Strawberry Shasta

Here’s something odd, well at least I find it odd.  I’ve never had a Shasta soda that I can remember.  It’s Shasta!  How have I lived 31 years and never had one.  The mascot of one of our local universities is named Shasta, yet trying the drink has eluded me.  I’m not exactly sure how a mascot’s name and me trying a soda tie in together, but that doesn’t matter when it’s something as silly as this.  A nice lady I work with, whom I will name Good Morning, put me on a mission to find Strawberry Shasta.  Upon searching for it I found that the only places near me that sold Shasta were Brookshire Bros. grocery stores.  Now I’m not sure how it is where you live, but around here Brookshire Bros. are located in more rural areas so I rarely see one.  Well, Good Morning was driving past one by chance and made the U-turn to check it out.  Long story somewhat shorter, she brought me a Shasta Strawberry to review. 

Glancing at the ingredients I quickly see that Shasta Strawberry is chock full of chemical goodness.  I wasn’t expecting anything amazing here, so my thoughts have not been swayed.  This can art is keeping me in a positive mood.  It feels so fun and retro while keeping the can fresh and eye-catching.  Hopefully the flavor is on the fun side.

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Twist smells of strawberries.

It smells of strawberry soda.  Ok, a little more detail is necessary.  It’s not quite as sugary smelling as I thought it would be, but the chemical mixture inside keeps it from smelling like fresh strawberries or any nonsense like that.

Wow, color me somewhat slightly impressed.  Shasta Strawberry, even with 36 grams of sugar in it, doesn’t taste a sugar sandwich made with sugar, marshmallows, sugar, sugar, and some strawberry syrup.  No, in fact this tastes merely like sugar, carbonated water, and strawberry syrup which oddly enough is a step in the right direction for strawberry sodas.  Enough blabbering, this tastes like the carbonated version of those little strawberry candies your grandmother bought back in 1985.  If you want to buy over five pounds of these candies or just want to know what I’m talking about click this fabulous link.  Anywho, these strawberry candies (and Strawberry Shasta) have the talent of chemically mimicking both the tart and sweet aspects of our friend the strawberry.  It is this feature that allows me to gently nudge Shasta Strawberry past its numerous counterparts.

~A

Flathead Lake Black Raspberry

Montana’s Legendary Soda, Flathead Lake, is known around the parts as almost being an above average soda.  For whatever reasons it never seems to be able to touch that rung of the latter and ends up falling off before it can achieve greatness.  Today’s Flathead Lake soda flavor is black raspberry.  I’m quite happy with this flavor selection as it is the superior taste when compared to its fake blue counterpart.  So there you have it.  Flathead Lake soda is average, but this flavor is one of my favorites.  Who will win out?

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There's some kind of copyright infringement here, but I'm not sure who the guilty party is.

A delicious candy grape aroma rises from the bottle, which is odd since it’s a blackberry soda.  If I pretend hard enough I can make myself believe that I also smell the blackberry, but I can’t.  Hopefully I’ll be able to taste it.

Ok, so the taste is a bit grapey as well.  I’m going to go ahead and promise never to use the term “grapey” ever again.  Let’s move on, shall we?  Thankfully the second half of my experience does indeed taste like an artificially delicious black raspberry full of sugar and chemicals.  Still though, if someone were to give me this soda in a glass I’d assume it was grape, that can’t be good for the Flathead Lake flavor department.  Even though the flavor is mostly wrong it’s still a very tasty soda and the blackberry aftertaste is rather pleasant.  If anything I might label this as a grape/raspberry hybrid and go from there.  The carbonation level for this confused liquid is small, but tingly so it never really gets in the way.  All 43 grams of sugar are accounted for as you’d never mistake this for something healthy.  This level of sweetness makes Flathead Lake Black Raspberry ride the line of “drink with meal” and “drink for dessert”.  Flavor confusion aside this is probably my favorite entry from Flathead Lake.  Great job, guys!

~A

Sof Drink Grape

It has been three years since the kool kat on the Sof Drink label has visited my home.  Today this Jamaican feline finds himself on a bottle of Sof Drink Grape and I’m happy to see him.  I just got through traipsing around a cemetery so I’m a bit thirsty from all the walking.  Thankfully my tongue knew exactly what it wanted when I opened the fridge.  It wanted to be reunited with grape soda and the kool kat was the perfect door man for the job.  Even though Sof Drink Grape claims to have the original Jamaican flavor (of what I’m not sure) it still uses HFCS in its production.  Currently I’m a bit too thirsty to care and while I should be drinking water to quench this thirst my willpower isn’t strong enough to do so.  So let me dive into this grape soda and see what happens.

A grape soda without any real scent… that’s a first.  At least I think that’s a first, I didn’t really feel like researching the previous sentence so I suggest you just trust me on it.  If I place one nostril over the mouth of the bottle and inhale deeply I begin to smell a candy grape aroma, but it really is quite faint.  Something tells me the flavor will be much more powerful.

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Twist things this drink is grape.

Well that’s fun.  Sof Drink Grape tastes like a melted grape popsicle with some added carbonation.  I could honestly stop writing the review at this point, but only one sentence of description might not look so hot.  It’s a very thick grape soda in the fact that it grabs hold of all the pores of my mouth and refuses to let go.  Even after the velvet curtain of syrup falls the actors on the stage stay there to be crushed under its weight.  The carbonation is the only thing keeping this beverage from being an Otter Pop that never found the freezer.  Alexander the Grape has been poured into a bottle and someone ruffled his hair up a little.  While this aspect makes it a very sweet drink it’s not so sugary that your question if you should continue consumption with each sip. 

I’ve already made the popsicle comparison twice now which shows that I really didn’t have any more in my sleeve.  This shows me that I should just stop and you just trust that the comparison is all you need to understand what Sof Drink Grape is.  It’s a tasty, thick, grape soda that tastes like a popsicle.  There I go again.

