Popular Capri Sun Flavors Ranked Worst To Best
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Whether it was packed as your drink of choice in a lunchbox, or received as a fun sport drink after a youth soccer match, It's impossible for anyone to say that they haven't had a Capri Sun at least once in their life. The iconic pouched juices are a staple of many people's childhoods, and still commonly found in kids' lunches today. This famous beverage has been around since 1969, and was created by Rudolf Wild under the name of "Capri-Sonne" in Germany. Even then, it was sold in the beloved juice pouch we still drink out of today. For over 50 years, Capri Sun has only grown in popularity, becoming market leaders in the U.S. in 1994, and just ten years later, recording the sales of five billion pouches sold across the globe.
Another reason for Capri Sun being such a well known drink is the vast amount of drink and flavor options they have in store. From your favorite classic flavors to natural fruit juices, there's something for everyone with this brand of beverages. With such a large number of flavors at one's disposal, it may seem like a lot to ask one to pick a favorite, so here, we ranked 21 flavors of Capri Suns, and ranked them from worst to best.
Guava Strawberry
A more recent line of juice that Capri Sun has released is their four "Adventures" flavors that can be found on their website. The first of these on this list is the Guava Strawberry Capri Sun, a juice inspired by Mexico. The box displays a more tropical theme, with what appears to be a spider monkey behind several fruits, including guava, strawberry, grape, and apple. The website also lists several fun facts about Mexico, such as where you can find the most Mayan temples.
While we liked the idea of a drink that made us feel like we escaped a tropical setting, this drink did not do that for us. There's no real guava juice in the drink, so you mostly taste the other fruits that appear on the box. It's not a popular flavor on Amazon either, and seems to be the least bought of all the Adventure Capri Sun flavors. One review writes that the drink "Doesn't taste like guava, just artificial strawberries," and that the drink wasn't worth it. If you had to choose between the Adventure Capri Sun flavors, we recommend that you go without this guava juice, and pick a different flavor.
Passion Fruit Mango
The next Capri Sun "Adventure" flavor on this juice list is the Passion Fruit Mango juice. Inspired by India, this drink's box has the Taj Mahal in the background, a tiger, and the fruits, which are passion fruit, mango, apple, and grape. The juice itself contains juice concentrates of all these fruits except for the passionfruit — so there's actual mango juice in this beverage. Like the Adventure drinks, you can also find fun facts about the area the flavor was based on, which in this case is India. The drink contains just as much sugar as your standard Capri Sun, so it's a pretty sweet drink.
While the drink is sweet, our opinions of this flavor are less so. While the product itself has a 4.7 star rating on Amazon, that's for all the Adventures flavors, and not a lot of people purchase the Passion Fruit Mango and leave a positive review. There are some fans of this Capri Sun flavor, but lots who criticize the drink, with one review writing that they wouldn't give the drink to anyone, and "If you've ever wondered what a glade plug-in that's been watered down and had sugar added to it.....tastes like? Then get this product."
100% Juice Watermelon
On a warm summer day, in the middle of July, a great sweet treat to have is a large slice of watermelon. If you can't have that, then there's also Capri Sun's 100% Fruit Juice Watermelon drink. Along with their original flavors, Capri Sun offers a line of juices that are made with entirely natural fruit juices, with no added sugars. While most of the flavors are just their standard flavors in 100% juice form, the watermelon drink can only be found through these juices. The watermelon fruit juice is made mostly from watermelon, apple, and grape juice concentrates, and comes in a light blue box depicting all three of the listed fruits.
While we love the wonderful taste of watermelon by itself or in a dessert, we wished we had gotten more out of this drink. That's not to say this drink was horrible: while we could taste the apple and the grape that are depicted on the box, those two fruits were the two primary flavors of the drink — not the watermelon. A review on Amazon wrote that "These juice pouches have a unique flavor, there is a nice hint of watermelon at the beginning of each sip but the apple and green grape juice flavors soon overwhelm." If this beverage wasn't branded as watermelon, it would have placed higher, but because we thought we would be hit with a wave of watermelon goodness, we were disappointed in this drink.
