Boots Beverages Picture Show Red Hot Soda

We’re back in Bellville, TX (not literally) reviewing another bottle of Boot Beverages.  Today’s flavor is  identified as Picture Show Red Hot Soda.  I can only assume the “Picture Show” portion of this title helps insinuate that we’re talking about Red Hots the candy like you would find at a moving picture show.  I applaud Boots for their creative effort on this one and truey hope it delivers.

View fullsize

I think Twist and Deedie would get along just fine.

You know who else hopes this delivers?  Deedie Kristen.  Deedie is the face of this particular flavor of Boots and her story goes like this:

Deedie was the official emergency office worker (as in IRS visits).  She was flattered when she was told this one suited her to a T.  Try it for inspiration!  An never underestimate the value of flattery.

Well, I’m quite unsure what a large portion of that meant. Although Deedie seems like a pretty great person if she’s got a Red Hot soda tied to her name.  Time to open up the bottle and see what we got.

There is a cinnamon scent, but it’s a faint one.  I wanted this to punch me square in the nose and give me some trepidation to try it.  Instead I’m greeted with a weaker aroma that has me a little worried.  Cinnamon soda is a rarity and should be treated as such.  Hopefully the upcoming flavor will kick my taste buds for doubting.

I’m happy to say that there is a bit of a burn on the back end of my first sip.  The flavor also does a pretty good job of tasting like the candy coating you’d find on a Red Hot or Atomic Fireball.  That said I’d be curious what my mom would think of this as she’s a huge fan of both treats listed.

Carbonation wise Boots Beverages Picture Show Red Hot Soda is on the lower side.  This works out perfectly well for the soda because I believe your burn should come from the flavor with little assistance from the bubbles themselves.  

All in all, Boots Beverages did solid job on creating liquid cinnamon candy.  Just because I’m a Jerk I do wish this was a little stronger in all areas, but I think the message comes across clear enough as is.  It’s the difference of saying “Hi” to the guy next to you or yelling “Howdy!” to a room full of folks.  Same message, different delivery.

~A

I purchased this at an HEB grocery store

Nature's Pure Organic Cola

Last time I reviewed a Nature’s Pure product I lamented that it cost me around $6.50 for a four pack.  Well a couple week’s later and they’re on sale for $4.50, a much more reasonable price.  For those jerks that only read this site for the ONE soda review you need in a pinch, Nature’s Pure makes organic sodas.  For those of you who read this each time a review is posted you already knew that… also I’d like to shake your hand.

View fullsize

The radiating excellence is all that keeps Twist that far away.

In the same awesome tiny (8oz) glass bottle as before, Nature’s Pure Organic Cola’s label theme is red.  Has Coke done such a good job that we now associate cola with red or did Nature’s Pure just feel that red best represented their cola.  The world may never know, although I’m pretty sure it’s the former.

A healthy cola aroma or colaroma lifts itself out of the mouth of the bottle.  It’s a strong enough scent that I feel ok saying the taste should be “good” at the very least.  Perhaps I should fact check myself now.

That’s a tasty little drink.  Cola is unmistakably the taste that hits my tongue and makes me smirk a bit.  I’m not sure why they don’t have “Have a Nature’s Pure Organic Cola and a Smirk” as their slogan because it would be perfect.  

The carbonation levels are perfect.  It’s just a tingle of sharp carbonation.  If Coke has a “bite” then Nature’s Pure Organic Cola is like a kitten stretching and putting it’s claws into your thigh accidentally.  Now, kitten nails embedded in flesh may now sound tasty… but it is.

Visiting the taste once again I’m pleased with how sweet it is and their use of spices.  This soda actually feels like a treat, but doesn’t leave any syrupy aftertastes or gross mouthfeel its competitors might.  The spices (which you can taste better near the bottom of the bottle) give this a somewhat unique strength.  On top of all that it’s a fairly clean cola in terms of aftertaste, leaving only it’s original flavor behind.

Overall Nature’s Pure Organic Cola is a strong contender in the cola category and it’s organic to boot.  Even if I had bought this at $6.50 a pack I’d have felt like it was worth it.  Find it, try it, enjoy it.