~A

Barrel Brothers Root Beer

Two guys dressed in barrels pose for a caricature of themselves.  Apparently they loved it so much they decided the picture would look great on a bottle of root beer.  These two guys I’m speaking of are the Barrel Brothers, and I will be consuming their soda today.  The label gives me no history of Barrel Brothers Root Beer, but it does tell me that this is from the makers of Apple Beer.  Apple Beer if you remember had the potential to be amazing, but faltered.  Here’s hoping the Barrel Brothers, Mac and Jack (two names I made up), do themselves proud with their product.  It’s a HFCS sweetened root beer so it’s not off to a great start in that department, although that doesn’t mean the taste can’t overcome the ingredients.

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Twist was once a brother, but there could be only one.

A pleasant vanilla aroma with a hint of marshmallow rises from the bottle.  I’m quickly forgetting I ever saw HFCS on the label at all.  Perhaps the taste will completely wash that memory away.

That’s good root beer.  That’s really good root beer.  The scent translates directly into the taste as each sip is smothered with the smooth sensation of vanilla.  The vanilla flavor is so rich that it made me forget I was drinking a root beer for a brief moment.  At the end of each sip though the root beer rises from the foamy grave and grasps at the roof of my mouth, biting it with carbonation and a tasty root beer taste.  Barrel Brothers Root Beer would pair very well with ice cream as the licorice/wintergreen flavors you might find in other root beers are absent.  This is strictly about the vanilla, almost marshmallow, sensations mixed with an already good root beer.  It doesn’t build on itself that much which is surprising to me given the richness of it.  If I must pick nits about this soda there is a slight chemical taste that arises occasionally, but it’s not enough for me to shoo anyone away.  All in all, Barrel Brothers Root Beer is a treat that any root beer enthusiast would enjoy.  No, it’s not made from the greatest ingredients, but the flavor more than makes up for it.

~A

Party Pop

It’s a little after midnight and I wasn’t even sure I was going to write a review today, but apparently I am.  My wife and I live with three animals so the house is rarely quiet.  It’s so rare that when you couple a silent house with darkness it becomes a little creepy.  I snuck downstairs, as to not wake the puppy, and blindly reached into the refrigerator.  What greeted me was a fairly creepy site in itself.  Two oddly drawn children stare at me from the label of this bottle of Party Pop.  Well technically the little boy is staring at me and the little girl is infatuated with the previously mentioned boy.  I don’t know what Party Pop is, but from the label alone it claims to be “The Original Foamy Soda”.  I’m going to go ahead and call that a lie without even researching it.  Other words listed on the bottle are “sangaria”, “cheers!”, “non-alcoholic”, something written in a foreign language, and weirdest of all… “kids”.  Over the ingredients I find out that this is an apple flavored soda, so it shouldn’t be terrible because “kids”.  For as strange as Party Pop is, it’s made with HFCS so it’s not off-the-rails bizarre.  The time has come for me to try “The Original Foamy Soda” known as Party Pop.  Since the “kids” seem to love it, hopefully I will too.

I think the foreign language that’s on the bottle, and now I see on the cap, is Japanese.  For the record, this is bottled in California.  Such an odd soda.  It smells like apple juice.  I’d go into more descriptive terminology if it smelled any different than apple juice, but it doesn’t.  Apple anything isn’t listed as an ingredient.  No apple juice, artificial apple, natural (apple) flavor, mock apples, how ‘bout them apples, there’s nothing about apples.  Fantastic.  I hope this blows my socks off, because that would just complete this peculiar experience.

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Twist could steal her away in an instant.

WHOA ALL THAT FOAM!  Kidding.  It is a little foamier than your standard soda, but I’m not sure I’d make it a marketing point.  Perhaps if I still had my youthful innocence I could see myself pouring this into a glass and pretending to drink beer.  That’s exactly what this is, by the way.  This is kid beer.  It’s the color of beer, it develops a head like beer, and it’s called Party Pop like beer.  It’s “kids” beer.  Anywho.  It tastes like an apple soda that didn’t quite make it. 

The carbonation level is light and fizzy, fun some might say.  On the other hand that apple juice scent I was picking up earlier isn’t quite as honest.  There is an apple flavor being represented here, but it’s constantly haunted by a bitter ghost.  Before the apple flavor even hits the bitter ghost resides in my mouth chasing all of good flavors away.  The good flavors that do stay have to walk through said ghost, thus tainting their once tasty skins.  Slimed if you will.  What I’m about to say isn’t 100% accurate, but it’s the best comparison I can think of at this time of night.  Party Pop tastes like it’s 80% Apple Juice and 20% beer.  For some reason I capitalized “apple juice”, but not beer.  No idea why, moving on.  This beer/apple juice hybrid obviously isn’t working for me, but it’s not horrible.  Actually I take that back.  With each sip I try the bitterness builds on itself making Party Pop less “pop” and more “mistake.

This kid on the label with his cocked party hat is really starting to bother me.  It’s like he’s bragging about gaining the eye of the girl next to him.  Like he’s gloating to me that she’ll never be mine.  Dude you’re like 10 at the most.  I could take you out with one punch and I’m a weak 30 something.  Whataya going to do?  “Kids”.

~A

Flathead Lake Strawberry Orange

It’s 9:00 in the morning, which is usually way too early for a soda review.  Last week though was lacking in said reviews so I figured I’d try to get an early start to this week by writing one in the A.M.  When I opened my fridge I tried to find the most breakfast like flavor and Flathead Lake Strawberry Orange was the most obvious at hand.  After pondering it for a moment I realized that strawberry orange isn’t exactly a common flavor, yet it seems like the two would pair fairly often in the soda world.  The two should create a tart yet sweet sensation that’s fun for the whole family.  I’ve never been particularly impressed with the ingredients of Flathead Lake sodas so we’ll just hope it delivers big on flavor.  That’s what this is all about anyway, right?

A fun fruit punchesque aroma simultaneously greets my nose and excites my brain for the flavor that may be contained within this glass prison.  The bright red-orange color of the soda itself is also rather inviting as the beads of condensation roll down the neck of the bottle.  If I was to rate this on just appearance and scent then Flathead Lake Strawberry Orange would be doing very well.  Of course all citizens of the Carbo-Nation know that those two are only part of what makes a soda great. 

