Thursday, May 08, 2008

Comparison of Various Mango Juice Brands

The first in a series of posts reviewing, of all things, Mango juice/Mango drinks. A result of both too much free time, and a surprisingly well-stocked international foods section at nearby grocery stores. Enjoy!

*****

Tropical Grove by Allen's
"Mango Flavored Juice Drink"

IMG_2854-cropProduct of Canada

Each Serving:
Cost - $0.25
Size - 8fl oz / Calories - 120 / Fat - 0g / Sodium - 5g / Sugars - 28g

Composition:
15% Juice. Water, Liquid Invert Sugar, Concentrated (Orange, Apple, Grape, Pear, Mango) Juice. Less than 0.5% of Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Yellows #5 & #6.

Taste & Texture:
A thin, orange-yellow colored liquid. It tastes more like a (bad tasting) fruit punch dominated more by pears and grapes than mangoes; even though it's not listed in the ingredients, it also tastes like artificial peach. I can't actually taste any mango, which is not surprising given that of the various fruit concentrates going into this drink, mango is listed last. It's cloyingly sweet and leaves a sour aftertaste. Cheap, but tastes terrible. F. Pass.

*****

Mira
"Mango Premium Tropical Nectar"

mira-cropProduct of Egypt

Each Serving:
Cost - $0.57
Size - 8fl oz / Calories - 130 / Fat - 0g / Sodium - 40mg / Sugars - 31g

Composition:
23% Juice. Water, Mango Puree, Sugar, Pectin, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Calcium Chloride, Natural Colors (Annatto).

Taste & Texture:
A thick yellow-orange liquid. Actually tastes like mango, and is nice and sweet. There is a hint of something bitter or "industrial" tasting (for lack of a better word) in this drink. It's not unpleasant, but it's just noticeable after the initial sweet flavor. The drink finishes cleanly with no lingering aftertaste. Kinda pricey, but it's alright. C+. Try.

*****

Jumex
"Mango Nectar from Concentrate"

jumex-cropProduct of Mexico

Each Serving:
Cost - $0.38
Size - 8fl oz / Calories - 140 / Fat - 0g / Sodium - 40mg / Sugars - 32g

Composition:
30% Juice. Water, Mango Puree from Concentrate, Sugar and/or HFCS, Pectin, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Beta Carotene.

Taste & Texture:
A thick yellow-orange liquid. Tastes sort of like mango, but no cigar. It's not sweet enough; actually, it's a little on the sour side - like underripe mangoes were used. Leaves a slight sour taste in the mouth. C-. Pass.

*****

Goya
"Mango Nectar"

goya-cropProduct of Canada

Each Serving:

Cost - $0.48
Size - 8fl oz / Calories - 140 / Fat - 0g / Sodium - 5mg / Sugars - 35 g

Composition:
23% Juice. Water, Mango Puree, Liquid Invert Sugar, Modified Corn Starch, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Ascorbic Acid.

Taste & Texture:
A thick-ish yellow-orange liquid. Of this group of four drinks, tastes the most like mango. It also has a nice mango-ey aroma to it. Nice and sweet, and it has just a right amount of tanginess to it. B+. Buy.

*****

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2 comments:

Stephen said...

Excellent review! I am curious regarding a piece of information which seems to have been left out. What length of time was there between sampling? How did you ensure that your palate was properly decontaminated of previous samples? Keep up the good work!

Bobby said...

I sampled the drinks on consecutive days, and used water to cleanse my palate between samples!

bobbypd. Get yours at bighugelabs.com/flickr