Quinabeer

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George Prince flexes his impressive biceps on a can of Quinabeer.  I don’t know who George Prince is though.  My brief search led me to more picture of the young Prince George than I cared to look at.  Quinabeer is made by Cawy and other than having a “body builder” on it’s label it resides in a red can.  Now Coca Cola has done a pretty fantastic job of making me associate red and white cans with Coke, so I immediately assume that Quinabeer is a sort of cola.  It probably isn’t, but that’s what 32 years of marketing has done to my brain.  Let’s find out what it really tastes like, together.  Except for those of you who already know.  You be quiet.

George Prince once claimed a victory over Twist. Perhaps this is why you've never heard of him.

Well this smells like orange soda.  I no longer have any clue regarding Quinabeer.  The scent did make me salivate though, so good on them.

If Big Red had orange flavoring it would taste like this.  A coupling of orange and bubble gum, Quinabeer is truly unlike anything I’ve tried to date and that’s getting harder and harder to do.   Both of these flavors have equal billing in the program and neither outshines the other.  This balance is met with a rather raucous carbonation that sizzles at the end of each sip.  I’m usually not a fan of bubble gum flavored sodas, but the citrus cuts into it enough that I can forgive it.

Now for the bad.  Quinabeer leaves a very syrupy feel in my mouth.  Its flavor just kind of hangs about like a kid who graduated still lurking around his high school.  Sure, maybe he was a great guy when he was a senior, but now it’s just kind of creepy and you wish he’d go away.

Creepy guy aside, Quinabeer does have a combination like I’ve never seen but the flavors involved are just alright.  I’m not going to tell my friends that I tried Quinabeer.  Don’t get me wrong, I consider all of you my friends… but you understand… right?  The fact that the entire time I typed this paragraph my mouth was occupied by the syrupy ghost of George Prince has me questioning my initial ranking.  Ah well, better luck next time.

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market


Cicero Beverage Company Candied Bacon Cream Soda

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Wow, I need to clean off my desk.  I just checked to see if I’d reviewed Cicero Beverage Company Candied Bacon Cream Soda before, obviously I haven’t, and the search came up with my review of Cicero Beverage Company Salted Caramel Root Beer.  Then I looked to my right and saw the half empty bottle of Cicero Beverage Company Salted Caramel Root Beer.  To reiterate, I need to clean off my desk.

So as you may have guessed today’s review is of Cicero Beverage Company Candied Bacon Cream Soda and at no point am I going to shorten the name for ease.  No, Carbonation, I’m going to type it out every time to emphasize how ridiculous it is.  By the way this is sweetened with cane sugar and contains both natural and artificial flavors.  With that said, I’m just going to move on.

Twist excretes smoked goodness

The aroma of Cicero Beverage Company Candied Bacon Cream Soda is 85% cream soda and 15% bacon.  Honestly it’s not so much bacon as it is “smoked scent”.  I guess I’ll find out if it translates to bacon or “smoked flavor” soon enough.

Guess what, this is a cream soda with a “smoked flavor” added to it.  The actual taste of bacon is missing, but this smoked sensation does create an interesting taste not unlike roasted marshmallows.  Unfortunately, each sip I take steps further away from the campfire and becomes slightly more obnoxious.   

Underneath all of the lies is a slightly above average cream soda that would probably be pretty good on it’s own.  Oh well, at least they tried to be original with their flavor.  I can’t really fault them for that, in fact it makes me happy to see.  

Cicero Beverage Company Candied Bacon Cream Soda isn’t gross by any means, it just doesn’t really deliver on what it promised.  So if you think bacon cream soda would be gross then Cicero Beverage Company Candied Bacon Cream Soda is for you because it tastes nothing like bacon.

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market

Blue Plate Special Blackberry Cobbler Soda

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Blackberry Cobbler is my favorite dessert of all time if it’s accompanied by a scoop of Blue Bell Homemade vanilla ice cream.  Here’s where my Texan shows as I made sure to include the brand of ice cream.  So I’m a bit worried to try this blackberry cobbler soda by Blue Plate Special because I know it won’t spark my taste buds like my favorite dessert.  Let’s just get this over with, shall we?

Fool Twist once shame on you.  Fool Twist twice shame on you.

Ok, so the aroma is very blackberry heavy, but also has a candy finish to it as well.  As far as fruit flavored sodas go that’s about par for the course.  It smells like the candy version of the fruit on the label.  Since soda is liquid candy the logic is solid.  

Hey, guess what everyone!  It doesn’t taste as good as my favorite dessert!  The blackberry taste is sadly much more sweet than I’d like it to be and my taste buds can’t even chase down the taste of crust.  So what I have here is an overly sugary black berry soda.  Is it good?  Yeah, it’s alright.  

Even though it’s sweetened with cane sugar the soda still holds tightly to my teeth and tongue after each sip.  It’s not really syrupy, but I could do without the aftertaste as it’s just more of the same saccharin flavor.  

