Malee Fruit Juice

[mcgriffith]

PS just a word of quick appreciation and gratitude.

You guys and gals are bar none the best community of folks on all of Thai Visa, IMHO.

I moderate and cruise about all the fora. Patts, General, Samui, etc.

You are all the best.

I've always considered moving to Chiang Rai- now I know why.

The coolest and most mellow (and forgiving) people live there....

[jayhech]

Am I too late to comment that these juices are heavily sugar added?

P.S. Reading this thread actually makes me think of orange and I'll go get some now.

Edited August 9, 2008 by jayhech

[Ulysses G.]

Am I too late to comment that these juices are heavily sugar added?

P.S. Reading this thread actually makes me think of orange and I'll go get some now.

I don't think that Tipco adds any sugar (which is why I prefer them).

[jfchandler]

I do wonder about the "added sugar" issue.... and I likewise read the news post here on TV about the Thai study on heavy sugar content in Thai fruit juices and juice blends (without naming any brands).

I stay away from everything that's not labeled 100% juice. I tend to buy Tipco juices, which are labeled as 100% fruit juice or blend of 100% juices. Their kiwi, grape and cranberry blend are pretty good and taste fresh and relatively natural...

However, their 4 or 5 varieties of off the shelf orange juices taste SOOOOOO sweet.... nothing like fresh juice at all... Yet they also are labeled 100% juice.... It really makes me wonder how they do that...and about what an analysis would show on sugar levels????????

Even though it's more expensive, I've taken to buying the refrigerated Nestle brand at Villa and even, when it's sometimes in stock, the Florida's Natural brand, which is NOT from concentrate. The latter, IMHO, is as close to fresh squeezed as you can get.

[chang35baht]

PS just a word of quick appreciation and gratitude.

You guys and gals are bar none the best community of folks on all of Thai Visa, IMHO.

I moderate and cruise about all the fora. Patts, General, Samui, etc.

You are all the best.

I've always considered moving to Chiang Rai- now I know why.

The coolest and most mellow (and forgiving) people live there....

Heyyhh!! I take that personally

[sceadugenga]

I do wonder about the "added sugar" issue.... and I likewise read the news post here on TV about the Thai study on heavy sugar content in Thai fruit juices and juice blends (without naming any brands).

I stay away from everything that's not labeled 100% juice. I tend to buy Tipco juices, which are labeled as 100% fruit juice or blend of 100% juices. Their kiwi, grape and cranberry blend are pretty good and taste fresh and relatively natural...

However, their 4 or 5 varieties of off the shelf orange juices taste SOOOOOO sweet.... nothing like fresh juice at all... Yet they also are labeled 100% juice.... It really makes me wonder how they do that...and about what an analysis would show on sugar levels????????

Even though it's more expensive, I've taken to buying the refrigerated Nestle brand at Villa and even, when it's sometimes in stock, the Florida's Natural brand, which is NOT from concentrate. The latter, IMHO, is as close to fresh squeezed as you can get.

I never drink the orange juice straight JF, sometimes only adding a good dash to a glass of soda water. This cuts the sweetness considerably but I'll admit the Tipco vs Malee argument is personal taste.

The Tipco tomato juice is inferior to Malee in my opinion and, as I said earlier, the one time I tried their OJ I didn't like it.

Edited August 10, 2008 by sceadugenga

[ChangMaiSausage]

Malee for me with a double vodka, I always ask which brand of orange they use when requesting my tipple

[sceadugenga]

Malee for me with a double vodka, I always ask which brand of orange they use when requesting my tipple

Screwdriver or Bloody Mary?

I like my BMs with a little tabasco and a squeeze of lime.

Sorry just noticed you said orange.

Edited August 10, 2008 by sceadugenga

[goski]

You leave this thread for one day and it's all about screwdrivers and bloody marys!

Personally I go for a double vodka with a single Malee/Tipco/Juice or why not with absoultely nothing else just to heed my scandinavian urges. I do have a recipy for a nice liquorice vodka if anyone is interested. Made from local products of course.

