Exeter Smoothies: A Sip-by-Sip Review
ALEX LIM, ANGELA HE, and MEGHAN TATE ZEE
In the town of Exeter, New Hampshire, there are various smoothie options ranging in price, taste, and service. When craving something healthy and thirst-quenching, we’re often indecisive. In the following paragraphs, your problems will be solved. We conducted a taste test of smoothies from multiple famous juice shops in town as well as their service, and location: Laney & Lu’s, Island Vibes, The Juicery, and Me & Ollie’s!
We will begin with the well-known and beloved, Laney & Lu’s. Despite its hidden entrance and off-to-the-side sign, everyone seems to know where it is. Once you walk into Laney’s, you are faced with a ginormous and beautifully decorated chalkboard. Listening to the cacophony of blenders and chatters, you begin to skim through and decide what the order will be for today. It is scribbled from top to bottom, left to right, with options ranging from açai bowls, to breakfast sandwiches, to smoothies. For the sake of this article, we will just take a look at their mango smoothie.
The Laney and Lu’s Pineapple Mango smoothie: pineapple, mango, banana, and coconut water. It is beige and quite off-yellow in color, looking thick just by peering through the plastic cup. I guess this proves it’s not artificial! Though the tone is not quite appealing, the taste will really determine it. It feels quite smooth in the mouth, with few unnecessary particles that could get stuck in our teeth. It’s sweet, but not too sweet, a perfect balance between healthiness and a little bit of pleasure. However, it doesn’t seem to live up to its name. The pineapple and mango are overshadowed by a strong taste of banana, with not even a tinge of sourness. Not saying it’s bad, but just not what we wanted and expected to drink. Overall, it’s a solid smoothie, bringing us to a good 7/10 (points off because $10 is too much).
Past Main Street and the gas station, you’ll find Island Vibes, best known for their delicious acai bowls and tropical music. The interior appears taken straight out of an acai place by the beach, the counter decorated as a straw hut and speakers blasting bongo music. A staircase leads to the second floor of additional seating and boho decor. We decided to use the outdoor seating, which had a few tables and turf. Unfortunately, Island Vibes did not sell any drinks mainly made of mango to match the article’s theme. Instead, we tried the 20-ounce Purple Blast for $7.75, made with a base of apple juice and acai, strawberry, blueberry, and banana. We believed the quality of the drink matched the price, as it was smooth, flavorful, and a perfect size. Despite being made of mostly berry ingredients, the apple juice overshadowed the berry flavor just a bit, which lowered the Island Vibes smoothie to a 7/10.
And now the review you’ve been waiting for: The Juicery! This juice shop opened only a few weeks ago and has already been a big hit among Exonians- it’s in a convenient location, only a few minutes walk away from the north side of campus. From The Juicery, we tasted the smoothie: Bermuda Bliss. This drink was a blend of mango, pineapple, strawberry, banana, and orange juice. It was a perfect balance of sweet and tart, the texture was smooth, and the flavors (especially mango) were subtle. It was refreshing and natural tasting- great for a warm summer’s day. The shop has a nice metropolitan and lively vibe with delightful staff who, although we ordered the smallest size, just gave us the largest (she didn’t even know we were doing this review)! The price points for The Juicery smoothies are very fair, prices start at only $7. Overall the Juicery receives a rating of 8/10.
For many years, Me and Ollie’s has been a well-beloved spot by many Exeter students. Its bustling and cozy atmosphere creates the perfect autumn study vibe, which is perfect when paired with its variety of sandwiches and pastries. Me and Ollie’s mango smoothie is more of a slushie than a smoothie. Since it is not made of real fruit, it is very sweet and icy. The texture is one of crunchy ice and is similar to the Frazils in Grill. The mango flavor is very juicy, however, it is also quite artificial. Although it’s not syrupy, the flavor is extremely sweet and is better for when you are craving an Icee, not a smoothie. The price point is quite reasonable, being only around $5.00. Me and Ollie’s received a 4/10 because although it tastes good, it’s not really a smoothie at all.
We were all very impressed with the quality of these fruit smoothies. These different places in Exeter had their own interpretation of the same drink, and checking them all out was a valuable experience. We hope you have time to check out these cool and yummy places!