I was enjoying my spring break, scrolling on Tik Tok, when an ombré blue drink caught my eye. There were three consecutive videos on my “For You Page” documenting and reviewing this illustrious concoction. Naturally, my curiosity got the best of me and I had to try it for myself.
Background Info
After doing some thorough research, (watching 30 second-long videos), I discovered all there was to know about this mysterious and viral new drink that had infiltrated my social media. The Marianna Coconut Cloud smoothie is a drink that was created by famous lifestyle and beauty influencer, Marianna Hewitt, in partnership with LA’s hottest grocery store, Erewhon. According to KTLA, the smoothie had over 1,000 orders within its first week of launch at one location alone! The cloud smoothie is only available for the month of March, though due to its aforementioned popularity, I suspect that Erewhon may make it a permanent staple.
As with many viral foods and drinks, there is some controversy. In this case, that controversy is that the smoothie costs…$17. Now what could possibly make a smoothie work $17, and moreover, would people actually pay for that? I gathered that because this is a limited edition smoothie, many people feel that it’s the type of item you splurge on once just to see what the hype is all about. Additionally, most of Erewhon’s clientele are used to paying more than the average rate for groceries, meals, and smoothies. I justified my purchase of it as material for a great Spoon article! Without further ado, here is my honest and uninhibited review of Marianna’s Coconut Cloud Smoothie.
Ingredients and Process
The smoothie’s ingredients include Zuma Valley coconut cream, avocado, MALK almond milk, almond butter, banana, pineapple, vanilla stevia, Blue Majik spirulina, and Vital Proteins vanilla collagen powder. The coconut cream is spooned into the cup before the smoothie is blended in order to catalyze the ombré effect. The aesthetically pleasing blue swirl comes from the addition of the Blue Majik spirulina to the blended smoothie; after this is poured into the cup, another spoonful of coconut cream is added to top it off.
Taste and Texture
The combination of ingredients gives the smoothie an amazing thick, creamy texture. However, besides this, the smoothie was very underwhelming. With all of the coconut flavoring, I assumed the smoothie would taste exclusively like coconut – in reality, it tastes like nothing at all. Some Tik Tokers claimed that their cloud smoothies tasted like a rich blend of coconut and banana, yet many others agreed with my analysis of it, tasting nothing but glorified milk. This discrepancy could be accounted for by the difference in how various employees or locations make the smoothie, or it could simply be due to preference. Personally, I like my smoothies to be more fruity. My last qualm with this drink is that it is supposed to be a meal replacement. I wasn’t sustained, and found myself looking longingly at the hot bar coconut chicken tenders. Either way, I think that most people would conclude that you either love it or hate it, with no in-between.
Results
My overall rating would be a 2/10, as I believe that there are better options at Erewhon to spend your $17 on instead of this smoothie. Erewhon has cheaper smoothies that will leave you feeling nourished and fulfilled, like their Peanut Butter Blast Smoothie. In the future, I recommend sticking to the hot meals, or just making your own version at home. Remaking it yourself is not only cheaper, but you can also control the portions of each ingredient and customize it to your liking. If you are so inclined, use this step-by-step guide to make the smoothie.
Was the smoothie good? No. Would I get it again? Absolutely not. Do I regret buying it? A little. This review may seem harsh, but I felt the need to save my dedicated Spoon readers from falling victim to this tasteless “smoothie”. Do yourself a favor and go get a Shamrock Shake from McDonald’s instead. After all, it’s another limited edition drink that’s actually worth the price.