The Good: Good taste, Very nutritious
The Bad: Expensive, Does not taste distinctly like anything.
The Basics: Bolthouse Farms Antioxidant Rich Berry Boost Fruit Smoothie is a good, but not exceptional, addition to the Bolthouse drink line.
By now, it ought to be clear that I am a fan of Bolthouse Farms healthy beverages. In fact, the only thing that robs Bolthouse Farms drinks of generally higher ratings by me is the expense of the drink. At an average price of $2.99 for a 15.2 fluid ounce bottle, it is a little tough to swallow. Sure, one gets vastly more nutrition from these drinks than from cartons of juice, but for around the same price as a 64 fl. oz. carton, to get only 15.2 fluid ounces – less than two full servings – is a real disappointment.
That said, Antioxidant Rich Berry Boost Fruit Smoothie is good, but not extraordinary. This is one of the more objectively average drinks in the brand’s assortment.
Basics
Bolthouse Farms is a health drink brand, which is like an energy drink except that is designed for more of a full-health solution (as opposed to being a liquid vitamin supplement) and they tend to taste better. This is a fruit beverage that is enhanced with nutrients. Bolthouse Farms Antioxidant Rich Berry Boost comes in a 15.2 fl. oz. plastic bottle that is smooth and very portable. The #1 recyclable bottle is filled with the opaque purple liquid, which looks much like a bunch of fruit was just blended together, that is Antioxidant Rich Berry Boost. Bolthouse Farms juice products is one of the leading manufacturer of healthy prepared beverages, both of fruit juices and dairy beverages.
The 15.2 fl. oz. bottle is intended to give consumers just under two servings, which seems pretty ridiculous to me. For some strange reason, Bolthouse Farms cheaps out on a full 16 fl. oz. bottle, which would be two servings.
Ease Of Preparation
Bolthouse Farms Antioxidant Rich Berry Boost is a liquid in the 15.2 fl. oz. bottle and is a ready-to-drink beverage. So, preparation is as easy as opening a plastic bottle. Berry Boost has a plastic cap that easily twists off and can be put back on in order to reseal it. It is important to note that this is supposed to be refrigerated, so quality of the beverage may degrade if it is left out at room temperature before or after the bottle is open. This has a pretty standard security seal ring around the lower half of the cap and informs the consumer as to whether the product has been opened by cracking off when the top is twisted.
Taste
Bolthouse Farms Antioxidant Rich Berry Boost smells fruity, with the scent dominated by blueberries and strawberries. This adequately prepares the consumer for the flavor of the beverage and anyone who likes fruit is likely to be salivating by the time they finish smelling this!
As for the taste, here Bolthouse Farms makes something both delightful and somewhat odd. The initial flavor of the fruit smoothie is a burst of sweetness. The Berry Boost is distinctly berry-flavored in its taste after that and for every subsequent sip of the drink. The flavor changes with almost every sip from blueberry and raspberry to raspberry and strawberry to blackberry and blueberry . . . the flavor is a solid mash-up of berries and it is good, but it is not at all distinct as a result. In other words, this is like a healthy fruit punch; it is flavored like fruit and tastes good in that regard, but it is somewhat indistinct and does not embody any single (or even a pair of) fruit flavor(s).
The aftertaste from the Antioxidant Rich Berry Boost fruit smoothie is slightly sour, but it is not unpleasant.
Nutrition
As a healthy fruit beverage, Bolthouse Farms Antioxidant Rich Berry Boost Fruit Smoothie is designed to fill in some of the nutritional gaps one might have in their diet, while tasting pretty awesome to boot! Nutritionally, Bolthouse Farms Antioxidant Rich Berry Boost is a great option for those who are dieting or are trying to improve their health. Antioxidant Rich Berry Boost is primarily composed of apple puree from concentrate, apple juice from concentrate, and blackberry puree. It contains nothing bad, but does have additional vitamins pumped into it. It is gluten free and does not appear to contain any meat or dairy products in it, so it IS Vegan compliant! As well, there are no preservatives, artificial flavors or colors or genetically modified ingredients!
This drink is also exceptionally healthy for you. One serving of Antioxidant Rich Berry Boost has 1 g fat and 130 calories, 10 of which come from the fat. While there are 21 grams of sugars, the beverage has no cholesterol nor protein! Rather nicely, there are only 20 mg (1% RDA) of sodium in each serving. A single serving is a sufficient source of Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Potassium, and Vitamin B12. It has more than your daily needs for Vitamin C.
Storage/Clean-up
Bolthouse Farms Antioxidant Rich Berry Boost comes in a plastic bottle and it keeps for only a few months. The bottle I bought the in mid-February had an expiration date of April 5, 2012. This beverage must be refrigerated!
This drink is a fruit product and bright purple. If this gets on clothes, it will certainly stain them. Consult a care guide for your clothes, though I suspect light clothes would need bleach to get this out. Still, the drink wipes off surfaces easily with a cloth, assuming they are impermeable.
Overall
Bolthouse Farms Antioxidant Rich Berry Boost tastes good, but is what it is. This drink is a pretty indistinct mix of several berries that tastes like a bunch of fruit blended up together. It is okay, but not extraordinary in any way.
For other Bolthouse beverages, please check out my reviews of:
Perfectly Protein Chocolate
Protein Plus Vanilla Chai
Protein Plus Chocolate Mocha
5/10
For other food reviews, please visit my index page for a complete listing by clicking here!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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