I am in a long-term relationship with Jugo Juice. JJ was there for me when I first moved out on my own to U of C from Red Deer, but as a result, most of my student line of credit was spent on Watermelon Wiggles. JJ was there for me during my first big breakup, but that was a chilly winter and my hands kept getting too cold holding all those Skinny Peaches. JJ was there for me when I started my first career job downtown, but my post-teenage metabolism could no longer handle the near-daily PB & Chocolates.

Our relationship has since matured and I like to think that we’re both older and wiser. I’ve learned which addictive products I need to steer clear of to avoid codependency, plus JJ keeps spinning out fresh menu items to keep me intrigued long past the honeymoon phase. All relationships take work, but ours is all the sweeter for it.

Because of this special relationship, I was so excited when I was invited to a small, intimate new menu tasting at the Jugo Juice Inglewood store. I gathered with five other foodies to sample a few fun new items.

As all the more organized bloggers have already told you, it’s citrus season! What better way to observe the occasion than with strawberries, cucumber, orange, grapefruit and lemon blended up into the Cali Crush ($6.95)? These were all such delicious flavours, but the grapefruit and other citrus really came through and mellowed out the sweetness of the strawberry. The cucumber gave it enough of that melon feel and flavour without packing on the sugar like some of its cousins. All in all, a delicious treat, even on a chilly night like tonight!

A big, new item Jugo Juice has been pushing since December is their avocado toast. The fun part is that now you can customize your toast with two cool toppings of your choice all for $4.95 per slice (so don’t worry, you’ll still be able to prequalify for that mortgage you’ve been considering). The toast was tender in the center with nicely toasted crusts and definitely not too crumbly. Most importantly, the avocado tasted fresh and was only partially mashed, so you definitely got that homemade avocado toast feeling rather than the spooky green purée you might see at other chains.

Beyond the tasty pre-designed combos of ingredients we tried, you can also mix it up with chia seeds, turmeric and cayenne, though honestly I think I’m a convert to the olive tapenade & basil combination. The tanginess of the tapenade with the fresh basil was a lovely pairing on top of the creamy avocado.

Something I devoured rapidly was the Cranberry Chia Pudding ($4.95)! Despite the foodie talk around the table comparing chia to much less desirable, downright entomological snacks, we agreed this was a great take. The pudding itself is made with coconut milk (uh, yum!) and the layers of flavour with cinnamon, cranberry, blueberry, strawberry and toasty granola were all completely delightful. This would be a great snack to grab on the go, especially because it’s so filling.

It was really fun trying all of these things and meeting some lovely new people. I can happily recommend checking out any of these new menu items the next time you need to grab a quick, light meal or a hearty snack!