KonaRed Juices
$29.99
Pros
- Widely available
- Relatively simple and short ingredients list
- Tastes good
- Contains caffeine
- Very-rich in antioxidants
Cons
- Original flavor has 17g of sugar
- Only available in 12-packs online
Most of what I review here at The Coffee Concierge has some direct relation to brewed coffee. Every once in a while though, I'll review a coffee product that meanders outside of what I normally cover here.
And today is one of those days, because I'll be reviewing 3 coffee drinks that are actually juices…
KonaRed was kind enough to send me samples of all 3 drinks, which included: Original Coffeeberry, Coffeeberry with Organic Green Tea, and Coffeeberry with Coconut Water.
Please note: I received free samples of all the drinks, 3 of which I'll be reviewing here today. Although I do my best to review everything as objectively as possible and only publish reviews for products I think my readers will enjoy, I did receive these products for free.
About KonaRed and these CoffeeBerry juices
About a month ago I took a look at KonaRed's ready-to-drink (RTD) cold brew coffee, which had me pleasantly surprised.
This small Hawaii-based company is focused on letting almost nothing in the coffee production process go to waste, by creating drinks that utilize the entire coffee cherry.
Wait a second, Benji…did you just say “coffee cherry“?
Coffee Cherries (Image courtesy of Larry Jacobsen via Flickr)
Why yes, yes I did. While it may come as a surprise to many, coffee beans actually come from a fruit that grows on a tree and is commonly referred to as a coffee cherry. I imagine the name is derived from the fact that coffee fruit resembles a cherry to some small extent.
Anyhow, the 3 drinks I'm reviewing here today are juices that were extracted from the coffee fruit itself.
KonaRed refers to their own coffee fruit as the CoffeeBerry®.
Let's review each drink in order, starting with the original CoffeeBerry flavor.
CoffeeBerry Flavor
The CoffeeBerry flavor is the sweetest of the trio I received from KonaRed. It is a combination of pineapple juice, apple juice, and coffee cherry juice.
It's pretty damn sweet, but this is something that I don't usually complain too much about given my sweet tooth. Still, I'd have to say it was second place of the 3 flavors I was sent.
Overall, some might be turned off by the CoffeeBerry flavor for the simple fact that it has 17g of sugar. I think high sugar content is a problem in just about any fruit juice though.
Ingredients
Just a tad too many ingredients in the Coffeeberry flavor as far as I'm concerned. With the addition of juice from concentrate as well as Stevia as an added sweetener, I thought KonaRed could have done better with the ingredients of this one.
CoffeeBerry with Organic Green Tea
The Green tea flavor tasted the most natural of the 3 that I was sent. There is also far-less sugar in this variation than the Original CoffeeBerry flavor (6g vs. 17g), which is certainly a benefit if you're trying to keep it healthy.
The Green tea itself was the dominant flavor here, and it really tasted exactly as I would expect a Green tea drink to taste.
Still, given my general distaste for all-things Green tea, this was my least favorite of the 3 offerings I received from KonaRed. I don't imagine I would go out of my way to drink this flavor again.
Ingredients
Simpler ingredients and less sugar (6g) make the Green tea flavor the best of the 3 in terms of ingredients. Also, it's the only one that doesn't have Stevia added (I think Stevia leaves a weird aftertaste).
CoffeeBerry with Coconut Water
While I may not be too keen on Green tea, I'm quite infatuated with coconut water. In fact, coconut water is my preferred method of hydration after a workout; I even prefer it over water itself.
In terms of how it mixed with coffee fruit juice though, I was a little bit skeptical.
And maybe this was for the best, because the CoffeeBerry with Coconut Water was easily my favorite of the 3 juices from KonaRed.
The aroma consists of something reminiscent of a Piña Colada, while the flavor itself tasted more like subtle coconut water with a splash of grenadine.
Ingredients
Sugar content is relatively low at 6g, but Stevia is the sweetener that's being used unfortunately.
Summary
I was pleasantly surprised by KonaRed's coffee juice offerings and would recommend the coconut water flavor to those who enjoy coconut water and are curious about how it might taste when combined with coffee fruit.
I think the other 2 offerings are tasty as well, but I don't see myself going out of my way to drink them again. The CoffeeBerry flavor has too much sugar for my taste and the Green tea in general just isn't for me.
KonaRed's products are available widely in retail and online. You can find these juices near you by using this tool on KonaRed's website.
If you're interested in ordering a case of any of the juices, you can do so on KonaRed's website here.
Benji:
My wife used the Kona Red Hawaiian Coffeeberry Superfruit Powder for 3 to 4 years. She reported to me that regular use improved the feeling in her joints and just generally felt better. Kona Red has discontinued production and it is no longer available at any of the sites that used to sell it. I have two questions for you: 1.) why did they discontinue production? 2.) Do you know of another product out there that would serve as a good alternative for her to try? Thanks for your help…….
Hi Dave,
I wasn’t aware that it went out of production, but it looks like their website is still up and running: https://www.konared.com/products/coffee-fruit-juice. I’d recommend she look for cascara juice, as that would probably be the most comparable product to what KonaRed is making.