"The POM stands for pomegranate. The Wonderful stands for wonderful." -- official slogan
POM Wonderful is a producer of pomegranates and pomegranate juice. Using farms in California's San Joaquin Valley, the company produces five pomegranate-based juice drinks and their own brand of Wonderful variety pomegranates.
POM Wonderful juices are typically sold in natural foods supermarkets such as Fairway and Whole Foods Market, although I have seen them in such mainstream stores as Giant Eagle. A 450 mL (15.2 fl. oz.) bottle of any flavor costs around US$3.29 in most grocery stores, or is available on-line in a six-pack for $19.90 plus shipping. The POM Wonderful web site depicts a larger-sized bottle, but I have yet to see it in stores. The bottle itself is a conversation piece: a clear bulbous bottle resembling two or three pomegranates stacked together.
The Antioxidant Superpower
POM Wonderful juices are not notably high in vitamins and minerals. The different flavors contain between 0% and 6% of the USDA Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamin C, calcium, and iron; 0-1 grams of protein; and 140-150 calories per 8 fl. oz. serving. However, the little tag attached to each bottle announces POM Wonderful's strength as "the antioxidant superpower." Antioxidants are said to help guard against free radicals, which are responsible for everything from premature aging to Alzheimer's disease.
There are five varieties of POM Wonderful juice currently on the market; I have tried four of them. All are made with juices from concentrate and natural flavors.
- Pomegranate: contains pomegranate juice only. This juice tastes like a stronger version of Ocean Spray Cran-Grape juice. Pretty good, but I would rather have a big bottle of Cran-Grape for the same price as a small bottle of this.
- Pomegranate Blueberry: contains pomegranate, blueberry, pineapple, and blackberry juices. This is my favorite of the three I've tried. The blueberry juice really comes through as the dominant flavor. Blueberry juice also has plenty of antioxidants, making it a most appropriate choice for mixing with pomegranates.
- Pomegranate Mango: contains pomegranate and mango juices. If you did a blind taste test, I would have sworn this was cherry juice upon first tasting. The mango juice is tasty, but doesn't blend well with pomegranate in my opinion.
- Pomegranate Cherry: Contains pomegranate, cherry, and pineapple juices. I haven't tried this one.
- Pomegranate Tangerine: Contains pomegranate, orange, and tangerine juices. The initial taste is vaguely citric, but after a few sips it tastes more like tangerine-orange juice. I imagine it tastes most like cranberry orange juice due to the pomegranate taste. I don't really like this flavor very much.
Sources: http://www.pomwonderful.com, http://www.bevnet.com/reviews/pomwonderful/