Maine Root Mexicane Cola

Ever have a sinus infection?  I have.  Maybe once a year or so… except this year.  This year is special and I’ve had three thus far.  It’s super neat.  I didn’t want to write a review today because I’m exhausted, but I figured it’d make me feel better if I just powered through it and got to writing.

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Twist is taking it back wearing the cap.

The soda I’m going to take my antibiotics with today is Maine Root Mexicane Cola.  As you probably realized from the play on words this is Maine Root’s version of “Mexican Coke”, also known as Coke sweetened with cane sugar.  As with all Maine Root products it’s a fair trade product, so you can rest easy as night that you’ve done the right thing.  Time to open the bottle.

That’s huge.  Sorry, not the aroma or anything, but the pill I’m supposed to take.  It looks like a cartoon pill it’s so big.  It’s a horse pill as my family and many other families out there probably call them.  Well hopefully this Mexicane Cola will be the perfect pair to it.

Even with one good nostril I can tell the cola scent is quite strong.  This would have me believe I’m going to enjoy this beverage.  Aroma’s have lied to me in the past though.  I’m sure the good folks at Maine Root wouldn’t do that to me.  They make Fair Trade Certified beverages.  You can’t lie and do that at the same time.

First swig was pill free and while it does have a nice cola taste it wasn’t as powerful as I expected.  It’s a shame because if this flavor was increased it’d be pretty amazing.   That said, it’s still a very good cola and I won’t take anything away from it by complaining about the strength of the taste again.

Along with this very honest cola flavor a second sweetness appears and sits atop it’s brethren.  The cola is a good foundation to this new sugary taste and the sugary taste seems to be a good foundation to the spices within the beverage.  I do wish I could pick out the spices a bit better  They’re somewhat noticeable and it still tastes good so I’ll keep my complaints to a minimum and just save them for the rating.

All in all Maine Root Mexicane Cola is a very good cola.  It doesn’t have the punch of Coke, but it has an enjoyable taste all its own.  That said, this soda falls into the category of so close to being amazing.  It’s good, but a few tweaks here and there and this could be stellar.

~A

This soda was purchased at HEB

Minta

You know what takes up a lot of your soda reviewing time?  Life.  Well, the children portion of life seems to take up the majority of it… mine at least.  I’m sure once she can go down to the fridge and get me a soda it’ll be a bit easier to find the time, but right now we’re working on walking.  So bear with me if you would.

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It's not easy being green...and being next to a can of Minta.

Now that we’ve gotten all of that out of the way it’s time to review a delicious can of mint soda.  Nothing about that sounds good at all to me as the last mint soda I had was a bit on the mouthwash side, I’m guessing this will be too.

Minta is a naturally flavored soda with the following ingredients:  Carbonated water, natural sugar, natural flavors (vague much?), and citric acid.  It sits in a precious little silver 10 ounce can adorned with mint leaves.  I’ve got to give it to them, it really does look refreshing.  Time to find out if I can judge this book by it’s cover.  

Smells like spearmint gum.  Finally I can live my dream and drink spearmint gum, said some weirdo no one talks to.  I’m being far too harsh on those that love this drink.  I think my time away has made me more Jerk than Soda.  Clearly there is a market for mint flavored sodas as Minta is doing just fine in the world without my love/hatred.  Who knows, perhaps I’ll come around and like it.

Nope.  No I won’t.  Not in the slightest. That’s even mintier than Stander.  That’s mintier than the mintiest gum.  I ate mint leaves as a child… loved them.  This is mintier than MINT LEAVES.  Why would anyone want liquid this?!  It’s hardly sweet at all and the carbonation is easily ignored due to the pungent mint flavoring.  

I’ll give them one thing, they definitely deliver on their mint flavored promise.  That said, I’ve maybe had four ounces of this and I think I’m done.  It’s a very cool beverage and every proponent of it is good, except for the flavor.  That’s a pretty big deal in the soda game.  As the saying I just made up goes, Flavor Sells.  Perhaps when I try Strawberry Minta I’ll be singing a different tune, but until then… no thank you.

~A

This soda was purchased at Sprouts Farmer’s Market thanks to a donation from readers like you!

Trader Joe's Triple Ginger Brew

Ginger Beer could be classified as a “holiday” soda right?  It’s bubbly, spiced, and in this case in a red, white, and green labeled bottle.  The Christmas soda I’m speaking of precisely is Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Brew and the bottle I have is insanely large.  So large I’m probably not supposed to drink out of it, but who cares.  What if I just wanted over 25 oz of ginger brew?

No where on this bottle does it say “all natural”, but a quick look at the ingredient list would show you it is.  If you’re familiar with Trader Joe’s then this didn’t surprise you at all, nor should it come as a shock to see that it’s sweetened with cane sugar.  I think it’s about time we open this fantastic top and get to reviewing, don’t you?

The top quite literally popped, so loud in fact that I was fearful that it woke my sleeping baby.  If it had the review would have looked something like thls:

Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Brew

Stupid bottle ruins life.

Verdict - Burn it to the ground

Thankfully it did not wake my baby, so the review can continue on as scheduled.

The scent that so raucously escaped is definitely that of a ginger beer.  As it should be, the ginger aroma is incredibly strong and all but masks the pineapple backing it.  More than likely I’ll taste the pineapple with my first sip, but it wasn’t strong enough to make the aromatic debut.

Whelp, that’s a ginger beer.  The non ginger flavors are a bit more subtle than I thought they would be.  As muted as they may be I can still make out the honey and pineapple used in the creation of this soda.  The ginger flavor on the other hand is as loud as the bottle when I opened it... perhaps a bit too loud.

