Boom Chugga Lugga Cherry Soda Pop

Buckle up, kids.

While I have full intention of finishing up the oh-so-exciting reviews of the Nice! line-up of drinks from Walgreens, a mysterious third party that we'll call Y has provided a mysterious second party that we'll call W with a selection of five sodas from what is probably one of the most ridiculous named beverage organizations I have heard of: Boom Chugga Lugga.

This is the kind of thing that makes you embarrassed to order it. Like this local place that sells veggie burgers called the "No Meat Please!" No sale. Or like when Raising Cane's drive-thru attendant says "chicken, chicken, chicken, which one are you pickin'?" and you just sigh and drive away.

These folks have a theme, at least, and that is bears and cherries. Thankfully they all have some sort of cherry flavor to them, and not bear. Oh, and I should mention that these are Michigan cherries. I didn't even know that was a thing. 

Anyway, as a sneak preview of what is to come in these reviews, I figured I'd start with just the basic cherry. 

Wow. Wow wow wow.

For a long time my favorite fruit-flavored soda has been the Key Lime from Stewart's. No more. 

This is amazing. It's both perfectly sweet and tart. The cherry flavor is crazy bold and the carbonation is the right amount of light to make it smooth but still enhance the tartness.

Sadly, I'll have to add this caveat every time: sodium benzoate, along with a vague "natural and artificial flavors" listing tacked on behind cherry juice concentrate and "pure sugar." Bummer.

Still, I am super impressed, and beyond excited to try the rest of these. There is one in particular I have very high hopes for. I honestly haven't been this excited to write about soda since the early days when a crazy person like me could go into a grocery store and there would be at least one soda I hadn't had.

-Mike E.