I immediately can tell that if this were fizzier I’d like it a lot more.  There is indeed a created flavor that begins to taste like strawberry/orange yet it takes the exit to cotton candyville somewhere near the end of each sip.  This is made even more noticeable by the amount of carbonation used in the beverage as I said less than three sentences ago.  While the carbonation levels are not low by any means, if the fizz levels where higher my tongue would be focused on the tiny explosions happening on it rather than the vague sugary flavor this soda eventually becomes.  The vague sugary flavor isn’t terrible, mind you.  I just wish that the initial strawberry/orange combination had been strong enough to last throughout each swig.  Flathead Lake Strawberry Orange is still a good drink in terms of taste, look, and scent.  Thankfully, there is no terrible aftertaste, but the velvet curtain of syrup fall on the stage that is my mouth.  All in all this soda starts off quite tasty, but the soda itself is its own undoing.  Like so many sodas before it the flavor can’t support the weight of all the drinks taken prior.  This causes the soda drinking experience to go from enjoyable to consuming liquid sugar just to finish it.  It’s this aspect that makes Flathead Lake Strawberry Orange an average soda.

~A

Twist keeps asking for a pair of tiny sunglasses.

Flathead Lake Sour Cherry

I’ve made it no mystery that I enjoy sour beverages.  What a terrible mystery that would be. If it was an Encyclopedia Brown book you’d throw it away at the big reveal.  “Turns out Aaron LIKES sour sodas!”… aaaaand in the trash.  Of course something can be so sour it’s hard to enjoy, but for the most part I enjoy most sour sodas, or at least the idea behind them.  Flathead Lake Sour Cherry is what sits in my cup holder at the moment and I’m about to take a dive into it, mouth first.  The color is a delightful dark red, almost maroon, which gives my eyes a hint of what’s to come.  A look at the ingredients shows that I’m about to ingest a bunch of chemicals and “natural flavors”.  Well then, there’s no time like the present to ingest some chemicals!

A rich, cherry sno-cone syrup-esque (double hyphenated word, nice) aroma reaches out of the bottle and socks me in the nose.  Chemicals or not, I’m now a bit more excited to give this soda a chug.

Oh, that’s right.  Flathead Lake soda is seems to always be a little more watery than you’d expect.  Fortunately for Sour Cherry it’s not so watery that I’m going to deduct points, it just took me off guard.  As for the “sour” portion of sour cherry… it’s noticeable, but your cheeks aren’t going to pucker at all.  It’s certainly discernible from your standard cherry soda though.  The bubbles are tight and few in number, yet strong enough to be a part of the drinking experience with every sip.  Sadly there is a bit of a syrup curtain that falls at the end of each act.  This curtain has a pleasant taste, but overstays its welcome with each lowering.  While an encore wouldn’t be a terrible thing, I’d really just prefer if this soda ended on the sour sensation it leaves at the tip of my tongue.  Ah well, someone get Sandman to pull ‘em off stage and we won’t have that problem anymore.  Didn’t think you’d find a Showtime at the Apollo reference in a soda review?  You must be new to the site.  Welcome!

All in all Flathead Lake Sour Cherry is a tasty soda, but nothing to write to Mom about.  Granted I just did write to my mom about it because she reads the site, but I digress.

~A

Twist has been mistaken as the Flathead Lake Monster for years.  He's not it though as he's much, much older.

Hockey Soda Energy

Today’s faire from ThirstMonger is Hockey Soda Energy, which is actually an energy drink.  I once called an energy drink a soda and the guy sending it to me made sure to correct me.  I’m pleased to see that Hockey Soda isn’t nearly as uptight with their nomenclature.  Hockey Soda Energy lives in a black can with an intimidating blue hockey mask emblazoned on the label.  Circling the top of the can are the ingredients of L-Glutamine, B Vitamins, L-Carnitine, and Taurine, circle the top.  I’m not a hockey player by any means as I’ve never seen more than a patch of ice on the road, much less a frozen lake.  Hockey Soda Energy forgives me for this and tells me to do the following:  “Dangle, snipe, and celly with this pro style energy drink, Hockey Soda Energy.”  I understand those to be hockey terms, but honestly I only know “snipe” of the three.  No matter, I’m also promised that “Hockey Soda Energy is a cola citrus energy drink infusing the past with the present.”  A cola citrus energy drink, huh?  I have no idea how one pulls that off, but if they can merge past with present then I’m sure cola citrus energy combinations are simple.  Let’s open this up, shall we?

Surprisingly this smells quite a bit like cola and I must say I’d already written it off that it wouldn’t.  Hockey Soda Energy has called me out, and in the case of the smell test, checked me into the boards.  See what I did there?  It’s a hockey analogy.  I can do it too.

With my first sip of Hockey Soda Energy I’m taken aback by the fact that the cola citrus flavor they promised is now happily swimming around in my mouth.  The initial first half of my sip is indeed flavored with cola, but a strong citrus blast comes through and cleanly sweeps it away.  Lemon, lime, and a hint of that taste that seems to be in all energy drinks, create what can only be described as a “zing” of citrus.  This zing is sour enough that your cheeks pull inward, showing the starting signs of “pucker”. 

Now of course with all this good, there is some bad.  First off the initial cola taste weakens with each sip you take.  This is because the secondary citrus flavor eventually takes full residence in your taste buds and the cola just can’t yell loud enough to be heard.  I really do like the citrus flavor that I’m ultimately left with, but it’s the cola/citrus combo that’s presented so well at the beginning that sets Hockey Soda Energy apart.  Secondly, I’m always going to squawk a little when it comes to high fructose corn syrup.  So… squawk.

To go back to the positive though, I’m honestly surprised by how much I like the taste of this beverage.  The fact that they actually pulled off a cola/citrus hybrid impresses me the most.  That impressive impression is followed by the fact that they’ve created an energy drink that doesn’t have a vague bubble gum sweetness to it.  In a market where energy drinks are a dime a dozen it makes me really happy to see one that, in my mind at least, shows how being different can sway even the harshest critics… I’m talking about me.  

~A

Oddly enough Twist turned down the role of Casey Jones in the new TMNT

Dad's Cream Soda

With a quick look at the website I see that we reviewed Dad’s Root Beer nearly three years ago from today.  While it didn’t really thrill us that doesn’t mean that their cream soda entry will follow the same fate.  By the way, we’re reviewing Dad’s Cream Soda today.  Dad’s Cream Soda has all the markings of your run of the mill cream soda.  The golden liquid sits within a clear bottle adorned with a “retro” label.  The ingredients are comprised of HFCS, Natural and Artificial flavors, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.  So with all that said I’m still hoping for a better than average taste.  Even though the “retro” look is something many cream sodas have it always makes me excited to try it.  Maybe this soda really will taste like it did so many years ago… not that I have any idea what Dad’s Cream Soda used to taste like. 