Tropical Punch
The next flavor we have on this list is Capri Sun's Tropical Punch. Not to be confused with another Capri Sun punch, this fruit drink is a tropical twist on a fruit punch with a mixture of different fruit juices, such as apple, cherry, grape, and pineapple. While the box also depicts orange, lime, and strawberry, there are no juice concentrates of these fruits listed as ingredients (besides the pineapple), and might fall under the "natural flavoring" that is also part of the juice. When put up against all of the other fruit juices Capri Sun has, does Tropical Punch really pack a punch?
The reception of this beverage is mixed among consumers, and it comes off as a bit average compared to well received flavors like Strawberry Kiwi and Orange. Some Amazon reviews are positive, and write that their "kids seem to like it since they would have drank it all if I let them," though the same can be said about most popular Capri Sun flavors. Other reviews find that the beverage has an aftertaste that they don't appreciate, claiming that "It tastes like a diet beverage. If it is meant to be diet, it should be called that." If you had to choose a Capri Sun to put in your kid's lunch bag, this drink is a hit or miss, so we might suggest picking a different punch.
Strawberry
Strawberries are one of our favorite fruits. The small, juicy, and sweet red berries are perfect in lemonade, smoothies, cake, and even salads. You can never go wrong with strawberries. While many of Capri Sun's flavors feature strawberry as one of the primary flavors, such as the popular Strawberry Kiwi flavor, only one is branded as solely strawberry, which is Capri Sun's Strawberry Juice. The brand claims that every pouch of the drink "is filled to the brim with sweet juicy strawberry flavor." However, it also has pear and apple juices listed as ingredient,s along with the strawberry.
This drink was a bit more challenging to find, as when you attempt to search "Strawberry Capri Sun," the flavor that pops up is Strawberry Kiwi. It's also not as easy to find in stores, as it can easily get mixed up for Fruit Punch or a different Capri Sun flavor. In terms of flavor, reviews are mixed, with one Amazon reviewer claiming that the drink is "Delicious," and worth the purchase. However, another review claims that the beverage does "Have some strawberry flavor, they taste like someone mixed 25% juice and 75% water." If you're stuck in between this strawberry flavor and another, you'll manage to get the taste of strawberry juice in other Capri Sun drinks.
Surfer Cooler
This next Capri Sun flavor tries to take you back to a tropical beach, with roaring waves to ride all day. Capri Sun's Surfer Cooler is another one of the brand's "cooler" drinks, and provides a fruity, thirst-quenching flavor perfect for a beach trip. The box shows off a variety of fruits, including pear, lemon, orange, and pineapple. It is made with the juice concentrates of most of these fruits, and citric acid. Citric acid, often associated with lemons and other citrus fruits, is usually added to a drink to provide a hint of sourness. In the Surfer Cooler, the use of citric acid really adds to the interesting flavor of this beach-themed beverage.
If we could use one word to describe this drink's flavor, we'd say it was "strange." The sour citrus of the lemon and orange is an interesting flavor to pair with the sweet tasting fruits present, such as the pear and pineapple. This flavor is not as easy to find in stores as others, and shoppers on Amazon agree that the flavor isn't as incredible as other drinks Capri Sun has to offer. One review even goes as far as to say that "this was my least favorite flavor." While it wasn't the worst of the worst, we'd rather have a different Capri Sun drink, and Surfer Cooler really sunk our ships.
