Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Product Review: Java Juice

I’ve been playing with this new coffee product for almost a week now. I gave packets to my husband and a friend at work, hoping for additional input, but my beta testers have yet to try it, so this review will have to be solo.

For starters, it’s convenient. I love being able to empty one of the single-serving pouches into a cup, add hot water, and have a perfect cup of coffee. It’s more convenient than instant (no messy powder, no stirring!) and tastes a lot better. It also saved my butt at a morning workshop earlier this week. I didn’t know if there would be refreshments available, but I did know that there was a water cooler with a hot water tap. So I slipped two pouches of Java Juice into my purse, and sure enough there was no coffee at the workshop. But there was coffee for me, and boy did I feel smart!

The only thing I’m a little unhappy with is the taste. It’s far better than instant, and it’s better than most office brews, but it’s not up to coffee shop standards, and it’s slightly bitter. The thing I love about cold-brewed coffee is its lack of acidity, so I was hoping Java Juice would have that same mellow flavor. No such luck. It’s no more acidic than a typical cup of brewed coffee, but anyone with fond memories of real cold-brew will be disappointed.

Nevertheless, I love the convenience of this product. Since the packaging is rather wasteful, I'm going to explore doing my own cold-brewing at home, for day-to-day coffee drinking. But I’ll be buying more of these Java Juice packets for our upcoming road trip and for office emergencies, like workshops where there is no beverage setup. It works well with hot or cold water, so I really can't go wrong with this stuff. I don’t need to ever again find myself someplace where I can’t have a decent cup of coffee, and that’s a good thing!

10 comments:

Leah J. Utas said...

Thank you for testing this. Good to know it's worthwhile if a bit bitter.

Cliff said...

TriBunny,

Thanks for the review. This is a really neat product. I dislike the taste of powder coffee. Will consider this for the future.

Rachel said...

I am a big coffee snob. So I guess I'll keep buying my expensive coffee. Sigh. But it tastes good and it's not bad for you!

Crabby McSlacker said...

I'd never heard of this stuff. Thanks for the tip, I'll have to check it out.

I'm one of those cretins who uses milk and an obscene amount of splenda in my coffee so bitter is not a problem.

TX Runner Mom said...

Thanks for the tip!

Moby Dick said...

Have you ever triend Cuban Coffee! Supposedly it only has twice the caffeine of regular, but it sure packs a lot of wallop!

BTW, how many calories does JJ pack?

Wonderwood said...

I'm a coffee snob, too, but I'm also a coffee junkie, so I'll settle for whatever I can get sometimes. JJ sounds like a product I might need to try. Thanks for the tip Bunnygirl!

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

Spider,

Each Java Juice packet claims to have 7.5 calories. How, I don't know. The only ingredients are water and coffee. I thought coffee didn't have calories unless you added your own.

'Tis a mystery.

Meow Meow said...

Wish I could offer some feedback, but seeing as though I am NOT a coffee drinker, I can't. It's like beer for me, they are both too bitter.

Hot chocolate and we can talk!

Moby Dick said...

Most flavoring has some calories. 7.5 calories is great, since almost any regular coffee will have some calories. I will have to try it out myself, thanks for the review.