My how times change. It used to be that Dollar Tree carried nothing but junk foods and drinks; their drink aisle littered with nothing but sodas and juice “cocktails” that had 20% juice, if you were lucky. Now, they’ve started to embrace the present times, offering up more of what people want. At least, they’re offering more of what I want. And in the end isn’t that all that matters?
In this case, we’re taking a gander at Nature’s Goodness Super Berry Power Blast. This is a 100% juice (yay!) combination that even comes complete in a glass bottle. Glass! If that doesn’t scream premium, I don’t know what does. The package design is a little bland, but not nearly as bad as many other dollar products, so once again, that’s a win. I don’t know if I would go so far as to call it “upscale”…but it is for a Dollar Tree.
I drank this at room temperature, because that’s how I like it. Okay…this is nice and tart. It was almost tart enough to make me pucker when I took the first swig. It’s probably every bit as tangy as their pomegranate juice, but with the benefit of added sweetness. I can’t really explain the flavor, outside of saying “it’s good”. It just doesn’t really taste like anything specific that I’ve had before.
According to the ingredients, there’s concentrated juices of black currant, blackberry, blueberry and cranberry. I can definitely taste the cranberry, which seems to provide its trademark sourness. (Although I must confess that I have no idea what black currant tastes like.) The other flavors just get lost in a sea of each other. But don’t mistake that for a knock, because the individual fruits don’t matter. It all comes down to how they blend together as a cohesive whole; on those grounds, I must say I’m impressed.
But now is the moment of truth: How does this compare to other similar brands? Really, it’s hard to say, because I have no idea what brand this is even attempting to copy. The only other brand that comes to mind is Aldi’s SimplyNature, which offers a “7 Super Fruits” blend of juices, also presented in a glass bottle. Their drink retails for $3.99 (at last check), but features juices that aren’t from concentrate (read: no water added), three additional fruits and is certified organic. That comes in a 33.8 oz. bottle for the price, whereas Dollar Tree’s comes in a much smaller 8.5 oz. container.
It would take four of these to equal out to Aldi’s container size, which would come out to $5. While that’s not outstanding value, I suppose it would be cheaper than a comparable store brand. Plus, there’s the positive of being able to get it in smaller quantities. That would make this a good option for packed lunches, or drinking it on the go. It also eliminates the chance for waste; I know I’ve bought large cartons of juice before that I end up tossing for various reasons (and it’s usually because I forget about them.) Since this can be downed in a single serving, that means there aren’t any leftovers when I’m done. So it’s also a win for the environment! Yay!
It may not be the best deal, but based on flavor, color me impressed. Not just because Dollar Tree is now able to offer up 100% juice products, but because they’re actually good. Who knew a quarter bump in price could open up the doors to so many other products? If that’s the case, then maybe they should have done it a long time ago.
Overall: 7.5/10. In terms of flavor, color me impressed: This is a delicious mix of sweet and tart that you’d be hard-pressed to find at a Dollar Tree even two years ago. The cranberry is arguably the most notable flavor…in fact, I couldn’t really differentiate any of the rest. But it goes down smooth and easy, and is very drinkable. The $1.25 price tag isn’t super-great, with other brands offering larger bottles (and more ingredients) for a cheaper per ounce price, but the smaller bottle size could be a plus for some. Besides, it’s less expensive than a national brand would be, and the glass bottle gives it a premium feel missing from most DT products. Despite its flaws, I would get this again in a heartbeat.