Capri Sun's Roarin' Waters
Capri Sun has a variety of beverage options for its fans to choose from. They have their classic, highly loved original flavors, organic drinks and 100% juice drinks, but they also have their line of "Roarin' Waters." This group of Capri Sun drinks aren't juices, but fruit flavored waters made with natural ingredients. The flavors are spins on some of their original flavors, such as Strawberry Kiwi Surf and Fruit Punch. Roarin' Waters are only thirty calories per pouch, and, like most Capri Sun drinks, are also naturally sweetened. A box of Roarin' Waters looks similar to a box of original Capri Sun Juice, but has "Roarin Waters" in a large font, as well as less fruit on the graphic, and more water.
For a fruit flavored water, this drink was decent. The Strawberry Kiwi and Grape flavors have lots of positive reviews on Amazon, with one fan writing that the Grape was a "fantastic tasting beverage with just the right amount of grape juice with water to make this an absolutely refreshing and delicious drink." Despite this, while we understand that these are supposed to be fruit flavored waters, and not our classic juices, we'd take a good ol' Capri Sun over a Roarin' Water any day of the week. If you prefer flavored water over juice, then this drink was excellent for what it was. Put up against Capri Sun juices, Roarin' Waters doesn't stand a chance.
Dragon Fruit Punch
Known as a common plant that can be found in Australia, Pitaya, or Dragon Fruit, is a beautifully red and pink colored fruit that is branded as the flavor of Capri Sun's Dragon Fruit Punch Juice. Inspired by the country of Australia, this Adventures fruit juice features pear, apples, grapes, pineapple, and dragon fruit on the blue box, as well as a kangaroo and the Sydney Opera House in the background. The juice itself is mostly made with a pear juice concentrate, though also contains apple, grape, and pineapple juice concentrates as well.
This was one of the better Adventures juices Capri Sun offers, though we would have liked to taste more dragon fruit in the drink. In fact, we would have liked to taste more of ANY flavor in this beverage. Shopper reviews on Amazon are somewhat mixed, but all agree that this drink lacks any strong flavor. One review writes that "This was not it, for me. It's very bland, almost flavorless." Even the most positive reviews agree with this sentiment, and in terms of Capri Suns, we would have liked a juice with a bit more to it.
Grape
Grape juice is a controversial drink among kids, with some loving the rich grape flavor, while others absolutely avoid it altogether. For adults, some might enjoy it for its similarity to wine, while others would simply prefer to have wine. No matter how you feel about grapes, that doesn't change the fact that Capri Sun also has a Grape flavored juice in its flavor lineup. This beverage is made with pear and juice concentrates, and features dark purple and bright green bunches of grapes on the box. The Capri Sun website describes the drink as "Bursting with juicy flavor."
While grape flavored juice isn't as popular as fruit juices such as orange or apple juice, this fruity flavor of Capri Sun has still managed to garner a decently sized following of fans who adore the juice's grape flavor. One review on Amazon writes that grape is their favorite flavor, while another fan claims that the juice is "Nostalgic," and has the "Best grape flavor." If you're a fan of grape flavored food or beverage, and you enjoy a sweet tasting fruit drink, then Capri Sun's Grape Juice is simply "grape" for your taste buds.
Splash Cooler
Another one of the "Cooler" titled flavors that Capri Sun sells is the Splash Cooler flavor. This drink might get mistaken for a more popular Capri Sun drink, but can easily be differentiated by noticing the different fruits on the front of the box. The graphic displays a large, bright yellow apple, strawberries, raspberries, and a bunch of green grapes, though the drink itself doesn't seem to contain any raspberry juice in it. The beverage itself is described as "cool splash of refreshing hydration," while on Amazon, its flavor name is listed as "Assorted."
While it's not as popular as its Pacific Cooler counterpart, there are still many Capri Sun lovers who enjoy sipping on this flavor when they can find it in a nearby grocery store. One review on Amazon writes that Splash Cooler has an "Excellent thirst quenching capability, with flavor that packs a pouch," while another reviewer writes that the drink is their chosen flavor, and that "We have pretty picky kids so when they find something they like, we usually stick with it." All in all, Capri Sun's Splash Cooler might not be the best of the best, but it is still a great juice to quench your thirst.
