Jarritos Lima-Limon

As you may expect, this is probably going to taste like Sprite or Sierra Mist or something else that is lemon and lime, and it does, sorta.

It actually brings back a memory for me.  So at my grandmother's house she used to have two refrigerators.  Seriously.  She also had three giant freezers.  Having a giant freezer wasn't odd, in fact growing up I didn't know anybody who didn't have one, whereas now I don't know anybody that has one, but three was pushing it a bit.  They were always full.  Guess she was preparing for the rapture or something.  Anyway, she always kept a supply of the most generic sodas you could get in that downstairs refrigerator, and this tastes like the lemon lime one.  Or at least I think it does.  I don't remember much.

It's kind of the reverse of what I like in lemon lime sodas.  I really like sweet lemon lime sodas, but I suppose I like really sweet everything.  Well, except this time before my whole vegetarian thing where I had Captain Crunch chicken.  That was gross.  But sweet drinks I like.  This isn't sweet, but the flavor is pretty strong.  Also the carbonation is quite mild, unlike a Sprite or Sierra Mist.  

Kind of like what I said with the mandarin, if you want a lemon lime but what to mix things up a bit, give this one a shot.  It's pretty darn good, and quite different from what you're used to.

-Mike E.

(Note:  This beverage was provided to us by Jarritos.)

Jarritos Mandarin

I'll admit, I didn't have high hopes for this.  Once upon a time Minute Maid's orange soda was mandarin orange and it was pretty dull.  Thankfully I was way wrong about this one.

There is a mandarin flavor going on here, meaning it's orange but not.  It's also got a sweetness to it that mandarin orange sodas usually don't have.  The ones I've had before have been just weak and not very sugary, but this is the opposite.  Very sweet, full of flavor, and just enough of a "different" kind of orange taste that really sets it apart from other manadarins and all other orange sodas in general.

I don't have anymore to say about it.  Being a Jarritos product it is made with sugar and not HFCS.  If you're looking for an orange soda but you're kind of tired of the run of the mill ones out there, this really is something that sets itself apart but still satisfies.

-Mike E.

(Note:  This beverage was provided to us by Jarritos.)

Jarritos Guava

Guava.  I don't know what it is.  For all I know it looks like one of those clay pots on the front of the bottle.

But it doesn't.  Thankfully, I mean how disgusting would that be?  Anyway, this is the first of many beverages in the line up thoughtfully provided to us by Jarritos.  It's kind of pink-ish so it's hard to know what to expect.

The initial smell is...not promising.  Thankfully, though, it doesn't taste too bad.  I'm not sure what it tastes like, but it doesn't taste bad.  Like I said on the Popcast, it's like it is trying really really hard to be a fruit.  Like you know the flavor is fruit, but that's about it.  

There's also something unusual about the sweetness, or the flavor, I can't tell which.  The way I tried to describe it with so far all Jarritos is that it's like a bubble of nothing surrounds a sip of each drink.  Like they need to bump up the flavor or sweetness just a little more.

Not to say this is bad, it's not, it's just...different.  

Oh, and added bonus, since it's from Mexico it's made with real sugar.

-Mike E.

(Note:  This beverage was provided to us by Jarritos.)

Hansen's Original Cola

We found it amusing that Hansen's was making a new product called "Original Cola" but there's always the chance that it's decent, so we tried it.  While it might not be the original cola of colas, it's still pretty tasty.

It's very sweet, and thankfully that sweetness is from cane sugar, as noted boldly on the label.  The carbonation is a little heavy, but still refreshing, considering.  The cola taste isn't anything special, but it's still cola, so it's a winner with me.

The ingredient list thankfully doesn't contain any HFCS, as state, nor does it contain any sodium benzoate. This was on the shelf here for five bucks for a pack of six, which isn't too bad.  

While everything sounds kind of mediocre it is a better than average cola and overall a quality soda that sits in the category between mainstream and gourmet.

-Mike

Sprecher Fire-Brewed Cream Soda

I figure I'd complete the Sprecher trilogy.  At least I've only seen three of their sodas.  Maybe they have more.  Who knows.  Anyhoo...

