All of Sip-n-Glo’s Juices, Ranked


Photo courtesy Sip-N-Glo

Photo courtesy Sip-N-Glo

A few weeks back, we got preeeetty excited about the fact that a new Sip-N-Glo Juicery location was set to open up right around the corner from our offices. (Update: The 20th Street location is now open!) The juice-and-smoothie joint has been one of our favorites since it opened in Bella Vista two years ago — see it’s Best of Philly nods here and here — but we realized now that since all that juice goodness would be moving so dangerously close to our workplace, and we’d be making far too many trips to count, we should probably sample every single juice they make to ensure we’re ordering intelligently. And since we’re trying all of them, anyway, might as well rank ’em, top to bottom, right? Right. 

So here you have it: Our not-remotely-scientific ranking of all of Sip-N-Glo’s juices (and a few shakes), from our favorites to our least favorites. Our ranking includes only those juices featured on their year-round menu, meaning we excluded the special, one-time seasonal concoctions. Our panel of testers included your trusty Be Well Philly gals, plus a few other Philly Mag editors and writers, some of whom generally like “health” juices (their word, not ours) and others of whom generally loathe them (we’re looking at you, Jason Sheehan from Foobooz).

Without further ado …

1. Radiant Glo
What’s in it: Carrot, orange, herbal peach hibiscus tea, pineapple, turmeric, lemon.
Nutrition facts per eight-ounce serving (two servings per bottle): 98.5 calories, 0.5 fat grams, 12 grams sugar, 23 grams carbs, 2 grams protein.

Our group’s hands-down favorite. Yes, yes, carrot is the first ingredient, but it’s so not what you’d expect from a carrot juice. It’s clean and slightly sweet — but not too sweet — with a spicy kick from the turmeric. “It feels healthy without being in-your-face healthy,” said one of our astute testers.

2. One Love
What’s in it: Cucumber, apple, pineapple, spinach, ginger.
Nutrition facts per eight-ounce serving (two servings per bottle): 88 calories, 0 fat grams, 8 grams sugar, 15 grams carbs, 1 gram protein,

This, our testers decided, is the green juice for people who don’t like green juice. It’s sweeter than you’d expect, as the fruit shines through more than the veggies. Note: This juice won a Best of Philly award in 2014.

3. Chocolate Peanut Butter Pump-up (shake)
What’s in it: Almond milk, chocolate protein, peanut butter, cacao.
Nutrition facts per eight-ounce serving (two servings per bottle): 206 calories, 12 fat grams, 6 grams sugar, 8 grams carbs, 16 grams protein.

I was surprised our testers dug this one — not because it isn’t delicious (it is), but I figured the thick consistency and the protein powder might throw some people off. The consensus was that this tastes like a Reese’s peanut butter cup, for all the right reasons. A few people thought it was maybe too sweet — hey, it does taste like candy — but the group came to the agreement that it would be the perfect post-workout protein boost. Like chocolate milk, but more nutritious (and delicious).

4. Rocket Power
What’s in it: Cucumber, apple, Swiss chard, arugula, spinach.
Nutrition facts per eight-ounce serving (two servings per bottle): 80 calories, 0 fat grams, 16 grams sugar, 16 grams carbs, 0 grams protein.

You have to like cucumber if you’re sipping this one. The cuke taste is strong, and compared to the One Love, this green juice tastes more “healthy” (i.e. less sweet).

5. Flu Fighter
What’s in it: Orange, carrot, kale, lemon, ginger.
Nutrition facts per eight-ounce serving (two servings per bottle): 94 calories, 0 fat grams, 14 grams sugar, 19 grams carbs, 0 grams protein.

We can see how this juice might get you back on your feet when you’re down for the count with the flu: The ginger is zippy — a little too strong for some of our testers, but others thought it provided a nice kick. The color — a muddy orange-ish brown — was admittedly a tad off-putting, especially if you figure you’re probably drinking this when you’re under the weather.

6. Pineapple Goji Lemon-aid
What’s in it: Pineapple, lemon, goji berries, water.
Nutrition facts per eight-ounce serving (two servings per bottle): 84 calories, 0 fat grams, 16 grams sugar, 22 grams carbs, 1 gram protein.

