Yes We have No Bananas (Innocent Smoothies)

Member Name: duskmaiden

Product:	Innocent Smoothies
Date:	29/05/09 (62 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: no bananas, fresh, healthy 2 of your5 a day

Disadvantages: the colour

Its funny how smoothies have become so established so quickly. I remember the first time I ever heard of them was when they were referred to in Neighbours and I had not got a clue what they were. Since then every town worth its salt has a smoothie and juice bar and such brands as P and J and Innocent have become household names. I'm a fan and will often make my own or treat myself to a shop bought smoothie. There's only one problem with smoothies. They tend to contain banana. I like banana and I know it is used to bulk them out and give them the right nice thick texture but I often find banana has a unique taste, which often overpowers other ingredients. Marks and Spencer's does a orange mango and apricot smoothie but that is more like juice. When browsing the juice aisle for my juice and smoothie fix (I'm an addict) I came across Innocents new flavour in its fabulous range "Apple, Kiwi and Lime" which boasted in big letter at the top of the carton "new and banana free".

Why so Innocent?

Innocent smoothies have been around for a good part of a decade. I sort of see them as a very similar brand to New Covent Garden Soups in the way they market themselves and the way i consume them (and I don't mean tip them down my neck!). They are both promoted as being healthy, fresh premium products with a social conscious and a range of varieties. Some varieties are old favourites but they are innovators and are not afraid to experiment with exotic or unusual ingredients especially for their seasonal specials. I love both products but find full price they can be just that little bit pricey. A big carton of Innocent smoothie is round about the £3.70 mark whilst the little bottle retail for about £1.85. I tend to buy the cartons when on special offer (it is interesting to note the Innocent website actually has a section on where their products are on special offer) or reduced. I only buy the little bottles in a meal deal (to maximise my savings) unless I really want to treat myself. Tesco at the moment have selected cartons of innocent smoothie on offer for £2. Unfortunate my first choice of the seasonal special mangoes, coconut and lemon grass was not included. Its a wonderful smoothie with coconut milk which has a really tropical Thai feel to it. Its the sort of drink you could imagine sipping on a luxury beach somewhere in the Indian Ocean!

Its easy to identify the Apple, Kiwi and Lime carton from the other innocent smoothies as the writing and the logo is in green. The carton has also got an amusing story about monkey sending threatening notes (well isn't there that thing about how many monkeys would it take to type Shakespeare) and starting picket lines until the bananas are brought back!! So if there are no banana what is in Apple, Kiwi and Limes apart from the obvious? There's also a favourite of mine pineapple and grapes (used to bulk the smoothie out) alongside a more curious ingredient spinach and nettle extract. I would think this would be to colour the smoothie or perhaps add a bit of iron to the nutritional value, which it can't be as iron is not listed in the nutritional table. Maybe it is just a gimmicky ingredient to make it a weird and wacky blend, I'm not sure.

Mean green drinky poos

the first thing I noticed when pouring a glass of the smoothie was the colour. Its not particulary appetising at all, as its a light shade of browny green sludge that remind me a bit of pond water or even gunge from a gunk tank. Since its made without the banana its not the thickest smoothie going but is slightly thicker than normal juice. There 's a bit of residue on the top of the glass when pouring like you get after a glass of pineapple juice.



Most drinks that are green are a bit vile. Just think of cheap limeade with its chemical colour and taste, what about crème de menthe or the dishwater called green tea. Will Innocent's Apple Kiwi and Lime taste better than other green drinks? I take a sniff its certainly fruity and I can smell the pineapple and maybe a hint of baked or stewed apples. Its sweet but not cloyingly so.

The first thing thing that I notice when drinking the smoothie is that it is like thick slightly creamy pineapple juice texture wise, as you've got that fine residue. The pineapple and apple are very apparent with the apples having that nice baked apple taste of pressed apple juice. but the kiwi and grape seem to fade intro the background and I can hardly taste them. The lime develops once you've swooshed the smoothie round your mouth giving the smoothie a nice piquant slightly cooling dimension to it. I also feel there is a slight minty hint even though there is no mint in it mixed with an earthy herby flavour from the strange nettle and spinach extracts. It looks a bit muddy and tastes a bit muddy. Tropical muddy baked apple juice. Does that have a certain ring to it? Its certainly an acquired but not unpleasant taste at all, just different and I like different.


It looks vile and tastes all right but is it good for me?

Well it is made from pure unadulterated fruit and strange extract so there are no artificial flavours, colourings or anything else nasty starting with E. It does have a decent whack of vitamin C. each 250ml has 63% if your recommended dose alongside two of your fruit portions and some fibre thrown in for free. I would say that's pretty healthy.

It was nice to have a change from the ubiquitous banana. Its a fun product and I can see little boys loving the gunky colour and its not a bad taste. However it is not the first smoothie I would go for in the rang , as I do like anything with mango, coconut and passion fruit.

Summary: a banana free smoothie