So this is their cream soda.  Their other two drinks have been winners, that being root beer and their amazing cherry cola.  I'm not a big fan of cream soda, though.  It's okay, but it never really floors me too much, with the exception of Virgil's which, if you recall, made me smile while drinking it.  I'd say they should put that on the bottles, but they don't need any help.

This is pretty decent, very smooth, lightly carbonated, has a mild cream flavor.  

Simple, but effective.  

One thing...the label.  There's a bee on it.  My greatest fear.  It's a cartoon bee, but not a happy looking one, a creepy one.  Gross.

-Mike

Gamer Citrus

Hey, remember when we did that show, and we talked about Gamer Soda?  Well, here's more!  This, I'm going to assume, is the citrus flavor.  It is not labeled, but I figure the grape is purple and the orange is orange.  So we'll call this citrus.  The drink, like all Gamer Sodas, is clear.

As a reminder, Gamer Soda is a lightly carbonated soda with pure cane sugar and B vitamins to I guess enhance your game-related staying power.  The cherry, which we had before, was crisp, and while you wouldn't think that would work for a cherry, it did, being a nice change of pace.  With citrus, though, that crispness would go perfectly.

Sadly, I have to say, the flavor is quite dull, almost like Diet Sprite, but sweet-er than a diet soda.  Actually it also reminds me of those generic lime seltzer waters you can get for like 50 cents a liter.  If you're looking for crisp, though, this is for you, just not flavorful or sweet enough for me.

We have some other flavors to try in this line, so stay tuned!

-Mike 

(Note:  This beverage was provided to us by Gamer Soda)

Deerfield Juicy Orange Cream

The last Deerfield product we reviewed, which in case you don't remember is a line of HFCS-free drinks from Walgreens, wasn't much of a winner (that was the root beer) but this one turned out much better.

This is a nice, crisp and sweet orange flavor, similar to Crush, but, again, without the HFCS.  The "cream" title is accurate, as this has a nice creamy finish to it.  I hate to use the dreamsicle reference, but it's pretty close. 

It certainly isn't a Virgil's Orange Cream, but it's easier to find in most cases.  Speaking of cases...

-Mike

Thomas Kemper Orange Cream

Back to the northwest we go, the land of Thomas Kemper, amongst other things.  Today we're going to take a look at their orange cream.  In fact we'll even one up that and not just look at it but taste it too.  Yeah, I'm sure I've used that joke already, but I refuse to go back through all my reviews and see if I did.  For all I know I used it last week.

Anyway, like other Thomas Kemper drinks it has the combo of cane sugar and honey.  Along with that you get some vanilla extract.  It also promises that you'll feel like you're 11 years old again, which I suppose if you had a good childhood, would be a nice treat.  I think I've pretty much felt the same throughout my life so I couldn't tell you what age I felt at the time I drank this.

The drink's biggest problem is it takes a page from the book of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.  Yes, they have a book, but only we in the foods industry are privy to it.  What I mean is it's not necessarily orange cream but rather cream orange.  Too much cream, not enough orange.  The flavor in general is a tad dull, to be honest.  The generic Deerfield from Walgreen's outdoes this, and both have the advantage of no HFCS. 

Sorry, TK, it's good, but nowhere near your ginger ale.

Finally, I got to use privy in a review.

-Mike

Waialua Soda Works Root Beer

Time to take a trip back to Hawaii.  I'm sure you've heard the phrase "when in Hawaii, do as the Hawaiians do." I'm pretty sure it's that.  Anyway, if I'm going to be in Hawaii (at least in my mind) I should drink beverages that I would, but Hawaiian.  I thought I did a decent job choosing Lilikoi, that's very Hawaiian, but why not see what Hawaiians can do to a mainland drink such as, oh, root beer?

It's alright.  Like before, I appreciate their ingredients.  Cane sugar along with Maui natural white cane sugar.  Giving it a variety of sugar is a fantastic idea to me.  Along with that some Hawaiian vanilla extract.  You can't get a more Hawaiian root beer than this.

