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I never thought I'd say this, but these days, I'm more of a tea person than a coffee person. Ever since getting hooked on ginger tea, I've slowly made my way to other herbal teas and, most recently, black and green tea. Not that I wasn't able to drink them before, but now I actually like them.

Snapple must've known. They shipped over a giant container of their latest drink, Papaya Mango Iced Tea, a new limited-edition beverage released in partnership with CBS's The Amazing Race, and "inspired by the exotic flavors and rich tea tradition of India." We tried both the regular and diet versions, which are, according to the label, "naturally flavored with other natural flavors." What does that even mean?

"The regular tastes good!" Katie remarked on first sip. It's true: the fruity-floral initial notes, mildly bitter black tea, and sweet ending are inherently satisfying. As a longtime Diet Coke drinker, I preferred the aspartame version. It tastes similarly refreshing and doesn't have the lingering aftertaste of some diet beverages. Neither had distinctly mango or papaya notes, but generally tropical, almost pineapple-y flavors.

I don't buy bottled iced tea often, but this would be the perfect drink to get into gear for Spring's warmer days. What's your favorite iced tea flavor?

Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Dr Pepper Snapple Group have just done the unthinkable. They've banded together in print and television ads to promote their new campaign to remove full-calorie soft drinks from nationwide schools. The joint initiative, spearheaded by the American Beverage Association (ABA) and called Clear on Calories, hopes to tackle childhood obesity with actions such as placing calories on the front of packages, vending machines, and fountain machines.

Thus far, the campaign has involved removing full-calorie sodas, and replacing them with portion-sized options like juice, tea, and water. So far, Clear on Calories has led to an 88 percent decrease in calories from beverages shipped to schools in 2004 — and the goal is to have all full-calorie soft drinks completely removed by 2012.

Through the campaign, the beverage industry hopes to fend off potentially costly legislation, such as taxes on sweetened beverages. "The 'clear on calories' initiative will have far more impact in addressing childhood obesity than a tax ever will," Kevin Keane, an executive at the ABA, told Ad Age. Can the top soft drink giants harness their market influence to effect a healthy change, or should the government step in to take action?

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