Carbonation wise it works rather well with it’s small clusters of powerful fizz.  If only the taste was more than average and actually tasted like black berry cobbler.  What annoys me the most is that I know they can do it.  Blue Plate Special makes the most accurate Red Velvet Cake item outside of Red Velvet Cake.  Why does blackberry cobbler have to suffer.

I’m going to stop now before I get too harsh with the review.  The bottom line is that this is an alright soda that doesn’t deliver on what the label promises.

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market

Trader Joe's Triple Ginger Brew

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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.  

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.

Cockta

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I took November off, so sue me.  Please don’t sue me.  So how should I start December you ask?  You didn’t ask… you probably stopped visiting the site once a review didn’t appear after four weeks.  “Soda Jerks?”  You said, “More like Soda… Jerks!”  Then you high fived the nearest human.  To answer my own question, I think I’m gonna try that old Slovenia favorite, Cockta!  

Cockta originates in Slovenia as stated earlier and was born in the 1950’s.  They wanted to make a familiar drink using local herbs, but original when compared to foreign beverages.  Since I can’t read any of the writing on this bottle I’m just ignorantly assuming this is Slovenian Coke.  

Well dang it.  I didn’t get any Cockta rewards points under my cap.  Nor am I getting any sort of Coke aroma coming out of the bottle.  In fact it smells a bit more syrupy root beer with an odd flowery scent.  Color my tongue interested.

That’s unique alright, but my mind is trying to decide if it likes it or loves it.  Cola flavored Dimetapp.  That’s what Cockta tastes like.  It has an initial cola taste but once I swish it around  in my mouth and consume it an oddly familiar grape mouth feel rises to the top.  

Twist has rosehips as well, but he won't let me photograph them.

Even though I used “grape” to describe the mouth feel it’s not an primary flavor of Cockta.  Yes, there are hints of a grape soda in each sip, but I’d be wrong to lead you to believe the taste was grape.  I’m going to have to see what’s in this… give me a moment to research.

Rosehip!  That’s what’s causing my pallet to struggle.  It also uses lemon and orange in the makings.  According to the website they use the same 11 types of herbs that originally created the first bottles of Cockta.  They also don’t use HFCS and it’s caffeine free.

All of this creates a really unique soda.  It’s a fruit flavored cola with rosehips.  Now that I know some of the ingredients it makes a little more sense to me.  It still doesn’t completely explain why it tastes like Dimetapp Cola, but who cares.  

It’s a little syrupy and hangs onto my teeth a bit longer than I’d like, though this could be due to the fact that it was delivered to me via plane and is about 6 months old.  With that said I’ll keep the mouth feel critiques away from the score.

Cockta is a lot for my brain to wrap around.  Why did I pick this for my return to soda reviewing?  Perhaps it’s just showing me how new I still am to the soda game.  Perhaps it’s revving up my tastebuds to be on their best game.  Either way I’m glad I had it and I’m glad to be back.  

~A

This bottle was supplied to me by my friend Jibbity D

Dang! That’s Good Butterscotch Root Beer

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I’m pretty sure I love butterscotch root beer.  I haven’t had many of them, but the ones I have had were delightful.  A smooth creamy texture that would put most any cream soda to shame, the mouthfeel of these tasty beverages is one of the biggest selling points in my book.  So of course I picked up a bottle of Dang! That’s Good Butterscotch Root Beer when I saw it.  I mean Dang! who wouldn’t?  

Twist has a Dang! Shirt, but he won't let me wear it.

A buttery scotchy aroma moves easily from the mouth of the bottle.  In terms of odor it seems that the root beer takes the back seat while your grandpa’s butterscotch has taken the wheel.  I kind of hope that’s how the flavor plays out as well.

Don’t you love it when you drink from the bottle and the bubbles create that unique bass beat as they move toward the back?  I’m not sure I described that well enough to convey what I’m trying to get across, but I think it’s a pretty great event.

The initial sip tastes of butterscotch and root beer equally.  There is no fighting for first, they just both showed up at the same time and smiled.  As the seconds pass by my gaze shifts to root beer as he tries to get noticed, but it’s not too long that butterscotch eventually pushes root beer to the side and stands there like nothing happened.  While I can hear root beer crying, he’s now out of view so I’m not as affected.  Then as butterscotch stands there smiling he eventually throws up on my shoes.

Ok, so that comparison went a little haywire at the end.  I’ll just say it the boring way.  The beverage creates an initial root beer butterscotch taste which isn’t amazing but works.  The root beer taste becomes a bit more noticeable as time passes, but eventually the richness of the butterscotch overpowers it.  The longer the butterscotch lingers the more it tastes of chemicals until I have to follow up with another swig to reset the process.  See, that wasn’t so confusing.

