CherryFlex Concentrate

My new bottle of CherryFlex Concentrate

UPDATE: The very kind folks at Underwood Orchards are offering my readers and friends a $5 discount on their first order of CherryFlex Concentrate or CherryFlex Gel. Go get it!!! The Discount code is Ginger (Not case specific).

I was recently given the opportunity to test out a new product entering the market. CherryFlex is an American brand of superfruit made from the whole fruit. Tart Cherry has recently become increasingly popular because it is a natural source of anti-oxidants that help relieve joint and muscle pain, and it has properties to release melatonin to help with sleep. Well, I have issues with all of that, but I hate taking supplements or medications or anything really. Anyway ...CherryFlex has a new product that is a concentrate. The concentrate is a raw past of the entire Montmorency red tart cherry from Michigan. Pulp and skin (no seed). I thought sure, I will give it a shot. So, they sent me a 8-ounce bottle (16 servings) of CherryFlex Concentrate and asked for my opinion. So, here goes ...

Straight off the spoon

How do I use it? Well, the beauty of the concentrate, in my opinion, is the flexibility of use. It's not like a juice concentrate that has to be mixed in water and becomes juice that you have to drink ounces of. I'm not the best at taking in fluids. It's a thick liquid, kind of the consistency of thick maple syrup, smooth texture. So ... since a tablespoon is a serving, you can take it straight off the spoon. I mixed it into Iced Tea for fluids. You could mix it in water for cherry juice. If I drank fizzy water or coke, I think it would be an awesome fizzy cherry juice or cherry coke. And, then I had fun with it. I used it like sauce over ice cream. I ate it like syrup on a waffle for a special treat. And, when I felt really decadent, I used it like sauce on vegan frozen cheesecake. Which did I like best? I think Ice Cream Sauce was my favorite. I bet there are tons of other ways to try it. 

What's in it? I admit, I like natural products and plant-based. I don't like it when I don't know what something is, if it sounds too chemical-ly, or if I can't tell what it came from. I hate when a product has "artificial flavors and colors." What is that? Anyway, the concentrate has two ingredients: Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate and Whole Red Tart Cherry Paste. No added anything. No added sugar. VEGAN!!! Of course, I wouldn't have used it otherwise. And, only 50 calories per tablespoon serving. I can dig that. 

How does it taste? Really, for me it depended on how I used it. Straight from the spoon tasted a little like cough syrup to me. Now, I'm a bit of a freak and I like the flavor of cough syrup and cold medicine. It is a little sweet and a lot tart. A little more tart than a pink Sweet Tart. In Iced Tea, it added a strong cherry flavor to it and overwhelmed the tea. It was more tart than sweet, but had enough sweetness. Oh ... I might add it to my lemonade or limeade. Just thought of that as an option (or even lemon malt beverage of lemon infused vodka, hmmmm). Back to flavor. On a waffle, it was like syrup. Ice cream was like a tart sauce. Cheesecake ... divine. 

I like my ice cream

Did it work? Well, sleep is my biggest issue. Nighttime snacking is another issue as you can tell. So, I was most interested in it for sleep properties. I had a tablespoon at night about an hour before I wanted to go to bed. I admit it, it was easier for me to remember than melatonin, because it was a snack and I didn't have to remember to go take a supplement. I admit, I forgot a few times. I could tell a difference. On nights I used it, I slept more soundly than usual. Nights I forgot and I was up all hours as usual. I actually felt sleepy when I used it. Now, I am still a chronic insomniac with daytime sleepiness, so I can't say it was perfect sleep, but it was better. As for inflammation, well, my hip has been a problem for almost 2 years now. After about a week of steady use, I was thinking to myself, "Either this stuff works, or I've really been easy on my hip." Not pain free, but pain better. I'm out of it now, and the hip is flaring. Coincidence? I don't know. We will see when I get back on it.

Waffle syrup

Where can I get it? Well, on the website, they have a list of stores that carry the brand. And soon, like in a few days I hear, they will have their own website at Underwood Orchards where you (and me) can order on-line.I can't wait!!!

Vegan cheesecake. I was playing with filters

What else do they have? There is a whole line of products available. I guess they liked my pictures and a quick comment I made, so they are sending me Red Tart Cherry Gel to try. I will let you know what I think. It does contain vegetable glycerin as an extra ingredient compared to the concentrate. They also have a dark chocolate version of the gel, but ingredient list says it contains milk, so I'll have to skip it. I bet it's pretty tasty though. The SoftGels contain gelatin, so I'll be passing those also. There are also CherryFlex Shots. 2.5 ounces of liquid goodness.

Semi-famous me