Big Red

Grover C. Thomsen and R.H. Roark were chemists for Perfection Barber and Beauty Supply in Waco, Texas when they started making their own flavor extracts. Together, in 1937, they struck out on their own and began selling Sun Tang Red Cream Soda. The name changed to Sun Tang Big Red Cream Soda in 1959, then again to just Big Red ten years later. It was only available regionally, in Central and Southern Texas and around the Louisville, Kentucky and parts of Southern Indiana until the late 1970's. It is currently produced under license by several bottling companies, which include Dr Pepper Snapple Group and the Pepsi Group. Over the years Big Red Inc. has also added some other flavors to their collection, but are usually harder to find. Big Red is iconic enough to have garnered copy cats over the years such as Coca-Cola's Red Flash.

It's odd to ask someone to describe flavors sometimes and that can certainly be said when talking about a red cream soda. Most people have an idea of what cream soda tastes like even without ever having it because they know what "cream" is. But what does a color like red taste like? Once you open a bottle of Big Red, it's smells like bubble-gum. The aroma just pops! It's like a circus in a bottle. The flavor itself comes from a mixture of different citrus oils with vanilla. Big Red isn't as creamy flavored as some of it's imitators. Rather, they focus more on the "red." It definitely is reminiscent of a candy/bubble-gum flavoring yet it isn't. I'm reminded of the time one of my British friends asked me what Root Beer tasted like and the only thing I could say was, "It tastes like root beer." It definitely has a more child-like following. You won't often see adults drinking it outside of Texas and that's probably because most fans of this drink only enjoy it because they liked it as kids. So if you're 6-12 you'll be a big fan. If you're trying it for the first time as a 40-year old, you're likely to be disappointed.

Inca Kola

Jose Robinson Lindley, an Englishman who immigrated to Peru, began a bottling company in Lima, Peru in 1911. Although they already bottled several flavors of soda, in 1935, Jose created Inca Kola. The primary ingredient is lemon verbena, a perennial shrub, who's leaves smell of lemon. The company grew steadily and within a decade Inca Kola became a defacto national beverage. Through the 1970's it was the country's most popular soda by market share. In the mid-90's a resurgence occurred due to several fast food chains dropping Coca-Cola for Inca Kola. But due to poor finances the company fell into debt and entered into a merger with Coca-Cola. The result was Coca-Cola owning the brand everywhere outside of Peru, but also owning a part of it within Peru.

Despite its name and color, it smells just like Big Red. This particular bottle must be a bit old as it seems totally flat. It also actually tastes quite a lot like Big Red. It's got that bubble-gum-cream flavor but there is the faintest hint of lemon in the finish. I seriously doubt with the modern, corporate ownership it still includes the herbs used to flavor the original. I was told that some need time to take to the flavor of this, but growing up around people who drank Big Red this doesn't seem strange at all to me. However I was never that big of a fan. If you do like Big Red, then you will like this.

Fitz's Cardinal Cream

A flavor of Fitz's I've not encountered before, this is the second appearance from Fitz's on the blog. Cardinal Cream doesn't say a lot about what it is, so I'm guessing it may be a red cream? Since Fitz's is from St. Louis, my gut says this is either a tribute to or in partnership with the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. 

Based on the scent, I'd say my guess was dead on. It smells like a red cream soda, think Big Red if you don't know about red cream sodas. Unlike Big Red, I'd say this particular soda is creamier. There's still a bubblegum-like quality to it, but with a creamier finish than other red creams I've had. While I'm not that big of a fan of red cream sodas, this one is okay... in small amounts as far as I'm concerned. 

Red Flash

I'm still in San Antonio and learned that the soda Big Red which I remembered from my childhood has it's origins in Waco, TX not far down the highway from here. However being that I was preoccupied with other things until late today most stores are closed. I went to a nearby vending machine to find something called Red Flash. I had not heard of this drink before.

Red Flash is a Coca-Cola product introduced in the Southwest to compete with Big Red which has a large fan following here due to it's regional origins. Red Flash, is a red cream soda. It has a good amount of carbonation, I'd say just a little more than an average Fanta. This red cream flavor is quite difficult to describe as it does have creamy overtones, but isn't really like a true cream soda. It's probably best described as tasting like "bubblegum". It reminds me of the bubblegum flavorings in many candies and even the bubblegum floride my dentist used to apply to my teeth. The Coca-Cola website describes many of it's drinks, but leaves little about the descrption of this soda. In my opinion, go with the original and support diversity, Coca-Cola has enough market share anyway.

Red Rock Merengue

In the past I have reviewed other sodas branded Red Rock, such as this Golden Ginger Ale. However, the name Red Rock has a mangled history. The original Red Rock bottlers that were known for ginger ale, root beer, and colas seemed to vanish mid-century, while a bottler in the Dominican Republic continued producing the beverage independently. To muddy things further, the Red Rock bottles with the label style seen here are labeled as being distributed by Good-O, whose website seems to be non-existent. On top of this, the Merengue flavor is a very Caribbean flavor profile. So despite being unable to find evidence online to confirm it, I believe this bottler in the Dominican Republic is still the producer of this particular range of Red Rock labeled sodas, but is being imported and distributed in the U.S. by Good-O. Its also possible that Clayton Distributing is producing both styles of Red Rock soda products with some sort of geographic separation. I can't be sure without speaking to folks at these businesses. In any case, lets get to the matter at hand and give this Red Rock Merengue soda a taste. 

