We Tried Panera Bread’s New Summer Refreshers

The best park about hearing if a new food or drink is released isn’t really the news itself. Rather, it’s knowing whether or not said new product is any good. And while tastes are generally going to vary from person to person, it’s our job here at Sporked to assess the new releases with a critical mass market lens. The new Refreshers on Panera Bread’s summer menu are fruity, tropical, and caffeinated. And knowing that is all good and well. But now we inevitably have to let you in on whether or not it’s worth trying out for yourself.

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Here’s What We Think

Island Mango Energy Refresher

The Island Mango Energy Refresher definitely had the strongest showing of the new collection. It was the sweetest, by far. I think it was due to the mango, since it’s the only flavor with it as an ingredient. The mango flavor wasn’t actually very present though. The combo of the pineapple, mango, and guava ended up making something almost floral, but it was certainly delicious. Unfortunately, at this point I realized that the flavors aren’t really accurate to the fruit juice base they could’ve pursued.

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Dragonfruit Energy Refresher

This Dragonfruit Energy Refresher is much brighter and tangier than the Island Mango. It’s made of pineapple and dragonfruit with dragonfruit chunks―and it tastes more like the name suggests. You could actually tell that it was pineapple flavored, which was nice. The dragonfruit flavor isn’t natural. I mean, dragonfruit really doesn’t have a very pungent flavor. So, it’s not surprising to me that they had to pump up the flavor. But it definitely takes away from the drink experience.

Rating:

6/10

Sporks

Passionfruit Energy Refresher

The Passionfruit Energy Refresher was strange. I think my main issue was with the flavor of the passionfruit. It’s made from “natural flavors” not juice, so it’s not the pleasant, decadent passionfruit flavor I love. It ended up tasting almost like an IPA beer. It’s not alcoholic by any means, but it really almost tastes like the flavors of a beer. The citrus-y orange in the drink really drives that point in even further. It’s not a terrible drink, and I appreciate there being a non-dragonfruit option. But, it isn’t one I’d order again.

Rating:

4.5/10

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Final Verdict

Overall, I don’t really appreciate the inconsistency of caffeine content overall between the flavors. It makes expectations less easy to manage, and creates confusion in the ordering process. The flavors are also not real enough for me to recommend them in regards to the actual flavors they’re marketing. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re bad, but despite being made with “natural flavors” they taste pretty artificial. I would ultimately compare them less to the Starbucks Refresher collection and more to the Wawa Refreshers and Rechargers.