When you first walk into Juicd Life, the new juice bar at Biltmore Fashion Park, you're going to notice it has a lot of two things: juice and really, really good-looking employees. Now we can't speak to the quality of the model-esque workers, but we can tell you that Juicd Life's juices are good to drink and good for you.
You'll find the juice bar in the south corner of Union, the indie mini-mall on the east side of BFP. Juicd Life owner Dore Pfaff says he wanted to get into the juice business after experiencing the benefits of juicing. "I thought, what an excellent business opportunity that could really benefit other people."
See also: 10 Best Juice Bars in Metro Phoenix
Juicd Life serves two types of juices in various flavors, as well as acai bowls and smoothies. All of Juicd Life's products are made with all-natural and organic produce.
Cold-pressed juices come in 10 different flavors, each of which is named for its healthy benefits. The 16-ounce juices ($9.50) come in varieties such as "Metabolize," a combination of beet, cucumber, jalapeño, lime, and pear, and "Hydrate," with lime, mint, and watermelon. These cold-pressed juices are made by compressing the fruits and vegetables in what are called masticating juicers. According to Pfaff, this method gives the highest juice yield and allows the produce to retain more of its nutritional value.
We tried the "Strengthen" cold-pressed juice, a combination of almond milk, local dates, protein, and raw vanilla bean. We expected more vanilla flavor to come through, but unfortunately, it seems the flavor lost out to that of the dates. The juice grew on us, though, and we were surprised to see how quickly we downed the whole bottle.
The made-to-order juices come in two sizes -- 16-ounces for $6.50 and 24 ounces for $8.50 -- and four flavors. They're made with the most common type of juicer, called a Centrifugal Juice Extractors -- the kind where you put the whole fruit into a machine that separates the juice from the pulp with centrifugal force.
Pfaff explained that though made-to-order juices need to be enjoyed right away, the bottled cold-pressed juices can be saved -- if refrigerated -- for up to three days. Once opened, or once they've warmed up, however, they should also be consumed.
Juicd Life's acai bowls -- which come in four types -- are $5.50 for a small and $7.50 for a large. There are options like the "Runner" with apple juice, bananas, blueberries, nut milk, and your choice of toppings and the "Hiker," which includes bananas, blueberries, raspberries, and toppings.
Pfaff already has plans to expand, both in the Valley and in other markets. Look for Juicd Life to hit central and North Scottsdale within the next year or so.
Juicd Life 2502 E. Camelback Road 602-840-4600 www.juicdlife.com
7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday
