Jones Zilch - Black Cherry Soda

   We love Jones Soda.  They’ve always been good to us; in fact they are one of the few brand names to make it to our Best Friends List.  The bottom line is that Jones Soda makes quality beverages.  Recently they sent us 4 new flavors from their lineup.  Three of them from their Jones Zilch line… which has zero calories/zero sugar; and another flavor that I’m a bit more nervous about, Tofurky and Gravy.  Today we examine the first of the Zilch flavors, Black Cherry Soda.

   I picked Black Cherry Soda because it’s a flavor I’m familiar with.  IBC Black Cherry Soda was something my mother and I sought out at the grocery store when I was a kid.  We didn’t buy it often, but more as a reward for when times got stressful.  So I associate the flavor with good times. 

   As I look on this bottle though and stare at the calorie/sugar content I’m a bit nervous.  Here I have a double whammy of things I love, Black Cherry Soda made by Jones, coupled with two things that I avoid, zero calories/zero sugar.  Jones uses the word “Zilch” in their labeling instead of diet, which I think helps my mind from thinking about it being sugar/calorie free.  On the upside though, they have added some Vitamin C (30% your daily value) to the soda, and that always score points with us.  Before we being though, let me say that this will be reviewed as a soda, not a diet soda.  We’re not looking for the best diet soda’s out there.  We aren’t TheDietSodaJerks, but that does give me some idea for a spin off site…kidding.

   Jones Zilch Black Cherry Soda has a great maroon coloring to it, just what I expect of a good black cherry soda.  Upon opening it I have to really try to get a whiff of black cherry into my nostrils.  This is a bit off putting to me as the smell often mirrors the flavor.  Ah well, bottoms up!

   The initial taste of Jones Zilch Black Cherry Soda is that of a diet black cherry soda.  I know, I know, no sugar… but I my hopes were high.  It’s also has a flavor that seems to be more on the sharp side, instead of rich like I would have predicted.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as after you ingest it your mouth is left with a sweet aftertaste…not a heavy chemical cocktail.  Honestly it tastes more like a strongly flavored carbonated water to me, very light, with a good amount of fizz.  It does refresh the pallet a bit, not as well as maybe a tall glass of ice water, but better than the few diet drinks I’ve had.  The last taste I had was sweeter than all the rest, maybe I should have up-ended the bottle once before tasting.  Overall impressive for a sugar free soda, as I’ve had sugar filled black cherry sodas that weren’t this good.

~A

Twist is watching his waistline

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