7UP

I 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

Original New York Seltzer Lemon and Lime Soda

Got 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.

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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

Paulaner Spezi

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.

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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