Our son was sick, prompting a quick grocery store trip from my wife (although it didn’t feel quick; I was tasked with staying home to watch him). As a reminder, a newly-built Publix store is the closest one to us in our rural area. They’re expensive, but sometimes convenience trumps value. Hence the reason there are so many gas stations and non-Dollar Tree “dollar” stores.
My wife came home with a half-gallon of Publix orange juice. Like most half-gallon orange juices housed in milk containers, it’s 100% juice. But there was a glaring difference right there on the label: from concentrate.
For the undereducated, juice that is not from concentrate means it’s juice that has been pressed or squeezed, with nothing added. When a juice is from concentrate, that essentially means all the fruit was sucked out, filtered, and then rehydrated with added water. Why would any company do this? Of course, it all comes down to money. Dehydrated fruits are much lighter than truckloads of fully-juiced fruits. This allows companies to save money on freight when shipping them across state (or country) lines. They can suck them dry in the country of origin, ship them to the destination country, and then reconstitute it with juice and water there.
I’m not going to get into how a juice with added water can still have the same “100% juice” labeling as brands not from concentrate. You’re going to have to go into FDA labeling for that explanation. I’m also not going to weigh in on the popular expert consensus that juice from concentrate is no less healthy than freshly-squeezed juice. I’m no scientist, so really any opinion I hold on the matter is pure speculative fiction.
How can you go wrong with a combination of oranges and water? It doesn’t even seem feasible. I’ve tried many different versions across many different brands, and all have more or less tasted the same. Some are certainly better than others – sure – but we’re looking at a similar flavor profile: oranges. The only variance between brands have typically been the “tone” of the orange flavor, and how strong it is. Some brands taste more “watered down” and muted than others, but the orange flavor has still played a prominent part in the overall experience. I think I can say with conviction that I’ve never had an orange juice that I just flat out didn’t like.
Well, now I can say with absolute conviction that I have, because this is absolute shit.
Publix’s version starts off alright, with the straight ahead flavor of oranges. I mean, that’s what it is, so why would it taste any different? But then it veers off into strictly bitter territory, which is the note that it ends on. I’m talking unmistakably bitter. Like, so bad that your first instinct will be to check the “best by” date to make sure it’s not three years expired.
There are no added sugars in this. One might think that would explain the biting taste, except that none of the others I’ve tried do, either. Some have even been not from concentrate, which as you will remember from earlier, means it was juiced straight from the source. Was it some poor guy’s first day on the job and he accidentally juiced too deep? Are they intentionally juicing the rind, too? Whatever the case, it’s godawful.
My only remaining theory is that this was made specifically for the soccer mom’s and other upper-scale clientele, specifically for use as a mixer in mimosas and other mixed drinks. I could see the bitter complimenting the dryness of the champagne – and their empty lives – quite well. Outside of that, there’s really no other reason to keep this on hand, and even fewer reasons for it to even exist in the first place.
And all thiscomes at a cost of $3.79. For a half-gallon. I get that prices on almost everything have risen (or are still currently rising), but this is around $.50 more than other private label brands. More. For something that doesn’t seem intended for human consumption.
I mentioned earlier I’ve never discovered an orange juice brand that I would drive out of my way to get. But now I’ve found one I would drive out of my way to avoid.
Overall: 1.5/10. Hands down the worst orange juice I’ve ever had. How is that statement even logical? How can a mix of orange juice and water be so unenjoyable to force down? The flavor starts off alright, with oranges standing front and center. But then, the finish veers off into complete “bitter” territory, something that (quite literally) left a bad taste in my mouth. Did they juice the rind, too? I’ve had many other brands of orange juice – some even not from concentrate – and they have never veered so far off the main flavor profile. This could be a decent mixer for mimosas and other mixed drinks, or for other beverages where sweetness is to be avoided. But for drinking straight out of the container, there are no reasons to keep this on hand. And even fewer reasons for it to exist in the first place.
