Hansen's versus Shasta's Root Beer

This is a review of Hansen's root beer which is sold at Trader Joe's supermarkets and how it compares with Shasta's root beer.

As previously blogged, I bought a six-pack of Hansen's root beer at the Trader Joes supermarket in Annapolis. Hansen's root beer has some immediate advantages. For starters, they don't insert caffeine to give an artificial energy boost. Second, they don't use any preservatives. Their root beer is totally natural. Lastly, it is sodium free. This can be of concern to someone who is watching their blood pressure. In terms of taste, Hansen's has a good smooth root beer taste. It also isn't heavily carbonated so you're getting a decent amount of root beer instead of a lot of fizz. In comparison to Shasta's root beer, Shasta also has no caffeine and no sodium. Shasta does use potassium benzoate as a preservative. So far as I know, I've never suffered any ill effects from that preservative. In terms of cost, Shasta is 2 cents cheaper an ounce than Hansen's. You can also get Shasta in bigger containers such as a 2 liter plastic bottle. So far as I know, you can only get Hansen's in 12 ounce aluminum cans. As far as I know, Shasta's plastic bottles and Hansen't aluminum cans are both recyclable.

So which is the better root beer? Taste wise, I think they're about equal. Price wise, Shasta wins in that category. However, Hansen's is probably the better root beer for you in that there aren't any chemicals in it. Another disadvantage to Hansen's is that you'd have to drive to Trader Joes to get it. Depending on where you live, this can be a bit of a hassle as in my case. Conversely, there are plenty of stores that sell Shasta soda. So, in my opinion, I have to give the nod to Shasta. It beats out Hansen's in terms of price and ease of purchasing. Still, when I'm at Trader Joes, I'm going to make sure I pick up a couple six-packs of Hansen's. I think the fewer preservatives and other chemicals we put in our bodies the better. Cheers!