Over the years I’ve gotten used to the burn that ginger beers produce.  Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Brew seems overly strong just for the sake of being strong.  As soon as the beverage hits my mouth my taste buds rush to experience the flavor before ginger appears.  Less than a second later ginger storms into the room and just starts screaming.  Yes, we know you’re important ginger and we expected your volume to be a bit higher.  Just… just chill out a little, man.  You’re name is on the bottle, we know whose party this is.  

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Such an artistic angle.

Instead ginger just stands there screaming with a festive hat on.  Meanwhile pineapple and honey are wondering if any of their other friends are going to show up… they’re not.

I must admit the more I drink it the more familiar I’m becoming with the burning sensation, but at no point do I think this couldn’t be improved upon by lessening the amount of ginger used.  All in all though this is a pretty good ginger beer.  The ingredients are great, the bottle is great, the flavor is ok.  Give it a go if you run across it.  I’m not sure I’d want multiples of it when better brands are out there, but that’s why you have your own free will.

~A

This soda was purchased at Trader Joe’s and then given to me by Buttons.

Bruce Cost Ginger Ale Jasmine Tea

For the most part I’m a supporter of Bruce Cost Ginger Ale.  It definitely ranks up there in the “Most Sediment” category that I’ve just now made up.  The flavor is usually very true to its labeling and the ingredients are always top notch.  Today I’ll be trying their Jasmine Tea.  I’m not big into floral drinks so I’m not exactly sure why I picked this up.  Fortunately(?) I have a stomach ache so this should quell it some at the very least.

The aroma that wafts from this bottle of Ginger Ale Jasmine Tea favors ginger quite a bit.  Personally I was always a Mary Ann guy myself, but I digress.  There is an unmistakable jasmine aroma lurking in the back as well, so it’s nice to see that they didn’t skimp on their featured ingredient.

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Twist dated a Jasmine once... ONCE!

This tastes like a whole leaf tea, floral and earthy with tannins.  Ok, I just took that off the label of the bottle.  I wanted to sound fancy before giving you my review using regular words.  Thankfully the label once again does a lot of the work for me.  This tastes like Ginger Ale infused with Jasmine Tea.

The tea flavor really impresses me with how it’s able to stand out with such a strong ginger taste riding along side.  I would not have thought that I’d be able to pick it out at all, but here I am.  Carbonation wise it’s small bunched up fizz that just keeps the beverage lively in my mouth.  It’s a fairly standard mouth feel, but it’s not hurting it in anyway.  This isn’t a particularly sweet beverage, but the cane sugar and sweet jasmine do their jobs well.  You can easily return to the bottle without thinking you’re drinking sugary nonsense.

With true ginger ales you’ll usually have a degree of ginger burn.  This particular burn may be a bit strong for those who are used to Canada Dry or Schweppes, but for the seasoned ginger beer drinker it won’t be an issue.  All in all Bruce Cost Ginger Ale is a good beverage.  The flavors combine well and it’ll help your tummy to boot.  I’d definitely pick up multiples if I were you.

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market

Bruce Cost Unfiltered Ginger Ale

Remember Orbitz?  It was a soda that had little tapioca balls floating in it.  I had it once, it was a little unnerving but mostly pretty boring.  This bottle of Bruce Cost Ginger Ale that I have in front of me has so much sediment in it that it reminds me of Orbitz.  Let’s find out exactly how different this is from Orbitz by reading the ingredients.  Carbonated water, pure cane sugar, 100% fresh ginger, and citric acid.  

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Twist is also unfiltered.

The funniest ingredient to me is 100% fresh ginger.  This is immediately false either way you take it.  The soda is obviously not 100% ginger, so that’s not what they mean by it.  Do they mean the ginger used is 100% fresh?  This ginger that’s been sitting in this bottle for who knows how long is 100% fresh?  Was it 100% fresh when they put it in the bottle?  They literally scraped the ginger still rooted to the ground into this bottle?  Don’t add numbers like 100% to your label, it can look silly.  Anywho the ingredient list is fantastic and now that I’ve mocked them enough I’m going to taste it.

A deliciously sharp ginger aroma jabs me in the nose.  By scent alone I know that this is a ginger ale to look out for.  Let’s make sure I’m 100% right.

Wow, that is a rather powerful ginger ale.  In fact it’s probably using 100% of its ingredients to create this power.  Seriously though, Bruce Cost Ginger Ale has a very pungent ginger taste backed by a light carbonation.  I immediately want this to have a bit more fizz to it, but I understand that this may be as much as they could get based on the ingredients used.  This lack of fizz causes it to sit in my mouth a bit heavy at times, not really creating the best of mouth feels.

This may also be the first beverage I’ve had where I can actually taste the cane sugar.  When I was a kid Grandaddy Jerk used to bring me sugar cane to chew on.  Bruce Cost Ginger Ale has that sugar cane flavor held within it’s bottle and it’s quite amazing that it was able to take me back.  Few sodas can manipulate time so color me impressed.  That sweet cane paired with the copious amounts make for a uniquely tasty soda.  

Unlike Orbitz, I don’t notice the sediment at all even in such large amounts.  What I do notice is how much burn this ginger gives it.  It’s a heat that I would expect out of a ginger beer, not it’s weaker little brother.  Perhaps that’s what 100% Fresh Ginger that’s still growing within the bottle can do for you.  Ok, I’ll stop.