[sceadugenga]

I'm quite partial to a Pastis and water which I suspect maybe similar.

Where do you get the local vodka?

[klikster]

I'm surprised than none of the bloody mary drinkers have mentioned the spicy version of V8. Should be better than the local TJ, I would think.

And that they haven't substituted Tequila for Vodka for a change of pace. Ole!

Edited August 12, 2008 by klikster

[klikster]

PS just a word of quick appreciation and gratitude.

You guys and gals are bar none the best community of folks on all of Thai Visa, IMHO.

I moderate and cruise about all the fora. Patts, General, Samui, etc.

You are all the best.

I've always considered moving to Chiang Rai- now I know why.

The coolest and most mellow (and forgiving) people live there....

Mac, when I lived in CR (back in the 90's), we CR folks worked damned hard to establish a 'wild west' reputation. That reputation had survive an entire decade. We reveled in it .. nurtured it ..

.. and you just ruined it with a single post!

[mcgriffith]

Sorry klikster....I'll let you continue being the lone gunslinger in Sergio Leone's "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly", Chiang Rai version....

You're right; in 1975 when I first visited CR, 'twas the Wild West (and I mean that in a Good Way)!

[svenivan]

PS just a word of quick appreciation and gratitude.

You guys and gals are bar none the best community of folks on all of Thai Visa, IMHO.

I moderate and cruise about all the fora. Patts, General, Samui, etc.

You are all the best.

I've always considered moving to Chiang Rai- now I know why.

The coolest and most mellow (and forgiving) people live there....

Come and visit us in CRAPS, Chiang Rai Amateur and Profesional Society, the golfers in Chiang Rai, and you will change your mind quickly.

We are mean, really mean!

Mellow, ha! Forgiving, ha ha ha!!!!

Cool, no, never! The most hot tempered people you can find in SEA!

[jfchandler]

Hey guys...this thread has gone seriously off course and subject...

Anyone here still wanting to talk about Thai fruit juices????

Or... take it to another thread!!!!

[sceadugenga]

Sorry klikster....I'll let you continue being the lone gunslinger in Sergio Leone's "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly", Chiang Rai version....

You're right; in 1975 when I first visited CR, 'twas the Wild West (and I mean that in a Good Way)!

Who am I then? Tuco?

Edited August 13, 2008 by sceadugenga

[mcgriffith]

OK, back on thread (thanks jf).

I'll take up the dare...next time I visit CR I'll buy multiple cartons of Tipco and Malee OJ and tomato juice. And some Tabasco.

We'll do a blind taste test. The "local" vodka via goski will be crucial to this Epicurean experiment....

And we will see who can be the most (fill in the blanks!)

[lannaman]

Am I too late to comment that these juices are heavily sugar added?

P.S. Reading this thread actually makes me think of orange and I'll go get some now.

I agree, that there must be sugar added. I like the juices more when about an inch of water or soda water is added - sometimes a drop of pernod too!

[sceadugenga]

Am I too late to comment that these juices are heavily sugar added?

P.S. Reading this thread actually makes me think of orange and I'll go get some now.

I agree, that there must be sugar added. I like the juices more when about an inch of water or soda water is added - sometimes a drop of pernod too!

I like my Pernod over ice with a little water, just enough to make it go milky.

[klikster]

I like my Pernod over ice with a little water, just enough to make it go milky.

There you go OT again, Sceadugenga .. and on your very own thread!

*shuffling and ducking and hiding behind the saloon before the sheriff, he come a runnin', his spurs be a janglin', his Colt be cocked 'n ready*

Edited August 14, 2008 by klikster

[canuckamuck]

And how do you queeze your own orange juice? Do you have an orange tree? No, oranges don't

come from Thailand, you have green oranges here which we call mandarines.

Yeah the kilometers of orchards surrounding my wife's village are full of round orange coloured fruit that tastes like orange juice. But I know that they couldn't be oranges so I would never try to make juice from them. That would be crazy.

[sceadugenga]

And where would that be? Sri Acha?

