I’ve never heard of the soda Grapefruit Kiss before, but here it sits in front of me in a beautifully labeled glass bottle. It looks as if it was designed in the 60’s or 70’s and its cane sugar sweetener keeps in step with the style. I haven’t always liked grapefruit sodas, but they have quickly become a favorite of mine in moderation. Here’s hoping that Grapefruit Kiss is a memorable one for all the right reasons.
Read MoreThe video review of the New Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Lemonade
Read MoreOk, perhaps I should go into a bit more detail. For those unaware, Fresca is made by Coca-Cola and is a citrus flavored beverage that favors grapefruit. I like Fresca, not as an all-the-time drink but every now and again I enjoy it. My enjoyment of Fresca directly correlates to how old I feel. “Wow, this is a refreshing, unique beverage…. Good God I feel like I’m 107”. I’m not sure why this occurs, but I associate the beverage with older people. A citizen of the Carbo-Nation handed me a Fresca I’d never seen before, Fresca Black Cherry Citrus, and I knew I had to try it
Read MoreMTN Dew Ice is relatively new, so I figured why not do video reviews for recently released sodas. Who knows if this will stick? Not even me! Hope you enjoy the review.
Read MoreIn clearing out my backlog of sodas that I need to review I came across a variety of Mountain (stock symbol MTN) Dew (stock symbol DEW). MTN DEW as many of you are aware is known for their somewhat experimental nature with sodas which is certainly something I applaud them for. Their army of soda flavors and penchant for change is a strength in the soda world in my opinion. Not all of the flavors are a hit with me, but guess what, I’m not the only person in the world who drinks soda so that’s A-OK.
Read MoreI’m fortunate to be surrounded by kind people. One of those said kind people, Blue Rumer as she’ll be referred to, went to Spain. Blue Rumer went to Spain and brought me back a soda, a sparkling lemonade to be exact called la Gloria Sicilian Lemon. Anytime I consume a beverage from another country it’s like a miniature vacation for my face. Here is where I thank Blue Rumer for the tiny bottle of sparkling lemonade, the miniature face vacation, and get on with the review at hand.
Read MoreI didn’t think I’d be writing a review of 7UP, but here we are. Back in 2011 I reviewed Retro 7UP, the cane sugar sweetened version of what I’m about to drink. Since 7UP, in it’s most common state, is filled with HFCS it felt needed to included on the site. Is this considered stat padding? Perhaps… but it’s different enough to count, just like you. There, don’t you feel motivated now?
Opening the can created a thunderous crack, much more so than any cans I can remember opening in recent memory. The scent that wafts out is a familiar one, more crisp lime than lemon but so bright a smell that it’s hard to not just call it citrus. Let’s drink, shall we?
A somewhat sticky lime/lemon taste immediately coats my mouth. Through no fault of it’s own I remember being sick. You see, 7UP was the “go to” cure all for an upset stomach in my house as a kid, often paired with a sleeve of Ritz crackers. So while 7UP is by far and away my favorite of the mainstream lemon/lime sodas, there is also the curtain of sick nostalgia that weighs it down.
The sips begin with a sharp burn on the back of my throat, and after three or four a burp is summoned burning just a little bit more skin off the ol’ uvula. The lemon and lime play nicely together, sharing my tastebuds equally. The aftertaste is sticky, but pleasant. It mirrors the initial flavor of the beverage instead of being some fun house mirror version of it. All in all I still enjoy the occasional 7UP and often keep it stocked in my fridge along side the Dr Pepper. Are they the fanciest sodas around? No, of course not, but they hold strong in my own personal culture.
~A
So for the 800th review I decided to go with tea. While the green and silver can of Lipton Sparkling Iced Tea really called to me it was the Citrus Green Tea flavor that sealed the deal. For those not in the know, Lipton is a brand synonymous with instant tea here in the ol’ U.S. of A. It’s not of super high quality, but you can get a dang good iced tea out of it when you need one.
