Well what do we have here? Why, it’s a Galactic Berry fruit smoothie! It consists of 1/5 banana, 2 strawberries, 4 blackberries, 4 raspberries, and 2 whole apples. Not a bad roster for just $1. For anyone that might be off-put by the lack of thickness in the strawberry banana smoothie, which I previously reviewed, well…it only gets worse here, because this is basically just straight-up juice. Kind of makes me wonder why there’s a need for any thickening agents at all in this one, really. Again, though, these complaints also carry over to the national brand, so there are no points deducted on this one for that.
The aroma is also very close to the national brand, at least from what I remember, though it has been quite a while since I’ve had it. I can’t really recall how accurate the taste is with absolute certainty, because the national brand berry variant is not one of my favorites, but there’s definitely a strong berry flavor that immediately hits the tastebuds. It is also free of any weird aftertastes or bitter notes, much like the strawberry banana version that I reviewed above. I have to say one other thing I’m very surprised about with this line is the strength of flavor…you would at least expect the addition of water (first on the ingredient list, no less) to really alter the taste, or at least water it down to a noticeable degree, but these are every bit as strong as the more expensive brands are. Kudos to Cosmic for not only bringing this to the dollar store masses, but for doing it so well. It’s an impressive feat, and certainly one of the best edible offerings that I’ve ever encountered at a Dollar Tree.
Again, the same issues with the strawberry banana variant (higher sugar content, though none added; notable lack of vitamins; added “natural flavors”; water tops on the ingredient list to name the worst) still remain here. But as I also stated earlier, this is one of the few genuine “100% juice” products that Dollar Tree carries. Those grounds are enough for me to give it a recommendation, but the fact that the flavor hits so close to more expensive brands is enough for me to up that recommendation considerably.
Overall: 7.5/10. This flavor isn’t one of my favorites to begin with, but everything else is pretty darn solid. It’s been a while since I’ve tried the national brand berry drink, so I can’t compare the two with any kind of certainty, but what I do know is Cosmic’s version serves up a sweet, strong berry taste that hits the tastebuds with force, and doesn’t let up. The same drawbacks apply to the strawberry banana version above (added thickening agents, a curious “necessity” given that this one is even thinner than the other one; filtered water as the first ingredient; the addition of “natural flavors”; and a notable absence of many vitamins, including vitamin C) but given how close it tastes to more expensive brands, while still containing 100% juice and hitting the dollar price point, is certainly an admirable feat in itself. Unarguably one of the “healthier” beverage options at “The Tree”, and one that’s well worth picking up.