The smell from this bottle seems almost exactly like that of Big Red. It's super sugary smelling but with a red cream soda vibe. The similarities with red cream end there however. This merengue flavor carries with it a cream soda profile, but there's also a mixed fruit flavoring that's hard to place. At times it seems peach-like, other times more mango, as well as some bubble-gum and cotton candy. I'm sure the high level of sweetness appeals to kids and I wonder why this flavor hasn't been more popular in the U.S. With this said, it's far too sweet for me to want to finish off an entire bottle but interesting to taste. 

Jolly Good Old Fashion Cream Soda

Found this at a Hy-Vee in Kansas City, though as you can tell it hails from Wisconsin. It was actually canned north of Milwaukee in Random Lake. 

Regular readers probably know I don't care much for canned soda, but sometimes there's no other choice. I was expecting a true cream smell, but found the aroma more reminiscent of a red cream style soda. Funny that it has a light yellow color and says it is an "old fashioned cream soda" but smells and also tastes like red cream sodas. Think more like Big Red, less like A&W Cream Soda. Red cream sodas are not my style, but if you like them then you'll probably enjoy this. 

Red Kola

Barr, which also makes Irn-Bru, produces this beverage typically found in the British Isles like their other drinks. I was expecting a cola flavored drink with a touch of cream soda taste added. Rather this is a pink/red colored liquid closer to the red cream taste of Big Red. But it's cheap and found in manly places around Scotland so of course I had to give it a go.

Big Peach

Big Peach was released to the market in 1994 by Big Red. 

Although they've tried to evoke the flavor of peach in the artificial coloring, it's got a pink/orange hue. In my opinion they would be closer to a natural coloring by giving it a yellowish coloring instead. The scent is  a closer approximation to the real thing. It's a strange flavor combination to me. I think it's too sugary and tastes most like the peach skin than the inner fruit. I could at least understand some people enjoying this drink, particularly in the south where peaches reside. In regards to my own opinion of this however, I'm giving it a thumbs down. 

Faygo Creme Soda

Well, after another long hiatus, I bring you another variation of Faygo, this time Creme Soda. Find out more about Faygo on my earlier post here. 

Whether it's called Cream Soda or Creme Soda, there's a fine line to walk between a nice smooth flavor and a repulsive chemical concoction. A word of note, I do try to find glass bottled sodas whenever possible but some drinks are either very hard to find bottled or just aren't packaged in glass. I plan to eventually discuss the breadth of packaging in another post someday.

I'll start by pointing out that this is a clear liquid. While food dyes and colorants may not affect taste, I personally find there's a psychological effect at play. Clear cream sodas start off with a one run deficit with me before I've even opened the bottle. It's that psychosomatic action I always felt had a part in the demise of Crystal Pepsi back in the 1990's. The creamy scent is very similar to Big Red. 

As far as the taste goes, I'd rate Faygo's Creme Soda right in the middle of the spectrum of cream sodas. It's not bad enough to be sharp to the tongue or have a chemical aftertaste. But I wouldn't say it's smooth and creamy enough to compete with the higher end. Mind you, in the past I've found that even "hand-crafted" batches of cream soda at expensive price points don't always mean a better tasting soda. At the end of the day, this is a good "everyday" option if you like cream soda and Faygo has a low price point to boot.

NuGrape

NuGrape began in 1906, and was sold in bottles beginning in 1921. Originally established in Atlanta, GA it was purchased by Moxie, later Monarch Beverage Co., in 1968. The National NuGrape Co. building at 794 Ralph McGill Blvd in  Atlanta is now on the National Register of Historic Places and was converted to private apartments in the early 1990's. Monarch sold the brand away to Big Red in 1999.

It may not have an authentic grape flavor, but it's reminiscent of the kind of grape flavored powders and chalky candies you're remember from your youth like Sweettarts. It has a more chemical finish to it though and a light amount of carbonation.

Nesbitt's Orange

Nesbitt's Fruit Products Company was founded in Los Angeles in 1924 by Hugh Nesbitt, originally to manufacture syrups used in soda fountains or as toppings. Nesbitt's sodas came about around 1938 and was said to be 10% California orange juice. Hugh Nesbitt was in St. Louis attending a convention of the National Association of Carbonated Bottlers in 1943 when he died after suffering a fatal blow during a fight in the lobby of the Jefferson Hotel while intoxicated. In addition to that rich history, Marilyn Monroe modeled for Nesbitt's advertising while early in her modeling career. Nesbitt's was also the only orange drink sold in Disneyland for a decade. In 1972 the company was bought by Clorox who later sold the brand to Big Red.

While this soda has a pleasant citrus smell, it isn't unlike Fanta in flavor. It has a minimal carbonation level and an almost radioactively bright orange color. If it indeed used to contain 10% actual orange juice it doesn't anymore. With nothing to differentiate it from other orange sodas in flavor or authentic ingredients it's not surprising that it lost so much market share to Fanta behind the behemoth of Coca-Cola. That said, it's still nice to sip on a fruity soda on a warm day.