At the risk of sounding racist, I always get nervous when I see authentic Mexican products on supermarket shelves, and the same rules apply when Aldi rolled out a small collection of products under the Pueblo Lindo label to their permanent inventory. Relax, the reason has nothing to do with race, and everything to do with taste: for being in such close proximity to each other, it’s amazing how flavors can vary wildly from culture-to-culture, border-to-border. I remember eagerly digging in to a Mexican soda a few years back, expecting it to taste similar to an American one, only to be sorely disappointed. And that was the exact moment that now makes me cringe every time I see an actual product of Mexico sold in stores.
But I’m of the idea that (almost) everything deserves a second chance, and this was no different: Was it right of me to gauge an entire country’s offerings off just one item? Probably not. So when I literally happened to stumble on Pueblo Lindo’s Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie, I got excited, but with an added air of hesitation: what makes a strawberry smoothie Mexican? Nervousness rising once again, I opened the lid and took a sniff…
…smells like a fresh, delicious strawberry smoothie. Hmm…now I was starting to relax a little bit. I threw a swig back, and…
Wow, this is some amazing stuff! It does taste a lot like other prepackaged smoothies here, but there’s something about it that’s even slightly better. I can’t tell if it’s the ridiculously silk-like smoothness, or something about the actual flavor, which tastes like fresh, authentic strawberries (it’s made with a “strawberry base” consisting of actual strawberries, along with lab-created “natural flavors”, so hard to say just how much of the real thing is in there), but it goes down easily and tastes magnificent.
The biggest “con” is the size of the bottle, which weighs in at 7 fl oz. But any problems with that are more than partially offset by its price, which is a mere $.89. Yogurt smoothies are one of those things that I feel like are constantly marked up way too much, especially considering yogurt itself is so cheap. Even if this was only an average smoothie, I feel like this would be a fair price, but considering just how smooth and tasty it is, it definitely feels more than reasonable.
Even after trying it, I’m still at a loss as to what constitutes the difference between a “Mexican” strawberry smoothie, and an “American” one—in other words, I feel like this would feel just as home in regular packaging with a Friendly Farms label—but no matter its appearance, this is a darn good beverage. And one that will at least partially allay my fears of Mexican-branded products for the foreseeable future.
Overall: 8.5/10. If you’re like me, seeing “authentic” Mexican products might make you re-consider buying it; not out of any issues involving race or prejudice, mind you, but simply because the couple products I’ve had just didn’t mesh well with my American taste-buds. I was a little hesitant to try this (what makes a strawberry smoothie “Mexican”?), but it’s a fantastically smooth, rich, and creamy yogurt-based beverage, with a delightfully-authentic strawberry taste (it does have real strawberries in it, but also “natural flavors”, so hard to say how much of what is in there). The bottle is a little small (7 fl. oz.), but so is the price, at $.89, so I can’t be too hard on it. I will definitely be grabbing more of these…they’re one of the better store-bought smoothies I’ve ever had the pleasure of trying, regardless of nationality.
