New Atlas Beverage Co.

Sambazon Acai Juice

Sambazon Acai is one of the first companies to bring acai berry fruit juice to the United States. The Açai berry, is one of those fruits that still has near mythical status, despite the fact that it’s been widely available in the states for several years. Acai is pronounced ah-sigh-ee and is also known as the purple berry because of it’s deep purple color. It’s extremely high in antioxidants, healthy omega fatty acids, fiber, and protein, and supposedly has many other health properties. This exotic drink has been made by Brazilians for who knows how many hundreds of years. Even though the acai berry is Brazilian, acai juice is not one of the most common preparations, which is what makes this such an exotic drink. The fruit grows on the açai palm tree that is only found in Brazil, where it is made into a variety of juice blends, smoothies, ice creams and other delicious treats. In some regions of the Amazon, the berry makes up nearly half of the locals diet.

I decided to try and review Sambazon’s organic original blend açai juice. It’s basically only made of  “120 acai berries per bottle,” some blue agave for sweetener, and lime juice. When I first opened up the bottle, there was a slightly off-putting brown around the rim, clearly from juice that had evaporated. Not to be dettered by a little dried juice, I took a sip. It smelled delicious and tastes just as good. This is a very difficult flavor to place for me. It’s unlike any other fruit I have tried before. The description on the back of the bottle describes it as “berry-cocoa” but I honestly can’t taste any cocoa in it. The closest thing I can think of is blueberries, but Sambazon acai juice is not sour or bitter in any way. It’s actually very refreshing, smooth, and creamy.

I can’t get over the creaminess, which is so strange for a fruit juice, and especially by looking at the color you would never guess it. It’s quickly becoming one of my new favorite fruits. The healthiness is just a bonus. The only complaint I have is that it doesn’t come in a bigger bottle. The standard serving is only 10 oz, or 350mL.

Note: There are a lot of acai scams on the internet and other reviews of acai berry because of it’s health properties, but for the best tasting acai juice it’s best to get just from your local health food store.