~A

This soda was purchased at an HEB grocery store

A “Twist’s Choice” Recipient

Sipp Mojo Berry

Any soda that has a “Superior Organic Soda” sticker on it starts off on the right proverbial foot.  Any soda who’s “Superior Organic Soda” sticker matches the color of the soda… well you’re just making art at that point.

View fullsize

Hello darkness my old friend. Forgot to set the exposure again.

Today’s entry is Sipp Mojo Berry.  Sipp is USDA Certified Organic soda.  Mojo Berry is apparently a mixture of blackberry, mint and lime.  Here’s the part of the review where I sometimes look at a label and hope I don’t see the words “Natural Flavors”.  *Turns the bottle around*  Here’s what’s in the bottle: Carbonated Water, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Natural Blackberry, Organic Natural Color, Citric Acid, Organic Natural Lime, Organic Natural Spearmint, Natural Blackberry Flavor.

HOORAY!  I literally know everything put into this soda.  Organic Natural Color is a little weird, but I can live with it.  So far Sipp Mojo Berry is on the right track although I’m a bit concerned with spearmint being an ingredient.  My soda history with spearmint is a shaky one at best so I have my doubts.

Blackberry is the prevailing aroma and it smells just like the real deal.  I’m hoping my brain hasn’t set Sipp on a pedestal it couldn’t possibly reach.  The ingredients are great, the bottle/label is great, the aroma is great… they’re either about to knock it out of the park or disappoint me.

This tastes like a fancy soda.  Of course I should have guessed that with a name like “Sipp”, but after tasting my first “Sipp” I have confirmed it.  All three of the listed flavors are accounted for.  Blackberry, being the strongest, has bullied his way to the front of the line.  He waves at me in a cool fashion and steps to the side to reveal Mint and then Lime.  

Mint and Lime are buddies.  They tried to fight Blackberry one day, but it didn’t work out well for them.  He blackened both of their eyes and chipped a couple of their teeth.  They’re so beat up that people confuse them for one another when there together.

Aside from all this the soda is really light.  Bubbles within the bottle are tiny and powerful, creating a good experience all around in terms of feel.  

I want to like this soda a lot, I really do.  Perhaps I’ve been “spoiled” with all of the sweet nonsense over the years.  Sipp Mojo Berry does some really good things, but that mint/lime combination creates a bitter taste that my pallet just doesn’t find that appealing.  Sure they could load it up with sugar and probably mute it a bit.  Something tells me that would go against everything they’ve done in creating this beverage.

In theory Sipp Mojo Berry is great.  Personally though, it’s not my style as I believe it could be improved with a little additional agave.  Ah well, that’s why I deliver opinions and not facts.  Fact driven reviews would be so boring.  Bah!

~A

I purchased this at a HEB grocery store

Sprite LeBron’s Mix

There are two entities on this earth I trust to make a delicious special edition soda, the video game industry and basketball players.  Fortunately today’s entry is from the latter.  Sprite LeBron’s Mix is basketball’s own LeBron James’ own personal mix of Sprite.  I didn’t catch any commercials for this, but I picture him in a lab coat with goggles holding test tubes or something at the Sprite laboratories.  

View fullsize

Twist also took his talents to Miami before returning home. He was arrested.

All of that potentially imagined lab work resulted in a “Lemon-Lime Soda” that is “Natural cherry and orange flavored with other natural flavors”.  The word natural is so nice they worked it in twice.  Let’s see what else is in the bottle.  Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium citrate, and a dash of sodium benzoate for luck.  Man, LeBron really knows his stuff.  If only Hotlips or Swamp Pop had gotten a hold of his soda making prowess.  Enough chit chat, time for reviewing.

Immediately this smells better than regular Sprite.  The orange aroma jumps out immediately and attacks the ol’ olfactory gland.   I’m having a harder time finding the cherry.  Hey!  You in the back with the sophomoric mind.  Quit snickering.  Anywho, I’m having a harder time finding the cherry, but hopefully it’ll be there in taste.  Let’s find out.

Oddly enough I taste more of the cherry than I do the orange.  Both of these tastes, as natural as they may be, seem artificial to me though.  That’s not to say this isn’t good.  Sprite LeBron’s Mix is better than original Sprite yet worse than Sprite Remix.  Of course there are a lot of sodas worse than Sprite Remix.  The guy that gave this to me said he felt it tasted like Surge cut with Sprite.  I can definitely see where he came to that conclusion, but I’d need to taste more orange to completely agree.  