Sadly it has a bit of a birch beer taste to it.  I know that some people can't distinguish between the two, and I guess I can see that, but I'm from Pennsylvania and we know our birch beer!

Also it has a little smokey flavor.  That may seem ridiculous, but I tasted it on each bottle I had.  Very unusual, not in a bad way, and hardly noticable, but interesting and unique when you do notice.

-Mike

Julmust Christmas Soda

For those of you who celebrate the Christmas holiday, as you know right now is the perfect time to start shopping for presents and holiday-themed beverages. No, I'm not talking about eggnog; I'm talking about Julmust Christmas Soda from the fine folks at Guttsa Kalla in Sweden.  If you doubt their Swedish-ness, check out their website at guttsakalla.com.  Their founder's name is Lars Andersson.  Need I say more?

Last time I checked Christmas is on December 25th, and this soda expires soon so I best drink it now rather than wait.  Besides, it's best to shop early.

As you can see in the picture it's a cola-colored beverage, with a slight red tint when held up to the light.  It has sugar, so no HFCS, which is good…but hops and malt flavors from barley?  Oh boy. 

Well, it sure smells bad.  Oh, good, it even tastes bad as well.  Wow, this tastes like an alcoholic beverage, but without the alcohol.  This is non-alcoholic beer.  If we liked beer, we'd do a beer site, but we don't.  We like soda.  This isn't soda, it's disgusting.  I know a lot of people didn't like that spiced Pepsi from a few years ago, but I did, and I was kind of hoping this would be like that.  I think even those who didn't like the spiced Pepsi would crave that over this waste of carbonation.  Yuck.

-Mike

Deerfield Root Beer

So Dan Dub passed on the Deerfield line of products to us, a line of sodas available at Walgreens which contain no HFCS, and that's always a good thing.  Unfortunately I can't say the same for this root beer.

At the start the flavor is pretty average.  Then comes the subtle hint of beer, actual beer.  My first reaction, as with any strange taste in a soda, is to try it again.  Yep, beer, or at least some sort of fermentation.  Next I check the expiration date.  Still nine months till it expires.  Quite unusual.

Honestly even if that taste wasn't there this wouldn't get anything beyond buy a bottle, which is about $2.00 per.  It's average, and there is stuff out there like Jones which you can get much more for your money, which is surprising since this is a generic root beer from a Walgreens.  The aftertaste kills the whole experience, and because of that it drops a rank.

-Mike

Jones' Root Beer

Let's break down the two parts of this drink.  First there's the "Jones" part.  This means it's good, it's reasonably priced, but it doesn't use high fructose corn syrup.  Secondly, there’s the "root beer" part.  This means its root beer.  So this is a good tasting root beer that is reasonably priced and doesn't use high fructose corn syrup.

To go more in-depth to the taste, it's a very sweet root beer, and you can really taste the difference of having cane sugar in it.  It just adds an extra hint of flavor that you can't get from HFCS.  If I had to think of anything negative about it, I'd say that the sweetness almost overshadows the root beer flavor, but just by the slightest bit.

I like these products because they're like the gap between the really fine sodas that cost a lot and your cheaper, HFCS-loaded beverages.  So if you want a gentle entry to the world of finer sodas, especially if you want to get a large quantity of it for a group, here you go. 

-Mike

Organics Blood Orange Italian Soda

There is something really gross about the name "blood orange."  I guess it's because I'm a wuss and don't like blood.  But really, even if you're okay with Discovery Health or slasher flicks, does that really mean you'd want to drink something with "blood" in the title?  All my True Blood watching fans are saying "yes" right now, and "no" to me using so many quotation marks.  So we'll move on.

The last Organics brand drink we did (which, if you recall, is a Walgreen's brand) was a delicious pomegranate, in fact a pomegranate I'd gladly have again.  Let's find out how this...orange-type beverage fairs.

