Sour Puss Fruit Punch

The team at Avery Beverages has a few flavors they've named Sour Puss. I'm not a big fan of sour anything, but willing to give it a taste for the sake of science. I find little in the way of a scent from this drink. If anything I might describe it's smell similar to that of cherry cough syrup. While I've had some sour sodas in the past, this might be one of the most sour I can remember. I would describe this as the equivalent of making a soda out of Sour Patch Kids candy. Luckily the tartness doesn't linger too long. The initial swig doesn't do much, but give it a second and then you feel the puckering punch. I can imagine this is a hit with kids that seem to be really into all the sour candies these days. Not bad overall, but not something you drink with a meal or for refreshment. 

Coca-Cola Zero Oreo

This scary looking can is a limited edition from the folks at Coca-Cola. This caught my eye at the store because I first thought it was a canned version of the Fanta Haunted Apple, which was also in the store and with only a cursory glance they both feature black and white stripes. However, my double-take confirmed it was something wholly different. Now, there is a lot going on here. Firstly, an Oreo flavored beverage??? Who came up with this? It's such an odd concept for a beverage flavor at all... but then to pair that with cola? Secondly, Oreos are basically empty calories in the form of a sugar and fat biscuit... so they said, "Let's make it without sugar!" My guess is someone said, "No one will buy it because they will think it's a can of pure sugar. Parents will never let their kids try it so it has to be diet or with artificial sweeteners." But the entire thing from start to finish had to have been approved by heaps of people at Coca-Cola and it was just too bizarre to pass up. Ironically, I also have found some Coca-Cola flavored Oreo cookies at a snack shop. Although this isn't a place I would normally discuss non-soda things, how can I pass up reviewing them side by side, so lets crack on!

This can is 12 fl.oz. and listed at 0 calories with ingredients such as aspartame and sucralose. However, it does contain 34mg of caffeine, which is on par with the amount of caffeine in regular Coke. Opening the can releases a satisfying crack of carbonation releasing. The aroma coming off the top of the can is very vanilla scented. It smells more like a can of vanilla cake frosting and I don't think Oreo filling has much of a scent. Taking a swig, I find that this is very reminiscent of Vanilla Coke. I'm searching for the slightest hint of the chocolate wafer you get when eating Oreo cookies but not finding it. The vanilla is strong and overtakes the entire experience. I'm picking up little to no cola flavor. In fact, I'd say the vanilla might be stronger than that in your average Coca-Cola Vanilla bottle. A couple of sips in, I think I'm sensing the faintest hint of chocolate, if you can call it that, on the back taste buds to the sides of my tongue, and only in the finish of the sip. It's certainly a unique experience to taste. 

While the can is entirely in English and found in the U.S., leading me to believe it was bottled in the U.S. or Canada.... the cola flavored cookies are a different matter. I found these in a foreign import snack shop. The kind of shop that only has the uniquely flavored snacks found outside the U.S., primarily the U.K., Latin America, and East Asia. This box appears to come from Korea based on the type, and then which seems to be confirmed once I finally located a .kr web URL printed on the box. 

This box has two sealed bags of cookies inside, which is nice if you want to save the rest for later. But each bag only contains four cookies. So this entire box contains just 8 Oreo cookies! When opening the bag a sugary mix of vanilla and spice scent wafts out. The taste is something different to be sure. I really only got the taste of the chocolate biscuits. It wasn't until well after I swallowed the chewed cookie I finally picked up a very tiny taste of something which could be akin to cola, but it also felt a bit pepperminty. There's also an unrecognizable chemical-like tang I'm getting before and after. While chewing, I don't sense it, but when putting the cookie in my mouth and after ingesting it I find it to have a weird essence.

Louisburg Sparkling Apple Cider

I love all the flavors of autumn... pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, and nutmeg. On a recent trip I grabbed this bottle of sparkling apple cider from the folks at Louisburg Cider Mill. Louisburg is a short drive south of Kansas City, on the Kansas side of the state line. Louisburg Cider Mill has been making mostly apple-related food products since 1977. Open year-round, they have pumpkins, and other outdoor activities and a giant corn maze in the Fall. 

The bottle offers a rich cider scent. The clarity of the beverage itself goes hand in hand with the taste in that I would personally categorize this along the lines of a sparkling apple juice and not a cider. It tastes very much like apple juice and has none of the pulp or any of the spiced flavors you expect from cider fresh out of the apple press. That's not saying the drink is bad, it's perfectly fine, but I think it should be called what it is... sparkling apple juice. 

Fanta Haunted Apple

Tying in with the recent release of the long awaited Beetlejuice sequel is this "Haunted Apple" soda from Fanta. The light shining through this bright green drink certainly gives an eerie, slime-like ick factor. Down in the bottom corner of the label it states it is a spiced apple soda.

Interestingly, upon cracking off the cap I was greeted not with a sugary apple scent but a strong cinnamon aroma, and dare I say even a hint of nutmeg? It's not like that from the potpourri in a Christmas shop, but instead has a bit of a smokiness to it. It's pungent on the tongue as well. The taste of the spices hit me right up front and then the apple comes through in the finish. The apple flavor is actually quite good, but I think they went too heavy handed on the spices. I think had they backed off on that it would have been more enjoyable. Overall, not too bad but could have been much better had the focus been on the apple and less on the "haunt". 