The carbonation level seems to be on par with Sprite, perhaps a little too carbonated.  The syrupy mouthfeel of Sprite is lessened to some degree, which is nice.  All in all though this tastes like cherry Sprite with some orange and smells like orange sprite with some cherry.  The more I drink it though the less natural it tastes so I’m going to stop now.

~A

This soda was given to me by Wrastlin’ Jakito

Nature’s Pure Organic French Vanilla Cola

They got me.  They got me with their stupid fancy labeling and their tiny glass bottles and their high price.  $6.55 got me four 8oz bottles of Nature’s Pure Organic French Vanilla Cola.  If that’s not the most I’ve paid per ounce it’s really dang close.  Sitting in it’s tiny ornate glass bottle with a purple label slapped on it.  A friendly, yet shy, looking lady wearing a white gown with a purple sash stands off to the side.  I can’t believe the packaging worked on me!  

View fullsize

Twist is in love with the lady on the bottle's flowers

That said this is a 100% All Natural Sparkling Soda and organic as well, per the bottle.  Looking at the ingredient they are correct.  It even has my favorite natural ingredient “Natural Flavors”.  Just say what they are.  If you have nothing to hide don’t hide it.  Sigh.  I should probably open this tiny bottle now.

This smells faintly of vanilla cookies and cola.  I’m not really sure where I’m getting essence of cookie, but if the flavor is strong enough this could be worth the money I paid.  

That’s unusual and pretty dang good to boot.  They seemed to have nailed the French Vanilla aspects of this cola.  It doesn’t have an overly creamy in texture or taste.  Cola is definitely the headliner of this soda.  If you saw this play you’d go home and tell your friends “Yeah, cola was good… just like we thought he would be, but French Vanilla.  French Vanilla is GOING places.  I need to look him up on IMDB and see what else he’s done.”

After I looked up French Vanilla on IMDB and quickly reminded myself that French Stewart was a part of my life at some point, I took another sip.

The play I just watched, those two actors aren’t friends.  They’re battling for the audience’s attention the entire time.  Cola comes out first and you’re happy to see him because he’s familiar.  French Vanilla immediately appears after and from that point on you don’t know where to divert your attention.  The two flavors don’t really play nicely together, but the show is entertaining none the less.  

As an aside, I believe the French Vanilla taste is reminding me a bit of coffee in each drink I take.  It’s causing just the slightest bit of bitterness to it.  Overall an odd sensation although part of me is just fine with it.

All in all I’m happy I took the chance on Nature’s Pure.  It’s a unique take on vanilla cola’s the bottle really is quite pleasant.  The only critique I have is that I wish the taste was a bit more powerful.  I want either the cola or the vanilla to resonate more instead of constantly battling vying for my opinion.

~A

Guayaki Brand Yerba Mate Sparkling Classic Gold

Introducing the winner of the “Put a Bunch of Words Together to Make a Soda Name” title… Guayki Brand Yerba Mate Sparkling Classic Gold!  With your victory you’ll be taken on a one way trip down someone’s gullet and then who knows what mysteries await you.  

View fullsize

Twist, you can't enter the contest because you work for the company.

On this exciting adventure you’ll be able to take as many friends as you wish.  So don’t be shy, invite all your buddies like sparkling filtered water, cane sugar, organic yerba mate extract, organic natural spice flavor, and everyone's favorite… citric acid.  

Being an all natural fair trade soda you are subject to inspection prior to your departure.  Your spice filled aroma will be quantified and enjoyed by not one, but TWO nostrils.  Once your scent has been inhaled in the least creepy manner possible you will begin your journey.

Take your surprisingly watery flavor past the tongue and teeth.  So many famous foods have come this way before you.  Remember that hotdog from 3 years ago, he once walked these very halls.  Since you have such a small amount of carbonation you should have no issue getting him on the tour as well.  Actually now that we've formally met I’m becoming less likely to take in all of your party.  How about you just peek around the corner because your whole group won’t be partaking anymore.  

