The Good: Nutritious, Generally flavorful
The Bad: Not exceptionally blueberry flavored, Proportionately expensive
The Basics: A good snack, Craisins Blueberry Dried Cranberries snack are a great alternative for raisins for those looking for something flavorful.
Last year, at the New York State Fair, we were visited by Massachusetts' own Ocean Spray. They came with samples, like original Craisins (reviewed here!) and all sorts of Ocean Spray powdered juice drinks. Since then, I have pretty steadily gone through the various Ocean Spray products and the latest one I have found myself gorging upon are the Blueberry Craisins.
Basics
Craisins, for those who are not familiar with them, are dried cranberries. Yes, Ocean Spray was clever: cranberry + raisins = Craisins. The Blueberry flavor Craisins are cranberries that have been dehydrated and then infused with blueberry juice. The intent is to make the dried cranberry taste more like a blueberry and Ocean Spray succeeds in making them taste somewhat sweeter, if not like a blueberry.
Blueberry Craisins come in various sizes, but always in sealed foil packs. The larger packs have zipper packs that allow them to be sealed in for freshness. The serving size is one ounce, which is approximately fifty Craisins. The Blueberry Craisins can be used in pretty much any recipe that raisins are required for as they react almost identically to raisins. If acidity is an issue in the diet or recipe, be sure to confirm that Blueberry Craisins will work instead, though the Blueberry infused Craisins do not seem as acidic as the Original and not much more acidic than raisins.
Ease Of Preparation
Blueberry Craisins are simple to prepare. Simply open the bag and remove them from it! There is no trick to eating Blueberry Craisins; they are a snack that is ready to go from the bag to the mouth.
Taste
Blueberry Craisins smell more like cranberries than blueberries when one opens the pouch. The scene is slightly acidic in the nose and is strongly fruity. There is a slight underscent, but it is not distinctly that of blueberries.
Each of the little dark purple Blueberry Craisins is surprisingly bland and underwhelming. In fact, with only a single Blueberry Craisin on my tongue, the best way I could describe the dried fruit snack was "vaguely sweet" and "dry." But when a whole mouthful is put on the tongue, there is a strong, juicy flavor. The Blueberry Craisins insinuate the flavor of blueberries without ever truly living up to the potential of them. Eating the Blueberry Craisins yields a flavor much like the aftertaste of a swig of blueberry juice.
But what the flavor does have going for it is an overwhelming sweetness and rich fruit flavor. While the flavor is not as distinctive as one might hope for a blueberry infused product, the Blueberry Craisins effectively cut any sourness from the dried cranberry making for a healthy snack that is, at the very least, palatable.
Nutrition
Blueberry Craisins are an all natural snack, with no artificial preservatives. Given that the ingredients are mostly cranberries, sugar, and blueberry juice from concentrate, there is nothing hiding in them that will surprise consumers. These have a shelf life of approximately one year, so it's not a bad food or snack to stock up on.
Each one ounce serving of Blueberry Craisins has 100 calories, none of which come from fat. There are also two grams of dietary fiber. Outside that, there are no significant nutrients in a serving. This surprised me, as I figured there would be vitamins, but the packaging does not indicate any vitamins in this treat! As a result, this is a snack that is not at all bad for consumers, but not exactly bursting with nutrients for them either.
Storage/Clean-up
Kept in their bag, Blueberry Craisins will remain fresh for a year and as long as the bag is resealed, one suspects they will last that long anyway. Because I've been getting them from the terribly unenvironmental sample packs, I've never had to deal with issues of freshness for my Blueberry Craisins.
Cleanup is simple as well. Blueberry Craisins are a dry food and thus leave no mess behind. Simply toss out the foil bag and cleanup is done!
Overall
Blueberry Craisins are a pleasure to eat, but they are not the most true-to-flavor snack on the market. Still, they are sweet enough to enjoy and have nothing bad in them, making them a decent alternative for children to sugary snacks.
For other foods, check out my reviews of:
Idahoan Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Dole Sensation Natural Guava Juice
Kraft Deli Deluxe Bacon Cheddar Slices
6/10
For other food and drink reviews, please click here to visit my index page!
© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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