Dad’s Cream Soda also smells like most any cream soda.  Its rich vanilla tones are unmistakable and create a creamy vision within your imagination of what this might taste like.

Yup, that’s cream soda alright.  Dad’s cream soda delivers on the rich vanilla contract its aroma made with my nose.  The carbonation is light and unobtrusive, allowing for the flavor to be appreciated fully.  Unfortunately, while Dad’s Cream Soda starts off strong the memory your mouth is left with is that of a slightly watery beverage.  Halfway between the initial sip and consumption the flavor dissipates into about half of what you started out with.  It’s not so watery that it becomes terrible, but it’s hard for a soda to be viewed as anything but average when it can’t even keep its flavor throughout.  As you would expect this is a rather sweet beverage, though I would almost consider it to be a failing if a cream soda wasn’t sweet.  Surely there is an exception to this rule, but I’ve yet to find it.  Overall Dad’s Cream Soda is a very average cream soda.  If you like drinking out of glass bottles then pick some up, but if you’re looking for something better than A&W you haven’t found it here.

~A

Dad's?  More like Sad's... eh.

Hank's Premium Highland Berry Soda

Call us the Looney Tunes because we’re back in action… except hopefully this review will at least be as enjoyable as that movie.  If not you can just chalk it up to rust.  Don’t be shocked by the tone of my voice.  Check out my new beverage, beverage of choice.  Hank’s Premium Highland Berry Soda.  It’s not especially clear to me what “Highland” berries are, although I will say the words create a delightful picture of nature surrounded by nature in my head.  A quick look at the ingredients just show’s me that this is sweetened with HFCS and that natural/artificial flavors are present.  All I really have to go on is the deep red colouring of the soda which brings to mind thoughts of raspberry (not the fake blue kind), cherry, cranberry, and perhaps dewberry.  Smell test.

The aroma is faint, but the scent of cherries and cream can be distinguished with a strong huff of the bottle.  Since you all know that I’m a little lad who loves cherries and cream I won’t waste your time talking about it anymore.  Taste time.

Ok, so maybe it wasn’t cherries I smelled.  The slight vanilla taste is definitely present though, making this soda wonderfully smooth.  Best I can tell, Hank’s Premium Highland Berry Soda is a combination of cranberry, strawberry, raspberry, and I guess there’s some cherry in there… but then again my mind could be playing tricks on me.  The way these flavors are grouped together is quite delicate.  Normally there is a player on center stage hamming it up as the rest of the flavors sit as trees in the background.  Don’t worry about them though.  Their parents are still in the audience filming every last second of their tree-dom.  In the case of Hank’s Premium Highland Berry Soda all roles are equally important, even that of the cream.  This equal amount of stage time really makes me think about the individual flavors I could potentially be tasting.  Virtual high-fives to the folks at Hank’s for creating this balanced eco-system of flavor goodness.  The carbonation levels don’t even intrude on the flavor math that has obviously been done.  Light, fizzy, and borderline fun, the bubbles just serve as a wakeup call to the interior my mouth before the actual flavor steps into the room. 

For all that this soda does well it’s not perfect.  The use of HFCS weighs down the end result of each sip I enjoy.  The mouth feel isn’t the heaviest I’ve felt, but it does detract from an enjoyable experience.  On an individual level I’m also not going to gush on and on about the flavors of the berries used in this bottle.  Each berry flavor comes off as somewhat generic to me.  The quality of the ingredients could be improved and with that I think an amazing soda would emerge.  Even though I have some complaints I would still recommend purchasing this soda.  Are there problems with it?  Yes, but the taste is still wonderfully complex without needing an “educated” palate to see all that it has to offer.

~A

On Earth 2 Twist is from the Highlands of Scotland

Pepsi X

Ok, I know I’m late on this one, but according to the date on the can it’s still fine to open and consume this Pepsi X.  If you watched X Factor at all this is the Pepsi flavor that was attached to it and may still be; I have no idea if that is still a thing that exists.  I’m not even going to make X Factor jokes as I honestly couldn’t care less about their tie in.  I am glad Pepsi made a new flavor, the name is dumb (tie in or not), but I always appreciate a new flavor no matter the reason.  Speaking of that new flavor, Pepsi X is dragon fruit flavored cola.  Dragon fruit flavored cola sounds like a horrible idea to me as I can’t think of many fruits that would mix well with a cola flavor outside of cherry and possibly lemon/lime if you’re just into that sort of thing.  Well… maybe apple would to, but that’s about it.  Needless to say my expectations are low for this limited edition soda that all the other soda review sites were talking about 5 months ago.  Let’s give it the old smell test.

It mostly smells like Pepsi, mostly.  One note before I continue describing the aroma of Pepsi X.  My dog is eating his food behind me and it sounds like he’s enjoying the ever loving love out of it.  The noises he’s creating “wolfing” (ha!) down his food is almost making me jealous of his dog food.  Perhaps this jealousy of dog food will help sway Pepsi X’s flavor in my favor.  Back to the review.  It mostly smells like Pepsi, mostly.  There is a secondary player at work here, the dragon fruit of course and I’m surprised to see that it’s represented well enough to appear in the smell test.  I still don’t think it will mix well with the taste of cola, but at least the Pepsi people didn’t just slip in a drop of dragon fruit and call it a day.  Taste time.

That is a peculiar Pepsi flavor.  The very beginning and end of the taste I just experienced is most certainly cola, but the middle is a sweet hodgepodge of flower and spice.  Not being familiar with the actual flavor of dragon fruit I can’t honestly say if it tastes like one or not although I will say that the flavor I was greeted with doesn’t seem like one nature would make on her own.  A second and third sip reveals more and more levels of spice that my first sip didn’t.  It seems as if there’s some cinnamon or nutmeg flavoring throughout, but before I’m able to greet each of them properly a hardy smack to the face is delivered by artificial sweeteners.  The cola aftertaste I first experienced has dwindled down to what seems like a chemical cola bath of tastes.  I was incorrect in thinking that dragon fruit and cola couldn’t mix, they do mix quite well.  I’m just saying that Pepsi X is not the pinnacle of dragon fruit/cola friendship.  Hopefully someone will or maybe already has created a higher end dragon fruit/cola mix.  I’m sure things taste a bit better when their made to taste pleasant instead of promoting a television show.  Dang it… I brought up the tie in again.