Sorry for the mixup, but you see when we look at your party and so very uncreepily smelled you we thought you were someone else.  We thought you’d have a robust flavor as so many other yerba mate beverages do, but instead we got you.  Yes, you… don’t try to hide.  The one with the weak flavor, the diet-esque taste, and the limited amount of spice used.  Wait a second… are you regular Tea and Water stacked on top of each other in a trench coat?  Where did you get this spice?  Did you get this from your parents?!  Now you’re ineligible for sure!

Guards!

~A

This was purchased for me from World Market

Boots Beverages Coconut Cream Soda

So the last time we met up with Boots they made a dewberry soda that I thought would taste a bit better if it were a dewberry cream soda.  Little did I know that their next soda that I would pull would be of the cream soda variety.  You probably think I remember what I put in my fridge, that’s where you’re terribly, terribly wrong.  So today we have a bottle of Coconut Cream Soda and I’ve gotta tell you I’m a little excited.  This sounds like a unique and tasty idea.

Much like the last bottle there’s a face on the bottle identified as “Aunt Katy”, this one looking more spectral than the last.  The story that coincides with Aunt Katy, written on the bottle, is as follows:

“Boots”, Katy’s little brother, rarely paid her as they struggled to keep the family business going.  To make ends meet, Katy doubled as an ice cream wholesaler.  Her nephew Mark loved the dreamsicles so much he ate up all the profits.  No matter.  They always delivered those small pleasures!

So there you have it.  Another look into the story of Boots.  Honestly, up to this point I thought it was called Boots Beverages because it was made in Texas and you know… cowboys and stuff.  I should have punctuated that last sentence better.  The soda wasn’t made in cowboys to my knowledge.  I’m just gonna open the bottle.

View fullsize

Twist is jealous of the sweet blue cap

A light coconut aroma lifts itself out of the bottle and begins to perk up as time passes by.  The scent only adds to my excitement for this beverage.  Coconut cream works so well as a pie, why shouldn’t it as a soda?  For the record I don’t expect this to taste like the pie at all.

Ok, initially I’m getting more cream taste than coconut, but it seems the aftertaste is heavier on the latter.  Each sip takes a similar path thus far.  It tastes like a cream soda right off the bat.  This familiar taste fades into the background as the coconut comes forward to bow to his parents.  Then he stands on the stage a little too long until it gets awkward.  

Yes the aftertaste lingers a bit longer than I’d like, but it has no cares for my likes and dislikes. It just do what an aftertaste do.  I now sit here long after the carbonation has fizzed way, long after I tasted the cream soda, long after I took a sip.  Still it lingers.  This kid is just frozen.  Staring into the audience unable to move.  Sure, we liked his performance, but we’re ready to go home and watch Doctor Who.  GET OFF THE STAGE!  He won’t and I dislike him more and more for it.

~A

This was purchased at an HEB grocery store.

Boots Beverages Dewberry Soda

I tell people that my favorite dessert is blackberry cobbler with ice cream.  That’s a lie.  My favorite dessert is dewberry cobbler with ice cream.  I say blackberry because most people don’t know what a dewberry is.  They taste very similar to blackberries.  So much so that I probably couldn’t tell the difference if they were baked in a cobbler.  

View fullsize

Twist thought it was Boo Berry Soda. DIBS ON THE IDEA!

The reason I prefer dewberries is a sentimental one.  My family used to pick dewberries on the side of the road on occasion.  It was a very rare occasion, but it occurred at least three times in my life.  I’m pretty sure they were wild dewberries on no one in particular’s land, but we picked them just the same.  

So it made me especially happy to see a dewberry soda and then thrilled me even more to find it was made by Boots Beverages.  I’ve never even heard of Boots Beverages, but they hail from my home state of Texas, Bellville Texas to be exact.  The label is adorned with the face of a kid known as “Mark Kristen”.  There’s a story along with his name that I’ll relay to you now:

“Mark was 5 when sorting returned bottles… barefooted of course.  At 7, he ventured a tad from the family soda business.  He picked dewberries along the Santa Fe tracks and sold them on Hwy 36.  He gave his first $14 profit to Deedie so she could buy a poodle puppy.  Deedie later sold Mark her interest in KDC.  Mark suggests you be real sweet to your mother.”

