The Good: Tastes good, Exceptionally nutritious
The Bad: Expensive!
The Basics: Bolthouse Farms Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino is my first health beverage I’ve reviewed and while it is quite good, it is very expensive for what you get!
As part of my wife’s new attempt to keep me healthy and alive longer, she has taken the rather smart approach of appealing to my tastebuds. For the most part, this tactic has worked exceptionally well as she has effectively proven to me that taste need not be antithetical to good health. Unfortunately, so many of the best tasting and healthy products are also the most expensive. As a case in point, Bolthouse Farms makes very nutritious drinks and my wife and I have been sampling them of late. But at an average price of $2.99 for a 15 fluid ounce bottle, it is a tough sell for a cheapskate like me!
Basics
Bolthouse Farms is a health drink, 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 like a dairy beverage that is enhanced with nutrients. Bolthouse Farms Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino comes in a 15.2 fl. oz. plastic bottle that is smooth and very portable. The #1 recyclable bottle is filled with the opaque brown liquid, reminiscent of chocolate milk, that is Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino. Bolthouse Farms juice products is one of the leading manufacturer of healthy prepared beverages.
The 15.2 fl. oz. bottle is intended to give consumers just under two servings, which seems pretty ridiculous to me. I mean, seriously, Bolthouse why not just add the other .8 oz. so we actually get two full servings out of a bottle?!
Ease Of Preparation
Bolthouse Farms Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino 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. Bolthouse Farms 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 Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino smells just like it is supposed to. The dominant aroma when one opens the bottle is that of chocolate. There is a somewhat dry, coffee-like afterscent that hints at the cappuccino flavoring and prepares the consumer for exactly what the drink will be like.
As the Bolthouse Farms Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino beverage washes over the tongue, the consumer gets a strange sensation. The beverage is very fluidic, yet tastes very rich. There is a strange moment of logical disconnect when one starts drinking this because it tastes chocolately, with a very dry coffee aftertaste, but it does not feel as dense on the tongue as one might figure a drink that tastes so heavy ought to! Any flavor of the milk in this drink is completely sublimated to the chocolate and coffee flavors, making it a bold, chocolate flavored alternative to both coffee or a traditional health shake.
The aftertaste from the Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino beverage is very dry, so this is not at all a thirst quenching drink.
Nutrition
As a healthy dairy beverage, Bolthouse Farms Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino 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 Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino is a great option for those who are dieting or are trying to improve their health. Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino is primarily composed of low-fat milk, coffee and organic agave nectar. It contains nothing bad, but does have additional vitamins pumped into it. While it is gluten free, it contains milk and whey, so it is in no way Vegan compliant. On the plus side, though, there are no preservatives, artificial flavors or colors or genetically modified ingredients!
This drink is also exceptionally healthy for you. One serving of Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino has 3 g fat and 180 calories, 25 of which come from the fat. While there are 31 grams of sugars, the beverage has only 10 mg of cholesterol and a whopping 8 grams of protein! Surprisingly, there are 95 mg (4% RDA) of sodium in each serving. A single serving is a sufficient source of Vitamin A, Calcium (50% RDA!), Iron, Vitamin D, Potassium and Zinc. It has more than your daily needs for Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12, so this truly is a healthy beverage (ironically, more healthy than many fruit juices I have reviewed!).
Storage/Clean-up
Bolthouse Farms Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino comes in a plastic bottle and it keeps for only a few months. The bottle my wife and I bought the first week of January had an expiration date of February 27, 2012. This beverage must be refrigerated!
This drink is a dairy product and dark because of the chocolate and coffee in it. 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
I was very impressed by Bolthouse Farms Perfectly Protein Mocha Cappuccino, both for the taste and the nutrition elements. Even so, it is a very expensive option and unless one is bulking up on them and can get them less expensive, it is a pretty tough sell for me. For those looking to improve their own health, or the health of their children, this is a great alternative to chocolate milk drinks!
For other prepared beverages, please check out my reviews of:
Powerade Fruit Punch
Duff Energy Drink from The Simpsons
Dole 100% Juice Orange Peach Mango
7/10
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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