~A

Twist was on Star Search, he was one of the many runners up to Sam Harris

Sync

The fine folks in charge of the energy drink Sync were kind enough to send me some samples of their product.  The letter that came with it wanted me to tell you how it affected me in terms of energy and a few other items like that.  Our primary goal is to make sure you’re trying tasty sodas; we have little interest in if they “do their job”.  I’m not sure who I was quoting then, it just kind of happened.  So while Sync may turn me into a god among men, if it doesn’t taste great then it won’t be rated as such.

Sync refers to itself (on the label that is) as “Harmony in a Can”.  That’s a pretty bold claim, but it doesn’t stop there.  At the top of the can I see that by drinking it I will “Enlighten Your Tate Buds”.   Alright so now I’ve been told two things it will do for me.  At the bottom of the can I’m left with one more sentence, “Vitalizes the body and mind”.  This one is my favorite of the three because they could have used revitalizes, but didn’t.  You so rarely see anyone use the term “vitalize” and I was happy to see it here.  Good for you Sync… let’s check out the ingredients label.  Oh… wait…one more sentence.  “Sync Energy Drink is the ultimate drink that vitalizes both the mind and body.”  The use of “vitalize” impresses me less upon a second viewing.  I really hope down the line when Sync is a bit more established their next batch of labels has half the sentences on it hyping their beverage. 

Ingredients wise Sync has some B6, B12, Pantothenic Acid, and 27 grams of sugar which is in the form of HFCS.  The odd one to me is how much sodium is in this can.  200mg of sodium or 8% of your daily value seems like a lot.  Let’s see how much Coke has in it for a baseline.  Coke has 35mg of sodium and a Reed’s Ginger Brew has 5mg.  I’m being unfair… let’s see how much sodium a Red Bull has in it.  200mg, ok I learned something today.  It’s normal for energy drinks to have more sodium than your typical soda.  Look at you Sync, teaching me stuff.  Perhaps I’ll be blown away by the taste, but first you know what we must do.  Smell time.

It smells of grapefruit with a dash of bubble gum.  SON OF A… I found another sentence!  “Sync Improves performance and boosts the body’s energy during times of stress and strain.  Sync increases endurance, concentration, improves reaction time and stimulates metabolism.”  As I was saying, Sync’s scent is primarily citrus, but there is a sugary something lurking in the background.  Taste time.

I will say that it has an unusual taste that is primarily citrus like the scent told me it would be.  The carbonation level is strong, but mostly composed of tiny bubbles that rush over my teeth and gums.  There is a slight bubble gum flavor as seems common with most energy drinks that appears with each sip and eventually dissipates into the “citrus” flavor.  Oddly enough this beverage feels kind of heavy in my mouth.  I’m not sure if it’s the HFCS or the chemicals, but a “curtain” of “citrus” sits on my teeth, tongue, and hangs from the roof of my mouth.  I’m not really fond of the mouth-feel I’m getting from Sync. 

Since the label art includes a leaf I would have been much more impressed if this were an all-natural energy drink.  As far as I can see it’s fairly standard in regards to ingredients and flavor.  That’s not to say that it tastes badly, in fact I’d probably pick up a Sync before I would a Red Bull.  The taste is just different enough that I prefer it to the leading brand.  So they have that going for them.  In the world of soda though there are several better tastes out there.  With that said I did finish my can and YES I do feel more energized… there it did it’s “job”.  If you’re given the chance to choose between Sync and another energy drink I suggest giving it a try.  If you want a delicious soda well then click here instead.

~A

This Beverage Supplied to us by BidEuphoria

Twist drank all the samples even the one in the kitchen.  He drank it all even the kitchen SYNC!  HAR HAR HAR.  sorry.

C&C Cola

I finish off my run with C&C by reviewing their flagship soda, C&C Cola.  Will it taste like Coke, Pepsi, RC Cola, or will it be a different animal all together?  The red label makes me think they want to draw comparisons to Coke, but honestly there’s only one way to find out.  My cat keeps knocking the pens off my desk and it’s getting a bit distracting so bear with me as I take a plunge into the world of cola.

The hiss of the bottle opening distracts my cat long enough to forget the pen she was currently pawing to its death.  A familiar scent, much like RC Cola, reaches my nostrils just as she gets her attention back long enough to finish off the foolish writing implement that thought it could thwart her.  Coke red label with an RC scent?  I’m intrigued and the cat has ventured off into another part of the house never to be seen again… for a few hours.

C&C Cola is a good strong cola that gives the inside of my cheeks a bit of burn with my first swig.  It has the mouth feel of Coke with the taste of RC, a wise combination in my opinion.  The cola flavor is powerful, but not overly so as I’m not going into any coughing fits each time I take a sip.  Carbonation levels are good, keeping my mind from even associating this beverage with the word flat.  Is C&C Cola a game changer by any means?  No, it’s not, but I can tell some care was put into this soda as it’s one of their better entries into the non-alcoholic carbonated flavored beverage field.  I honestly don’t feel like I need to write much more about it.  It’s a simple cola that gets the job done as well as (or better than in some cases, I’m looking at you Pepsi) any mainstream brand I’ve come across.

 So that ends my 24 soda run with C&C, and I must thank them for their generosity.  I’m happy I reviewed C&C Cola last as it left me with a good taste in my mouth.  Was that pun intended or just a fluke?  You’ll never know.

~A

This beverage supplied to us by C&C

Twist says it was intended.  He's right, it was.