Papaya Watermelon
The last of the Adventures Capri Suns that feature on this list is the Papaya Watermelon flavor. This drink is described on the website with "Sipping the exotic flavors of papaya and watermelon in Capri Sun Papaya Watermelon will transport you to Thailand!" The box's graphic displays a Thailand temple, an elephant, and the juice's fruits, which are watermelon, papaya, apple, and a sliced pear. Just like you can with all of the other Adventures flavors, you can also find interesting facts about Thailand on the Capri Sun website, including the fact that elephants are vegetarian.
Of all four of the current Adventures Capri Suns, Papaya Watermelon was by far the best. The drink was sweet, but not overly sweet, and the watermelon flavor was prevalent through the entire drink. While we were hoping to taste a bit more papaya, this didn't stop the drink from being a decent Capri Sun. Shoppers on Amazon also favor this flavor, with one reviewer writing that "You definitely can taste the watermelon." While we wish it was easier to find the Adventures flavors in stores, we wouldn't say no to another pouch of Capri Sun's Papaya Watermelon.
Mountain Cooler
When we feel refreshed, we feel like we could climb a mountain. Capri Sun tries to encompass this feeling in a fruit drink with their Mountain Cooler. Of all the "Cooler" drinks that Capri Sun offers, this one is likely the beverage that is most often mistaken for Pacific Cooler due to its labeling, which is a similar teal blue color. The box has apple and raspberries on it, and lists apple juice concentrate as the primary fruit juice used.
Taking one sip of this flavor makes it easy to tell this, as the taste was a lot like a blend of apple juice with some raspberry. Raspberries are sweet, and raspberry juice has an extremely bold flavor, so it was surprising to taste more apple than raspberry in the drink. One review on Amazon writes that this flavor is good, with a "Great price and taste." If you want a strong raspberry taste, then you might not be satisfied with this drink. However, if you toss all expectations out the window, Mountain Cooler is a wonderful addition to the Capri Sun lineup.
Red Berry
If you've ever gone down the fruit section of a supermarket, you'll find that there are a lot of red and pink colored fruits. From pomegranates to raspberries and strawberries, sometimes we wish we could throw several of these red foods in a single drink. There is a Capri Sun that does this, though not with every red fruit — that might be asking for a lot. Capri Sun's Red Berry Juice is described by the website as a "refreshing medley of juicy red berry flavor." The box is shown with both strawberries and raspberries on the front, with a red-purple label that matches the flavor's theme.
Not to be confused with their "Berry" flavor, Red Berry has an overpowering strawberry flavor that clashes with the raspberry flavor. We aren't complaining though. This results in a sweet, bold, and fruity drink that was surprisingly pleasant for our taste buds. This flavor isn't as popular as other Capri Sun flavors, though one Walmart review writes that "it has a great taste and doesn't have a very concentrated or artificial flavor." This drink is great for those who want a beverage that has a fresh strawberry taste with a hint of raspberry.
Lemonade
Staying on the theme of a hot summer day, who doesn't love a refreshing cup of lemonade? How about in a pouch? Whether it's bought from Chick-fil-A or whipped from the comfort of your own home, this zesty drink is one of the most popular beverages in the country. As one of the reigning creators of fruit drinks, Capri Sun also offers a pouched version of this lemony sweet drink. Their lemonade is packed in the same blue box with a yellow label, and lemons all over the front of the packaging. Unlike other Capri Sun juices, which are made from a blend of different fruit juice concentrates, the lemonade is created solely with a lemon concentrate, giving it an overly sweet-and-sour flavor.
These ready to drink lemonade pouches are quite popular among Capri Sun lovers, and it has a 4.7/5 stars on Amazon, with over 1500 people who rated the product. One reviewer claims that the drink isn't as tangy as your standard lemonade, which they saw as a plus. They wrote that the drink "Not as tart as other lemonades. Kids love it as a school snack." If you want a great lemonade drink, then Capri Sun's Lemonade has a great flavor for quenching your thirst.
