The Best Orange Juice Money Can Buy

Orange juice. I usually bypass it because it's sugary and expensive. I'd sooner gather my grams of sugar elsewhere, perhaps in a mug of hot chocolate or Werther's Original. My childhood orange juice experience consisted of cylindrical tubes of frozen concentrate which my mother would dump into a plastic container, cover in water, and mush to pulpy perfection with a wooden spoon. I can't say I loved it. College cafeteria orange juice was dispensed from a buzzing machine, much like Diet Coke or Sprite, two beverages I preferred over the Tang-like liquid I was led to call "orange juice." Fast forward to the present day, and orange juice has improved considerably. Since returning to the world of communal living, where I am not Ruler of the Visa Card, orange juice has resumed a role in my morning routine. Other members of the family want it, and so it appears before each time I swing open the refrigerator door and I can't resist a taste. Thus, it is important that we choose a good OJ. Consider the following:

Simply Orange - The name says it all. My family buys the pulpiest version, and it's quite good. Bright and tangy flavor, ample pulp. This juice deserves to be sipped and savored. It tends to sit on the higher end of the OJ price bracket, sometimes over three dollars, but it's worth the upgrade.

Tropicana - Just how many varieties of Tropicana can you find? Each week, the number seems to grow. Calcium-enhanced, Pulp Free, Lotsa Pulp, Trop50 (less sugar), etc. Sometimes the Tropicana Pure Premium Grovestand - the pulpy kind - wins the price battle over Simply Orange, and my family can reach for a jug of it feeling like we haven't made a huge quality sacrifice. The Grovestand lacks the indescribable freshness of Simply Orange, but as a runner-up, it provides a solid, pulpy start to your day.

Florida's Natural - I would place this juice in the same tier as Tropicana. And like Tropicana, it, too, sometimes wins the price battle over Simply Orange and is worthy of a purchase.

Meijer/ generic - There are certain instances when you shouldn't save the extra dollar by purchasing a generic brand. Orange juice is one such instance. Meijer, the Midwestern megastore, offers some great generic products for even better prices. But don't get Meijer orange juice. It's like the stuff from the college cafeterias, only more dilute. Spend a little more, get a better juice.

Maybe it's the smooth, streamlined plastic jugs of Simply Orange that make us think it tastes better than its carton-bound peers. Maybe it's just really a better juice. Of course, nothing beats hand-squeezed juice, but who has the time or wrist strength to do that every day? A store-bought dose of Vitamin C will do just fine. But for two to four dollars and about one hundred calories per serving, make sure you get a juice.