C&C Cotton Candy

Ok, I’m going to try and make this review short as I’m not sure how much time I have to write it.  Today’s soda is C&C Cotton Candy which I think would better be named C&C’s C.C.  The label looks like an Easter street fight as baby blue and pink battle for who is the most dominate.  I will say that I’m happy C&C used only the true cotton candy colors.  I’m not sure when purple got into the mix and tried to pass itself off as a legit flavor of sugar air, but c’mon we all know he’s a phony.  It seems blue won the Easter street fight and in doing so is the actual color of the soda as well.  Of all the things I don’t know about this soda I do know that it will be sweet.  If you’re soda based on air sugar isn’t sweet then it might be time to go back to clown college.  So gather up 27 of your closest friends and join me as I venture into the world of C&C Cotton Candy soda.

Kudos to having the scent of the soda match cotton candy right on the money… minus a few scents/cents.  There is a touch of the aroma that doesn’t quite add up, but it’s easily forgivable since cotton candy has like two ingredients and this has several more.

This is sweet like cotton candy and tastes like cotton candy.  I’d call this mission accomplished for the folks at C&C.  Now I’m not a huge fan of cotton candy (a word I’m getting tired of typing) because of how sweet it is.  If you’re like me then cotton candy seems like a great idea at the time, but somewhere between you engulfing the first half and just letting it dissolve against your tongue you begin to tire of the sweetness.  C&C Cotton Candy is thankfully not as sweet as its carnival counterpart.  With each sip my mouth is awash with cotton candy (blue) taste.  As that gulp finds its way down my gullet I’m left with a pleasant aftertaste of… cotton candy.  C&C has done a really good job with this soda and I’m pleased to say it doesn’t stop with the flavor. 

The carbonation level of C&C Cotton Candy is right where I would expect a cotton candy soda to be.  It doesn’t need to be overpowering because then the harshness of the bubbles would take away some of the dessert like feel.  If the fizz level was too low then it would feel like you were drinking cotton candy syrup and that doesn’t sound pleasant at all.  No, the folks at C&C got the carbonation levels right on the money. 

Right now you might be saying “You haven’t said anything negative about this soda.  Perfect score, right?”  Sorry no.  While it’s a tasty soda it’s just not mind blowing to me.  It does taste exactly like cotton candy and that’s fun for a while, but I just don’t see myself drinking multiples of it.  Let it be known that I do like this soda more than actual cotton candy, but that flavor just doesn’t make me say “wow, you gotta taste this!”  With all that said I will place C&C Cotton Candy in the upper half of our grading scale.  See, aren’t you happy we don’t have a cop-out middle ranking that tells you nothing.

~A

This beverage supplied to us by C&C

Twist used to date the tattooed lady.  On her back was the battle of Waterloo, beside it the wreck of Hesperus too.

MTN Dew Kickstart Fruit Punch

Alright, so yesterday I reviewed Kickstart Orange Citrus from Mountain Dew.  If you haven’t read the review please do so that you might be caught up on all that is involved with this pair of reviews.  Today’s flavor of Mountain Dew Kickstart is Fruit Punch.  Now initially I had higher hopes for the Orange Citrus, but was let down somewhat when the second half of the flavor fell flat for me.  Here’s hoping Fruit Punch ends up being a better way for my mouth to wake up in the morning.  Onward!

The scent that comes from Mountain Dew Kickstart Fruit Punch isn’t nearly as powerful as the Citrus Orange.  I really have to put my nose to the can to get a discernible fruit punch smell.  It has a light fruity aroma, but nothing that really gives me any insight as to what this might taste like.

Immediately this can of Kickstart shows me that it means business.  Where the Citrus Orange tickled my mouth with bubbles for the first half of the sip; the Fruit Punch waits for me to swallow then goes at the back of my throat with a sharp knife.  It’s definitely an experience that would wake you up.  As for the flavor I’m not all that impressed.  If you have ever been an infant or have infants of your own you’ve probably tasted Pedialyte.  Mountain Dew Kickstart Fruit Punch is Pedialyte soda and you can imagine that doesn’t fare well for me.  The taste feels incomplete as a good fruit punch flavor becomes bogged down with the other nonsense in the can.  Pretend you have a friend who’s a good person, but their significant other just turns them into a miserable mess.  When you look at them you can tell they’re trying to still be good at heart.  They force smiles and laughs all the while dying inside.  Kickstart Fruit Punch is that good friend of yours.  If only they would separate from that awful person then you might enjoy there company again. 

My mouth is coated in a medicinal syrup that just won’t let go of the inside of my cheeks.  I want to like this I really do, but it’s just not happening.  Each sip just keeps taking me on the same experience.  It’s like going through the tunnel of love with someone that likes you, but the feeling’s not mutual.  The first time is awkward.  The tenth is a nightmare as it just keeps building upon itself eventually becoming no fun for even the initially happy person in the boat.  On that note, were tunnels of love ever an actual thing or did they just appear in cartoons as a comic device?  Sorry, I just don’t want to drink anymore.  The only thing saving this beverage from our lowest score is the potential the fruit punch shows before it’s dragged back down by the other faults of the beverage.

~A

This beverage supplied to us by PepsiCo

Twist is a Pedialyte fiend.

MTN Dew Kickstart Orange Citrus

I’ve received a lot of merchandise over the years reviewing sodas.  Most of it consists of the sodas themselves freely given to me so that I might review them.  Sometimes I’m given hats, stickers, shirts, or the occasional coaster.  My mind exploded yesterday when I got a promotional package from Mountain Dew for their new Kickstart line of beverages.  Before I continue let me explain what Kickstart is. 

Kickstart is basically the Mountain Dew you’re supposed to drink in the morning and you can do so with either Orange Citrus or Fruit Punch.  To quote the promotional material I received it “combines the great taste of DEW with real fruit juice and just the right amount of kick to start your day.”  So instead of grabbing for that cup of coffee or that tiny bottle of mediocre tasting energy drink, they folks at Mountain Dew want you to grab a can of Kickstart instead.  Ok, so I’m not big on drinking sodas when I wake up, but I can’t argue that there isn’t a market for it.  People drink all kinds of wake me up juice in the morning.  Who am I to judge?  Let me back up to what this promotional box of Kickstart held for me.