All in all, Bruce Cost Ginger Ale is a wonderful soda.  The heat may be a bit much for some, but it’s worth the “pain” to enjoy a bottle.  Grab a couple for your fridge and see for yourself.

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market

Phancy Soda Chanh Vietnamese Sparkling Limeade

Sparkling limeade.  Those two words together make me so very happy.  So of course I grabbed a can of Phancy Soda Chanh Vietnamese Sparkling Limeade when I saw it.  The green color of the can coupled with the fun flower-esque designs grabbed my attention as well.  

The fact that it’s made with real lime juice is an added bonus.  In fact, here’s the ingredient list:  Purified sparkling water, pure cane sugar, natural lime juice concentrate, natural lime extract, natural flavors, citric acid.  My brain is hyping this up to be the most refreshing, most delicious limeade I’ve ever had.  The only way it can fail is if the flavor is watered down.

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Twist is wishing he hadn't removed his salivary glands.

The scent doesn’t seem like it belongs to a watered down beverage.  It smells as strong as any limeade I’ve had which just gets me to salivating even further.  Like some Pavlovian dog my mouth waters at the opening of the can.  I can wait no longer.

I LOVE THIS AND EVERYTHING ABOUT IT.  This is almost exactly what my mouth wanted to drink.  The sour, bitter, sweetness of lime is easily identified making for an incredibly realistic flavor.  Why shouldn’t it be?  They used actual lime juice which is what absolutely MAKES this beverage.  Yes, the carbonation is fun and makes for a lighter mouth feel, but it would be nothing if it backed up a watery attempt at limeade.  

Each sip reaffirms my love of this soda.  Phancy Soda Chanh Vietnamese Sparkling Limeade is truly limeade soda in as pure a form as I can imagine.  There’s not a sugary candy lime flavor, there’s not a syrupy sweetness, there’s not a cartoon lime, none of this is to be found.  This is limeade soda.  If you don’t like limeade, you don’t like this soda.  It’s that easy.  

The only downside I’m finding is that it’s causing additional saliva to build within my mouth.  Sadly that keeps the soda from being all that refreshing in the long run.  This additional saliva is causing me to smack my lips to try and reduce this sensation.  It’s a little on the gross side biologically, but I’m hardly bothered by it due to my love of the flavor.

I’ll tell you right now that I love this soda more than most anyone out there.  I love limeade, a lot of people don’t.  Like I said before if you don’t like limeade then you won’t like this soda.  If you like limeade then buy all of this you can find.  

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market

Oogave Loca Ginger Ale

Been a long time since I’ve reviewed an Oogave product.  If I had to guess I’d say it’s been over a year.  If I had to look it up and give you an exact date I’d say June 5th, 2013.  Loca is the diet brand of Oogave and today I’ll be reviewing their ginger ale.  It’s an all natural 10 calorie drink sweetened with both stevia (boo) and agave nectar (yay).  I don’t think I’ve ever had a diet ginger ale so this should be an interesting experience.

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Twist wanted to use the same Cypress Hill Gang joke as last time, but I wouldn't allow it.

Even though my sniffer isn’t at full functionality I can still discern the scent of ginger ale when I put my nose up to the can.  It’s a lighter aroma than Canada Dry, but perhaps the fact that it’s diet subdues the scent.

Upon first swig the ginger taste is very apparent, which is quite pleasing to my taste buds.  It’s not as sweet as most ginger ales, but if you’d read the first paragraph or even glanced at the picture of the can you could probably figure out why on your own.  The taste is light and easy to return to, leaving no syrupy feel in my mouth afterwards.

On the negative side of things it feels a little over carbonated.  It’s a rush of foamy bubbles with each sip.  Something I think would work better with a root beer instead of a ginger ale.  You can tell it’s a low calorie beverage without looking at the can.  The flavor, while pleasant, feels weakened and you get that diet vibe on the back end of each sip.  At no point does it taste chemical, but it may not be as rich as you would like a ginger ale to be.

All in all (a phrase I use entirely too much), Loca Ginger Ale is a great addition to the country of diet sodas, perhaps even the governor of a state.  In the world of sodas however it’s more along the lines of a nice next door neighbor.  Did that analogy even make sense?  Probably not, but I’m done anyway.

~A

JOIA Grapefruit Chamomile and Cardamom

Sometimes JOIA frustrates me with their flavors.  They’re always well paired, but they challenge me to the point where I can’t honestly win.  Today’s flavor combination is Grapefruit, Chamomile, and Cardamom.  What?  Of course I know what grapefruit tastes like and surely I’ve had chamomile tea, but combine all that with cardamom and I don’t even know what to expect.  I’m going to try something today.  I’m not going to mention any of the flavors listed on the label when reviewing this drink.  Should be easy for chamomile and cardamom… not sure I can do it without talking about grapefruit.  Let’s find out.  Oh yeah, JOIA is an all natural beverage for those of you interested in that.

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Twist as he appeared during his brief stint with A-Ha

The scent is that of an overly citrus tangerine.  There’s a bit of flowery backing to the aroma, but it takes a good huffing to even notice it.

A dry citrus sensation slams into my taste buds.  The taste borders on bitter, but there is a sweetness that pulls it back from the edge.  Even though the bitter taste is a bit off putting, there’s something that has me wanting to drink it again once I set the bottle down.  The carbonation level is on the lighter side, which works well with the bitter/tart tastes of the soda.  An abundance of bubbles would just cause an attack on your mouth.   

