A water bottle is perfect for all-day hydrating, but when it’s time to relax and recharge, a shot of sweet, tropical juiciness in a box is a welcome thing. It’s one serving, totally portable and refreshing.

Juice boxes and pouches come in various styles, sizes and flavors. Apple is always a favorite, but it turns out fruit punch is so popular, store shelves are all but cleared and online orders for the flavor are routinely canceled. That said, we managed to find 10 brands to try.

Some of the boxes and pouches we tasted boast 100 percent juice; others are unabashedly artificial. Punches also differ in appearance; most are clear, but less natural versions are bright red or blue. Not surprisingly, those 100-percent fruit varieties are almost always the fresher, more flavorful pick.

Great fruit punch is naturally sweetened with the juice of a handful of bright, fresh fruits, often including berries, orange, pineapple and cherries. It’s sweet and fruit-forward with a tart kick that makes it refreshing.

Bad fruit punch is either syrupy, due to too much apple or grape concentrate, or so watered down, it’s unpleasantly sour. The worst fruit punch is an acrid chemical blend dissolved in water.

Here’s the scoop on 10 fruit punch pouches and boxes, ranked from best to worst. Nutrition info refers to 6.75 ounces, the most popular size.

365 Whole Foods Organic Fruit Punch

This juicy combination of orange, cherry and apple is so delicious, it tastes like a frozen juice bar. Fresh fruit flavors pop, and it has just the right hit of sweetness. 90 calories, 30 mg sodium, 23 g sugar. $5.49 for eight 6.75-ounce boxes. (4 stars)

Kirkland Organic Fruit Punch

A splash of berry juice mixed with fresh-squeezed citrus make this a tasty sip that’s not just for the kids. Add some bubbly for an adult treat. 100 calories, 10 mg sodium, 22 g sugar. $12.99 for 40 6.75-ounce boxes at Costco. (4 stars)

Mott’s 100 Percent Juice Fruit Punch

Cherry and orange concentrates add a much-needed tart note to this sweet, slightly out-of-balance blend. More acidic fruit would kick up the flavor. 100 calories, 25 mg sodium, 23 g sugar. $2.99 for eight 6.75-ounce boxes at Target. (3 stars)

Juicy Juice Fruit Punch

Save this box for dessert. It’s enjoyable, but its use of super sweet fruits that lack natural acidity makes this punch taste even sweeter than its sugar levels imply. 96 calories, 16 mg sodium, 22 g sugar. $2.69 for eight 4.23-ounce boxes at Target. (2½ stars)

Apple & Eve 100 Percent Juice Fruit Punch

The addition of pear and pineapple juice to this mix is a bonus, but the juice lacks freshness. It tastes like it comes from a can. 90  calories, 5 mg sodium, 21 g sugar. $3.42 for eight 6.75-ounce boxes at Walmart. (2½ stars)

Capri Sun All Natural Fruit Punch

The low sugar content in this standard offering is a plus, but it tastes watery and doesn’t deliver the flavor of the fruits pictured on the label. 39 calories, 17 mg sodium, 9 g sugar. $3.50 for a pack of 10 6-ounce pouches at Safeway. (2 stars)

Tree Top Fruit + Water Fruit Punch

Those crafty enough to get a straw into this nearly impervious pouch will experience a barely sweet, slightly sour juice and water mix. The flavor profile is fair given the label description, but the defective pouch hole is inexcusable. 63 calories, 11 mg sodium, 12 g sugar. $3.99 for eight 6-ounce pouches at Target. (1 star)

Kool Aid Jammers Tropical Punch

Fruit phobic? No problem. These pouches filled with artificially flavored blue liquid, sweetened with high-fructose syrup and Sucralose, don’t have a trace of juice in them. 45 calories, no sodium, 11 g sugar. $2.68 for 10 6-ounce pouches at Smart & Final. (1 star)

Honest Kids Organic Super Fruit Punch

This blend of 38 percent juice and water boasts a long list of fruits — but it tastes like sour cherry extract. 39 calories, 17 mg sodium, 9 g sugar. $3.99  for eight 6-ounce boxes at Target. (½ a star)

Hawaiian Punch Fruit Juicy Red

Less than 2 percent of this bright red liquid is juice. The rest is a lab experiment gone wrong. It tastes like what it is — a mouthful of chemicals. 35 calories, 30  mg sodium, 9 g sugar. $13.99 for 40 6.75-ounce boxes at Walmart. (No stars)

Reviews are based on product samples purchased by this newspaper or provided by manufacturers. Contact Jolene Thym at timespickyeater@gmail.com. Read more Taste-off columns at www.mercurynews.com/tag/taste-off.