Twist was also impressed with the build quality of the box

The first thing that caught my eye was the iPod Shuffle, then the Spy+ glasses, then the Beats by Dre headphones.  I tell you what was in the box so you know that I got swag attached to my soda.  I feel it’s only fair to be truthful about these kinds of things and also believe that you should know I’ve given some of it away.  Personally I don’t believe I can be swayed by material goods and I’m not saying that Mountain Dew was trying to sway me into giving a false review because I honestly believe they aren’t.  The only time I would feel odd reviewing a soda is if I worked for the company that made It and in that case probably wouldn’t review it.  With that said, I still felt it necessary to disclose everything attached to said swag box so you would know all of the variables before I drank this.  Oh, the note attached reads “We’ve included everything you need right here to get your day started right.  So crack open the can, throw on your Spys and turn up your Beats.  Get up, get out and let Kickstart by Mountain DEW KICKSTART YOUR DAY!” Review begins now.

Mountain Dew Kickstart Orange Citrus comes large in a 16 oz. can.  It’s made with 5% juice, has 100% value of the Vitamin C you need in a day, 80% B6 and a few other things as well.  There are only 20 grams of sugar in this which honestly surprises me so I’m guessing the Kickstart must come from the C, B, and Caffeine included in the beverage.  With a little research I find that this finds itself somewhere in the middle of the scale when it comes to comparing how much caffeine it has with other Mountain Dew types.  I’m not sure I need to say it’s sweetened with HFCS, but there you have that as well.  The bright orange can paired with the fact that concentrated orange juice is in the ingredients is making me wonder if this will taste anything like Orangina.  I guess there’s only one way to find out.

What smells like a delightfully light orange soda rushes out of the mouth of the can.  The more it wafts into my nostrils the more I get the scent of actual orange juice.  By aroma alone this is shaping up to be a delightful beverage.

Alright, that’s not half bad.  I was honestly expecting this to be a somewhat awkward missmash of orange and dew.  If I’d thought about it for longer than a second I would realize that the citrus of Dew would obviously pair well with another citrus flavor.  The mouth feel I initially experience is rather pleasant as it completely encompasses my mouth in tiny fizzy bubbles.  A decent orange soda flavor is also present for the first half of each sip, but that’s where the happy times end.  First act of Mountain Dew Kickstart Orange Citrus is like going to a local theatre group.  The actors are all doing pretty well and you’re enjoying the play just fine.  Sure the scenery might not be ultra-realistic, but you’re having a good time.  The second act is comparable to a junior high play.  Lines are flubbed, snickers are heard when the word “damn” is said, and the popular kid keeps looking out in the audience at his girlfriend.  You never get fully lost in the play.  What that means in review speak is that it seems like the chemicals and vitamins catch up to the flavor of the drink during the second half of each sip.  My mouth is left with a little bit of a syrupy feel after I’ve taken a gulp and the residue flavor isn’t all that wonderful.  The orange begins to taste like 3 year old Halloween candy and all of the fun I experienced in the first half goes by the wayside.  When all is said and done I’m left with an odd tasting orange soda. 

Will this help me start my day awake?  Of course it will; it has more caffeine than Mountain Dew.  I’d have to be a corpse for this not to wake me up somewhat.  Would I grab this before a coffee?  Yes, but I hate coffee.  Does it taste better than 5 Hour Energy?  Well I haven’t had all of the flavors, but yes it does taste better than 5 Hour Energy.  With all that said this site is about reviewing the taste of a beverage and ultimately this goes up against every orange soda I’ve tried and it stacks up as average.  So if you want to give breakfast Mountain Dew a chance to wake you up in the morning you probably won’t be disappointed and you should check out this website.  If you want to enjoy a delicious orange soda, look elsewhere.

A

This beverage supplied to us by PepsiCo

Featuring Twist by Dre

C&C Pineapple

With the completion of this review my count of remaining C&C brand sodas reaches two!  I’m not excited to be done with C&C because they’re awful or anything, they taste just fine thank you.  My excitement stems from getting back into a variety of soda types and flavors.  Believe my I’m gracious for the 24 sodas sent my way thanks to C&C, but our time together is ending and that’s ok too.  What am I reviewing?  While I’m happy you asked that with this paragraph soon coming to an end.  Today’s bottle of sugary bubble water is C&C Pineapple.  Unfortunately, pineapple soda all tastes rather average to me as I’ve yet to be completely blown away by one.  Who knows, maybe today will be the review that changes all that. 

A healthy, but somewhat chemically enhance odor bursts from the bottle’s mouth.  While it’s not  an exact replica of pineapple juice the aroma was close enough for me to not give up hope on this being a delicious rendition of pineapple soda.  Now it’s time to find out if my day will end in disappointment ore exuberance. 

Well I’m not disappointed nor am I exuberated.  Fun fact, I typed exuberated expecting it to be a word I just made up… imagine my surprise when I did not find the squiggly red line of misspell parked underneath it.  Speaking of surprise, the only aspect of C&C Pineapple soda that garners such a reaction is how mediciney (there’s my red squiggle friend) it tastes.  Yes, there’s no mistaking that the flavor of pineapple is every present, but it is become less enjoyable with each sip.  With my first sip I was greeted with a fairly nice pineapple soda.  For every following sip the medicine pineapple taste begins to build on itself creating a somewhat unpleasant tasting curtain of syrup in my mouth.  The carbonation level could be higher as I feel a sharper bite might help mask this doctor prescribed flavor.  It’s odd that I gave points to the amoxicillin flavored C&C Topical Fruit Punch, yet I take away from C&C Pineapple because it tastes like a medicine I have no fond memories of.  Ah well, thems the breaks.  C&C Pineapple isn’t a great soda, heck I wouldn’t even call it good, but I’ve consumed worse things.  With that said though, I just can’t recommend you buy it.

~A

This beverage supplied to us by C&C

Twist suggested a cottage cheese soda to accompany.  I politely refused.

C&C Grape

Alright C&C, you’ve entered my wheelhouse.  If there’s something I love it’s a good generic grape soda and judging by your label art this one has the potential of being super generic.  Simply called C&C Grape, the bottle stands in front of me shaking out of fear… or because my desk is easily shaken by the slightest percussion of my fingers.  With delicious generic grape to be had I will wait no more to taste the HFCS sweetened nectar that waits.

