My first experience with guava juice was in Hawaii as a teen. While it didn’t do much for me at the time, I’ve come around to the taste. These days, I love it. One sip of guava juice takes me back to a Honolulu lanai, reading the Sunday New York Times between sips of the thick, fresh, tropical goodness.
I’m pretty sure I first bumped into Rubicon’s guava juice at an Indian grocery store in Edmonton a decade ago, though I’m sure I’ve also seen it at Superstore. To my mind, it strikes the right balance between flavour and price. Other guava juice is available in glass jars at larger grocery stores, as well as at Planet Organic, but the price is often steep. For less than $3 per litre at London Drugs – and cheaper still when it comes on sale – you’d be hard pressed to match the quality/price ratio with another guava juice.
The Pitch: “Our special selection of pink guavas give our juice a distinctive sweet musky flavour and a wonderfully irresistible aroma.” There’s a bit more info on the Rubicon website, too.
The Look: The packaging I’ve got is a pink 1-litre cardboard carton, featuring images of whole guavas and a guava cross-section. The juice is a dull pink colour, with a syrupy-thick, gritty, pulpy texture.
The Taste: Like guava juice. For the uninitiated, it’s a little bit like pear, and a little bit like strawberry. There’s the promised sweet, musky flavour, along with some pleasant tartness and a thick, rich texture. It has a very floral, perfume-like taste that hints at rose petals. Delish.
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RATINGS AND DETAILS
Cost: On sale for, I think, 3 for $5 in one-litre cartons at London Drugs in Calgary. Regular price is less than $3 per litre.
Value for cash money: At the sale price, great! At the regular price, OK.
Availability: Borderline reasonably easy to find. Check grocery stores like Superstore, as well as shops specializing in Indian and/or Caribbean items. If London Drugs has it, it can’t be that hard to find.
Nutrition?: Per 250 mL: 130 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 mg of sodium, 105 mg potassium, 0 grams of fibre, 0 grams of protein. Note, however, that each 250 mL serving has 100% of the daily value of vitamin C.
The fine print: I’m a little bit confused by the “natural and simulated flavours” listing on the ingredients panel. What’s simulated? Also, water is first, followed by guava pulp, then sugar.
The verdict: While heading to Hawaii every time I want guava juice would be great, it’s not economically viable. This cheap-ish guava juice isn’t spectacular, but it’s a solid guavalicious stop-gap between trips to the tropics.
Ah I discovered Rubicon juices years ago(probably early 90’s, or thereabouts), on one of my east indian shopping excursions along Edmonton’s 34th avenue. Yes the mango is great & takes the mind back to fresh-squeezed(or at least locally produced)mango juice on the lanai(or in my case, balcony(watching a Hawaiian sunset). I currently have a tetrapack of Lychee in the fridge & a Guava as well as a Mango in the pantry. London Drugs had them on earlier this month at 3 for $5…should’ve scooped up 3 more(*sigh*hindsight is 20/20,huh…)!
I was at the London Drugs in Calgary’s Beltline neighbourhood yesterday, and I’m pretty sure the 1 litre Rubicon juices were on sale at 2 for $3. If you’re looking to stock up, check your local London Drugs (or at least give them a call). 🙂 Good luck!
I meant Guava, but of course now I’m thinking Mango(when I’m not thinking Guava)…so which one gets opened? Guava – Mango?…Mango – Guava?
bestways cash n carry sell it and the mango /plus passion fruit 12 cartons in the pack £9 . just bought some bargain so do pak foods sell it the same price best buy the case of 12 cheap and tasty with health benefits