Perhaps my normal person taste buds need work, but as far as I’m concern there might as well only be one ingredient in this soda.  The other two listed ingredients just don’t seem to be altering the flavor.  Perhaps it’s too subtle for a mortal.

If you were looking for a soda that really nailed the taste of a Citrus x Paradisi then look no further.  JOIA has that flavor down pat and bottled it.  As an added bonus it’s quite refreshing, although this is a 80 degree day beverage not a 90 degree day beverage.  All in all I’m rather pleased with this offering from the folks at JOIA and can’t wait to try a few more of their sodas.

~A

JOIA Lime Hibiscus and Clove

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One of Twist's middle names is "Poppin"

Oh JOIA, how your flavors challenge me.  It seems to always be three flavors with one of them being normal, one being different, and a final one that’s just odd.  Today’s feature is JOIA Lime Hibiscus and Clove.  Lime, good old lime.  I like lime soda it’s usually pretty tasty.  Clove is in here too?  Ok, I’ve had a couple of clove flavored items in my life.  I also used to push them into apples for Christmas decorations.  What’s this?  Hibiscus?  That’s a flower.  While I’ve had a few sodas with hibiscus included, that’s still not enough for my mind to make this a regular flavor of soda...natural ingredients or not.

What am I supposed to do, take a sip and say “oh man the hibiscus in this is poppin’?”  Perhaps if my tastebuds were smarter.  I like to think I still have the common man’s taste buds.  I don’t use words like “node” when describing a scent.  Then again I could probably improve at my descriptions, but that’s for another time.  For now my job is to drink JOIA Lime Hibiscus and Clove.

For being a lime soda it does have somewhat of a flowery aroma.  The clove is also easily identified with each sniff I take.  In fact the lime seems to be riding in the middle of back seat on the hump with his sisters to either side of him.

OH MAN THAT HIBISCUS IS POPPIN’!  It’s not, but I can at least discern the hibiscus flavor from the clove and lime.   While the lime gave off the lightest scent it has taken full command of the taste.  He might be riding in the middle of the back seat, but he’s got control of the radio.  After the initial burst of lime the sweet hibiscus and clove briefly swing by and make a polite appearance.  Quickly saying their goodbyes the girls saunter off allowing their brash younger brother to continue talking.  It’s quite the delicate flavor experience, but their story is told particularly well.

The carbonation is only strong enough to keep this soda from seeming flat.  Microscopically small bubbles rush down the back of my throat with each gulp; just creating a friendly reminder of their existence.

So there you have it.  JOIA Lime Hibiscus and Clove is really a lime soda plus.  The added flavors sweeten the experience and briefly refreshed my palate.  Even though I’m a huge fan of most any lime soda it was nice to have a bit of intermission built in to each sip.  

~A

JOIA Ginger Apricot and Allspice

How’s the old saying go?  JOIA, JOIA everywhere, and lots of flavors to drink?  I’m pretty sure that’s accurate.  Once again I have a bottle of JOIA in front of me.  This time it’s flavor is listed as Ginger, Apricot, and Allspice.  Three ingredients I enjoy, but never even thought about combining.  As with all JOIA beverages the flavors listed in the title are easily found in the ingredient list along with a host of other natural tastes.  You see, JOIA is an all natural soda with nothing artificial.  This allows me to expect every flavor combination to be at least above average, hopefully this bottle will meet those expectations.

The allspice and ginger are the strongest scents out of the mouth of the bottle.  It’s an aroma that I wouldn’t mind filling up my house.  Perhaps JOIA should start a candle business on the side.  I’d buy one.

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Twist actually won Wrestlemania XII, but was disqualified and had to give up the belt.

Son of a gun, that first impression is a delightful one.  Immediately I see why ginger and allspice were the two scents greeting me from the get go.  Each sip I take is like watching them wrestle for dominance.  

Ginger punches Allspice in the throat, but Allspice recovers and jumps onto Ginger from the ropes.  Rolling out of the way, Ginger connects with Allspices kidney.  Allspice hits the mat and Ginger goes on top for the pin.  ONE, TWO, THR… Allspice is able to kick out of it, but rolls out of the ring in a daze.  Ginger charges after knowing that Allspice is weakened, but what’s this?  A chair clocks Ginger across the face.  HE’S NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT!  HE’S NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT! Ginger hits the mat unconscious and Allspice pins him down.  ONE, TWO, TH… a bottle is thrown from an unknown location knocking Allspice out.  The two spices are still in the middle of the ring.  Who threw the bottle?  It was Apricot.

That’s pretty much what my experience is like.  It’s a lot of spice fighting amongst the bubbles and I kind of forgot that there is even supposed to be an apricot flavor.  Then somewhere in the aftertaste I remembered.  While the spices were nice change of pace at first now they are starting to tire out my taste buds.  I want more of the fruit and less of the spice.  It’s no longer a refreshing beverage because of these uneven levels.  Perhaps if Apricot had been given the chance at the title he would have brought his A game.

~A

JOIA Orange Jasmine and Nutmeg

So I’ve been sent several soda samples this year and fortunately the JOIA line was one of them.  The flavors I’ve had thus far were quite good and they don’t use any artificial ingredients either.  Today’s bottle of JOIA is of the Orange, Jasmine, and Nutmeg flavored variety.  The ingredients list each of the flavors titled plus a few extras like Monk Fruit, which is actually on the rise when it comes to soda making.  I’m not quite sure what this family of flavors will be like when combined, but I'm willing to bet it’ll be tasty.  

Twist has dated someone with all the listed names in this beverage.  Nutmeg was his favorite.

