Monday, November 18, 2013

Bolthouse Farms Pumpkin Spice Latte - Aldi - Moorestown, NJ

Bolthouse Farms Pumpkin Spice Latte - Aldi - Moorestown, NJ
I'm back! Thank you so much for your patience and understanding! My two student teaching observations went really well! If any of you are interested, you can see bits and pieces of my presentations, lessons, and resources HERE.

Time to get back to my pumpkin reviews! (I only have a few items left.)

I have reviewed Bolthouse Farms in the past and, although I wasn't too impressed with their chai, I am a big fan of their fruit smoothies. I really hope that Bolthouse can do coffee better than tea, but I am going into this with pretty low expectations.




Unlike the bland Vanilla Chai Tea design, this bottle has some gorgeous coloring. There is a delicious latte-colored gradient that radiates from the label to create a cozy fall feeling, while still complimenting the seasonal items pictured at the bottom, and the drink itself has a rich pumpkin pie color. When combined, all of these elements create a classy seasonal feeling without looking like a cheap novelty. (A problem I have with a lot of seasonal products.)

If you aren't familiar with this brand of smoothies/drinks, they are usually sold in two sizes:
  • A small single serve bottle (15 fl oz)
  • A large bottle (32 fl oz)
I couldn't find this seasonal flavor in the smaller single serve size, which was a bit annoying. I don't like committing to a huge bottle until I know that I like the product, and in this case I feel like I had no choice but to get the big bottle. (Maybe they just didn't have the smaller version in my area? Or they sold out? Was this flavor even released in the smaller bottle?)
I shook the bottle up, took off the cap, and took a whiff. My first reaction? This smells like actual pumpkin puree mixed with pumpkin spiced chai concentrate. (Which is awesome.) I can smell nutty pumpkin and the pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, cloves, etc.), but it seems like Bolthouse was a little heavy handed with the nutmeg.This smells very spiced, which I really like, but I can't smell any hint of coffee.
I poured myself a glass and... it tasted just like it smelled. If I could liken it to anything, it'd be the Tazo chai mixture blended up with pumpkin puree and a bit of vanilla rice milk. The texture is very rich and creamy, similar to most bottled smoothies, and I imagine it would thin out a bit if it were heated up, but something isn't quite right. Wasn't this supposed to be a latte? Where is the coffee?
After I finished the whole cup I noticed a slightly bitter aftertaste, which is a little bit similar to coffee, but I can't seem to find the latte-part of this "Pumpkin Latte."
It may not taste like coffee, but it sure tastes pumpkin-y and delicious! I really like this drink, so my commitment to the large bottle paid off! (Thank goodness.)

On a Pumpkin Scale of 1-5 (5 being the most pumpkin-y) I’d give this a 4.5. It's basically a pumpkin smoothie mixed with pumpkin spiced chai. It only loses .5 points due to the lack of coffee flavoring.

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