Organic Strawberry Lemonade
What's one step up from a lemonade drink? How about a strawberry flavored lemonade drink? It should come as no surprise that Capri Sun has a juice that fits this description among all of its flavored drinks. Along with its traditional juices, the brand also has a line of drinks that are all organic versions of their standard flavors. These juices are all USDA certified, and are made from natural fruit juices that come from farms. Most of the organic Capri Sun offerings are the same as their normal flavors, such as Fruit and Tropical Punch. However, one flavor that the brand sells, that is only sold as an organic juice, is Capri Sun's Strawberry Lemonade.
The flavor of this drink is both sweet and tart, much like a normal lemonade. The addition of strawberry juice adds to the sweet flavor, and makes for a delicious and organic drink to enjoy. On MyFoodandFamily, a food review website, one buyer of this Strawberry Lemonade juice writes that it's "Amazing for kids or adults. Great to keep on hand or to drink for yourself." Our one critique is that we wish it was easier to find, though other than that, we love this strawberry lemonade. If you want to try a new and different lemonade Capri Sun, then this drink is right up your alley.
Orange
Orange you glad we included this drink? With just about any drink brand you see in stores, there's bound to be something that's orange flavored. From Fanta, to Crush, and even Coca-Cola, Capri Sun is no different. Their Orange drink is the perfect Capri Sun of choice for orange loving juice drinkers. The Capri Sun website's description of its flavor is "a bright and zesty refreshment." You can differentiate Capri Sun's Orange by the labeling of the fruit's color, and whole oranges depicted on the box's cover.
When it comes to orange flavored drinks, our standards are pretty high. With so many orange drinks, there's a fairly high expectation that the drink should be delicious. We are happy to say that Capri Sun's Orange lives up to that standard. The juice is made out of both apple and orange juice concentrates, providing a sweet, fruity, and citrus-y flavor. An Amazon buyer describes the juice, saying that the drink is flavorful, and "A tasty blend of Orange and Apple juice with water and extra sugar." If you want a decent orange flavored juice, this Capri Sun flavor will satisfy your citrus needs.
Coastal Cooler
When you usually hear the word "Cooler," in regards to Capri Sun, the first drink that comes to mind is likely Pacific Cooler. However, the brand has several different "Cooler" drinks to select from, including their Coastal Cooler. This box depicts both strawberries and bananas on the graphic, a fruit combination often found in fruit smoothies that can either be homemade or found at McDonalds. The juice itself also contains an apple juice concentrate, adding the Coastal Cooler's fruity flavor. While this Capri Sun choice isn't as popular as its Pacific Counterpart, it's still a great drink that's perfect to have with your lunch.
Like many other Capri Sun products, Coastal Cooler has a high rating on Amazon, with one review comparing the beverage to Pacific Cooler, claiming that Coastal Coolers is their new go-to drink, and that even though they "...usually get Pacific Cooler, this one is better." The one downside to this drink is that because it's not as renowned as some of Capri Sun's other flavors, it's a lot more difficult to come by. Other reviewers on Amazon admit that it's difficult to find the flavor in stores. Regardless of how hard it is to find, we still enjoyed Coastal Cooler, and if you ever see it on grocery store shelves, we recommend you give it a try.
Wild Cherry
Do you cheer with joy when you see a cherry pie? We did the same when we tried Capri Sun's Wild Cherry drink. Cherry is popular among many different beverages, and is well known for starring as a well-received Coca-Cola flavor. So when we see cherry flavored anything, especially a Capri Sun, we get excited. One of the brand's many original flavors, Wild Cherry is made primarily of pear and cherry juice concentrates, and tastes strongly of a rich, tart cherry because of it. The box, as you can probably guess, has cherries on it, and the labeling is a bold red color that's difficult to miss.
