In the thick of Chicago's first major heat wave, Dorothee made a trip over to Doc's Juice and Smoothies in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood yesterday for some refreshing, organic beverages. The drinks were indeed refreshing, but were they 100-percent organic, as the website advertised?

We chose Doc's over Jamba Juice or some other national chain because the website assured us that, "Doc’s Organic smoothies are made using 100% organic fruits, veggies, and juices. Our foods are homemade using the freshest, local ingredients," and even most of the web reviews mention that all of the drinks are organic.

However, as we were leaving, Dorothee asked the barista if the drinks were indeed organic, and she replied, "No, but they're all-natural."

Since leaving the store, we've made numerous attempts to contact Doc's owners or managers to clear up the discrepancy, but our emails bounce back and none of the listed phone numbers appear to be in service. I'm not sure why Doc's is so blatantly false advertising (even the URL is docsorganic.com), but I do know that I probably wouldn't have forked over seven bucks for a drink had I known that it contained conventional ingredients.

My best guess is that in a previous incarnation, Doc's actually was 100-percent organic, and that the new management just hasn't taken down the old website. I suggest they do so soon.

-Mark