All in all Dang! That’s Good Butterscotch Root Beer is indeed that...good.  It’s not stellar or amazing, it’s good and it has some weak points as mentioned above.  If you see one, grab one and try it for yourself.  I doubt you’ll be sorry.

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market

Cicero Beverage Company Salted Caramel Root Beer

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Whenever I review a beverage with a particularly lengthy name I always make mention of it.  Today will be no different as I review Cicero Beverage Company’s Salted Caramel Root Beer which will from hereon be called CBCSCRB which will from here on be called SCRB or Scrub.  Now I don’t mean to be a Creep, but I just don’t feel like typing all that out over and over again.  Scrub’s label has that “burnt western paper” look to it, but also includes a picture of a fully realized city on it.  Kind of a mixed message if you ask me, but you didn’t.  This fully realized city has a river of caramel running through it which eventually flows out onto the singed western paper.  

Now it seems to me that salted caramel is seeing a rise in popularity.  Hands Up if you’ve noticed this too.  I’ve personally seen it in a few different food locations with my favorite being salted caramel peanuts.  If you haven’t tried said peanuts you need to.  This peanut experience has taught me that I enjoy salted caramel.  Coupled with the fact that I enjoy root beer tells me I should also enjoy Scrub.

Looking at the ingredients I see that Scrub is sweetened with sugar and also has a bit of salt in it as well.  Seeing salt makes me think three things.  That’s Crazy.  That’s Sexy.  That’s Cool.  Crazy because who puts salt in a soda.  Sexy because they put salt in a soda and that shows they’re willing to take risks.  Cool because...well mostly the same reasons for Sexy.  Enough Girl Talk, let me just open this already while it’s still Chilli.

The aroma received isn’t all that strong a smell.  I had to sharply inhale to even get the root beer scent to register.  Waaaaay in the back of the club you can kind of see Salted Caramel through all the smoke.  At least I think that’s him.  Perhaps I’d better take a close look.  

Wow, Scrub has an incredibly light mouth feel.  That’s insane how foamy each sip is.  It’s not to the point of being Unpretty, but it’s a little off putting.  What’s odd is that the beverage doesn’t create much of a head within the bottle.  

Twist has chased a lot of Waterfalls, but thinks a caramel one would be pretty easy to run down.

As for the salted caramel taste, well it’s very light and I’m somewhat disappointed in that.  I’d rather the disgusting in your face (literally) taste of an overly done salted caramel than something so subtle it hardly even registers.  Now as you know, I Ain’t too Proud to Beg so PLEASE someone make a salted caramel root beer where the salt just walks in with a swagger and sits on your tongue daring you to not like it.  I would send so much Fanmail if someone could pull that off.

Even with that complaint, Scrub still tastes pretty dang good.  The root beer that’s used is a solid foundation on what could have been a knock it out of the park kind of drink.  Here is where the incredibly foamy mouth feel helps set it apart from other root beers.  Even though it does a great job at being a root beer I will lower the ranking some because I don’t believe the listed taste is represented well enough in the product.

So, what is a Scrub.  A Scrub is a soda that gets some love from me...due to the reasons listed above.  Should you pick up a pack?  Only if you find it during some Red Light Special.  Personally I think you’d be fine… (elipses for suspense)

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market

Cawy Lemon Lime

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Welcome to “Plain-cans-ville”.  This can of Cawy Lemon Lime, much like it’s Watermelon soda, looks like something you’d see in a sitcom vending machine.  It’s made by Cawy and the flavor is lemon lime.  That’s all the label wants you to know.  Oh, and there’s some snowflakes of some sort as well… perhaps they’re stars.  Who knows?  

If I judged books by their covers I’d say this is going to be insanely generic although I’m happy to see the ingredients include extract of lemon and lime oils.  Perhaps this one ingredient will push this from generic to recomendable.  That’s quite the important leap in rating.  Let’s find out together shall we, as we always do… because we’re a team you and I.

A stronger than expected lemon lime scent (heavier on the lemon) pops out of the mouth of the can.  Aside from being strong the aroma itself is nothing special.  I’m ok with “regular aromas” though because they’re more likely to lead to average or good drinks than they are bad.  Either my expectations will be met or they’ll be exceeded.  C’mon, buddy.  Let’s you and me find out together.  Team us!

You're a syrupy aftertaste!  No, you are!

Two things.  Thing one is the fact that this is more lime based in terms of flavor than it is lemon.  Does that make it a Lime Lemon drink?  Thing two is the fact that there’s something off about the taste of this, but i can’t put my finger on it.  Perhaps “Thing two” will go away the more I consume as my palette gets used to the flavor.  

Cawy Lemon Lime does have a decent amount of flavor to it.  Thankfully this flavor is pretty good and in my opinion better than Sprite, but not quite as good as 7Up if we’re going to compare.  The lime taste I’m getting is fairly sweet and candy like while the lemon seems to be on par with other limon sodas.