Read MoreA tattooed young woman (we’ll assume her name is Lydia) stands in front of an American muscle car. That’s the label for my orange cream soda that sits before me. Honestly, it’s what got me to pick it up… well that and the name. Dirty Girl Skip Orange Cream. There’s so much in that name that intrigues me.
Read MoreWell, it’s happened. My soda powers have culminated and the three sodas I wished back onto this plane of reality are here. First Surge, then Sprite Re-Mix, and now Crystal Pepsi. If there are any other extinct sodas out there you’d like me to channel back into existence just shoot me an e-mail.
Read MoreDiabolo makes me immediately think of the words diabolical and diablo. Neither of these words are all that positive, unless of course it’s in reference to the video game Diablo which is pretty fantastic. Diabolo, as you might have guessed, is a soda brand and the flavor at hand today is Mint Lemonade.
Read MoreAnother British soda is at my hand today, Tizer. All I know about Tizer is that it has a “Fruit Stripe Gum” look to its can design, is “The Great British Pop”, and only cost 49p. It sweetened with sugar aaaaaand that’s about it. Oh, it also calls itself a “Sparkling Mixed Flavour Soft Drink with Sugar and Sweeteners”. Just gets your mouth watering, doesn’t it?
Read MoreI have a couple questions about Excel Lemonade, but I’ll answer yours first. “Why are you reviewing a non-carbonated beverage, Aaron?” Well thank you for asking. I’m reviewing this non-carbonated beverage because the fine folks at Excel included it in their care package to me. I may not like every soda I try, but that’s just part of the job. Being rude and not trying what I’m sent is not part of the job… although one did get thrown away by someone else and I’m trying to find a replacement, but that’s a story for another time.
Read MoreI don’t normally review mainstream sodas, but I felt it important to follow the saga that is Sierra Mist. When Sierra Mist came out it was Pepsi’s version of a clear citrus soda not called Slice. Sierra Mist was alright in my mind, better than Sprite, worse than 7Up, but still an acceptable choice.
Read MoreA while back I was given a bottle of Ski soda. Ski is a citrus soda not unlike Mtn Dew or Sundrop, but favors the lime flavor a bit more than those two. Cherry Ski, which is our selection today, is listed as being cherry flavored citrus soda as opposed to just cherry.
Read MoreOh, the dollar store. How kind of you to sell me four cans of Shasta Orange for $1. This could be acid, but I only paid 25 cents for it… so who cares?! The bright orange can tells me that Shasta Orange also has Vitamin C in it. I’d pay 25 cents for some Vitamin C in my life, who wouldn’t? People with scurvy that’s who.
Read MoreGot myself another tiny bottle of fun. Fun in this case comes in the form of a Original New York Seltzer Lemon & Lime Soda. Last time I enjoyed a tiny bottle of ONYS I had the bizzare experience of drinking a clear root beer. Today’s flavor, like all their others, is represented in a clear variety but Lemon & Lime is a flavor that is most often clear.
Ingredient wise this 10oz bottle houses carbonated water, cane sugar, citric acid, natural lemon and lime flavors with other natural flavors and ascorbic acid.
I really hope Twist takes care of this hippo somehow.
As I’m sure you’ve predicted here’s where I tell you to be wary of where it says “natural lemon and lime flavors” without actually saying that lemon and lime are involved. Such a sketchy thing to me.
Scent wise a nice strong candy lime scent jumps out of the bottle. Like a puppy the lemon aroma tags along, but is smaller than Big Dog Lime. For those of you who know my flavor preferences you’re aware that this excites me. #TeamLime
So the flavor is a little generic, but my first impression is that it’s better than Sprite. Initially lime is the predominant flavor as the smell test said it would be. This is a more subdued lime taste than I thought it would be, less candied than the scent led me to believe.
Swiftly the flavor you’re greeted with transforms into the generic lemon & lime taste I expected. While it’s not as bitey as 7up, of the three big “Lymon” sodas that’s the most similar. The fact that it’s a seltzer is noticeable only in the finish. As effectual as a fly landing on your potato salad then buzzing away is the bitterness of Original New York Seltzer Lemon & Lime Soda. You don’t like that it’s there, but since it doesn’t linger too long it’s easy to forget.
