In front of me sits the only pink cola I’ve come in contact with. I’m not even sure it will actually taste like cola, but the word is on the bottle no less than three times. Sakura Cola, or Cherry Blossom Cola, is today’s beverage and I’m thrilled to try it. I’m a bit rusty with my time away, but I’m hoping that this is just the drink to bring me back to the front lines of the soda review game.
Read MoreIt's Summer which means liquid watermelon is in season. Watch me enjoy this abomination of science!
We got our hands on the new Dr Pepper flavor Dart Berry, day one.
The first I heard of Coca-Cola Orange Vanilla I was skeptical. The cola/orange pairing didn’t seem like it would work. I thought it would be too messy for the vanilla to navigate around. Now that I have it in front of me I’m kind of excited. Coca-Cola is a huge company, and they don’t release new flavors like this often. I’m sure the market research and taste tests for this new flavor point to it being a success. Why would they make it otherwise?
Read MoreI’m always looking for sodas to review, and as the years go by it becomes harder and harder to do. When I started I had to search out Virgil’s, Izze, Jones, and the like. Now those sodas are common staples at the end of almost every grocer’s soda aisle. It’s getting harder to find new things I haven’t tried, but I sometimes find things where I least expect. Today’s entry I found in a car dealership vending machine. Vending machines are great because they often have at least one odd selection, and you don’t have to commit to buying a pack of soda.
Read MoreThe video review of the New Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Lemonade
Read MoreWho’s got two thumbs and is excited about today’s beverage? This guy! I’m pointing to myself with both of my thumbs to complete the joke. This would work a whole lot better if you were watching me.
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 MoreAs we approach July 4th a swell of patriotism may begin to fill the chests of American’s. MTN Dew has given us the opportunity to pair this patriotism with bubbly sugar water with not one, but three flavors. MTN DEW.S.A. (GET IT?!) is what I hold in my hand thanks to one J. Dewitsky. The three Dew flavors that have been combined to create this are Code Red, White Out, and Voltage. The flavors, as you DEW Heads may have noticed, are red, white, and blue. They are really hammering this theme here, so we might as well indulge in it ourselves.
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
How have we not reviewed Dr Pepper in the year of our lord two thousand seventeen? Perhaps I avoided it as I would avoid cutting myself as the lifeblood that flows throughout my veins is not so dissimilar to the nectar that is Dr Pepper. Often imitated never duplicated (though Dr B from HEB comes pretty close) Dr Pepper stands atop a mountain of others like Dr Thunder, Dr Dynamite, and the now vanquished Mr. Pibb who was so embarrassed that he changed his name to Pibb Xtra even though no one calls him that.
Cracking open a Dr Pepper gives way to a cherry scent, one of the 23 flavors it claims to have. Cherry is backed by plum in my humble opinion, but with 22 other flavors to choose from it’s just as likely a combination of them.
The taste is one of familiarity. With the exception of citrus, Dr Pepper is somewhat of an everything soda. Cola, root beer, cream soda, and fruit sodas are all represented within each sip. Dr Pepper is sweet, sweeter than most colas… even Pepsi. The smooth texture makes coming back to the can easier than ever, but there’s a slight burn in the back of the throat created by the carbonation. The carbonation in a Dr Pepper is sneaky, seemingly smooth, but will immediately remind you within a few sips that you have ingested quite a few bubbles.
Dr Pepper builds on itself a little with each sip, but eventually plateaus before it becomes overwhelmingly sweet. My teeth can definitely feel the syrupy goodness, so a glass of water is usually welcomed after I’ve finished a can or bottle. That said, it’s a delightful soda all around and one I keep in stock at all times.
~A
Ok, I’ll admit that when I see a business called “Shoppe” I find it quaint. Now if that same “Shoppe” were to be called “Ye Olde Shoppe” that’s a bit of overkill on kitchy spelling. Old Tyme Kola has that problem. Yes, I’m aware of the kola nut, but c’mon… I’m about to drink a cola, not a “kola”.
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 MoreI don’t know what lychee tastes like. The more worldly fellow in front of me compares it to passionfruit… kind of. Fortunately for me I have a bottle of Ramune Lychee with me today so I can at least expand that horizon. I’ve already been told that this has a good carbonation by the aforementioned fellow, so it at least has that going for it.
Read MoreI was asked years ago what “retired” sodas I would bring back if given the opportunity. My answer was Surge, Crystal Pepsi, and Sprite Tropical Re-mix. Apparently my answer was then run through a series of computers and control groups which found it to be profitable because all of these sodas from my past exist again.
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.
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