A delightful natural orange aroma rushes to the mouth of the bottle.  The nutmeg is also prevalent enough to make itself known with ease.  These two flavors don’t completely mask the jasmine, but they’re definitely the stars of this aromatic show.

A citrus kick right to the back of my throat is how I start my journey with this soda.  The orange and nutmeg once again working in tandem.  The nutmeg keeps the orange from tasting too acidic, creating a bitter flavor in the middle of my sip.  As the two power players work with one another the jasmine lilts in the background, creating a subtle sweetness.  Ultimately the orange is the most dominant of the three and has the final say as my gulp comes to an end.

Proving just as important is the small, but sharp bubbles experienced with each taste.  They keep the beverage alive and fun; stopping the orange/nutmeg combination from just sitting in your stomach as orange juice can sometimes do.  

All in all, JOIA Orange Jasmine and Nutmeg is a solid beverage.  All three of the flavors play their parts well, the ingredient list is fantastic, and it’s not just another fruit soda.  The bitter taste will not be pleasing to some, myself included, but it’s not so strong that you can’t enjoy the soda.  Pick up a few and share them with your friends, let them decide.

~A

Begley's and Bill's Bananas Foster

The final beverage in my possession from Begley’s and Bill’s is Bananas Foster.  I’m fully expecting a taste of bananas and fire and will be disappointed if this is not achieved.  Ok, so I should probably lower my fire tasting expectations and just be on the lookout for vanilla, cinnamon, and perhaps a touch of rum flavoring.  

I’m going to limit my discussion of their sweetening agent to two sentences and then not mention it again as I’ve talked about it in the past three reviews.  B&B use SweetenFX which is their proprietary blend of stevia and erythritol to sweeten and it works quite well.  In other news, this will be my second or third banana flavored soda and my first bananas foster.  I’m quite excited to see what they can do.

Twist was the cause of the great banana famine of 1823

This has the strongest scent of the four B&B sodas I’ve tried to date.  The aroma is not unlike banana Runts which give me pause.  I dislike banana Runts as should you.  I’m pretty sure they just use them as filler so the bags aren’t loaded up with strawberry and cherry.  This isn’t a candy blog though…yet…so let’s move on to the actual tasting.

Alright, this could be better.  It certainly has a banana taste to it, but it reminds me of a medicine that’s been given banana flavoring after the fact.  After my sip was finished the some of the other expected tastes came in on the back end.  Vanilla was the strongest, but still easily shoved aside by banana.  I hardly taste any cinnamon or rum and maybe I’m not tasting it at all.  Perhaps I’m just wishing the two flavors into existence.  That’s how faint they are.  

Each sip I take hurts my opinion of B&B Bananas Foster more and more.  The artificial banana taste builds upon itself like lincoln logs stacking higher and higher.  I’m pretty sure I’m about to reach a point where I don’t want to finish the bottle.  This is a different outcome than the previous three B&B sodas where each bottle was emptied.  Nah, I’m stopping here.  This review is poorly written, but the soda is poorly executed so we’re even.

Begley’s and Bill’s Bananas Foster is a good idea, but seems kinda halfway done.  There are so many parts to bananas foster and while they still might be under the hood the less than stellar banana flavoring is the engine.  Give it a shot if you want to, but I’d buy quite a bit before this.

~A

This soda was supplied to us by Begley’s and Bill’s

Begley's and Bill's Root Beer

Sugar.  Free.  Root.  Beer.  I’ve never ever had a good one, but something tells me that Begley’s and Bill’s Root Beer is going to finally give me what I’ve not really been searching for.  You see Begley’s and Bill’s uses something they like to call SweetenFX which is their proprietary blend of stevia and erythritol.  All of their sodas are sweetened with it and their cola and cream sodas taste pretty dang good.  Today is uncharted territory though.  I attribute diet/sugar free root beer to poison.  Something important always seems to be missing.  Let’s see if SweetenFX can fill in for that missing puzzle piece.

If it looks like a diet root beer and quacks like a diet root beer... it much be a duck!

Ok, so the aroma is a little odd.  Like all the B&B sodas I’ve tried the scent is faint, but can be discovered with a little rooting around.  I can’t tell if it’s a burst of vanilla I’m getting or if this sweetening process is finally catching up to B&B.

It’s not poison, that’s for sure, but this entry into the soda market isn’t as strong as their previous two had been.  Let me preface all of this by saying it’s the best diet root beer I’ve had and that includes Virgil’s Zero.  With that out of the way I’ll tell you that the first third of each sip is very promising and enjoyable.  It’s sweet, it’s rooty, it’s good.

That quickly fades into the next leg of the experience where that initial flavor goes away and you can taste the “diet”.  It’s drier than a root beer should be at this point and even though it’s all natural a chemical taste becomes known.  It’s not something I’m sticking my tongue out over, but it’s noticeable enough to give me pause.

After this fades you’re left with an aftertaste that’s neither pleasant nor terrible.  In fact it taste a little like diet maple syrup.  Throughout this process the carbonation is slowly walking around in the background not really caring if he’s noticed or not.  Now it’s my opinion that root beer can benefit from strong or weak carbonation, but B&B Root Beer needs to add a bit more.

So there you have it.  While Begley’s and Bill’s Root Beer is still the best sugar free root beer I’ve tasted it still has it’s flaws.  It tastes alright and isn’t poison, so it’s got that going for it.

