Jamba Juice may not have Blue Jay José Bautista shilling for its smoothies, but the cult California chain probably doesn’t need him. Found in 1990, Jamba Juice served as the blueprint for a raft of Canadian smoothie joints like Booster Juice and Jugo Juice. Now the original mega-smoothie bar has opened its first Canadian location, on Bloor Street in the Annex, and we decided to take a look.
A glance at the smoothie sizes provides the first hint that this chain hails from south of the 49th, with the largest size, dubbed Power, dwarfing the mighty Big Gulp from the 7-Eleven down the street. Calorie counts are displayed alongside the menu options, ranging from 140 calories for a small Jamba Light smoothie to 770 calories for a “creamy treat” like Peanut Butter Moo’d. Of course, Jamba Juice is best known for its classic fruit juice and sherbet (or fro-yo) smoothies ($4.50–$5.95), like Banana Berry (banana, blueberry, raspberry and apple) and Orange-A-Peel (orange, strawberry and banana). The fruit and veggie smoothies ($4.95–$6.45) such as Apple ’n’ Greens and Berry UpBeet tout three full servings of fruits and vegetables for those looking for a bit more substance.
Unlike the American locations, where an additional “booster” is included in every smoothie, here they’ll charge an extra 50 cents if you’re hoping to throw in some “Energy,” “Immunity,” or a dose of daily vitamins (with the exception of a couple pre-boosted smoothies like the Coldbuster and Protein Berry Workout). In addition to its liquid meals, Jamba Juice also offers breakfast items, like steel-cut oatmeal cooked in soymilk and topped with brown sugar crumble ($3.50), fruit and yogurt parfaits ($4.95–$5.50), PopChips and, naturally, bottles of Fiji Water to wash it all down.
This is useless “journalism”. Instead of telling us the boring specs why not try out the smoothies and let us know if they’re worth getting. You were there already you might as well review the outlet.
Sheesh!
Dave, you make a very good point. I am curious about how the product tastes too. Everything else I can get from the Jamba Juice website.
toronto life journalism? carole park journalist?
yayyyyyyy
I LoooOOOoOve Jamba Juice, and it’s %200 worth getting
What a waste of an article. What does it really say beside Jamba Juice is in Canada. BTW booster juice and Jugo Juice have been serving Canadians for over 10 years, nothing new here.
JAMBA JUICE IS FOR LOSERS
Personally, I’m waiting for a healthier version to hit the streets. Sorbert? Sugar? What about something made with almond milk and real food? Where can I get that?!
This chain is great! Healthy and what a selection! I’ve been coming to JAMBA juice for 6 years! Terribly excited to see them in Toronto!
Best smoothies- knocks the socks off booster juice
And jugo juice ( which are copy cats of JAMBA anyway!)
This spot is definitely worth a trip…try the cold buster, mango a go-go
Or the strawberry nirvana. You may thank me later.
I had this when I was in California many years ago. As much as I love Booster Juice, this will be my first choice if they expand locations!
It’s healthy but depending on what your version of healthy is. It is not 100% raw power
Tried jamba juice at Yorkdale, I immediately dumped the smoothie and went to Booster Juice. If you are an American it may be considered healthy. I would buy a freshly squeezed smoothie before I buy this crap again.