Since the dawn of time, BSM students have wondered which of the apple juices offered by Taher is the best. The four horsemen of apple juice––Tropicana, Caprisun, Rejuv, and Mott’s––all vary in price and style, and just before we all left for lockdown, a new apple juice called Ruby Krisp graced the BSM lunchroom with its presence.

Tropicana, the worst of the five, is sold in a 10oz bottle for $1.75. The juice has too much apple flavor (apparently that is a thing). Tropicana is also the lightest of the juices: not that color matters. This juice is a great example of what apple juice should not taste like. Rather than purchasing Tropicana apple juice, just buy an old apple because they taste pretty much the same.

Caprisun comes in a 6oz pouch that brings you back to those elementary school days when your mom packed you a Lunchable. While not as good as Caprisun Pacific Cooler, the apple juice pouch is merely mediocre––but it is also one of the cheapest of the four options, at one dollar Caprisun is not the best of the five options, but it is definitely better than Tropicana.

There is some competition between Mott’s and Rejuv. Rejuv’s flavor falls just short of Mott’s, but the 10oz sleek bottle design easily beats out Mott’s infantile 6.75oz papery box. Mott’s is cheaper and has a stronger apple taste, but Rejuv has… more. The Rejuv bottle, while it has more pizazz than Mott’s, is made of plastic which can be bad for the environment. Although Rejuv says it’s recyclable, plastic is plastic and that kills turtles.

However, Taher’s newest edition, Ruby Krisp, is the real winner. The 10oz, $1.75 bottle is similar to Rejuv’s, but the flavor beats all other juices combined. The juice is a perfect color and the taste is just the right amount of apple flavor and sweetness. There is no wack aftertaste like in some of the other juices offered. While this juice is new and may not last long, get it while it is available.

Overall, while Ruby Krisp is clearly the best, everyone has their own (sometimes wrong) opinion. The only important thing to remember is that apple juice is apple juice, and, even though some brands are better than others, God sent apple juice down to end scurvy. And now more than ever, the apple juices of the BSM lunchroom are missed as students sit at home dreaming of the five apple juices while they do their online work.

* No apple was harmed during the production of this writing.