Oooh, the delicate aroma of grape drink hits my nostrils in a chemical blast.  I can only assume that this is what the “purple stuff” in the back of the fridge seen in those old Sunny D commercials smelled like.  If the taste of C&C Grape is as good as its odor then I’m in for a real treat.  There’s only one way to find out.  Well I guess I could ask someone, but where’s the fun in that?

Interesting, this has more of a natural grape taste than I was assuming it would.  Here I figured this would taste completely fake yet the first thing my tongue told my brain it tasted was grape juice.  With that grape juice taste comes just enough carbonation to remind me that I’m drinking a soda.  There is a touch of burn that tickles my throat with each sip.  I would like that burn to be stronger to remind me that I’m alive.  Besides being reminded of my mortality I would also like the burn to be more noticeable because it would give this beverage a bit more depth.  What I’m left with is a grape juice-esque tasting soda that is slightly sweeter than the juice it resembles.  Now I may be showing my disappointment that I didn’t get a super fake chemical tasting soda, but I think I’m justified in that opinion.  If I wanted grape juice I’d drink some grape juice and be done with it.  The fact that it tastes more “natural” than your typical grape soda was a pleasant surprise, although not enough for me to give it point for doing so.  Overall C&C Grape soda may be a decent alternative for those who dislike the taste of purple sugar water.  They’ve tried to stand apart from the aforementioned “purple stuff” and I feel that they were successful in doing so… it just wasn’t my thing.

~A

This beverage supplied to us by C&C

Grape soda with a Twist.  Ha. Ha. Ha.

C&C Golden Peach

With 5 more C&C beverages to go we’re nearing the end of our time with the soda manufacturer.  Today I’ve chosen a personal favorite flavor in world of sodas… peach.  Technically it’s C&C Golden Peach and I will say that adding the adjective “golden” increases m y want factor of this beverage. Look, peaches come from a can.  They were put there by a man.  In a factory downtown.  Then someone tasted those peaches and decided they should be in a soda.  Peach soda is one of those sodas that don’t need to be all natural to be good.  Since C&C is chock full of chemicals as long as this soda has a strong enough flavor and tastes like peach then they should have no issue with me enjoying it.  So let’s take a page from James and jump right on into this giant bottle of peach soda.

The familiar smell of rich, chemically enhanced, peach throws itself down my nostrils.  Like I said before, sometimes the chemicals help the cause and while I enjoy an all-natural soda as much as the next person you can’t discount peach in any form.

This has a uniquely familiar flavor to it.  It tastes like it was made with millions of peaches.  Peaches for me!  Ok, so that reference was forced... it is tasty though.  With all of the other peach sodas I’ve had one of the key traits is how sweet they taste.  C&C Golden Peach seems to understand that sweetness is important with a peach flavor beverage, but not everything.  The tart bite of a peach is what C&C used to fill the left over flavor room they had by not just loading this soda up with sugar.  In doing so I’m treated to a very natural tasting soda in terms of “does this taste like an actual peach”.  Of course it’s not going to replicate it perfectly, but C&C Golden Peach is a very strong entry in the peach soda market.  The excellent flavor is enhanced by the fact that the carbonation levels are strong enough to give your throat a slight burn and not make it seem like you’re just sitting in your house drinking peach syrup out of a can.  Speaking of syrup, the HFCS used in the making of this soda does not weigh heavily in your mouth after each sip.  I’m about a third of the way finished with the bottle and it doesn’t seem to be building on itself that much either.  Could this soda be improved?  Sure it could, it could use natural ingredients, have better bottle art, and be a bit lighter in the mouth feel department.  I’m still going to recommend you pick up multiples of it though.  Look out.

~A

If Twist had his little way he'd eat peaches everyday

C&C Tropical Fruit Punch

Today’s beverage from C&C is looking pretty appetizing to me.  C&C Tropical Fruit Punch is what sits in front of me tempting me with its potentially fruity flavor.  I don’t know what it is about today, but some part of me is craving a carbonated fruit punch beverage with some citrus kick to it and hopefully C&C Tropical Fruit Punch will deliver.  The color looks to be somewhere between bright red and deep red which is a great color for your typical fruit punch.  I never really got behind Hawaiian Punch when they did all their flavors because the colors just seemed off to me.  Blue fruit punch?  That’s like when they tried (and maybe still sell) green ketchup.  You’re not here for my opinions on ketchup though; you’re here for my opinions on soda… and I thank you for that as a ketchup blog would be interesting, but probably short lived.  I wonder if there is a ketchup blog, I’m going to find out. **time passes** It’s not a blog per say, but someone from The Nibble reviewed (or described) 42 brands of ketchup.  I don’t normally link stuff, but this person deserves some mention for trying these ketchups.  What am I doing again?  Oh, yeah!  Hopefully I’m about to drink a delicious Tropical Fruit Punch from C&C.

A sharp citrus scent slowly makes its way out of the mouth of the bottle and gently singes my nose hairs.  I’m not exactly sure how strong or watery this is going to taste.  Of course I’m hoping that this fruit punch will be on the stronger side as we all want to relive that amazing punch that we first had at the Sadie Hawkins dance that no one ever invited us to ever because of no good reason.

Well that’s odd.  C&C Tropical Fruit Punch tastes a bit like bubble gum flavored amoxicillin.  You’ve probably had amoxicillin when you were a kid.  It’s a pink milky liquid that you had to drink whenever you had an infection.  When you’re a grown up it’s in pill form, but as a child you got the sweet gum flavored liquid poured down your throat at regular intervals.  While this could be an off putting flavor for many folks I personally enjoyed the taste of amoxicillin growing up and tasting something similar to it brought back a piece of my childhood.  While bubble gum amoxicillin is the base flavor for this beverage the taste that tries to chase it away and fails is that of fruit punch.  The only time I get to actually taste something that seems like fruit punch is in the middle of each sip when my throat is punched by the fruit of said action; and while I do somewhat enjoy the medicine flavor by no means should it be the opening and closing act of this soda play.  Could I finish this bottle?  Probably, but I don’t really care to since I opened this expecting fruit punch.  That doesn’t seem like too big of an expectation does it, for fruit punch to taste like fruit punch for more than 1/3 of the time.  Ah well, at least I my mind got to be transported back to when I was a child… sick with infections.

~A

This beverage supplied to us by C&C

Twist appears as an overgrown bacteria at his local playhouse.