The Apple Juice Option You Should Avoid Buying

Apple juice may not be a staple of your grocery list, but you may need it from time to time to sweeten a glaze, moisten a fall-flavored baked good, or create a base for family-friendly punches and boozy apple cider-based beverages. If your recipe calls for apple juice or you're simply having an early-childhood craving, you might be surprised by how many options you have to choose from. Chowhound writer Emily M Alexander took this conundrum in stride by helpfully taste-testing and ranking 11 commonly available brands of apple juice. While her favorite and least favorite varieties were strongly dictated by flavor and quality, she also highlights a few distinguishing factors that may move certain apple juices up or down on your own personal rankings.

Fans of the Martinelli's brand can rejoice in the fact that its Gold Medal Apple Juice was only one place away from the top spot. That prize went to RW Knudsen Organic Apple Juice for its tart-sweet balance and quality organic ingredients. The biggest takeaway from Alexander's list, however, is the apple juice you should unequivocally avoid. That dubious honor goes to Snapple Apple Juice.

In terms of flavor, Alexander's apple juice ranking criteria is simple: Is the level of sweetness balanced by the right amount of tartness? And does the apple juice taste, as one would hope, like real apples? Unfortunately, Snapple's apple flavor failed on both accounts. The overwhelmingly sweet taste (courtesy of added sugar) makes the juice taste artificial, more like apple candy than apple juice.

Part of the reason Snapple Apple Juice doesn't taste like apples is because it's also made from pear juice. Both its apple and pear juices are made from concentrate, rather than from unfiltered fruit juice, which also lends itself to that artificial juice flavor we know (and don't love). Snapple Apple Juice, when compared to its competitors on the grocery shelf, might also turn you away by its color alone. It's almost pinkish-red. Why Snapple is trying to change the game of standard apple juice color, we don't know. But we do know that color is created through vegetable and fruit concentrate (as Alexander asks: why?).

The other strange factor is that Snapple Apple Juice from concentrate isn't that much cheaper than the competition. The winning product from RW Knudsen is organic and freshly pressed but only costs $4.99 for 32 ounces. Snapple Apple Juice is just $1.41 less for the same amount. So, stick to other (and better) juice brands that use quality ingredients, like Simply Beverages, Martinelli's, or RW Knudsen, when the craving strikes. Leave your Snapple purchases for more flavorful favorites like the brand's Peach Tea or Pink Lemonade.