I'm fully prepared to believe that varieties of Citrus Sinensis have been modified to grow in tropical climates but most orange trees need a Mediterranean style climate.

The dry season is ideal for them up here but the wet season is still a little too wet.

Great for mandarins though, which are being planted in vast numbers locally.(Citrus reticulata).

Edited August 14, 2008 by sceadugenga

[ozsamurai]

1lt CP juices are on sale at Tesco this week for 31bht... I wonder if they are poison??

lol

Oz

[sceadugenga]

Alas, no Tesco in the 'Rai.

[sibeymai]

On the issue of sugar there was a recent report about a sample of 22 processed juices (not the freshly squeezed juices from street vendors) and almost all were found to have "dangerous" levels of sugar, which can only have been added during manufacturing.

The report stated that the average consumption of sugar by Thais is 30 teaspoons per day (yes, 30!!). Anything above 10 the report said, could lead to long term health problems. The average can of soda has 7-8 teaspoons of sugar. Some juices were found to have as much as 15 teaspoons for the equivalent volume. Some even contained absolutely no vitamin C.

My recommendation....avoid Thai processed fruit juices, especially children. I suggest a good Australian juice (or US) such as Berri which is fully labelled for content and contains no added sugar. Yes it is a few baht more but it's worth 85 baht to drink orange juice that tastes like an orange than pay 65 baht to drink sugar and water with some coloring thrown in.

Edit: oh, and the obvious....make your own.

Edited August 14, 2008 by sibeymai

[sceadugenga]

pay 65 baht to drink sugar and water with some coloring thrown in.

Errr.. you forgot to add the link for this accusation.

[lannarebirth]

My suggestion, buy a juicer. There's fresh fruit and vegetables available everywhere here, and inexpensive too. Make sure to wash everything well.

[mcgriffith]

Hey, not to belabor the point....but:

There is no doubt that fresh squeezed OJ is the cat's meow.

However, I think that some of the posters have simply never bought or looked at a 1L carton of Malee 100% Tangerine Orange Juice.

Not that I am gullible, but when there is a prominent mention on both sides of the carton (Thai and English) stating: "No Sugar Added, Hi-Vitamin C", and the ingredients list 100% juice, with pulp only added (they call it "sac" here), and "No Preservatives and Artificial Color Added", and the nutritional info does not lead me to believe this is an incorrect statement........

Are we talking about 2 completely different things here?

Or maybe you just don't believe this labeling? Tastes too sweet to you? Or you might be used to very acidic OJ from your home country?

Or more likely, you have bought some of the other <deleted> masquerading as juice....and think everything that comes in a carton is bunk?

Do yourself a favor. Go find a 1L carton of Malee Tangerine Orange Juice. Chill it well. Try it. After doing so, post back here with your impressions.

I am needing a pastis and water, after all this typing....

EDIT I posted over you, LRB- was not responding to your post in particular- it just came out that way. If you have a house, and can buy fresh oranges by the box (or pick from your own trees), and have a quality juicer....that is ideal.

I want to reiterate that the Malee Tangerine is the one to try. As scea noted above, Seville oranges don't really do so well in this climate. Tangerines (mandarins) do very well. So be sure to try the Tangerine; the regular OJ from Malee is awful...

[sibeymai]

Thanks for your suggestion mcgriffith. I will try the tangerine juice as you suggest. I do expect that it will be sweeter than what I prefer, even if it doesn' sugar. Do you have any suggestion on how to make it less sweet ? Add a dash of lime juice perhaps ?

[mcgriffith]

Do what sceadugenga does....a glass of sparkling mineral water, with a good dollop of the juice.

When I lived in Afghanistan many years ago, I used to have a favorite fresh orange juice vendor. He sold fresh squeezed blood orange juice (the kind of orange that has a bright red interior fruit). Very low acidity, not sharp tasting at all- but very sweet, almost cloying in its sweetness.

I think a lot of people worldwide are not aware of how many kinds of orange citrus species there are. If you are accustomed to the thin (little or no pulp), sharp (very acidic) type of juice....you might not like the kind I mention.