~A

This soda supplied to us by Begley’s and Bill’s

Begley's and Bill's Cola

Twist is also all natural

A zero calorie, partially stevia sweetened cola sits in front of me.  It’s Begley’s and Bills Cola and if I hadn’t had their similarly sweetened cream soda the other day I’d be nervous.  I’d be nervous about the taste.  You know the one thing I shouldn’t be nervous about?  Instead though I’m feeling confident that this will be at worst an average soda.  It’s not a terrible thing to be average at worst, it means you don’t fail.  Trust me when I say many sodas fail.  So lets open up this bottle and see what SweetenFX (their proprietary blend of stevia and erythritol) can do.

The cola aroma required is present.  It reminds me of RC Cola, which is my favorite of the three mainstream colas.  It’s a rather faint smell, but the cream soda’s was too and that turned out alright.

Score number two for Begley’s and Bill’s.  Just to get it out of the way, there is no chance I would have thought this was sweetened with stevia.  Where the cream soda had a bit of a tell, their cola tastes quite pure.  The mouthfeel is on the smoother side, but there’s still a bit of a bite at the finish of each sip.  Sometimes this would be attributed to the carbonation, but in the case of Begley’s and Bill’s Cola the bite comes from the flavor.  Speaking of the carbonation, it’s not particularly strong.  The bubbles are small and just fierce enough to keep it from tasting flat.  All in all they do their job well.

Again, the cola’s flavor isn’t reaching an above and beyond status, but it’s better than Coke.  Add to the fact that this is sugar free and only 8 calories and you see why I’m impressed.  It would be nice to have some added spice in this to differentiate it a bit more from your standard fare.  It’s good though and once again what I’d recommend hands down to anyone who needs a sugar free alternative or just like colas.

~A

This soda supplied to us by Begley's and Bill's

Begley's and Bill's Cream Soda

Ever wondered what Ed Begley Jr. tasted like?  You’re creepy, stop.  For those who answered the question with a resounding “no” I’ll continue on.  Ed Begley Jr. and man named Bill Sabo created a line of all natural sugar free sodas.  Ok, so I’m pretty sure Bill Sabo did the creating, but Ed Begley’s name is on the bottle as well...unless you go to the website where it’s called Birdie and Bill’s.  I have no idea why, but we’re going to ignore that fact to avoid potential awkwardness (maybe it was a love triangle?! Gasp!).  The first flavor I’ve chosen to review is Cream Soda.  The ingredients tell me that it’s sweetened with SweetenFX which is their proprietary blend of stevia (duh) and Erythritol.  

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Faux Fact: E.B.J tastes like Twist.

Now since SweetenFX is strictly a Begley’s and Bills item I’ve never come across it.  The bottle swears to me this soda is “Great Tasting” in both English and French, so who am I to doubt it.  Oh, I’m a guy that hasn’t had a good stevia sweetened “brown” soda.  That’s who I am, so I will doubt it.  Let’s not give me much time to doubt though.  It’s time to dive in.

My nostril pulls sharply at the mouth of the bottle, just barely getting the scent of cream soda.  What I do smell is pleasant.  There is a very strong vanilla presence in terms of aroma which is something I fully expect of any cream soda.  I do hope that this scent translates honestly into a taste.

Alright Ed, or Bill, or Birdie, you’ve got a pretty decent cream soda here.  SweetenFX really does an excellent job of creating a drinking experience that lacks the terrible aftertaste stevia is associated with.  Can I tell this isn’t made with sugar?  Yes, but I don’t care all that much as the chemical taste is minimal to non existent at times.  Instead a rich vanilla taste lingers with each sip.  The carbonation is light, but noticeable enough to contrast the smooth cream soda mouth feel you’d expect.  

What’s most impressive is that cream soda is a known sweet beverage and they replicated it very well.  You pick one up and expect a sugar rush in the taste.  They've managed to mostly duplicate that sensation with no sugar at all.  It was a risky soda to make, but they've pulled it off beautifully.  

So, does Begley’s and Bill’s Cream Soda match up to the big brand cream sodas?  Yes it really does and while the flavor isn’t something I’m going crazy over it’s still a good solid cream soda.  For those who need a sugar free cream soda I want to steer all of you in the direction of this bottle.  For those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to chose between sugar full and sugar free, I still suggest you buy a pack.  Either way I’m looking forward to trying a few other bottles of Begley’s/Birdie’s and Bill’s.

~A

This soda supplied to us by Begley's and Bill's 

Pure Sodaworks Hibiscus Lemon

I’ve never been one to drink flowers.  This is why I’ve saved the Pure Sodaworks Hibiscus Lemon for last.  Honestly I’m afraid I’ll hate.  Let’s see if I can guess what’s in it before I look at the ingredients.

The Soda Jerk’s Guess:  Sparkling Water, Pure Cane Sugar, Hibiscus, Lemon Juice.

Actual Ingredients:  Sparkling Water, Pure Cane Sugar, Hibiscus Flowers, Lemon Peel.

I feel I did pretty well, but I’m surprised to see this only contains lemon peel.  Perhaps the hibiscus flavor that I am so very unsure of will finally win me over in this form.  The soda is a pleasant rose color and WOW there is a bonkers amount of sediment in this bottle.  Ah well, when in Houston.

This smells not unlike a fruity tea with a squeeze of lemon.  With a deep inhalation I also get a flowery scent that while pleasant to the nose worries the mouth.  A little worry never did me any favors, so I feel it’s time to drink.

Now if it were dandelion lime...

