Review: Pricklee Superfruit Water

By Christopher Null | October 9, 2020 |

The latest plant to lay claim on the “superfruit” moniker is the cactus fruit, aka prickly pear. Pricklee is a line of non-alcoholic beverages which compete in a vague sense with coconut water. Non-carbonated and sugar free, they’re made with water and prickly pear puree, and are sweetened with agave nectar. “Crafted by pharmacists” as a detox/recovery drink that “replenishes your body of electrolytes and conquers inflammation in the liver and muscles.”

Each comes in a 12 oz can that contains 5 to 6% juice.

Let’s give them a whirl.

Pricklee Superfruit Water Prickly Pear – Lightly sweet, this comes across like a somewhat sweeter version of coconut water. Prickly pear is always a moving target; here it presents as vaguely tropical, with a hint of lemon and perhaps a touch of lime. The coconut note is especially evident on the finish, which gives it a slight note of candylike nougat. I didn’t have any trouble finishing a can — and definitely preferred it to standard coconut water. B+

Pricklee Superfruit Water Strawberry Hibiscus – You get the hibiscus on the nose and the tongue, right away. The strawberry note comes along a bit later, again showing a candylike — rather than pure fruit — element. The finish again allows for a lingering tropical element, landing somewhere between coconut and guava. This expression feels a bit too heavy on the agave, but who wants to drink hibiscus without a lot of sweetener, eh? B-

Pricklee Superfruit Water Mango Ginger – This is a huge surprise, with the strongest coconut flavor of the bunch, at least at first. Ginger? It’s there, but hidden under the coconut, with a kind of mixed fruit salad character backing it up. There’s nothing overtly mango-esque about this expression, with a finish that feels more like peaches and apricots than anything tropical. B

each $35 per 12-pack of 12 oz cans / pricklee.com [BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON]