Trader Joe's Cold Pressed Juice--Yellow

This is some of the most expensive juice I've ever bought: $4.99 for this little bottle. And I bought three of them. Well, sort of. Trader Joe's "cold pressed juice" line comes in three varieties--yellow, green, and red--and I bought one of each. This is the first one I've tried.

It's not often that I have read other reviews of TJ's products before I try them, but this was one such case. The good folks at "What's Good at Trader Joe's" did not have many kind words for this product. But I had already bought it by the time I read that, else I might have passed it by in the store.

I'm glad I didn't pass it by. I thought this was excellent juice. It's an unusual, unexpected flavor, coming from a blend of apple, pineapple, yellow pepper, cucumber, lime and mint. I don't know who thought up that strange combination, but it works. Somebody somewhere must have taken a lot of time trying all sorts of mixtures and ratios, and the result is lovely--even elegant. The pineapple is the most prominent flavor, but it's not at all as sickeningly sweet as straight pineapple juice would be.

Look, try as I might to appreciate new things, my knee-jerk reflex is still to think that "new" equals "suspicious and probably disgusting." And I definitely approached this stuff with keen suspicion. After all, who juices yellow peppers and adds the result to fruit juices? That's crazy talk. But it won me over. Really delicious.

Will I buy it again? 

If it were half the cost, definitely. But at $5 for less than a pint, it's going to have to be a rare treat, if I ever get it at all.

Nina's View

Not only is this juice excellently tasty in its own right, but it would also make a fabulous cocktail ingredient. Add some vodka, a little soda water, a twist of lemon, a splash of bitters and voilà… I imagine this would be a very delicious and refreshing summer libation.

I imagine because I'm having a hard time realistically proposing to purchase 15.2 fluid ounces for $5. Dang, that's pricey stuff!


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