The Good: Tastes good, Vitamin C benefits
The Bad: Comparatively expensive, Not as nutritious as a fruit juice could be!
The Basics: I return to Dole 100% Juice for Orange Peach Mango juice, a flavorful citrus blend that is worth tasting.
A few weeks back, I threw my hat in the ring with a juice review, which was uncharacteristic of me. The truth is, though, I've been enjoying juice lately when I can get it cheap enough and when I managed to get a container of Dole 100% Juice Orange Peach Mango juice for free, I figured that, like the Dole Sensation Natural Guava Juice (reviewed here!), I had to review it! A bit more nutritious than the other juice, Dole 100% Juice Orange Peach Mango juice impressed me by not being at all sour. The other big surprise for me was that it tastes not at all like orange juice. Outside the coloring, this is likely to surprise orange juice and citrus juice drinkers.
My wife and I had a coupon for juice at our local grocery store, which is how we managed to get the juice that is regularly $3.49 for a 59 fl. oz. carton for free. Outside the nutrition not being all I might have wanted from a fruit juice, that $3.49 strikes me as a little high for juice. Even so, it is worth it!
Basics
Dole 100% Juice Orange Peach Mango juice is a refrigerated juice put out by Dole. The blue, pink and white carton is like a standard half gallon milk container and is found currently in the refrigerated juice section of most major grocery stores. Dole 100% Juice has been around for a while, but I am unsure how long Orange Peach Mango has been part of the line. The Orange Peach Mango juice is a light yellow-orange juice like liquid sunshine . . . or a slightly dark pineapple juice. The half gallon cardboard carton has seven servings in it.
Ease Of Preparation
Dole 100% Juice Orange Peach Mango juice is very easy to prepare, as it is a fresh juice drink. Simply unscrew the spout at the top of the container (the first time one does this, they must remove the plastic safety seal from inside) and pour the contents into a glass. It doesn’t get much easier than drinking juice like this!
Taste
In the glass, Orange Peach Mango juice is aromatic and dominated by the scents of the peaches and mangoes. Those two fruits have complimentary aromas and here they synergize to drown out the scent of the orange juice that one might expect from a juice where that is the third ingredient.
On the tongue, Dole's Orange Peach Mango juice is surprisingly mild, but flavorful. This is not a forceful or sour beverage, instead it embodies a subtle sweetness that brings out the flavors of mangoes and grapes. Grape juice is one of the last ingredients, but it is one of the flavors that is richest in a juice that ought to have a citrus tang to it. Instead, this has a lightly sweet, richly fruity flavor like a citrus fruit punch infused with grape juice. The mango and peach flavors are strong enough, though, that anyone buying this because they like the blend of those two fruits is likely to be quite happy.
Nutrition
Dole 100% Juice Orange Peach Mango juice is closer to what I have come to expect from juices than some of the other Dole products. Even so, when my wife's health took a turn and I actually had to start looking at ingredients and labels, I discovered so many (usually ridiculously expensive) juices that were far more nutritious even than this one. One eight oz. serving has 120 calories, none of which are from fat. In fact, this drink is fat free (which makes some sense) as well as cholesterol free and calcium free. Rather impressively, Dole 100% Juice Orange Peach Mango juice has 100% of one's daily required Vitamin C as well as 9% RDA of potassium. As well, it has 27 grams of sugar and 10 mg of sodium.
What also surprised me was that it could credibly call itself "100% Juice" when the primary ingredients are filtered water, apple juice concentrate, and orange juice concentrate. I have less of a problem with the added citric acid and natural flavors at the bottom of the ingredient list than the filtered water up front. Regardless, this is not the worst fruit juice on the nutrition front!
Storage/Clean-up
Dole 100% Juice Orange Peach Mango juice is ridiculously easy to store and clean up. Kept unopened in the refrigerator, it will last a few weeks. We bought ours last week, though it was near the end of its October 28, 2011 date. Because it is all natural with no apparent preservatives, it does expire quicker than some juices.
Cleaning up Dole 100% Juice Orange Peach Mango juice is easy, though it is likely to stain lighter fabrics and one ought to consult one's fabric guide for cleaning if that happens. In general, it is a light fluid and can be cleaned up easily with a washcloth.
Overall
While Dole 100% Juice Orange Peach Mango juice is a pretty wonderful alternative to orange juice and despite its expense and limited shelf life is a worthwhile alternative to orange juice.
For other drinks, please visit my reviews of:
Bigelow Raspberry Royale tea
Land O'Lakes Chocolate Graham hot cocoa
Yogi Ginger Organic tea
6.5/10
For other food and drink reviews, please be sure to check out my index page on the subject by clicking here!
© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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