0,3 g |
| Proteins | 0,2 g | 0 g |
| Salt | 0,28 g | 0,07 g |
| “Regular” Peach | 100 g Syrup | 200 ml Drink(1:9) |
| Energy | 1255 kJ | 250 kJ |
| Energy | 300 kcal | 60 kcal |
| Fat | 0 g | 0 g |
| Saturated Fat | 0 g | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 72 g | 14 g |
| Sugars | 72 g | 14 g |
| Proteins | 0,1 g | 0 g |
| Salt | 0,10 g | 0,02 g |
Sweetners
No sugars are added, but there are sweeteners in it. After a little search on Google, I find out the following:
Sucralose is made by replacing 3-OH-groups on a sugar molecule (sucrose) by 3 chlorine atoms. It is the only low-calorie sweetener made from sugar and tastes the same as regular sugar.
It is a stable substance which, in contrast to sugar, is not degraded in the body, and therefore provides no calories.
Acesulfame-K (or acesulfame potassium) is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar (sucrose) and provides no calories. It is an organic salt, which was discovered in Germany in 1967. Acesulfame-K is not converted, or stored in the body. It dissolves easily in water, is quickly absorbed and leaves the body unchanged, via the kidneys.http://www.zoetstoffen.nl/
Sucralose and Acesulfame-K sweetener are thus unchanged in the body, they really only serve to taste but contain no calories.
Ice Tea
With one can ice tea syrup Karvan Cévitam Zero you can make 6 liters of ice tea. Before you pour the syrup you have to shake the can, because residue from the fruit can settle at the bottom of the can.
They advise to dilute 1 part syrup with 7 parts water, which I then dutifully measured my gratuated cylinder. I’m quite a sweet tooth, but I still diluted the syrup some more.
It smells like peach iced tea, just like the non-zero variant. However, the taste is very different! A lot tastier and less sweet. You taste mainly peach and iced tea instead of flavored sugar.
What I do notice about the flavor is that you can taste that there are sweeteners in it instead of sugar. It’s a lot less present than the taste of aspartame and most people won’t even notice, but I can sense that there are sweeteners in it. However, this is not disturbing, the taste of peach iced tea is still predominant. I think it is nice and refreshing and thirst-quenching.
Conclusion
Karvan Cévitam Zero Ice Tea Peach is in a beautiful and striking can that fits comfortably in your hand, but is not practical for traveling. Despite that they claim they used only natural sugars, there are sweeteners in it. You can taste these sweeteners a little bit, but this is a lot less intrusive than, for example Aspartame. It is a yummy and refreshing ice tea variety with low calories, ready for you to taste. Do you like a sparkling iced tea? Then make the syrup with sparkling water.
Karvan Cévitam Ice Tea Zero Peach is now available at Albert Heijn for €2,79 per can of 0,75 liter.