So there you have it, a very generic citrus soda (except for that lime intro) in a cute little bottle. All in all a good purchase, but I think I’m good with one.
~A
This soda was purchased at World Market
Video Review from Apr. 3, 2020. Written review (below) from Sep. 10, 2015.
I have a German soda in front of me called Paulaner Spezi. The flavor, according to the can, is Coffeinhaltige Orangenlimonade mit Cola. I took and failed German so my best guess is caffeinated orange soda with cola. It is sweetened with Zucker or sugar if you like and includes Orangensaft which I think is orange juice concentrate. The label also says that citrus is involved in some way. So it’s not a complete mystery to me, but this should be a hoot none the less.
It smells like orange juice and cola, so I think I’m on the right track. The scent is faint, but I bet the flavor won’t be.
Orangensaftkonzentrat is a fantastic word
The color is a light orangey brown and the taste, and according to Buttons, “starts off dull, gets bright, and then just dulls out big time at the end.”
The dull he speaking of is a somewhat bitter orange/cola mix that swishes past your tongue. This quickly transitions into a burst of citrus cola that refreshes and then disappears just as suddenly. Sadly what you end up with is the taste equivalent of an empty room with a chair in it. It’s sad, it’s a little bitter, and you don’t want to stay in there very long.
It’s a roller coaster with one good drop, fun but ultimately disappointing. The mild bitterness of the final taste dampens your excitement for another swig.
All in all an interesting beverage that I might give a try if I were in your shoes. If you aren’t bitter about bitter than perhaps you’d enjoy it a bitter more.
~A
This soda was purchased at World Market
Well I’m a few weeks behind the hype, but I finally have a bottle of Dewshine to review. I’m not really sure what it is or what it’s supposed to taste like, but it’s a clear Mtn Dew product that resembles moon shine so of course I’m all in.
Dewshine is made with real sugar! To that I say thank goodness, because I didn’t feel like sweetening yet another beverage with my imagination. The fact that it says “real sugar” and not “cane sugar” makes me believe they used something along the lines of beet sugar. I don’t really care either way as it still tastes cleaner than corn syrup.
Pictured: Potential wrapped in disappointment
Emblazoned on the bottle is a label that looks as if it’s made of old paper, complete with tattered edges. The Mtn Dew logo kind of takes away from the “olden times” feel the rest of the bottle gives off, but I suppose it needs to be on there somewhere.
Let’s find out exactly what I’m getting into here.
After removing an amazing bottle cap, complete with iconic hill billy, a citrus aroma jumps up and punches me in the face. It just misses smelling like a cleaning product and lands squarely into enticing my taste buds.
That’s not what I thought this was going to taste like at all. Oddly enough the first thing I notice is the finish of the soda. It finishes like a Sprite, having a bit of carbonation burn on the back end complete with a syrupy mouthfeel. Since Sprite has one of my least favorite soda finishes I’m already a bit disappointed in the product. Perhaps if I pay more attention to the first half of the sip I’ll find more to praise.
The initial taste I perceive is a sweetened lemon lime. The sugar is heavy enough that it dulls the flavors of each of the citrus fruits. I keep wanting to stop this review and say it tastes like a sweeter version of Sprite with less carbonation. That doesn’t seem fair to the product though. Actually, you know what. If that’s what it tastes like then that’s what I’m saying.
Mtn Dew Dewshine tastes like a less carbonated, yet sweeter, version of Sprite. It’s still a good drink, but the similarities to Sprite make me sad. This is a special edition soda. This is supposed to be something special yet all I can do is hang upon the fact that it reminds me of another product. Such a shame. Pick it up if you like Sprite. Perhaps if I fill the bottle with my tears it’ll be better.
~A
This soda was given to my by Wrastlin’ Jawhit