As I hoped “Thing two” is pretty much fading away although I think I figured it out.  Some drinks have syrupy aftertastes that linger after each sip.  Cawy Lemon Lime gives you this experience right off the bat.  The first thing I taste is that syrupy aftertaste and it lingers throughout the entire duration of my sip.  On the plus side the more I drink the less I notice it as it builds upon itself to the point where everything tastes kind of syrupy candy limey.  That’s the kind of review you get here folks.  What does Cawy Lemon Lime taste like?  Well it’s kind of syrupy candy limey.  Good night, everybody!

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market

Jones Peanut Butter and Jelly Soda

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It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a Jones soda.  Probably because I don’t run across them in the wild as often as I once did.  So a smile hit my face when I stumbled upon a bottle of Jones Peanut Butter and Jelly Soda which will from here on out be called JPBJS.  

I’ve had a PB&J soda before by Lester’s Fixins, so this isn’t my first foray into the world of sandwich sodas.  My bottle of JPBSJ has a picture of a man who has taken several bites out of his PB&J sandwich.  The look on his face is so full of contentment and joy that he now makes me want to stop this review and eat a PB&J sandwich.  If PB&J were a brand this man would be the best advertising icon of the 21st century.  Man, that looks good!

Hopefully the flavor of the soda will bring the same expression to my face.  The fact that it’s sweetened with cane sugar is a good start.  Let’s see if the taste is a good finish.

Twist is so happy he's a vibrant green.

The scent of JPBJS is one of the most bizarre things I’ve come across.  It smells like two separate scents from two separate items.  The grape is very “grape soda” smelling and not so much jelly.  Standing right beside this grape scent is that of a very dense peanut butter.  It’s quite odd how these two aromas are so distinct coming out of this bottle.  This gives me hope for the taste.

That’s pretty dang accurate.  I may not be making the face of the greatest advertising icon of the 21st century, but the expression I am making is one of quiet respect.  An initial burst of mild grape soda, which would honestly be quite good on its own, starts the show.  A moment later the peanut butter catches up and completes the C-C-C-Combo.  This combination of flavors works seamlessly together as they would in the food dimension.  Even though I’m sure at least a portion of this taste was created chemically (the soda contains no peanuts) my brain doesn’t have the constant thought of “fake flavor” running through it with each sip.

As you read prior, I’ve only had two PB&J sodas so far on my infinite soda journey.  So I can without a doubt say that Jones Peanut Butter and Jelly Soda is the best PB&J soda I’ve ever had to date.  There you go PR people.  There’s the quote you can use, slightly edited, for the cover of your magazines.

“Jones Peanut Butter and Jelly Soda is the Best PB&J soda I’ve ever had…” - Aaron of The Soda Jerks

Seriously though, it’s a great soda and it’s to its credit that even though it’s an odd flavor I could still see myself drinking this on the regular.  Perhaps you should too.

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market

Boylan Orange

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Good ol’ reliable Boylan Bottling Co.  Some of the first sodas we reviewed on this site were Boylan, but then I stopped.  I stopped because I knew Boylan would always be there for me if I needed to review something good, but couldn’t find anything odd.  It’s the same reason I don’t do a lot of Jones Soda either.  I think over the past 5 years I’ve reviewed most every Boylan though.  I’m sure there’s a few I’ve yet to conquer, but my love of Boylan has been a slow burn.  That fuse has finally led me to Boylan Orange.  

Wanna know what’s in Boylan Orange?  Me too.  Carbonated Water, cane sugar, mandarin and tangerine oils, natural orange flavors, citric acid, ester gum, yellow 6, and sodium benzoate.  Aside from those last two ingredients, that’s a respectable cast of characters for the Boylan Orange Show.  Every play has a couple of kids dressed like trees and talking to each other, so we may be able to let the last two slide if we don’t find ourselves sneaking out by intermission.

Perfection

A strong orange odor, or odorange, lifts out of the mouth of the bottle.  A natural orange scent paired with that of orange candy is what my nose notices, or nosetices.  Now that I’ve created the two newest words in the English language I feel I’ve accomplished enough to go on.

Boylan Orange tastes a bit more tangerine than orange to me, but that’s completely acceptable as tangerine is the sweeter of the two citrus and has a very similar flavor.  These two flavors are backed by tightly packed miniature bubbles that sprint quickly across the stage without hardly anyone noticing until they're almost out of view.  The carbonation lift at the end of each sip gives my throat just enough harshness to make me smile.  After all an orange soda should cause a little burn, at least in my book.  

Fun fact:  Most orange sodas have a cardboard aftertaste to me.  Honestly though, I don’t know why I taste cardboard in so many of them.  I really wish I knew what made my taste buds react that way.  Thankfully Boylan Orange doesn’t succumb to this nearly as much as others do.  I’m looking at you Frostie!

