Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Upper End Of Average: Bolthouse Farms C-Boost Blows Standard Juices Away!


The Good: Very nutritious, Tastes good
The Bad: Expensive, Not a superlative flavor
The Basics: Bolthouse Farms C-Boost tastes fine and has good nutritional value, though there are other Bolthouse blends with better tastes and more of a vitamin punch to them.


Bolthouse Farms has a number of admirable products and the quality of their products has generally forced me to raise the bar when I consider other juices. While it is hard to match Bolthouse Farms on the nutrition (and variety!) front, sometimes Bolthouse has a tough time reaching its own high standards. With its huge line of juices and protein-enhanced drinks that supply scores of vitamins and minerals (much like Total Cereal does), Bolthouse Farms occasionally has trouble getting a rave review from me simply because I find one of their products that is not as loaded with nutrients and/or does not have a great taste. Bolthouse Farms C-Boost is one of those beverages.

Don’t get me wrong; C-Boost tastes good, but it doesn’t have a delightful or distinctive flavor that makes one think “I should seek that drink out.” Similarly, given that other Bolthouse beverages like the Mango Protein Plus (reviewed here!) have more nutrients, one does not have a lot to be drawn to with the C-Boost.

Basics

Bolthouse Farms is a health drink brand, which is a full-health beverage (as opposed to being a liquid vitamin supplement) and, as a general rule, they tend to taste better than energy drinks. This is a fruit beverage that naturally contains several nutrients. Bolthouse Farms C-Boost comes in a 32 fl. oz. plastic bottle that is smooth and very portable. The #1 recyclable bottle is filled with the opaque orange liquid. Bolthouse Farms juice products is one of the leading manufacturer of healthy prepared beverages, both of fruit juices and dairy beverages.

The 32 fl. oz. bottle gives consumers four full servings, though the bottle is not marked with clear delineations for each serving.

Ease Of Preparation

Bolthouse Farms C-Boost is a liquid in the 32 fl. oz. bottle and is a ready-to-drink beverage. So, preparation is as easy as opening a plastic bottle. C-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

C-Boost smells fruity and energizing. Interestingly, the main aroma from the C-Boost is that of pears. From an orange-colored, citrus juice, there is something disconcerting about such a strong pear scent coming from it.

The incongruence ends when one gets the C-Boost into the mouth. Away from the sight/smell schism, the C-Boost pops as a strong mix of pear and mango flavors. This tastes like a more flavorful version of apple juice, with a slight citrus tang to the finishing flavor. The mango does not overwhelm the pear flavor, so it is surprising that the C-Boost tastes as good as it does; pear juice is a fairly indistinct flavor of juice.

The C-Boost has a slightly sweet aftertaste that does not last very long.

Nutrition

As a healthy fruit beverage, Bolthouse Farms C-Boost is designed to fill in some of the nutritional gaps one might have in their diet, most notably Vitamin C, which the C-Boost has 1200% of your RDA of! Nutritionally, Bolthouse Farms C-Boost is an option for those who are dieting or are trying to improve their health, who are looking for specific nutrients and hydration. C-Boost contains pear juice from concentrate, mango juice from concentrate, and acerola puree from concentrate (among other things). It contains nothing bad and 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 very healthy. One serving of C-Boost has no fat and 120 calories. While there are 27 grams of sugars and a gram of protein, the beverage has no cholesterol! There are 10 mg (0% RDA) of sodium in each serving. A single serving is a decent source of Vitamin A (50% RDA). It has vastly more than your daily needs for Vitamin C.

Storage/Clean-up

Bolthouse Farms C-Boost comes in a plastic bottle and it keeps for only a few months. The bottle I bought on two days ago had an expiration date of April 1, 2015. This beverage must be refrigerated!

This drink is a fruit product and dull orange. If this gets on light 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 C-Boost is a very average juice and an unremarkable Bolthouse Farms beverage. While it does not taste bad at all, I find it’s really only worth picking up when the Protein Plus fruit smoothies are not available.

For other Bolthouse beverages, please check out my reviews of:
Daily Roots
Berry Boost
Holiday Nog

6.5/10

For other food reviews, please visit my Food Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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