Minute Maid Watermelon Review - Foodie Friday

I love watermelon, especially when they are super ripe and really sweet in the summer. Nothing is better on a hot day than a big bowl of watermelon (except maybe lemonade from the fair, but that's another post for another day). I was excited when I first saw this at the grocery store, but somehow managed to hold off trying it until it was on sale. Boy that took a while too.

I can say with 100% certainty that when I poured that first glass of pink watermelon goodness I was expecting nothing less than the flavor of a ripe summer watermelon. I really should have read the carton a bit better before psyching myself up for something that sounded so delicious. The carton itself says it's a "flavored fruit drink with other natural flavors." (You can also see the nutrition info in the photo below if you're curious)

Yup and that's exactly what it is too. It is not a wonderful way to sample summer in a glass. It does not taste like the ripe summer watermelon I've come to know and love. It does not taste like any naturally occurring watermelon flavor I have ever sampled at all. It tastes like a watermelon Jolly Rancher.

I can already hear it now, and did hear it from my husband when I made the above realization aloud. Yes, watermelon Jolly Ranchers ARE delicious. They are one of my favorite flavors. However, if I wanted to drink one I would dissolve a whole bunch in some vodka and drink chilled (anyone else seen that floating around Pinterest?). I do not want to start my day with a Jolly Rancher drink.

I wanted a fresh from the vine, ripened in the summer sun and them squashed, juiced and strained into the carton watermelon deliciousness. What I got was pretty much the same as when someone takes a sip of Sunny Delight and expects it to be orange juice. It is an orange drink, much as this is a watermelon drink, not a watermelon juice. The difference is huge.

Had I read the ingredients a little better (pictured below), I guess I would have known what I was getting into, especially since the second ingredient is HFCS. We live and learn. I have learned to not buy watermelon flavored beverages and I'm still on the lookout for watermelon juice. I spot a great niche market if someone can make it work!