It’s like I’m drinking an all-natural ginger ale while walking through a rose garden.  The sweet aroma coming from the pedals mixes with the flavors within my mouth.  A second sip reveals that Hibiscus Lemon starts to stack on itself quickly.  Another visit sweetens the taste and brings out the hibiscus even more.  It still reminds me of a ginger ale, but that memory is quickly fading… fading… gone.  The confusing sensation of consuming the scent of a flower is now at the forefront.  I don’t exactly enjoy the taste I’m living, but I’m happy to see a legitimate hibiscus soda.

Each time I stop drinking to write my lips develop the flavor of a fruit tea.  It seems the scent I initially identified was also present in the flavor.  The lemon peel is hardly noticed and if I didn’t see the words on the label I wouldn’t even know it was there. 

Sigh.  I can tell this was masterfully made, but hibiscus flavored soda just isn’t for me.  Fruit flavored teas are a favorite of mine, but that’s only a sliver of the flavors I’m experiencing.  I’m afraid my writing skills have failed me in trying to describe this sensation, but I don’t hesitate to tell you that I think you should try it for yourself.  Perhaps just a bottle to start.

~A

This soda was provided to us by Pure Sodaworks

Pure Sodaworks Cafe Cola

Today's use of "sapid" brought to you by Thesaurus.com

Pure Sodaworks Strawberry Jalapeno has both strawberries and jalapenos in the ingredients.  Pure Sodaworks Honey Lime has both honey and lime in the ingredients.  This begs the question, what does Pure Sodaworks Café Cola have in it?  We know they’ll be using 100% natural ingredients, but what are they?  Why aren’t I reading the ingredients right now since the bottle simply sits inches away?  Ok, I’ve tortured myself enough.  Here is what makes up a bottle of Pure Sodaworks Café Cola:  Sparkling Water, Pure Cane Sugar, Orange Juice, Lemon Juice, Lime Juice, Herbs and Spices, Caramel Color (from cane sugar), Espresso, and Citric Acid.  So while that may be a bit more complicated than “Honey + Lime = Soda”, you can’t deny that doesn’t include anything you couldn’t easily find at your local grocer.  Perhaps some of the “herbs and spices” would be difficult, but for the sake of this review let’s pretend they’re there too and move on.

Something that struck me as odd is that this is cola seems overly dark in color, so dark that when I shine a flashlight up from the bottom of the bottle the light doesn’t make it all the way to the top.  You haven’t heard of this time tested test of soda color?  This isn’t something I’m going to start doing “on the reg”, but I figured in this case it’d be kinda fun.  Sorry to have wasted your time, I guess I’ll just open it now.

Wow, the spices used are quite pungent.  It’s like I have a basket of cola potpourri and next to me and why wouldn’t I?  I like the finer things in life too.  Cola potpourri, Dr Pepper Febreeze, root beer candles… you know, the norm.  Time for a drink.

I’m somewhat thankful that the spice isn’t as noticed in the taste as it is the smell.  My tongue is greeted with a strong cola flavor that lacks the bite that so many of us are used too in our Coca-Cola brand Cokes.  What fills this void of harshness is the smooth sensation of cola made sharp only by the carbonation that dances around it.  It’s not so sweet that you couldn’t enjoy it with a meal, but it does seem a touch more sugary than what you might be expecting.

If this were the end of the experience I’d say Pure Sodaworks Café Cola was an above average cola that I was happy to try, then I’d go about my day.  Thankfully this is not the case.  The espresso included sets Café Cola even further ahead of the pack by giving the final moments of each sip as well as the aftertaste a roasted coffee flavor.  I personally hate the taste of coffee, but I absolutely love the way it smells.  Pure Sodaworks Café Cola transmogrifies the scent of coffee into a taste and lets it run slightly behind the lead horse named Cola.  This roasted bean makes all the difference in the world making this beverage quite sapid.  Drink this cola if you like colas.  Drink this cola if you like coffee.  Drink this cola if you like sodas.  Drink this cola.

~A  

This beverage supplied to us by Pure Sodaworks

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient

Pure Sodaworks Honey Lime

Honey Lime was Twist's stripper name

So, Pure Sodaworks seems to be on a winning streak here with their soda creations.  Root beer started off strong before developing a tea flavor.  Strawberry Jalapeno and Apple Pie where both fantastically awesome!  Today I’ve got a bottle of Honey Lime in front of me and I can only assume it too will be delightful.  By now I’m sure you can guess the ingredients, but it’s so much fun to write them out so here we go:  Sparkling water, Honey, Pure Cane Sugar, Lime Juice, Citric Acid.  I don’t think I’ll ever tire of listing great ingredients.  I’m particularly excited about the sediment in this bottle.  I can only hope that it’s bits of lime, but whatever it might be I trust they made a great soda.  Let’s find out for sure though, shall we?

Honey is used in a lot of the craft sodas I’ve tasted, but I’ve never been able to so easily identify its use by smell alone.  The aroma is sweet with a lime chaser.  Quite the opposite of what I figured would be wafting out of the mouth of this bottle.  Curse you, Pure Sodaworks!  Why must you constantly impress me?  Making these reviews seem like walking advertisements!

That is honey. That is lime.  The immediate flavor that hits my tongue is the sweet, velvety, greatness of honey.  The scene that follows is a lot like a photographer dealing with a star’s body guard.  Honey is quickly escorted to safety by Lime.  Out of the reaches of my taste buds… I mean Bud the photographer.  After Honey is safely hidden away Lime punches Bud in the face, creating a burst of flavor and a broken nose.  Seeing that her bodyguard Lime is attacking Bud (and not wanting a bad PR storm), Honey springs from the car and attempts to pull Lime away.  What ends up happening is that the three of them fall to the ground in a heap.  Bud is still being attacked by Lime, but Honey’s presence has certainly softened the situation up a bit.  Now the harsh hits of Lime don’t seem so bad.  Slowly the camera pulls away from the scene revealing the bitter Lime and the inviting Honey tussled upon the ground.

