REVIEW: Naked Juice Bare Breeze Peach Mangosteen Bliss

When I am craving something healthy and sweet, I peruse the supermarket's smoothie section and splurge on a $2.99 bottle of Naked Juice. Peach Mangosteen Bliss^TM was a blend I had never seen before, so I had to try it. I find the taste of fresh mangosteens intoxicatingly exquisite, but they are almost impossible to get in the heart of the American Midwest. Could Naked Juice slake my thirst for this exotic wonder, often called "the queen of fruits"?

The blend was intriguing. Apple juice, peach puree, white grape juice, mangosteen puree and lemon juice, in that order, made up "the pound of fruit" in this bottle. Blending peach and grape flavors is an interesting attempt to approximate the mangosteen flavor. But after sampling the combination of juices, unfortunately, the smoothie falls a bit short of my expectations.

The foremost disappointment was that the mangosteen flavor was completely obscured by the other less expensive fruits. Perhaps I would have not been so disappointed if I had not been hoping to taste mangosteen. The blend of juices is still delicate and delicious, but it seems that this variety of Naked Juice is exotic in name only. The flavor is a blend of apple, peach, and white grape, which is not exactly tropical. But "orchard bliss" just would not have quite the same marketing cachet.

Would I buy this flavor again? Maybe. It still is 15.2 ounces of 100% fruit juice with added Vitamin C, Niacin and B Vitamins. But I'd have to be in the mood for something peachy and push the idea of mangosteen out of my mind. The name of the juice and the picture of a mangosteen behind a cut peach would not make it easy. Perhaps it could be better enjoyed anonymously, in a clear glass tumbler, with a straw, to make it seem a little thicker and more smoothie-like. I probably will buy Peach Mangosteen BlissTM again, just so I can offer a couple of glasses to unsuspecting people who would not know what they are missing. I am almost certain they would think this Bare Breeze^TM variety delicious. And they would be spared the letdown of not being able to taste the mangosteen.

Of all the varieties of Naked Juice that have crossed my palate, I would gladly drink any of them again, including Peach Mangosteen Bliss^TM. The quality and freshness of the juices are a cut above the other brands. I prefer to spend my money on a juice that has pureed fruit rather than juice alone. Naked Juices almost always have more pureed fruit than other brands do. However my experience this time was a reminder that freshly made smoothies, while not as convenient, still have an edge over their pasteurized counterparts. If I want to taste the flavor of mangosteens, I will need to come up with the fruit and blend it myself.