Friday, January 27, 2012

Trader Joe's Sparkling Blueberry Juice

I loooove me some sweet beverages. I don't care what kind: sodas, juices, energy drinks, milkshakes, nectars, smoothies, frappuccinos, mixed drinks, dessert wines, chocolate milk, or eggnog. I probably drink more calories than I eat. And I'm proud of it. Maybe it's because I'm lazy. The whole act of chewing seems so tedious sometimes.

Why eat a bag of blueberries when you can drink one? TJ's Sparkling Blueberry Juice has got the same great blueberry taste and involves less masticating... No masticating at all as a matter of fact.

In another review of this product that I happened to stumble upon, the taste-tester said this product was "a bit strong." I totally disagree with that statement. Considering that the natural flavor of blueberries is at least a bit strong, I think the flavor of this product is actually a little on the mild side. Not bad. Just a bit mild. The deep, dark color of the beverage is a little misleading if you ask me. Anything with the word "blueberry" on the label should have a big, bold taste. Other than that it, tastes like real, natural blueberries. It's like blueberry juice mixed with some lightly carbonated water.

I also think this product could stand a bit more bubbliness. Carbonation is wonderful. It adds texture to a liquid. Think about it. Foods can have hundreds of different textures, but liquids are either thick or thin -- and they might occasionally have pulp or something -- but carbonation kind of adds texture and body to something that's generally pretty simple. Anyway, that's basically my only complaint. The mild flavor thing isn't really a complaint. Just more of an observation.

Anyhoo, I give it a 3.5 out of 5. I thought about giving it a 4, because it's a great subtitute for champagne (not that it actually tastes anything like champagne), and kind of has that Martinelli's sparkling, non-alcoholicky, fruity vibe. But I've given out a lot of 4's lately. Can't give everything a 4. If it were just a hair stronger or a tad more carbonated, it might have gotten a 4 from me.

Sonia gives it a 4. Her only complaint is that she wishes there were more. At $2.75 a bottle, TJ's could throw us a bone give us more than like 4 glasses-worth.

Bottom line: 7.5 out of 10 stars.

4 comments:

  1. First I love blueberries so it would stand to reason that I would like this as well and I do. :)

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  2. I want to try it, I do, but it's a bit pricey for me.

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  3. Uh, Blueberry Mojitos anyone? LOL

    Great post!
    I'm sorry it has taken me so long to find your Blog.

    I would love to link up as I am the Blogmaster at www.tjsartisthub.com ; an online community for Trader Joe's artists and admirers of their work!

    Please stop in and say hi!

    I have added you on our "blogs we follow" section. Any chance you would consider reciprocating?

    I'll be sure to check in more often!

    -tjsartisthub

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  4. If you like this, you'd love the homemeade version, at a fraction of the price (overall). I make yummy blueberry seltzer al the time, with the Sodastream seltzer maker, adding a shot of blueberry syrup to the liter bottle. The syrup is available at many ethnic stores for around $4/liter, and it has nothing but real blueberries and real sugar in it. Great, natural blueberry seltzer and you can tweak the flavor/sweetness level yourself! (I know this is a TJ blog and I love their stuff, but blueberry seltzer is a favorite here and the TJ stuff is very pricey.)

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