On Blueberry Hill
Archer Farms Pomegranate Blueberry
Ok so this is pretty much a store brand energy drink for Target. However I am intrigued because most store brands never step out much and just make your typical RB clone. Archer Farms however has several flavors. I decided I’d go for the most unusual one first. First off I have not had a Blueberry energy drink before. I have had a Blueberry shot but not a drink. Secondly this drink is billed as a “Naturally Flavored Pear drink” so that is different as well.
Packaging: Archer farms revamped their lineup a while back and switched to the 12 oz slime can we have here. This can is kind of a pinkish purple at the top fading into a pastel purple at the bottom. The colors are very muted and tame. At the top is the name “Archer Farms” in black font with the archer farms logo which is a crowing rooster below it. Further down it reads “Energy Drink” and “Juice Infused” both in black font. At the bottom is the flavor along with a listing of some of the key ingredients. Back has nutrition facts. I get what they are going for here. This is the kind of drink that a housewife or woman at work might drink. The packaging is fairly feminine and not aggressive at all. I think it works well. Grade C+ for packaging
Slogan: All I could find was this in a blurb on the back of the can “Bring some zest to your day with Archer farms” I think that qualifies as a slogan and give it a C-
Taste: Popping the top right off you get a huge hit of blueberry scent. It is a pretty strong smell but not a bad one. Pouring some in a cup it comes out a champagne color with a real heavy carbonation. I take a sip and it has a really intense sweet blueberry flavor with just a hint of pomegranate at the finish. I can’t really pick out any of the pear juice as it is buried deeply by the strong blueberry flavor. There is none of the typical energy drink flavor at all in this drink. It’s is pretty damn enjoyable taste wise if you like blueberry flavor. It’s is very sweet though and candy like. Very unique and delicious I say. Grade B for taste
Kick/Ingredients: I drank the can not expecting a huge boost and got what I expected. It was on par with a nice small cup of coffee except the buzz lasted longer at around 3 hours. It was a mellow rise in alertness that left me refreshed but not jittery a bit. I can see this buzz appealing to a lot of women drinkers who just need a light pick me up. Still it has more kick than a cola or even a mountain dew so I figure anyone who wants a light boost will enjoy this. The drink has some ok ingredients including 70 mg caffeine, 10 mg Taurine, 90 mg Ginseng, Guarana, 100% DV vitamin C, low doses of B vitamins, and a few other vitamins and minerals. It is 40% juice and has 80 calories, 21 grams carbs and 19 grams sugars. It is sweetened by the juice and Ace K along with sucralose. Grade C- for kick. It is healthy but weak.
Web Presence: Nothing to be found on the target website or anywhere else really. Grade F
Recap:
There is probably a market for this drink. Not everyone is an energy drink junkie. Some people just might want a nice healthy juice drink with an added boost. This drink is a great change of pace and if it is late in the day it won’t keep you up all night. I think you should try it just for the taste. I give kudos to Target for doing something original and not just jumping into the ED market with another clone.