Well that was fun.  I hope every Boots Beverages has a story.  I also hope these are delicious sodas because I want to like them so very much based on character alone.  They’re sweetened with sugar so it’s already off to a good start.

A powerful aroma easily glides its way out of the mouth of the bottle.  It’s a candy like dewberry scent, so I doubt we’re going for realism here.  That’s fine.  If you can make a delicious soda I don’t really care how you do it.

It’s sweet and a little tart.  The candy scent I took in translated almost exactly as a taste.  It’s very much dewberry with plenty of sugar.  Carbonation wise it holds small amounts of tightly packed bubbles.  They’re fierce when you feel them, but they back off fairly quickly.

I like the flavor quite a bit, but I really wish the tart sting of a dewberry had more of a presence.  That’s what I don’t really understand about raspberry, blackberry, and dewberry flavored drinks.  So often they have the sweet side taken care of, but they rarely hold the bite that keeps me coming back.

This is just fine though.  Perhaps since they removed the tart, like so many upstanding saloons before, they could add some cream.  Dewberry Cream Soda would be pretty dang good.  I’m not drinking that though.  I’m drinking a pretty good dewberry soda that relies a bit too heavily on the sugar.  Still a fun company though.

~A

This soda was purchased at an HEB grocery store.

Maine Root Pumpkin Pie Soda

I had chips and salsa for dinner.  I’m an adult.  I can eat whatever I want, but I also have to pay a mortgage and taxes and keep a tiny human healthy and safe.  The only reason I didn’t eat donuts for dinner is because I was too lazy to go get donuts.  Isn’t that great!  I was too lazy to eat donuts for dinner so I had chips and salsa instead.  Now I’m going to have a Maine Root Pumpkin Pie Soda as a dessert to my chips and salsa dinner.  Adulthood.

So since this pumpkin pie soda is made by Maine Root you know it’s all natural and of course made with Fair Trade Certified organic cane juice and spices.  Dab the worry sweat off your brown and stick with me now as I open the bottle.

View fullsize

Peter Peter Pumpkin Drinker.

The ol’ sniffer is working better today after a week of antibiotics and Flonase brand Flonase.  When you need to eventually breathe, eventually try Flonase.  I’m not sure what my writing is doing, but I promise you’ll get a review out of this eventually.  

So, this soda does smell a little like pumpkin pie.  I don’t think I’d identify it as such if I didn’t know the flavor though.  It’s a faint smell to begin with and of course that makes me worry about the strength of the taste.  Perhaps I don't’ want a super strong pumpkin pie soda.  I’ve never had one so I guess I’m going to learn something about myself now.  

Tipping the bottle it dispenses three glugs worth of soda.  I bet I could tell this is pumpkin pie.  It’s not overly pumpkin pie tasting, but just enough to get the good parts.  Kind of like a pumpkin pie coverband.  It’ll never replace the original, but if it costs 80% less to go see them you might as well.  Heck I might buy a CD from them.

I’m enjoying the taste of this soda more than I thought I would.  The fizz level is pretty high, adding a bit of a burn with each sip.  The Fair Trade Certified spices taste as you would expect Fair Trade Certified spices to taste… spicy.  Seriously though, the spices do add a nice aftertaste to the beverage.  They keep my tongue guessing which is fun.

All in all it’s a rather sophisticated soda, but not a prima donna.  Not an overly sweet experience, but just enough to call it dessert if you wish.  Pumpkin pie lovers, or dare I even say, Sweet Potato Pie lovers should probably give this a go.  Surprisingly good.

~A

I purchased this at an HEB Grocery Store

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.

View fullsize

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

Lucky Club Cola

Stuff tastes better if there’s a horseshoe on it.  I don’t know why, but it just does.  Perhaps it only tastes better in Texas or the Southwest region of America.  The science on it is unclear yet always wields a positive answer.  That said this bottle of Lucky Club Cola should be delicious according to science.  Emblazoned on the bottle is of course a horseshoe.  Within the bottle is a mixture of ingredients which involve pure cane sugar, some tasty caramel color, and mom’s favorite… gum arabic.  