A description of the drink on Amazon describes the flavor as "A blast of cherry flavor from natural ingredients." Cherries can have a tart, yet sweet taste, and Capri Sun's Wild Cherry reflects this flavor in juice form. Another Amazon review states that "Like all Capri Sun juice bags this all natural cherry juice is WONDERFUL. NOTHING ARTIFICIAL.. totally clear w/ a great all cherry flavor. I wish they weren't as hard to find. If you're a cherry fan you'll love these." When it comes to cherry flavored beverages, this Capri Sun really does put the cherry on top.
Fruit Punch
To start off our top three, we have Capri Sun's Fruit Punch flavor. Fruit punch is a classic drink, typically made by mixing different fruits and fruit juices together in order to create a sweet and colorful beverage. Capri Sun's Fruit Punch covers this idea, and is described on the Capri Sun website as "a blast of some of your favorite fruits together in one pouch." The graphic on the drinks box displays various fruits beside the red label, with apple, cherry, orange, grapes, and a slice of pineapple all present. The ingredient list is longer than other Capri Sun flavors, containing more juice concentrates, including pear, grape, orange, and other fruits, all in one drink.
Like most of the brand's other beloved flavors, Fruit Punch can be found in just about any grocery store you walk into, if they haven't sold out yet. The flavor is fruit filled and sweet, but not overbearingly sweet. A Walmart reviewer describes this Capri Sun by writing that the "flavor is sweet and delicious, especially when cold." Of all the fruit punch flavored juices you can find, such as Hawaiian Punch or Brisk, Capri Sun's Juice is one of the best fruit punches out there.
Strawberry Kiwi
While some may argue it's not as iconic as flavors like Pacific Cooler or Fruit Punch, Capri Sun's Strawberry Kiwi was one of the best Capri Suns we tried. The website describes the drink by writing "Fresh ripe strawberries and zesty kiwis make the perfect match in Capri Sun Strawberry Kiwi Juice Drink," and we agree with this statement. The packaging of this flavor is just as you would expect it: A light green label with a splash of strawberries and kiwis on the front. Strawberry and Kiwi is a well known fruit combination for fruit smoothies, jams, and other fruit drinks such as Snapple.
It was a struggle not to be able to put this at our number one spot, because the flavor was just that good. The blending of strawberry and kiwi is incredible, and results in a not too sweet beverage to enjoy. Fans of Capri Suns are in love with this strawberry kiwi juice, with the flavor having a 4.8 out of five star rating on Amazon, and reviews that say the flavor brings "back great memories of my teenage years plus they still taste great." While this may not be our number one Capri Sun flavor, we would be doing you a disservice by telling you that Capri Sun's Strawberry Kiwi is anything but fruity and delicious.
Pacific Cooler
How could we not put Capri Sun's greatest flavor at our number one spot? Pacific Cooler is probably one of if not the most popular of the juice flavors, and for a good reason. The packaging depicts a drink with grapes, pineapple, cherries, and apple that is accompanied by an icy kick to it. If you've ever had and enjoyed a Capri Sun, there's a fair chance that you were drinking a Pacific Cooler. It's also the flavor that you commonly see lined up along the juice aisle, already half gone by the time you get to a Target or Giant.
This Capri Sun flavor has a frosty taste like the other "Cooler" flavors Capri Sun offers, and is just as fruity and flavorful as the rest of the top Capri Sun drinks. All across the internet, Enjoyers of Capri Sun highly agree that Pacific Cooler is the best of the best. On both Amazon and Walmart, the drink has a 4.8/5 star rating, with one Amazon review writing that "Pacific Cooler Capri Sun is a classic staple in any American household with children," while another review on Walmart's website claims that Pacific Cooler "is honestly the best one hands down. This has been my favorite since I was little." With all the support backing this drink, it's safe to say that Pacific Cooler truly deserves the top spot on this list.