First of all this is, just like the pomegranate, very natural.  Organic blood orange juice, organic sugar, black carrot juice...very nice.  No HFCS, no sodium benzoate.  The scent is fantastic, it smells just like an orange slush puppy, if you know what that is.  The taste though is like carbonated orange juice for the most part.  That's not really a bad thing, but it does hurt the refreshness level.  I mean, orange juice isn't very refreshing.  The flavor makes the drink kind of "heavy" so to speak.  The carbonation is fairly mild, but the natural orange juice gives it weight.  Refreshness?

If you like orange, bloody or not, this is one for you to try.  It's very natural, but the heaviness takes some points off.

-Mike

China Cola

Our journey around the world to find the greatest sodas on the planet brings us to China!  Wait...nevermind.  It's just called China Cola, it's not actually from China.

It is, however, from Reed's, which is always a good sign.  So why is it called "China Cola" you ask?  Well, it's made with Chinese herbs, or at least the label says.  Let's take a look at the ingredients.

Raw cane sugar, szechuan peony root, cassia bark, Malaysian vanilla, oils of lemon, lime and orange, nutmeg, cloves, licorice, cardamon, caramel color.  Yep, it's definitely from Reed's.

I have to say, where it packs a punch in ingredients, they don't necessarily translate into flavor.  Maybe the ingredients were psyching me out, but overall the flavor was very light, with with just touches of each flavor coming through.  The most powerful of them all would have to be the szechuan peony root which did add a bit of spice, but nothing on a level of a ginger beer.  Trust me, this is coming from a guy who grew up with no salt or pepper on the dinner table, if it was the tiniest bit spicy I'd know.  It's just enough for flavor.  Don't get me wrong this is a very good cola, the flavor was just a little too light for me.

I'm going to name names here and say that Virgil's Real Cola (also a Reed's product) is still king for me, in colas and overall favorite soda, although I'd award this a very close silver medal with some others in company like Cricket Green Tea Cola and Natural Brew Ginseng Cola.  I think it would have been up there if it was just slightly more bold.  This was a close one.

-Mike

(Note:  This beverage was provided to us by Reed's)

Jones' Strawberry Lime

Wait a second, Strawberry Lime?  Don't you mean cherry?  No I don't!  Blame the crazy cats over at Jones' soda.  One word for them:  RENEGADES.

This is amazing, one of the best fruit flavored sodas I've had in a long time.  In fact, this beats my previous favorite, Stewart's Key Lime.  Not only does this have the taste advantage, it has the cane sugar instead of HFCS advantage.  It's so good I want to use inappropriate language to describe it, but I'll keep this a family site.

Unlike other strawberry sodas, this one is not heavy or sticky feeling at all, it is very light and refreshing.  I attritube this to, again, the cane sugar and also the lime.  The lime just gives it that extra crispness that offsets the powerful flavor of strawberry.

I'm not a beach guy, but if I was, I would be taking a ton of these in a giant ice chest.  Who thought strawberry would go better with lime than cherry?  Amazing.

-Mike

Jones' Jumble Mixed Flavor Soda

First of all, this is the best bottle I've ever seen.  I almost wish I had a bottle frame for this, if bottle frames existed.  There are also two other designs which are great as well.  Secondly, this scares me to death.  Jones is known for having some weird flavors, such as gravy, so who knows what could be mixed in here.  Supposedly it's four flavors.  Let's find out...

The best way to describe the scent is a lollipop from hell.  Chocolate and grape are the smells I'm getting out of this.  I could be wrong.

After the first sip, it's not too bad.  Very bizarre.  There is a lot going on, approximately four things going on according to the folks at Jones.  Mostly though it is fruity, potent (in a good way), and quite refreshing.

Normally I don't include a picture of what the actual drink looks like outside of the bottle, but I sort of can't resist this time.

It's difficult to tell from this picture, but at most angles it looks grey, like dirty water.  It also has a greenish tint to it.

This is a soda you have to try if you're into trying sodas.  If you're not, why are you here?  It's refreshing and definitely a "taste explosion."  A conversation peice of sodas, so to speak. 

