Just the description of “prebiotic superfood beverage” was enough to entice me to accept an offer to review a line of whole-plant juices from Karuna.
These tasty juices are USDA Certified Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified and gluten-free with no added sugar. They are categorized as Immunity, Energy, Recovery or Power, each with its own flavors. I tried two of the categories:
Immunity (six for $24.95):
- Viva features ashitiba, beet and pomegranate. According to Karuna, ashitiba leaves have more valuable nutrients and antioxidants than kale. This concoction had a bold flavor to it, with more pomegranate than beet.
- Joy-D features peach, mandarin and kiwi. I’ve had peach-flavored beverages before but don’t recall drinking peach juice. I liked it, and I thought it paired well with the mandarin orange and kiwi.
- Rejuvenate features mango and goji berry. I loved the mango, and you can detect lemon and a hint of dates, which adds a nice layer of complexity.
- Detox features grape and kiwi (100% juice). The grape flavor is prevalent, which is good since that’s my favorite type of juice. The kiwi does come through to add additional natural sweetness.
Recovery (six for $20.94):
- The Ace Sport mango splash is a tropical treat. The flavor is pure mango with no pulp. Of note, this juice includes collagen from salmon cartilage, which apparently is a Japanese remedy for joints.
- The Ace Sport bold berry lemonade was a pleasant surprise. Rather than sour lemons, the flavor was comprised mainly of berries (aronia and buckthorn) as well as a bit of apple juice.
- The Ace Sport sunny orange was quite enjoyable. Not too sweet or tart, the juice has a little bit of pulp but not an annoying amount.
Karuna was founded by Dr. Angela Zeng, who follows a “food is better medicine” approach. Each drink is sustainably produced​ in Karuna’s facility in St. Louis.
In Madison, you can purchase Karuna products at Whole Foods, Festival Foods and Woodman’s.
Photos courtesy of Karuna
Tags: juice