The mouth of the bottle releases a robust cola scent that urges my mouth to water, but it’s not quite powerful enough to do so.  That said, it seems the aroma will partner with an above average soda at the very least.

Eh, it’s alright.  Perhaps I should stare at the horseshoe a little harder.  No it’s still fairly average even with gunfights and school marms crossing the unknown territory of my imagination.

View fullsize

I wouldn't know your soda from a Jersey Iguana

The first thing I notice is how carbonated this soda is.  Lucky Club Cola is quick to fizz up in your mouth and bites with equal fervor.  It’s a bite that I would associate with a stronger flavor, yet I’m greeted by the first cowboy in the western that succumbs to the villains bullet.  He thought he’d be sneaky and pop up from behind that barrel guns blazing, but then the movie would only be 30 minutes long.  Instead he’s shot in an instant, falling to the ground without so much as a whore to see him die.

Honestly it tastes more like a diet cola than anything.  If it were indeed a diet cola I’d say it was pretty good, but no such luck for Lucky Club Cola.   See what I did there?  So very disappointing.  My disappointment won’t show in the rating because it’s not disgusting.  It’s an average tasting beverage.  Sigh.

So just as quickly as it drifted into our lives Lucky Club Cola is going to drift out of it and be forgotten.  Before I go, let me offer this advice to soda makers.  A soda is a tool, Jerks; no better or no worse than any other tool:  an axe, a shovel or anything.  A soda is as good or bad as the folks making it.  Remember that.

~A

This was purchased at a Shell Gas Station

Minta Strawberry

So earlier in the week I had a mint soda called Minta.  I was not kind to Minta, but I still wanted to give their strawberry variation a try.  Here are the ingredients to Minta Strawberry:  Carbonated water, natural sugar, natural flavors (gah, vague) citric acid, fruit and vegetable juice for color.  So it’s the same ingredients as before, but now with vegetable juice for color!  I’m sure the “natural flavors” were altered as well because they had to add the strawberry in somewhere.  “Natural flavors”... JUST TELL US WHAT THEY ARE IF YOU’RE SO PROUD OF IT!  

Remember when sodium benzoate was my rant?  “Natural flavors” is the new hotness.  “New hotness” is passe.  Anywho, let’s open this thing up.

So the scent is strawberry mint.  That makes me feel a little better about what I’m about to taste.  I mean it doesn’t smell as minty awful as the original flavor, so it can only be better.  Right?

View fullsize

Twist is crying crocodile tears... due to a transplant.

Slightly!  The powerful mint taste is still there, but thankfully strawberry has wrestled him to the ground.  Well, as much as you could wrestle an 800 pound gorilla to the ground.  Mint is still the dominate flavor, but you can clearly see strawberry hanging on as mint tries to throw him off.  Much to mint’s chagrin, strawberry keeps holding on and you keep getting glimpses of him as he’s twirled about.  

The carbonation levels work pretty well with the taste, but it’s still not enough to sell me on it.  Ultimately the mint flavor ruins the beverage for me.  I expected the strawberry to be light, but I wanted it to have a fighting chance.  To be fair though it’s Minta Strawberry, not Strawberria Mint.  

So here I sit with a half can of Minta Strawberry in front me.  I don’t really want to finish it, but I could if I had too.  Sure it tastes better than Minta, but I’m not sure it tastes so much better the rank will be any higher.  I guess I’m just not cut out to enjoy mint sodas for the time being...unless it was chocolate and mint.

~A

This soda was purchased at Sprouts using donations from readers like YOU!

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.

View fullsize

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!

Fluids Soda Co. Radiant Red

Wanna play guess the flavor?  In front of me I have a bottle of red soda with a red bottle cap.  The brand is one I’ve never heard of; it’s called Fluids Soda Co.  Now the listed flavor is Radiant Red so you’d assume what “Radiant Red” would taste like should be somewhere on the label… nope.  Instead of a picture of cherries, strawberries, watermelon, or blood orange I get a picture of a transmission sitting in front of some checkered flags.  

View fullsize

"Twist" "hates" "it"

The label makes sure I know that it’s sweetened with “Pure Cane Sugar”, but as far as I know this is a transmission flavored soda that’s “Made in the USA”.  Perhaps it’s a generic “Red” soda.  Perhaps I’ll use “quotes” nine or “ten” more times while writing this review.  Either way I’m tired of this mystery.  Let’s see if my taste buds can become taste “detectives”.

