Bossa Nova juices are now well entrenched among the Odwallas and Naked Juices of the world. These 80% to 100% juice blends — all heavy on superfruits and antioxidant-laden goodness — come in right-sized, ergonomically-shaped, 10 oz. bottles. Many of the blends are 100% juice, but some are sweetened with agave nectar to improve the palate.

Here’s how the six juices we tasted out of the lineup shake out.

Bossa Nova Acai Original – Tart, and a little gummy. Not a wonderful flavor, sort of like cherry juice mixed with grape. OK in a pinch, but hardly stellar. B

Bossa Nova Acai with Mango – Sounds like a winning combination, but it’s just too sweet. Like the Acerola version, though, it’s on the light side. B

Bossa Nova Acai with Blueberry – At 80% juice, it’s got the most additional stuff of anything in the line, and for good reason — blueberries are great in moderation, but blueberry juice is overpoweringly tart. This is no different; despite the doctoring it’s too tough to drink. B-

Bossa Nova Acerola with Red Peach – Light flavor, with mild peach notes. Also adds (exciting!) red dragonfruit. A-

Bossa Nova Mangosteen with Passionfruit – Tastes like a smoothie and looks like one, too. Also includes guava and red peach juice, giving this an exotic, Hawaiian kick to it. Overall very good and a pleasure to drink. A winner. A

Bossa Nova Mangosteen with Dragonfruit – Has a bit of a fruit punch character to it, probably due to the addition of both sweet and sour cherry juices. The finish is a bit cloying. B-

$3 and up per 10 oz. bottle / bossausa.com

Bossa Nova Acai Original

$3

8

Rating

8.0/10