All in all Boylan Orange is a very good orange soda though I’ve found two detractors during my drinking of it.  As I’ve consumed this entire bottle the sweet flavor has built upon itself to be cloyingly sweet by my last few sips.  This same build up created a somewhat syrupy mouthfeel by the end as well.  So it’s very good, but it’s not perfection.  Who is though besides Twist?

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market

Cawy Watermelon

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This can of soda looks like something you’d see on a television show.  Like a bag of “Let’s Potato Chips” it just looks incredibly fake.  The word “Watermelon” is emblazoned at the top of the can with a country bumpkin kid below enjoying the worlds largest piece of watermelon.  Only after searching the can for a bit do I see that it’s made by Cawy.  Cawy was an international brand founded in Cuba, but is now headquartered in Miami, Florida.  

A scroll with French words on it label one side of the can while what can only be assumed to be the English translation occupy the other side.  “Soda, Naturally and Artificially Flavored” it says.  Let’s run the other side through Google Translate and see what we get.  “Soda flavored with watermelon.”  That’s not quite the same thing at all.  In fact according to the ingredients it’s a straight up lie.  Natural flavors aren’t even a listed ingredient.  This Cawy Watermelon is getting shadier by the second.  Better open it up before I learn too much.

Twist is crying.  You just can't tell.

Ok, so it smells like watermelon and a little bit of cantaloupe.  In case you’re not aware, I’m under the belief that cantaloupe was created by the devil.  Why else would it taste so foul?  Clearly Satan made it to trick people into eating it.  Every fruit it touches it ruins.  It’s truly an evil fruit.  With that said I really don’t want to drink this.

I have no idea what this even tastes like.  It’s not “projectile vomit” bad, but I’m almost certain I won’t be finishing this can.  A sickly sweet watermelon(?) taste oozes over the entirety of my mouth.  Even my lips are subjected to this interesting flavor.  When I’m not tasting watermelon(?) I’m tasting bubble gum and I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t be.  The mingling of the two flavors results in the birth of a sugary medicinal baby.  Quite similar to Amoxicillin, but add a terrible watermelon(?) taste to the mix.

I think I’m going to stop now.  Don’t get me wrong there is a very brief upside to this soda.  Remember?  It’s not “projectile vomit” bad.  This baby doesn’t taste very good.  At the right angles he’s cute, but once you really get to know him you’ll be happy you never had kids...or if you did have kids they grew up and became root beer or cola.  You know, something respectable.

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market

Nesbitt's Honey Lemonade

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I like lemonade.  Who doesn’t?  Don’t answer that because I would judge you harshly.  I also like soda.  Who doesn’t?  None of you because you’re reading this site.  I seriously doubt my prose are impressive enough to pull people (if you can call them that) that hate soda.  So since I like both lemonade and soda you know I love it when a carbonated lemonade finds its way in front of me.  Today that beverage is called Nesbitt’s Honey Lemonade and their logo is fantastic!  It’s the kind of logo I would proudly wear.  A circular logo that half lemon and half honey comb.  Genius!  

Twist is disappointed, but you didn't hear it from me.

Looking at the ingredients I see this is sadly sweetened with HFCS, but also includes honey!  It’s listed right there next to Yellow #5 so you know it must be an important ingredient.  Yellow #5 and Honey working together as they always should.  OK, so I wish this was a little more natural of a drink.  Perhaps the flavor will make me forget my wish.

Impressively enough the aroma that comes off the bottle is indeed a mixture of lemon and honey.  The honey rides in on the tart scent of the lemon.  He’s waving wildly to make sure I notice him and see the neat trick he’s doing, but I knew he was there from aroma alone.

That is the finest (in the minimal sense) carbonation level I think I’ve ever encountered.  Such a miniscule amount of fizz, barely enough to even register as a mouth feel.  Like a feather tickling an elephant it is.  I understand they didn’t want to take away from the fact that it’s a lemonade, but c’mon.

As for the flavor I see why the honey was trying to get my attention earlier.  If I didn’t know about him it would be easy to just think this was a sweet lemonade.  Thankfully he waved at me so I can appreciate the mild honey flavor I get with every sip.  Average is how I would rate the lemonade portion of this soda.  It’s not all that flavorful and you could replicate it by purchasing numerous other products.  

Now that I’m at the bottom of the bottle I’m finding that the honey flavor stacks on itself a little bit.  It’s not enough for me to rethink the rating of this beverage, but it’s a neat thing to look forward too.  All in all this is a fun concept that ended up being a passable soda.