In the end, I swear this tastes like a melted down Tootsie Pop, which I don't like, but for some reason it works as a liquid.  Along with the decent flavor, the creativity inside and outside of the bottle add a lot to this one.

Oh, and by the way, I know all four flavors now, but I'm not telling you...

-Mike E.

(Note: This beverage was provided to us from Jones)

Virgil's Cream Soda

Can't get enough of these Virgil beverages, eh?

I'm not a fan of cream soda, but I don't hate it either. I guess that makes me indifferent to it. One of my main complaints of cream soda is that it always has a stickiness. Thankfully, like all Virgil's products, this is a very clean, crisp soda. Meaning no stickiness. In case you didn't pick that up.

The bottle boasts "micro brewed with real vanilla beans," and that comes through abundantly. It's a very potent vanilla flavour. This is an extremely sweet beverage to the extent that the best way I can describe it is that it literally makes me smile as I sip it.

-Mike

Virgil's Real Cola

I don't think either of us would deny the fact that we have a strong like (maybe love) for Virgil's products. They obviously have the belief that there should be soda beverages made to a higher quality, in the same way that there is cheap wine and fine wine. Virgil's is the "fine wine" of sodas, which is why any time I find out about a new product from them I get excited. I always wondered what a cola would taste like from them, and now I know: it's the greatest soda I've ever had.

Now at one point this might have seemed ridiculous. I was torn between different flavours. There's the sweet fruitiness of Stewart's Key Lime, which I should note is so good I haven't even reviewed it yet, I always down it too quickly when I get a bottle, or, another Virgil's product, their Root Beer. But I've always been a big fan of colas, and this one tops them all.

The smell of it after it's opened tells you that you're in for something awesome. It's very sweet and potent with a vanilla and spice scent. The Cola, like their Root Beer, is very smooth, not too carbonated, just enough to give a tingle. You really can taste everything in it; the vanilla, the clove spices, the cinnamon. It even contains orange and lime, and there is a delicate hint of it in the background.

It's fantastic. The message on the back of the bottle ends with this line: "We decided to make a cola that would rival the super premium quality of our root beer." Mission accomplished.

So as much as I rave about this you'll see the score below and wonder why it's not higher. It's not perfect by any means, nothing has been so far and I don't believe anything will be, but of course in the mission to seek the greatest sodas ever you hope to find it. Also the price of drinks has always been a factor in our reviews, and at two dollars a bottle, while that's a fair price for a premium product, that is something that has to be considered. Normally I don't preach about scores versus review text but I think in this case it had to be said.

-Mike

Kutztown Root Beer

"When you're bad for something mighty good, reach for a foamy mug of Kutztown Root Beer. Tastes chust like old-fashioned, 'cause you know we make it that way. Drink 'til you ouch, there's more back!"

I swear this is what the back of the bottle says.

I bought this thinking that my Pennsylvania brethren would get their act together and produce a quality product. Nope.

The first ingredient on the bottle is "triple-filtered carbonated water," which makes sense because that's what you taste the most, water. It's a very dull root beer flavour going on here. In fact the best way to describe it is A&W from a fountain with too much water, not enough syrup. Sad.

Another negative is that the sweetness (supposedly provided by "pure cane sugar") is a little off tasting. Not as off as that Root Beer Float thing reviewed earlier, but still strange.

One positive I can say about this is that "triple-filtered" must me "not really that carbonated water," which is nice. A lot of root beers are just way too carbonated.

All in all though, it's not horrible. If this was cheap or on sale I could see myself buying it...but it'd have to be a heck of a sale.

I've been to Kutztown before, I'm not sure why, but I'm sure I'll never be again. If someday I do end up there, I'll be sure to hang my head in shame.

-Mike

Carver's Ginger Ale

This is going to be a lame review, but this is ginger ale. I bought it for 99 cents for four bottles. It's "unique" property that makes it not just a regular ginger ale is that real sugar is used instead of corn syrup, which does give it a slightly better flavor than regular ginger ale. There you go. Oh, and it's made by Coca-Cola, which now has about 4,000 ginger ales world wide.

-Mike