Put to the test: Orange juice from concentrate
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A glass of chilled orange juice may be just what you need on a sunny summers day. You could squeeze your own, buy freshly squeezed orange juice, or buy concentrate.
Concentrate is by far the cheapest and is likely to be the one you buy if you have to satisfy several thirsty people, so this week Smart Consumer tastes orange juice made from concentrate.
All of the juices are from supermarkets and are easily available. All contain water and most contain sugar as well. We looked for good taste first and foremost, and also at the display of nutritional information and ease of pouring. n Euroshopper orange juice, Superquinn
Price: €0.79, 1 Lt
Verdict: There is only 9c between this and the cheapest offerings, and this juice was our favourite. It was smooth and tasty and as an added bonus there is no added sugar. The carton was also our favourite as it is the old fashioned style where you have to tear or cut off a corner in order to pour. This means no spills and it's more environmentally friendly.
Score: 4/5
St Bernard orange juice
Price: €0.70, 1 Lt
Verdict: The taste of this juice wasn't very strong which is understandable given water is a main ingredient in all concentrates. There was a nice tang to it though. We also liked the package design. The ingredients list no fat or salt but then you wouldn't expect salt or fat to be in orange juice, would you? There is plenty of sugar though.
Score: 3.5 / 5
Tesco orange juice
Price: €0.70, 1 Lt
Verdict: It seemed pretty similar to Dunnes juice from a taste and ingredients point of view. Again the taste wasn't strong and even the ingredients list said no fat or salt. There are slightly more calories in this one though and slightly more sugar.
Score: 3 / 5
Solevita orange juice, Lidl
Price: €1.39, 1.5 Lt (0.93 / Lt)
Verdict: This was quite nice and smooth, but was by far the sweetest -- too sweet and too sugary in our opinion. The package contained clear nutritional information though.
Score: 2.5 / 5
Rio d'oro orange juice, Aldi
Price: €0.79, 1 Lt
Verdict: We found this to be the blandest tasting of the juices and quite watery. In addition, the juice kept spilling every time we poured which was very annoying. The clear nutritional information was a plus, but this juice didn't do it for us.
Score: 2 / 5