~A

Dr. Brown's Original Cream Soda

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So I just looked over our database of sodas (588 at the writing of this review) and I’ve never reviewed anything from Dr. Brown.  I see it most everywhere I go, yet I’ve yet to pick up a bottle.  Had I known that I would have picked up their root beer, but I suppose Dr. Brown’s Original Cream Soda will be a fine first taste as well.  I’m sure in that assessment because the bottle clearly says that it’s a “Flavor Favorite for Generations”.  Who am I to turn down a generational flavor favorite?  Heck, the label has the statue of liberty on it.  I’m not really sure how that works into the brand, but I’ll go with it.  Ok, so I had to look it up.  Apparently Dr. Brown’s soda originated in New York.  Amazing how things make sense like that.

Looking at the ingredients I see that this is sweetened with sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup.  I really wish they would just pick one and keep us from guessing, but the bevy of chemical listed afterwards makes me care a little less.

Twist has 14 different doctorates.  12 are legit.

It smells like a rich and creamy cream soda.  Sugary, smooth, and full of sweet smells.  I have a feeling this is going to be an above average cream soda with a powerful taste full of sucrose.

Interesting, the flavor is lighter than I imagined.  Here I was fully ready to be drowning in cream soda syrup and I’m greeting with a well balanced cream soda that doesn’t weigh heavily within my mouth.  It’s not very often a cream soda has a mouth feel like this, so I must credit them for a soda that “feels good” to drink.

The flavor, while not as powerful as I suspected, still shines brightly enough for me to enjoy the typical cream soda taste.  This is helped out by a carbonation level that mostly stays out of the way allowing the flavor to present itself the best it can.  

Ultimately though Dr. Brown’s Original Cream Soda is good.  I personally like a smoother feel in my cream soda, but as I said before I appreciate the variety that this brings to the soda world.  I’d drink this again if offered, but I don’t see myself buying multiples since I could just as easily enjoy an A&W Cream Soda instead.

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market

Hello Kitty Ramune Strawberry Soda

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Ramune is a Japanese soda that incorporates a marble in the sealing of the beverage.  Hello Kitty is Hello Kitty.  If you combine the two you’re a giant robot away from a Japanese cliche trifecta.  Since I don’t have my own mech I’ll just review this Hello Kitty Ramune Strawberry Soda instead.  The label is very pink with Hello Kitty prominantly featured.  It seems she either has strawberries balanced on her head or they’re supposed to be some sort of bow.  Let’s go with the bow angle.  Oh, this soda is totally chemical...but it’s also Hello Kitty.

One day I’ll be good at these marble openings.  Today was not the day.  Once the marble was removed a burst of strawberry candy aroma hit my nose.  I kind of figured it’d be super sugary, but it’s also Hello Kitty.

Twist is a rejected Sanrio character.

Wow, the carbonation level of Hello Kitty Ramune Strawberry Soda is much higher than I initially expected.  This higher level of fizz cuts the flavor enough to not make it taste like a syrupy mess.  The soda itself is right below the “too sugary” mark that I’ve made up on some imaginary sugar ruler.  You know what this tastes like?  It tastes like you ordered a Strawberry Fanta from some fast food place and their soda fountain has the CO2 and syrup levels wrong.  

I’m finding out that there are times that strawberry soda needs to taste like a syrupy mess and this is one of them.  I want my mouth to be candy coated in strawberry syrup.  I want the aftertaste to linger longer than it should.  I feel like I’m drinking half of a strawberry soda.

What’s somewhat unfair about all this is that I wouldn’t rate this any higher if I got my wishes that I listed above.  No matter how you cut it this has a very generic flavor, like a lot of Ramune, and it just doesn’t stand out...but it also has Hello Kitty.

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market


Surge

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A mere four ounces assures me that I’m not dreaming.  The label is exactly as I remember it over 15 years ago, but there’s a 16 where the 12 should be.  That difference of four tells me that I live in a reality in which you can buy Surge.  That’s right Carbo-Nation, if you haven’t heard you can buy Surge once more.  Brought to life in 1997 and put to sleep in 2003 Surge has been given breath.  It’s currently exclusive to Amazon as of this review.  When I found out I shrieked in excitement and purchase a 12 pack simultaneously.  Surge was one of the first sodas I NEEDED to drink.  All of the Coke and Pepsi memories of my childhood blend together into a mush.  Surge is attached to a handful of memories I can still recall.  

There was a time that I enjoyed pairing Surge with powdered donuts.  Sadly I do not have such donuts in front of me now, but I will pair them once again.  I don’t know why I liked this pairing, but it worked like gangbusters...although I’m guessing most people don’t even know what gangbusters is.  

Mark one off the bucket list for Twist

No matter how I try to downplay it I know I’ve already over hyped this beverage in my mind.  They got me.  Coke got me right by the childhood.  That sounded more illegal than I intended it to.  It’s 1:30 in the morning and I’m exhausted, but I must review this caffineated beverage for 15 year old Aaron.  He has minimal worries.  He doesn’t hold a job, have a kid, or make payments on a house.  15 year old Aaron stays up late and plays video games.  Let’s raise a glass to 15 year old Aaron!

