Cheribundi – A Tart Cherry Juice Drink

The makers of Cheribundi, a new tart cherry juice drink, sent me a sample pack of their three flavors to review.  The following is my review of their product.  Samples were provided gratis, but my review is given with no other compensation.

Cheribundi — The Tart Cherry Juice Drink

I’ll begin by saying that, generally speaking, I’m not a fan of fruit juice drinks.  By most metrics, fruit juices have just as many calories as a soda, and since they’re usually pulp free, you don’t even get the benefit of a little fiber.  The only possible benefit, in my mind, is the potential to getting some antioxidants or vitamins. Having said that, there are occasions when having something other than coffee, milk, or water to drink is desirable.   Not to mention trying to get your kids to choose something healthier than soda or Kool-Aid.  So, in that case, I’d prefer a juice drink over some of the other options.

CherryPharm developed Cheribundi, which is a tart cherry juice drink based on a process developed in conjunction with Cornell University using  Montmorency tart cherries.  According to the website, Cheribundi’s products are made from U.S. grown cherries, and they cite research from journals as prestigious as the Journal of Nutrition and the British Journal of Sports Medicine that support some of the claims regarding potential health benefits, some of which suggest benefits like higher antioxidant levels than even products like pomegranate juice.

They currently sell three flavors — these are “Tru Cherry,” “Skinny Cherry,” and “Whey Cherry.” Having tried all three, my kids and I agree the three vintages taste pretty similar.  The only real difference we could tell were subtle changes in tartness/sweetness.  Probably not something that would make me choose one overwhelmingly over another.  Surprisingly enough, my 10-year old son, who generally doesn’t like fruit juice, really enjoyed the combination of sweetness and tartness.

Both the Tru Cherry and Whey Cherry are blended with apple juice, presumably to both reduce cost and provide sweetness.  Not surprisingly, the Whey Cherry also contains whey protein, and has a slightly higher calorie content.  The Skinny Cherry contains no apple juice, but instead uses the natural alternative sweetener stevia, and so has slightly fewer calories.  With a baseline of 130-calories in an 8-ounce serving of Tru Cherry, while these drinks may be antioxidant rich, but they aren’t a low calorie alternative to sodas, so don’t get your hopes up on that front.

The only other comment I can make about these is related to cost.  I did a search and couldn’t find a supplier listed in my area, but you can get direct shipping.  There are a few different sizes available, but for the 4-pack of 8-ounce bottles, it works out to nearly $2.50 per bottle.  That’s not cheap.  Buying a 24-pack case gets that down to $2.00 per bottle, which is still pretty pricey in my mind.

The Cheribundi tart cherry juice drinks are a novel product, and research would suggest that they may offer some health benefits over many of the other juice products on the market.  My kids liked them, so that is in their favor, but the high cost makes them a non-starter for my household.  And to be honest, just like most juice drinks, in the end you’re probably better off to just eat the fruit.  But if that doesn’t work for you, these are probably a good alternative.

Its not realy widely distributed yet, so if you’re interested, you can buy Tru Cherry directly from Amazon.

Related posts:

1. Juice From Pomegranates – POM Wonderful Review
2. The Best Health Drink That Money Can Buy
3. My Breakfast Fruit Smoothie Recipe
4. Coffee As An Antioxidant Source – How Good Is It?