Well the scent doesn’t help me at all.  I guess it’s cherry or strawberry… I think… possibly.  It’s such a faint aroma I honestly can’t tell.  Methinks the taste might not be as vague.

What in the world is this?  Ever find yourself melting down cherry cough drops and then adding equal parts carbonated water?  You do?  Well fantastic, you don’t have to do that anymore because Fluids Radiant Red exists on the market.

I don’t know if this is the worst “fruit” soda I’ve ever had, but the thought has crossed my mind enough that it needed to be typed.  Really the only redeeming value it has is that I’m not gagging on it and the carbonation levels are nice.  Other than that I’d stay far away from this.

So there you have it.  Fluids Soda Co. Radiant Red is terrible and I’m going to stop drinking it now.

~A

I bought this at a Shell Gas Station in Houston

Bundaberg Lemon Lime & Bitters

Wow, my posting schedule isn’t very consistent at the moment is it?  Perhaps I need some bitters to get me back to being healthy in my writing.  Thankfully I used the term “bitters” to seamlessly transition to the name of the soda I’m reviewing today.  Bundaberg Lemon Lime & Bitters is what’s in the fancy green bottle in front of me and I’m looking forward to kicking off (13 days late) 2015 with this review.  

View fullsize

Twist is bitter about bitters

Bundaberge Lemon Lime Bitters is a collection of cane sugar, spices, lemon juice, lime juice, and a few other ingredients not excluding some bitters.  In fact the front of the label says it’s made with aromatic bitters...which we all know are the best kind for soda.  Of course, we know that.  Now we should all nod knowingly at one another to confirm that we know that.  After a quick pause in this knowledge we’ll continue the review.

So, scary thing.  When I opened this bottle it didn’t fizz at all yet the first ingredient is carbonated water.  The aroma that flows out is that of lemon lime with a definite backer of unidentified spices.  I’d be excited to move forward with this review, but part of me thinks the soda is flat and I’m not sure I want my first review of 2015 to be a dud.  Sigh, oh well.

Good news everyone, this soda isn’t flat.  It’s a very small, neat fizz, but it’s definitely there.  The carbonation seems to add just enough texture that each sip is fun to experience.  Thankfully the lemon lime flavor is present as well.  That last sentence understated the lemon lime flavor quite a bit so let me try again.

I’ve had a lot of sodas and lemon lime is usually one of the more boring ones to review.  Bundaberg Lemon Lime & Bitters doesn’t fall into the boring category as it is a top 3 all time lemon lime soda.  It’s incredibly easy to discern the lemon flavor from the lime.  Normally when these two brothers are together people just assume they’re conjoined twins and call them lymon.  Not in this bottle they aren’t.

Lemon and Lime each have their own distinct flavor and it harmonizes well.  Each burst of citrus I’ve consumed is wrapped up in the bitters that Bundaberg has added.  Of course this does make the drink lean toward bitter a tad, but the 40g of sugar offset that quite nicely.  Instead of focusing on the bitter aspect of it I find myself trying to pick out all the spices used in the creation of this soda.

The spice aspect is something I haven’t experienced with a lemon lime soda before.  Well, perhaps I have but I just can’t remember it at the moment.  Either way it adds another level to an already good soda.  You have lemon, lime, and then a full cast of supporting characters that make the play even better.  Sure if only one of them were on stage you’d question the director, but the way they work together is wonderful.

The only weakness I can identify is the way it feels after I take a sip.  I would think a beverage like this would have a drier mouth feel, but it’s not.  Instead each sip ends with a bit of a syrupy feel (not too heavy though) that scuffs the overall experience.

With all that said, Bundaberg Lemon Lime & Bitters is a fantastic soda that I would recommend anyone try.  For those that like lemon lime, or fancy sodas, or spiced sodas, or citrus sodas in general… this one is for you.

~A

This soda was purchased at World Market

Quinabeer

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.

View fullsize

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

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.

View fullsize

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

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?

View fullsize

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

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.  

View fullsize

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

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.  

View fullsize

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