Pog in San Diego?

[surfer1966]

Anybody know of a grocery store I can get POG?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/POG_(drink)

I got addicted to the gallon containers at Costco when I was visiting Maui a few weeks ago.

[zmirzlina]

Fresh and Easy in North Park now carries POG in the juice section in the big milk carton like containers.

[surfer1966]

Cool! I'll check that out.

[royaljester]

Mitsuwa had it a few weeks back, same aisle as all the drinks. They've redone the aisles but they've had it for a long time so it's probably still there.

[surfer1966]

Thanks for the tip! I'll go look for it this weekend.

[surfer1966]

I went by there today and wasn't able to find it. I found an employee stocking the refrigerated juice but she never heard of it. Next time you see it can you tell me what it's next to?

[pantani]

This is the response I got back from Bolthouse:

The stores determine which flavors they will carry and this can vary from store to store. Unfortunately we do not have specific flavor information for the stores. In your area, our beverages are available at Albertson's, Henry's, Ralph's and Food 4 Less. If they do not have the flavor you are looking for, please request it from the Produce Manager.

I am going to keep an eye out for this stuff.
I got it at Costco in Carlsbad but they only had it that one time.

[Guavaman]

surfer1966,

Yeah, the Hawaiian Sun canned POG (POG = Passion-Orange-Guava fruit juices mixed) is pretty easy to find, but that brand labels it "Pass-O-Guava", so if you asked for "POG", they might not have known that they had it.

Actually, though, since you seemed to be looking for the juice in the gallon jugs, which would be more akin to fresh rather than canned, I would suggest you make your own from the frozen fruit juice/pulp available in the frozen food sections of some hispanic grocery chains - Northgate, Vallarta, etc. It has been years, but I bought some of these fruit pulps from Tropical Star and Andres' (I have located a store here in the North County where I can get them). They are basically, just the unsweetened fruit juice, frozen. Look for flat packets. Passion fruit is sometimes labeled maracua and guava as guayaba. In the summer I use them to make fruit sorbets (passion fuit, guava, guanabana, blackberry, etc.). I have been thinking about making POG which would be "the bomb". Use some good C&H cane sugar, and I'll bet it will be just like the stuff in the gallon jugs you get in Maui.

Good luck. Chris

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Tropical Star
6163 Balboa Ave, San Diego, CA 92111

[surfer1966]

Thanks for the tip! The frozen fruit juice isn't sweet enough in raw form? How is the food at Tropical Star? Empanadas and Pernil de Cerdo Asado sound pretty good.

I was browsing in Bristol Farms and I found some Bolthouse Farms POG. It was really good. I'd rate second favorite with my fav still being the POG I found in the Maui Costco in the gallon jug.

I also found some Sun Tropics Guava juice without HFCS at Ranch 99. Then I found some Ceres Passion Fruit juice at the Ralphs on Friars Rd. Mixing in some orange juice and pouring it over crushed ice resulted in some very good POG.

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Tropical Star
6163 Balboa Ave, San Diego, CA 92111

[Guavaman]

In the case of passion fruit, the raw fruit juice is very, very, sour - on par with lemons. In fact making passion fruit juice for drinking is a lot like making lemonade because you add sugar and water to the raw juice.

It's been years since I went to Tropical Star, but I thought the food was good.

Chris

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Tropical Star
6163 Balboa Ave, San Diego, CA 92111

[pantani]

Bought some Bolthouse Farms POG at Costco about a month ago and it was by far the best I have ever had. Went back to get more and they no longer have it.
Other places sell Bolthouse but have not found POG anywhere.
Thinking of emailing them.

[surfer1966]

Which Costco? What part of the store? Please post if you see some more.

[eatemup]

They have it at Smart & Final.

[surfer1966]

Which one? I didn't see it last time I was at the Mira Mesa one.

[eatemup]

I boought a couple large bottle at the El Cajon location about 3 weeks ago.

[Katdiego]

Try 99 Ranch market

[epicureous eggplant]

Marukai Market?

[surfer1966]

Never been there. They have POG?

I found POG by the glass at Island Style Cafe. Not as good as Maui stuff. Also Seafood City Supermarket has pineapple guava juice but it's missing a critical ingredient. I'll keep looking...

[surfer1966]

I have not located any pog after searching a bunch of grocery stores. I have resorted to making my own. I blend about 65% Dole pinapple/orange juice with about 35% Kern's guava nectar and it taste really good!

[SaltyRaisins]

What about the passionfruit component?

[keena]

I found this one on the internet which sounds like it could work:
Mix 1 cup each of Kern’s guava nectar and Welch’s passion fruit nectar with 2/3 cup of Minute Maid no-pulp orange juice. Chill. Serve.

[surfer1966]

I've been using this recipe for a while and it taste pretty good. I'm getting tired of consuming high fructose corn syrup though. Are there any places in town I can get guava and passion fruit nectar without high fructose corn syrup?

[DiningDiva]

Northgate Market on 43rd has a lot of juices made from exotics. In addition to the Kern's Nectars they also have several imported brands. Those may or may not use HFCS. Some of the labels in bi-lingual, others are strictly in Spanish. Passion fruit is "maracuyá" or "parcha" in Spanish, guava is guayaba. Don't forget to check the frozen food section to see if they've got either fruit in it's frozen form.

Northgate usually has fresh guavas. You could make agua de guayaba and sweeten it with agave nectar. Fresh passion fruit are occassionally available around town but they are costly and probably not worth the expenditure.

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Northgate Market
606 N Escondido Blvd, Escondido, CA 92025

[surfer1966]

Thanks for the tip!

I love how Mexican Coke and Pepsi don't use HFCS and still come in the glass bottle. Hopefully their juices are also HFCS free.

[steveprez]

My wife buys a passion fruit nectar or concentrate from Ranch 99. Not sure if it has HFCS. Second time I'm sending you there in as many days.

What's the issue with HFCS?? Taste?? Corn subsidies?

[surfer1966]

Thanks for the tip! Does she get the passion fruit nectar from the refrigerated juice section? I took a look last time I was there and I saw Kern's brand which uses HFCS.

I have a few issues with HFCS. First I love soda from when I was a kid and it came in glass bottles and made with cane sugar. Drinking soda in cans with HFCS for a long time the experience just isn't as pleasurable. Quite often I'm tasting some nasty bite/aftertaste. So now I get Mexican Coke from Costco and other sodas with sugar in glass bottles at Bevmo.

Then I saw King Corn and learned more about HFCS.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1112115/
That made HFCS even less appetizing.
Food Inc helped too:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1286537/
So now I'm trying to cut way back on HFCS.

[steveprez]

She can't remember the brand name and we don't have a bottle at home now (it's more of a summer thing) but it's a concentrate that comes in about a 500 ml tall thin squarish bottle. Ask at Ranch 99.

[surfer1966]

Doh! Left that out.

[surfer1966]

Good tip! I didn't look hard enough last time I was there. Found it tonight in the Murakai Market - middle building in the refrigerated case in the small Hawaiian section. It was the Meadow Gold brand. It's good. My favorite POG is the gallon containers they sell at the Costco in Maui.

[hopkid]

Marukai also has Hawaiian Sun drinks including POG. Same building but on the shelves to the left after you pass the check out and the freezers.

[Ewilensky]

L & L Hawaiian BBQ sold these in small cans last time I was there. But I think we're SOL on the POG. But if you find any, let us know. We're also addicted.