This week it's on to Jamaica, for two juice beverages. Specifically, its two selections are from the Tropical Rhythyms brand--mango carrot, and fruit punch. This brand is part of the overall GraceKennedy company.
Some regular readers might now be saying, "Wait, GraceKennedy? That sounds awfully familiar. Didn't you just discuss a GraceKennedy product like a month ago?" Yes, in fact I did. So I won't repeat myself--if you want a refresher, or if it's the first you've heard of GraceKennedy and want to learn more background about the company, just scroll down a bit and read my February 23rd post about Brazilian corned beef, or "bully beef."
Therefore, because of this, I'll flesh out this post with a few tidbits about Jamaica. For openers, this island nation allegedly has more multiple births (twins, or more) than any other country on Earth. (I had a hard time confirming this online, so don't take it as gospel. Other sources said Benin has the most twins, but maybe Jamaican triplets, quads, etc., make the difference.) From a civil rights/governmental activism standpoint, this country is credited as being the first to impose economic sanctions against the Apartheid government and system in South Africa in the 20th century. Also, all 14 of the James Bond spy novels were written here, at Ian Fleming's vacation home named Goldeneye. Jamaica is also the only country to have a flag that does not feature the colors white, blue, or red. (Libya used to, and Mauritania only added red in 2017. And sort of like the "what color is that dress" online argument a few years ago, some people think that Sri Lanka's flag has a purple section, and others claim it's red. So I guess if you care deeply you can check out Sri Lanka's flag and decide for yourself.) Moving on to edibles, and drinkables, Jamaicans are reportedly huge fans of cranberries, and drinks flavored with them. Alas, since these berries won't grow there, they have to be imported, and are consequently a luxury item. Finally, Jamaica is said to have the most radioactive mineral spa in the world, called the Milk River Bath. (Before you get ideas about gaining superpowers by going in, or, more realistically, getting stricken with some awful cancer by swimming in it, I believe this level of radioactivity is still low enough to not be dangerous. I think!)
As far as famous Jamaicans, or famous folks with at least some Jamaican heritage go, there's quite a few. Many are/were famous musicians, which makes sense because Jamaica is the seat of many musical genres, such as rocksteady, ska, dancehall, mento, dub, and reggae, to name just a few. Some of these musical types then clearly inspired, or at least influenced others, such as punk rock, or hip hop/rap. Among the most revered and famous of these musicians are Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Jimmy Cliff, and Shabba Ranks, along with Lee "Scratch" Perry, who was more of a producer. And then there's DJ Kool Herc, who was one of the originators of hip hop and rap. Famous rappers include Heavy D, The Notorious B.I.G., Busta Rhymes, and Slick Rick (the last three were born in other countries, but have Jamaican heritage). Famous actresses include Madge Sinclair ("Cornbread, Earl and Me" (1975), "Convoy" (1978), "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" (1986), "Coming to America" (1988), and the television series "Roots" (1977)), and Grace Jones ("Conan the Destroyer" (1984), "A View to a Kill" (1985), "Vamp" (1986), and "Boomerang" (1992). (Jones was also a famous model and singer.)
In the realm of athletics, Jamaica is well represented, too. Chili Davis was a 3 time All Star, and won three World Series in a career in Major League Baseball from 1981-99 as an outfielder and DH. Patrick Ewing was a Hall of Fame center in the NBA, playing from 1985-2002. Mike McCallum was a Hall of Fame boxer, finishing with a record of 49-5-1, and 3 Championship belts in 3 weight classes, in a career in the 1980's and 1990's. 1990's and early 2000's Hall of Fame boxer Lennox Lewis (32-2-1) was born in England, lived and fought for Canada, but was of Jamaican heritage. Moving to Olympic sports, Arthur Wint and Herb McKenley were medal-winning sprinters in the late 1940's and early 1950's, and sprinter Usain Bolt (8 gold medals, and one additional gold stripped due to a relay teammate's act of cheating with PEDs, from the 2008, 2012, and 2016 games) is widely regarded as the best sprinter ever. Finally, in the world of medicine, physician Cicely Williams helped discover, treat, and raise awareness for the disease kwashiorkor, and Marcus Garvey was a (controversial) political leader, journalist, publisher, entrepreneur, and orator.
Anyway, back to the drinks.
1) GraceKennedy, Tropical Rhythms line, mango carrot flavor. Came in a 473 mL (16 ounce) bottle, and contained 25% juice. Was orange in color, and didn't have a strong odor. Overall was rather "meh," and mediocre, with some tang. Which was actually somewhat astounding. I despise carrots, so I assumed I would also hate this, and probably not even be able to finish much without gagging. But it wasn't terrible. Presumably the mango, orange, lemon and lime juices cut the awful carrot flavor enough. I wouldn't buy this again, but for folks who like, or at least tolerate carrot, it might be a solid choice.
2) GraceKennedy, Tropical Rhythms line, fruit punch flavor. Same size bottle as the previous, and once again not a strong odor, and consisted of 25% juice. Juices included were mango, guava, pineapple, orange, lime, passion fruit, and papaya. Had a red color. Once again, fruit punch is not one of my favorite flavors, and I usually avoid it if possible. I don't loathe it like carrot, but I think it's not very palatable. But I was pleasantly surprised once more. The texture of the drink was thicker. I could also detect the guava, which is a plus. Overall it was pretty good. I might even buy this one again.
In conclusion, these selections weren't great, but considering they were both flavors I usually don't like, or even hate, they were shockingly competent. I will be on the lookout for other GraceKennedy juice drinks, this time in flavors I typically enjoy better.
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