Mountain Dew Voo Dew Mystery Flavor 2024

Voo Dew from Mountain Dew is back with another mystery flavor for this year's Halloween. This bottle carries a scent that is striking me a bit like cream soda with a tinge of something fruity like pomegranate. The flavor of it isn't very fruit-like. I find the taste to be a lot like a cream soda, but not as strong as many major brand cream sodas. Another interesting exercise of the taste buds and a marketing gimmick, but not the kind of thing I'd reach for everyday. 

Poppi Cherry Limeade

Next up from Poppi is this can of Cherry Limeade. This particular can also lists agave inulin among the ingredients which makes me wonder a bit why this is included in some flavors but not others. Once again, they've nailed the scent... but what about the taste? Strangely, this flavor is better than the others I've tried so far from Poppi. It's not great mind you, but it's at least approaching the flavor it's labeled and drinkable. The cherry flavoring isn't very strong though. I find cherry up front but it dissipates quickly leaving a limeade-like aftertaste. As mentioned, it's an improvement from the previous flavors tasted, but I'm questioning the taste buds of the celebrities endorsing this product. The best thing this can has going for it is the colors and finish. That deep red with eggshell finish paired with a bright yellow-green makes an attractive combination.

Poppi Grape

Noticeably, this can contains agave inulin in addition to several of the previously listed ingredients found in Poppi. I can say that the delicious grape soda smell emanating from this can after the scent that came from my previous taste of Poppi tells me that they can nail an attractive scent. By scent alone you might mistake this for any regular grape soda on the supermarket shelf. But once again, the flavor is not nice. It's very astringent and tastes nothing like grape soda in my opinion. 

Poppi Strawberry Lemon

Poppi began in 2018 under the name 'Mother', founded by Stephen and Allison Ellsworth. After securing venture capital investment Mother underwent a rebrand to Poppi. Aside from a stint on Shark Tank they've secured endorsements from several celebrities whilst gaining shelf space in practically every grocery store I visit. I've recently picked up a few flavors from Poppi to give a try. Poppi contains apple cider vinegar, which contains acetic acid prebiotics and supports probiotic growth and is sweetened with stevia and cane sugar. 

I like the scent from this can. It's very much like fresh sliced strawberries. Unfortunately, the taste isn't very pleasant to me. While I'm picking up the lemon, the primary taste I get is more "green", sort of like chewing on the green leafy part of a strawberry top that wasn't removed. After this passes I'm just left with a bitter lemon juice flavor in the mouth. So... not a great first experience.

Olipop Dr. Goodwin

The next Olipop up for tasting is this supposed knock-off of Dr Pepper. Everyone that tries to make a Pepper knock-off seems to stick to the "Dr" theme. In this case, they've used the name of one of the founders, Ben Goodwin. Unlike their cola offering this one at least smells a little like a Dr Pepper, if not a little more floral. And... as a gulp down a swig, it tastes floral too. It's like chewing on potpourri with a little cherry added in, but nothing like Dr Pepper. Also unlike their cola flavor this one at least grows on me a little with each sip starts to take on a taste of medicinal candy bottlecaps. This can has an extra gram of sugar over their cola and steps up to 45 calories per serving, but the taste a decent trade off over their cola. 

Olipop Vintage Cola

Olipop was founded in 2018 by Ben Goodwin and David Lester, who had sold their previous venture with an probiotic soda called Obi. Olipop is a prebiotic, so I guess they chose make a change with their new soda. The prebiotic ingredients used include cassava root fiber, chicory root inulin, Jerusalem artichoke inulin, nopal cactus, marshmallow root, calendula flower, and kudzu root. I'm always a bit skeptical about claims of "miracle health products" and maybe rightly so when I find that Gwyneth Paltrow was an early investor since I've heard of many of the bizarre claims made from her Goop brand. It seems there have been some recent lawsuits against multiple brands of these prebiotic sodas suggesting that the health benefits they promote can't be achieved with the small amount of inulin they include. However, if nothing else, I've taken note that a single serving (12oz. can) is listed at just 35 calories with a grand total of 16g of sugars and is low in sodium... all improvements over your standard, big name sodas. Jonathan Limehouse author of USA Today's recent article, provides a good summation of this...

"Dietitians agree that Poppi, Olipop, Culture Pop and other prebiotic sodas are healthier options compared to traditional soft drinks, but they are weary about how beneficial these brightly colored canned alternatives really are due to their lack of effect on gut health. Coke, Sprite and other common sodas have "tons of added sugar" and are "pretty calorically dense," which is the opposite of most prebiotic sodas on the market, Jessica Alfano, a clinical dietitian at Huntington Hospital in New York, told USA TODAY on Thursday during a phone interview."

But since I'm really more about seeing what sodas taste like, let me crack open a can of this cola flavored option from Olipop. Cracking open the can gives a light cola scent, but also a scent similar to some of the sodas I've has using tea as an ingredient and I wonder if a little of the chicory isn't in that smell as well. After taking a first swig, I'm super unimpressed. It has a taste that reminds me of making pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread... a mix of canned pumpkin, flour, and granulated sugar. I would not classify this flavor as cola. Even with the low sodium listed as I drink it there's a bit of a salty tasting finish. All in all, I'm not enjoying it and still have at least one other flavor waiting for me in the fridge. Regardless of the gut health claims, it's a healthier option than regular soda so if you can handle the taste, or maybe let it grow on you, then it seems a decent alternative.