I loved this drink, but had to agree with our other testers who said that while they liked it, it felt more like a fancy quasi-tropical lemonade than a drink with health benefits. It’s true: There aren’t any veggies in it, but it’s still darn good. Just note: There are goji berries floating in this juice, which I liked, but other folks with texture issues had, well, issues with it.

7. Energy (shake)
What’s in it: Almond milk, cashews, matcha, maca, peppermint oil.
Nutrition facts per 10-ounce serving (one serving per bottle): 230 calories, 17 fat grams, 3 grams sugar, 13 grams carbs, 7 grams protein.

If you like minty things, you’ll love this. The drink is thick, so prepare thyself, but the nuttiness mixed with the peppermint oil reminded us of a fancy after-dinner candy. (Which is a compliment.)

8. Green Beast
What’s in it: Cucumber, apple, spinach, kale, celery, lemon, ginger.
Nutrition facts per eight-ounce serving (two servings per bottle): 82 calories, 0 fat grams, 5 grams sugar, 15 grams carbs, 3 grams protein.

Group consensus: too much celery.

9. Vanilla Chia Pump-up (shake)
What’s in it: Almond milk, vanilla protein, chia seeds, cinnamon.
Nutrition facts per eight-ounce serving (two servings per bottle): 131 calories, 6 fat grams, 4 grams sugar, 3 grams carbs, 13 grams protein.

This, right here, is the reason I dreamed up this ranking in the first place. For the past few years, every time I’ve gone to Sip-N-Glo, I’ve ordered this shake. I personally love it (and still do), but I was beginning to wonder if I was missing out on other delicious drink choices by always sticking with my go-to. I have to say, based on the results of this tasting, the answer is yes.

As I said, I still do love this drink, but I agree with our other tasters who said the protein-powder aftertaste/chalkiness is a bit strong (something I’d noticed before but doesn’t really bother me). The drink itself tastes a lot like a chai latte, but it is thick and textured, thanks to the chia. I’ll still order it, but I do feel it belongs here on this list — which means I’ll also happily swap it out for the chocolate PB pump-up above, a flavor I’d never have considered before doing this experiment.

10. Heart Beet
What’s in it: Apple, carrot, beet, celery, lemon, ginger.
Nutrition facts per eight-ounce serving (two servings per bottle): 89 calories, 0 fat grams, 14 grams sugar, 17 grams carbs, 1.5 grams protein.

This is one of those veggie juices that just straight-up tastes like a veggie juice. It’s pretty strong on the beet and ginger front, and since beets aren’t for everyone (Have you noticed how divisive they are? You either love ’em or you hate ’em), it landed 10th on our ranking.

11. Refresh’mint
What’s in it: Mint chlorophyll, water.
Nutrition facts: Not listed. (I’m assuming that’s because…)

… This is mint water. It says so right on the packaging. Despite the mesmerizing forest-green color, our testers felt like it was nothing special. If you’re wondering about the chlorophyll, it’s the pigment in plants that gives them their green color, and it’s what plants use to trap light for photosynthesis. Sip-N-Glo describes it as “a nutrient-packed superfood that is both detoxifying and a natural deodorizer.” The jury appears to still be out in the scientific community.

12. Hangover Helper
What’s in it: Pineapple, coconut water, celery, lime, jalapeno, cilantro.
Nutrition facts per eight-ounce serving (two servings per bottle): 59 calories, 0 fat grams, 14 grams sugar, 16 grams carbs, 0 grams protein.

I’m not sure what it says about this juice that the only two people who genuinely liked it were your two trusty Be Well Philly editors. Sure, it’s spicy, but we dug it — it was a nice surprise in an otherwise mostly-sweet world of juices. The rest of the testers said the smell was too strong (in an off-putting way) and that it sort of tasted like a margarita mix you wouldn’t want to sip without the booze. When we suggested adding some booze, they seemed to perk up. (Sadly, no booze was added for the purpose of our testing.)

13. Clean Green
What’s in it: Cucumber, Swiss chard, kale, dandelion greens, parsley, chlorophyll.
Nutrition facts per eight-ounce serving (two servings per bottle): 44 calories, 0 fat grams, 8 grams sugar, 8 grams carbs, 0 grams protein.

Our testers weren’t fans of this one for two reasons: They thought the parsley was too strong and, for some reason (the chlorophyll, maybe?) it tasted somewhat chemical-y.

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