A taste of summer and fruity too (Tesco Summer Fruits Smoothie)

Member Name: catsholiday

Product:	Tesco Summer Fruits Smoothie
Date:	13/01/09 (148 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Part of your 5 a day, tastes good

Disadvantages: quite sweet and sugary

Tesco Summer fruits smoothie

Where to find it:
In Tesco obviously but in the refrigerated section near the fruit juices, milk and smoothies.

Packaging:
The smoothie comes in a clear plastic 1 litre bottle only so it isn't great for individual drinks unless you decant some into a smaller bottle The bottle doesn't have a recycle symbol on it but I always recycle it with my other plastic bottles. The bottle is however made from 50% recycled materials already.

The TESCO logo is at the top in red above a yellow summer fruits which is in turn above a white Smooth and ie in red. There are pictures of the fruits in the smoothie on the front label and it shows how many of each of the fruit is included.
7 apples 9 strawberries 2½ bananas 8 raspberries 96 blackcurrants
It does also states it blends fruit juice concentrate with the above fruit purees.


The use by date is clearly on the front and it mentions that it must be consumed within two days of opening although I never do and I seem to be still alive and well. I do make sure it is within the use b date though, perhaps they are just making extra certain.

On the reverse it gives you preparation guidelines .... Unbelievably, it says ' shake before serving'. I'm surprised it doesn't tell you to open the cap and pour into a chilled glass as well but that might be too complicated.

The contents:
I've already said what fruits are in it and these are blended with apple juice from concentrate. Apart from the fruits and juice there appears to be an acidity regulator (citric acid) but NOTHING else, no sugar added or other extras which I like.

There are no nuts and it is not made in a factory using nuts but they still do not guarantee that it is nut free. Not sure why this is but again I would imagine they are just covering themselves legally. Strange world but if you are allergic to nuts it must be almost impossible as every product seems to say it cannot guarantee nut free.

The bottle list what is in 100ml and again in 250ml and also the Guideline Daily Amount for adults so you can compare more accurately.

It is suitable for vegetarians and has the green V symbol to indicate this.

Nutrition list (skip over this if you re not interested)

I'll just do the 100ml
Energy 49 kcal
Protein 0.4g
Carbohydrates 11.6g
Of which sugars 10.5g
Fat 0.1g
Fibre 0.4g
Sodium trace
Salt equivalent trace

Interestingly it doesn't give you the minerals and vitamins that you benefit from by drinking this which is one of the reasons the government keep on at us to have 5 fruit and veg per day. Bananas are a rich source of potassium and the other fruits give you lots of Vitamin C which we need to help fight off illness
Not sure where the fat comes from but who am I to question which fruit contains fat, probably banana as that is the creamiest. I must investigate that.

Opening the bottle:

Easy to open twists plastic lid and this keeps it sealed and fresh after opening too. As it is a bottle it pours really easily too instead of those car things which leap out in all directions.

The smell is one of mixed fruit, predominately banana I think. It is quite a thick liquid so satisfying and filling too but not really thirst quenching.

It is quite sweet and as no sugar is added it must be the sweetness of the fruit. I can taste the apple juice and banana is obvious too. It is hard to identify all the fruits individually because the overall taste is fruity. Because the smoothie is quite thick it coats your tongue and stays in your mouth longer so that you can savour the flavours.

Although there is no milk or yogurt in this drink it is very creamy in texture, again this must come from the bananas as they do puree into a creamy mush.

Summary:
This smoothie costs £1.89 for the 1 litre bottle as compared to other smoothies like Innocent I litre carton for £2.97 or their super smoothie 1 litre is £3.19 so in comparison price-wise Tesco is very good value. The only thing is that this is the only flavour they do in the plastic bottle. They do others in cartons but as yet I haven't tried those so will review those as I do try them.
So it is good value for money. Tastes great and gives you one of your five a day if you drink a glassful. It is very satisfying so stops those cravings for something sweet. It is a healthy option but you do still need to be aware that sugar in fruit is still sugar - after all sugar is a natural product from cane or beet - so if you are avoiding sugar then this does count. It also counts on the teeth rotting too so you should brush your teeth or have some water afterwards to help reduce tooth decay.

© catsholiday
Also on Ciao under my same name

Summary: Nice drink and fruity but quite sugary