The orange and lime scent rush past my nostrils.  32 year old Aaron has a feeling that Surge tasted really generic all those years ago, but 15 year old Aaron doesn’t care.  He and his friends drank this buy the case.  32 year old Aaron is pretty sure that his younger self just fell into the media trap that Coke created.  15 year old Aaron couldn’t care less and takes a swig.

32 year old Aaron goes to bed because he knows that 15 year old Aaron has won.  The first sip brings back a wash of memories.  Old man Aaron thought this would taste generic, but he was wrong.  It tastes like Surge.  The bursts of orange and lime combine to create a insanely refreshing soda.  Lime eventually wins out, which is how it should be for any drink that contains lime.  

Carbonation levels are just fine.  The bubbles are fierce but small, packing an excellent amount of punch to the tongue and throat.  Oddly they are only felt near the finish of the beverage which creates a nice duality in terms of mouth feel.  I really need to stop drinking this because it’ll probably keep me up all… SHUT UP OLD MAN AND DRINK YOUR SURGE..ok.

Surprisingly, Surge isn’t nearly as syrupy as I thought it would be.  There is of course somewhat of a syrupy mouthfeel, but it’s less that you’d experience with a Sprite.  The finish is the glaring weak point to this beverage.  The aforementioned syrupy feel combined with the dying lime and orange flavors create a sadness in my mouth.  What goes in with a party finishes with a whimper.  Leaving with a whine isn’t something a soda called Surge should do.  

Turning off the nostalgia for a moment, Surge really impressed me in terms of flavors and feel.  It played to one of my favorite tastes, lime, and it kept the same sensations going throughout all 16 ounces.  Honestly, if I could change one thing about this re-release it would be the can.  I wish they’d put it in 12 ounce cans, but 15 year old Aaron has never seen a 16 ounce can so he’s pretty ecstatic.

~A

This soda was purchased off of Amazon.com

Bruce Cost Ginger Ale Jasmine Tea

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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.

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

Hippo Size Prodigious Peach

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I’m exhausted.  We have a baby that doesn’t like to sleep and it’s wearing on me.  I didn’t even want to do a review tonight, but I remembered seeing a bottle with a hippo on it at some point so I figured what the hey.  This hippo is on a bottle of Hippo Size Prodigious Peach.  Makes enough sense for me to continue.  Hippo Size Prodigious (not a word a sleepy person likes to type over and over again) Peach is sweetened with cane sugar and better be pretty dang good to be worth my while.  I could be sleeping, you know?  For some reason the label says it’s a “Small Bottle. BIG Taste”.  That’s a lie.  It’s a 12oz bottle like every other glass soda bottle out there, it’s just has a wider base so it’s shorter.  Lying is not what you should do to a cranky man, Hippo Size.

Twist raised a pack of hippo children once in the 1700's

If the taste is anything like the smell that jumped out of the mouth, then the label lie may become a half truth.  A pungent peach aroma quickly made its exit and started up my salivary glands.

Half truth confirmed.  Hippo Size Prodigious Peach kicks down the door of my mouth and sprays fizzy peach goodness all around.  It’s got a biting mouthfeel like a cheap grape soda and it’s wonderful.  I love it when a fruit soda makes my mouth feel alive with a sharp carbonation burst.  The peach flavor is quite big, but I wouldn’t call it Big Peach.  You know why, because it’s better than that.  That’s right, this is a great example of what a peach soda should taste like.  It’s full of flavor and has a kick to it with every sip I take.

The downside is that even though it’s sweetened with cane sugar it leaves a syrupy feel within my mouth.  Thankfully this less than pleasant texture is paired with a more than pleasant aftertaste.  I liked Hippo Size Prodigious Peach quite a bit and hope I can find more of their beverages.  They’ve quelled a cranky, sleepless father.  Good on them.

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market

Plantation Style Mint Julep

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I’m reviewing Plantation Style Mint Julep today and I have some questions right off the bat.  Why did you name your drink that?  Wouldn’t Mint Julep Soda have worked out just fine?  Is your line of drinks named Plantation Style?  If so, why is your line of drinks named Plantation Style?  Are there other Plantation Style beverages out there?  You realize the imagery this portrays right?  A bunch of folks sitting on the porch of their plantation enjoying mint juleps while looking out across their land at other folks not enjoying mint juleps.  Yes, I’m aware not all plantations are those in the South during the Civil War era… but when you pair it with a flavor like mint julep then it most certainly is.

Twist invented the mint julep

Anywho… stupid name aside.  Time to review this Plantation Style Mint Julep soda which has been sweetened with cane sugar.  Right off the bat the most amusing ingredient I see is “flavor”.  They don’t even differentiate between natural or artificial.  I just picture a guy dumping a big barrel with the word “flavor” on it into a vat.  “Did you add that flavor, Johnny?”  “Sure did, Car!”  “Good, don’t want to rob people of flavor.”

