Korean Slate

Discovered an interesting drink at the KBBQ Festival: Aloe Pulp Juice from JayOne Foods. Had never before heard of aloe vera juice.

As much as I enjoyed playing with the silky sap of aloe vera leaves when I was little (vaguely recall my mom using it for her face and hair), I didn’t think I would like it in juice form. But the taste of this drink didn’t remind me at all of the characteristic green smell of aloe vera. J1′s Aloe Pulp Juice is simply like a sweet fruit drink.

Ingredients: water, aloe vera gel powder, organic cane juice, aloe vera gel, pomegranate concentrate, citric acid, natural flavor, natural color, calcium lactate, gellan gum, honey, vitamin c

No trace of the bitterish pomegranate taste in Pom Wonderful or Langer’s. Have to admit it was almost a bit too honey-sweet that it made me wonder if it’s wasn’t a sin to drink. But the fact is the sweetener is not high-fructose corn syrup, but instead organic cane juice and honey, so it makes you less guilty of the indulgence. The label says it won a Superior Taste award at the International Taste & Quality Institute (iTQi) in Brussels in 2008.

The only Korean on the bottle is 알로에쥬스 (aloe juice) and the only Spanish is Jugo de Sabila (juice of aloe vera). Most of the information is bilingual French and English.

All Natural Antioxidant. No Preservatives. No Artificial Colors or Flavors. Shake Well. Refrigerate After Opening.

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size 1 cup (240 mL). 2 Servings per Container. Amount per Serving: 110 calories, none from Fat. No Fat. No Trans Fat. 25 milligrams of sodium. 27 grams Total Carbohydrates, 23 grams from Sugars. No protein. % Daily Value: Vitamin C 70%. 2% Calcium.

UPC 6 78108 40453. Product of Korea. Made Exclusively for Jayone Foods. Paramount, CA 90723 USA. (562) 633-7400.

About the name… First time I saw “Jayone” on the sign, I was trying to pronounce it as “Jay -yoh-nee” — it was only after looking at the brochures that I realized it must have been derived from both the Korean name Jae styled as “Jay One” and from the Korean word 자연 (pronounced jayon, meaning ‘nature’). The bottled drinks show J1 prominently, but their other products like the rice crackers simply feature Jayone.

They have other variants of aloe juice I’m going to try, like mango flavor and what seems to be the plain aloe.