J20 is very often the drink that I drink on the very un-often occasion when I am out and about in pubs or bars, taking my turn as nominated driver.


What is J2O??

I remember when Britvic first introduced J2O around 14 years ago, and lots of my friends were very unsure of how to pronounce it in terms of, is the O a letter O or a number 0?

It is actually pronounced 'Jay 2 Oh' and is supposed to sound like the water chemical formula of H20, but with a J instead of the H to represent the fact that these drinks have a high Juice content.
Now I have (hopefully) cleared that one up, lets get down to some details.

There are numerous different flavours of J20 on the market today (see below), but the one I am going to review is the orange and passion fruit flavoured drink.

J2O was launched by britvic in 1998, and the brand seemed to instantly take off. There are many flavours available today including:


Apple & Blueberry
Apple & Mango
Apple & Raspberry
Apple & Melon
Orange & Cranberry
Orange & Passion fruit
Orange & Pomegranate
White Blend - White Grape & Kiwi
White Blend - Red Grape & Blackcurrant
Winter Berries


I have managed to try all of these flavours, apart from the White Grape and Kiwi flavour, which I must admit sounds very tasty, as I love Kiwi fruit.


This orange and passion fruit J2O drink comes in a clear glass bottle, containing 275 ml of a soft orange coloured fruity looking liquid. There is a metal cap at the top of the bottle that needs to be opened using a bottle opener, and on the lid it states 'Shake well - separates naturally'. This may be a little alarming to someone having a J2O for the first time, as first impressions may lead people to think that this is a fizzy drink, but it is in fact a still drink, and so it will not fizz all over the place after shaking the bottle.


~~ The Taste ~~


Once the bottle has been opened, there is a fantastic smell of fruity orange that meets the nose. It is most common to pour the drink into a glass with ice, but it can be drunk straight from the bottle if desired.
Over the years I have tasted many orange drinks, some have just been cheap cordials admittedly, but this orange and passion fruit drink from Britvic is by far the best.


The blend of the orange and the passion fruit is absolutely perfect to me, and it is easy to distinguish both of the flavours throughout the consumption of a mouth full, with the orange being the first that I notice, followed by a sweet passion fruit flavour gradually filtering through. The overall taste is so mouth watering and refreshing, and when served with ice it is an absolutely gorgeous drink, especially on a hot summers day. The drink is quite thick in terms of consistency, but feels full of juice, and slurps down the throat with great satisfaction.


The orange and passion fruit J2O drink does in fact contain 35% orange juice concentrate, and 5% Passionfruit juice concentrate, with water (H2O) making up the bulk of the remainder.



~~~ Nutrional info - per 100 ml serving ~~~


Energy - 47 kcal
Protein - 0.3g
Carbohydrate - 11.0g
of which sugars - 11.0g
Fat - 0.1g
of which saturates - Trace
of which polyunsaturates - Trace
Sodium - Nil

As you can see a 100 ml serving of this drink contains 47 calories in total which is quite high, but I think it is probably a lot healthier than a glass of coke, as there is the benefit of the fruit juices in the J2O. This drink also acts well as a mixer, with white spirits such as vodka or gin.

I paid just under £4:50 for a four pack of these drinks from my supermarket, but they can cost anywhere from £1:50 - £3 (and probably more) for just one single bottle from a bar or club.


Thanks for reading.


© L500589 2012