Jamba Juice, 17 Five-Star Ratings 6 Four-Star Ratings, You can't argue with that.
Written: Oct 06 '04 (Updated Nov 07 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Happy Helpful staff, clean kitchen area, and fine looking pastel coloured drinks with fresh fruit.
Cons: None where I live.
The Bottom Line: A healthy product and good taste are a good combination and that makes this product a winner.
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| popsrocks's Full Review: Jamba Juice |
I stumbled upon this product one day while lookin' around Epinions. I was amazed at how highly rated it was. After a quick glimpse of a review or two, I moved on. Yesterday I was in NYC on some business. I was involve in two events on the west side of Manhattan. Things were a bit hectic and I was tired and thirsty by the time I arrived at the second venue on foot.
There, just around the corner from the venue, was a place by the name of jamba juice. The small case letters in the name, go with its logo. I was drawn to it by the colourful decor and bright open inside, and more so, by the many customers coming out sipping on straws with fine looking drinks in hand. I also remembered the excellent ratings the place had on Epinions and walked in the door. One of the first words that caught my eye was "smoothie". It sounded good and the pictures looked good, but not nearly as good as it tasted.
The FRANCHISE and the STORE
I must be living a very sheltered life because I never even heard of the place till I bumped into it on Epinions. I've since found out there are hundreds of them in over twenty five states. California has almost three hundred alone. Ha, no wonder why I haven't heard of them, there are just five in all New York State and they are scattered all over NY city.
The particular one I wandered into is on Broadway. It was VERY bright with a full glass front and high overhead florescent lighting. I have to say that due to the high volume of traffic in the store, I could not say the floors were very clean or free of trash. A good sweeping once in a while would go along way. The kitchen area, however did look clean. This basically "take out" place had no available rest rooms for customers.
Service is done by waiting in line for the next available register. There were two stations. I suggest you use the line to try and make at least a short list of items you may want to try. I noticed many people still studying the menu as they made their way to the counter. After I paid for the order, the pretty gal asked me for my first name. No, this gal wasn't commin' on to ol' pops. They use your name to call you and then repeat the order to you when it is finished and ready for pick up.
The help was friendly for the most part. One guy looked like he didn't belong or didn't want to belong. Everyone else was upbeat.
There were just a few tables in this otherwise open area. Maybe they don't want people hangin out too long. You could sip on one of these things for a half an hour easy.
The PRODUCT
I learned that this product caters to those looking for good health options that taste good. Each Smoothie starts you off with 2 1/2-6 fruit start of the day. jamba says you need five fruit for a healthy day. I'm not so sure how healthy this would be all day long but roof of the mouth freeze may keep the consumption down. There are a lot of calories in these babies, but according to some, they are the right kind. They are good carbs that are also high in potassium and low in sodium. This is a good anti-high blood pressure combo.
I watched as they were making one type of Smoothie after another. They use ice that has already been crushed. Then they add fresh or frozen fruit that you see stacked and binned in the kitchen area. A few ounces of this and a pinch of that are also added. Each choice on the menu does tell you exactly what is in the particular drink. I like that this is all done out in the open.
CHOICES
I must admit I was a bit overwhelmed looking at the menu. There were a number of lists of offerings, each with a different name and about seven or eight items. I decided on one of their breakfast drinks. These add protein in the form of soy milk and/or non fat yogurt. I tried the Pick-me-up-Peach. The ingredients were a peach juice blend, frozen peaches, non fat plain yogurt and frozen bananas. Oh man!! This was delicious and very smooth.
Another breakfast blend comes to mind in Bright-eyed-and-Blueberry. That one uses fresh blueberries and strawberries with nonfat yogurt and soymilk. I was looking at that one too. The drinks come in plastic cups of three different sizes. The pastel colors of the finished product look good through the cup.
After my first event was finished I walked back to jamba juice for another selection. This time I went for a smoothie, the Orange-a-Peal. It was made with orange juice, non-fat yogurt, frozen strawberries and frozen bananas. Wow! I DID IT AGAIN!, or is that, "Whoops? I did...." Anyways I'm glad I did. As good as the first one was, this one was even better tasting. The yogurt and fresh fruit combos blended with pre-crushed ice are very smooth tasting and does freeze the roof of ones mouth. These are slow sippin' drinks. You can only get a certain amount product through that straw.
Many other drinks are listed, on the board, that are made with fresh fruits, frozen fruits and juices and other blends.
BOOSTS
Everybody can use a boost of energy or vitamins so some are offered with the smoothies. You tell 'em which you want and they add it, FREE. Well a few of them anyway.
The Boosts with names like Fiber Boost, Energy Boost, Femme Boost and Burner Boost all help the body in different ways. Additional Boosts like Jamba Multi Boost, Performance Boost, Vita Boost and Protein Boost will cost you an additional 25-50 cents on top of the original price. The gal told me these prices do vary according to the area you purchase them. The Original size goes for about $4.00. I read that the company will be coming out with a much smaller size in a month or two.
These are some words from their web site. We've formulated six special blends of... vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs and other nutrients to answer six different nutritional needs. By using multiple sources of nutrients, each unique blend gives you a boost to help your body absorb more of what it needs. Basically, we've done all the homework so you don't have to. So, check out the goods below... all Smoothies include one free Boost!
Read the boost list on your way up to the counter so you know exactly what you want to order once there.
SOMETHING TO EAT
I didn't eat anything there on either trip into the place. There was a nice glass counter with some good lookin' baked goods like pretzels, buntz, and what they call swirls. All are supposedly fiber and vitamin rich. There are charts and nutrition guides available to tell you what all the added goodies in the drinks and foods are.
LAST THOUGHTS
The product was very tasty, actually delicious! It doesn't taste like medicine or have any kind of after taste. It's good fresh fruit and other ingredients. I was surprised at the volume of business the place was doing. The lines do move quickly but many people are stumped on what to order when they get up to the counter. the drinks are very cold and thick. Only a little bit can be had at any time. I, in a very rare move, actually had to dump half because I had to get to my second job. That was not easy. It tasted sooo good. I enjoyed my second drink later that day.
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NYC eats
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Tavern on the Green A romantic restaurant in Central Park / Stardust DinerA great place for before a show in Times Square. Aspiring actors are here / Osteria Stella A great find in the Times Square area / The Manhattan Chili Company good quick eats before a show. / ESPN Zone A sports bar, arcade, and MORE! / TGI Friday's Times Square Location. / Pig'n'Whistle, a great Times Square Pub / Ollies, Broadway / Osteria Stella Fine Northern Italian in Times Square / Sylvia's, a southern soul restaurant in Harlem / Fraunce's Tavern Lower Manhattan. GW ate here. / Katz's Deli A NYC landmark
Recommended:
Yes
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