This smells like mouthwash, ACT to be precise.  It’s not surprising that it smells like mouthwash being that “mint” is in the name of the drink, but it’s still off putting.  Perhaps the flavor will be refreshing.

Yeah, that’s pretty refreshing.  A light mint soda accented by a citrus burst throughout.  The mint used appears to be spearmint which is complemented easily by the light fizzy carbonation.  Even though there is an overall light mouth-feel about the soda it finishes heavier than I thought it would. It’s not terribly noticeable, but given the light tastes used within I wouldn’t expect it to be there at all.  

They did a good job on making it seem like mint is a normal flavor for a soda.  While odd, it’s not so overpowering that I’m reminded of that with each sip.  The citrus taste, which favors lime, also does well to mask the oddity of mint soda.  With all that said this still really isn’t my thing.  The aftertaste and mouthfeel that I’m left with after each sip would keep me from buying multiples of this soda.  I still suggest seeking out a bottle for yourself, but one is probably enough.

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market

Blue Plate Special Red Velvet Cake Soda

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Ever had a red velvet cake?  If not you really should try some.  The cake is always so rich and the cream cheese icing is really the icing on the cake.  For those of you who have had red velvet cake how many of you wanted to liquify it and drink it?  Three of you?  One of you is a child and another is clearly on some sort of drug.  So that leaves you, Theodore.  Theodore wants red velvet cake to be a part of everything in life apparently… even our sodas.  Well lucky for him Blue Plate Special Red Velvet Cake Soda is a thing that exists in this reality.  It’s sweetened with cane sugar and made with all sorts of chemicals.  That enough introduction for me; let’s get to drinkin’.

Oh Mylanta.  That smells like cake.  This soda smells like cake.  Like CAKE.  What contract with the devil did they sign to make this soda smell like cake.  Theodore, what have you done?!  Who did you kill to make this possible?  Why are you grinning like that with red velvet cake all over your face?  That is cake, right?

Even Twist is uncomfortable with this level of black magic.

Whatever Theodore did it worked like gangbusters.  Here I thought this was going to be some sad facsimile of red velvet cake taste, but no this is the real thing right down to the cream cheese icing.  How many people did you massacre, Theodore?  Each sip is rich, smooth, and has a hint of chocolate to it.  The chocolate flavoring isn’t strong enough to overpower the red velvet cake taste, but enhances the reality of what I’m drinking.

The carbonation levels used her are low… because who ever heard of a carbonated cake?  I can taste the cream cheese icing.  Have I said that yet?  Theodore, put down the knife.  So very often these “food” flavored beverages fall short of their real world counterpart.  Blue Plate Special Red Velvet Cake Soda nailed it to the point where it’s creeping me out a little… much like Theodore.  This isn’t something you would drink this with hot dogs, duck, or any meal really.  This is quite literally a dessert soda.  A desert soda that knocks it out of the park.  

So how do I rate Blue Plate Special Red Velvet Cake Soda?  As I’ve said many times now, it replicates the flavor very well and has minimal downside.  Since it’s such an accurate representation you end up with a very sweet, slightly syrupy soda.  That’s all I could say.  I guess the label art could look cooler, but I’m just picking nits at this point.  Truth be told the flavor started to show its seams as I was finishing the bottle, but everything stayed sewn together well enough for me.  Sewn together like Theodores creepy Red Velvet Cake dog.  I’m not even sure how he created it, but it’s just another case of classic Theodore.

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market

Dang! That’s Good Root Beer

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I don’t even know what Dang! That’s Good Root Beer (henceforth called DTGRB) even tastes like, but I don’t care.  I want shirt with this logo on it regardless of how the review turns out.  Looking at the ingredients I already see one more reason to like it.  DTGRB is sweetened with sugar; what a novel concept.  It’s a fairly simple bottle, so let’s make this a fairly simple review.

Wow! That's a Handsome Iguana

After removing the snazzy cap I’m greeted with a creamy root beer aroma that has a sharpness to it.  Perhaps some licorice was used in the making of DTGRB.  Either way, the scent says the taste will be more complex than I initially thought.

Here’s a slightly most honest name for root beer at hand.  Hey! That Root Beer is Pretty Good.  Seriously though, it’s a fairly tasty beverage.  The beginning of each sip includes a quick shock of fizz and bite.  This transforms swiftly into a sweet, silky root beer that reminds my tastebuds of melted caramel.

The aftertaste lingers for quite a while as DTGRB seems to sit a bit heavy on the tongue.  It’s a pleasant flavor though so I have no complaints regarding it.  All in all DTGRB is an above average root beer, but nothing more than that.    What makes it stand out is the name.  The flavor, while enjoyable, will get lost in a sea of other root beers that I’ve tried.  That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it though.  You should buy multiples of this and see for yourself.

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market