That’s an overly fancy way of saying that while the real deal honey flavor is immediately what you experience, lime quickly takes over for a brief moment.  Eventually the two flavors come together, complementing one another with their differences. 

I must say that while I love everything about this beverage, I’m not blown away by the taste.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s great.  I just don’t see myself wanting to come back for more as often as I would with the Strawberry Jalapeno or the Apple Pie… oh goodness the Apple Pie.  With that said this should definitely be tried, so get to it.

~A

This soda was provided to us by Pure Sodaworks

Pure Sodaworks Apple Pie

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Sweet, sweet, sediment.

One of the first sodas that truly amazed me was Reeds Spiced Apple Brew.  My fragile mind could not fathom that a soda could have the aftertaste of apple pie.  It was only until I tasted Soda Fruit Apple Crumble did I realize this fantastic flavor could even be replicated.  With those two companies excelling in the accomplishment of apple pie flavored sodas, I must say that Pure Sodaworks has their work cut out for them.  Pure Sodaworks Apple Pie is only going against two sodas, but those two sodas are both in my all-time top 5.  Best of luck guys, but your ingredient list of sparkling water, apple cider, pure cane sugar, cinnamon and vanilla allows me to think you’ve got a chance.

That smells like apple pie.  It doesn’t smell like apple pie soda, it smells like apple pie.  At this point I’m almost positive that I’m in for another treat.  Apple Pie soda is a rarity.  Technically Reeds Spiced Apple Brew is not one, but I consider it one due to its aftertaste.  I think the trifecta of apple pie soda is about to complete with my first sip.  Please don’t make a liar out of my imagination Pure Sodaworks.  Please don’t disappoint me.

I love you Pure Sodaworks.  I love your apple pie soda… at least that’s my initial reaction.  What impresses me the most is how true the apple flavor is to what you’d find in an apple pie.  The caramel apples buried beneath the crust are mirrored in taste within this bottle.  Light carbonation dances about in the background as it’s pleased to be playing second fiddle to the taste at hand.  A finale features the initial players of Apple, Cinnamon, and Sugar, but another actor has appeared on the stage.  Vanilla.  She hadn’t been present before, but now you can’t take your eyes off of her.  Gracefully she blends in to the rest of the company and it’s like she was there the whole time.  They all take a bow and you’re mouth is left empty.  Yet, you still have the memories of the performance and they’re not syrupy sweet.  They’re honest memories and you’ll tell your friends all about them.

That’s perhaps the “artsiest” review I’ve ever written, but who cares.  Pure Sodaworks Apple Pie is amazing and easily fills out the third spot in my Apple Pie Soda Trifecta.

~A

This soda supplied to us by Pure Sodaworks

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient

Pure Sodaworks Strawberry Jalapeno

The last soda I will drink in 2013 needs to be memorable.  It needs to be unique.  It needs to be flavored with strawberry AND jalapeno.  Luckily my oddly specific requirements have been met in Pure Sodaworks Strawberry Jalapeno soda.  Hey, you wanna know what’s in this soda?  Sparkling water, Pure Cane Sugar, Strawberries, and Jalapenos.  That’s beautiful.  The soda itself looks like you left your lucky red hat on the dashboard of your car for about 10 years; pink, but just barely.  I’m just too excited to type any longer.  This experience needs to begin right now.

Ok, I cheated a little bit, but it wasn’t my fault.  I gently upended the soda to get the sediment mixed and upon opening I had to stop the flow of fizz from going everywhere.  I got a bit of a taste, but it was just the foam.  Let’s just pretend it never happened, ok?  The smell is primarily that of the strawberry and it smells like a scratch and sniff sticker.  So light and inviting I can’t wait to actually test out the beverage.

Just as the scent lead me to believe the strawberry taste is great!  It’s not sugary nonsense (as so many strawberry sodas are) and the carbonation levels that accompany it are quite effervescent.  With each sip I take the jalapeno grows more confident as the flavor takes hold of my mouth.  The actual taste of jalapeno seems to be missing, but the heat you’d feel from one is certainly present.  I compare it to the burn of a ginger beer, but this heat lingers quite a bit longer. 

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Twist wants me to find a new background.  I can't say I disagree with him.

The further down the bottle I go the more the flavor tilts in favor of the jalapeno.  Our friendly, funny, fizzy strawberry friend waves goodbye as he walks back home.  Meanwhile jalapeno starts to show his true personality as if he was afraid to be himself around strawberry.  Perhaps he has a crush on strawberry’s sister and didn’t want any negative word to travel her way.  Sadly, like most cases he really just should have been himself the whole time.  That way we could have seen exactly how well strawberry and jalapeno worked with one another.

It’s clear to me that when they made this soda they really had to complete a balancing act to get them just right.  Too little strawberry and you’d just end up with a weird tasting soda that burns your mouth.  Too little jalapeno and you reach a point why you’re adding it at all.  I think the folks at Pure Sodaworks did an excellent job with the balance of this soda.  It’s sweet, light enough to be quite refreshing, and overall a very unique experience to be had in the soda world. 

~A

This soda supplied to us by Pure Sodaworks