Mountain Dew Fruit Quake

A surprise pickup last week from the grocery store was this bottle, yet another Mountain Dew flavor variation and makes me feel like this blog has nearly been taken over by Mountain Dew's varietal flavor releases. Trust me when I say, I'm planning to get back to other labels here quickly. This is another holiday themed creation, which by the name and label design I can assume is given flavors like that of a holiday fruit cake. I like the cranberry coloring of the drink itself. 

The scent is a little hard to place. It has notes of cherry and grape and something else sweet almost like a licorice but not licorice, maybe gummy bear-like. It's certainly an explosion of tastes. A quick swig has my taste buds all over the place. I do get a cherry-like flavor, a touch of lemon, and I'm picturing those white grape gummy candies in that order as it crosses my palate. No real taste of anything close to a bread, though these fruity/candy-like flavors start a little dark and heavy and become lighter as it finishes in the mouth. It's a perplexing flavor combination I'd recommend trying just for the novelty. 

Mountain Dew Gingerbread Snap'd

I'm always in the mood for ginger sweets and this release from Mountain Dew seems apt for a holiday evening. I really like that strong ginger aroma it has. Feels like walking into one of those Christmas themed home décor shops. No notes on changing the amount of carbonation, but what I get from swigging this is an upfront gingerbread taste, which is nice. Unfortunately, it's followed up with a slight citrus flavor reminiscent of, what else, Mountain Dew. I'd have liked this as a straight gingerbread soda without the Mountain Dew. So it's a miss for me, disappointingly so since I had high hopes for it. Good thing I can make a great ginger snap cookie. 

Dragon Tail Energy Lightning Cola with Tea

I'm not a fan of energy drinks, but there exists this blurry line where sodas and carbonated energy drinks mix that sometimes leads me to picking up a bottle to try. Dragon Tail is apparently another drink coming from the folks at Orca Beverages, in Washington state, that we've mentioned in several previous posts. While it contains cane sugar over high-fructose corn syrup or other alternative sugars, it also contains high levels of caffeine and guarana, both commonly found in a wide variety of "energy" drinks on the market. 

The scent of tea is the first thing you get when opening this bottle, along with a hint of something close to cinnamon. The color is a rich brown you expect from cola and it has adequate but not strong carbonation. How do I describe this flavor? There is a touch of cola in it, that's true. But you also pick up a taste of green tea as well as earthy tones like you get when smelling the inside of an old antique furniture shop or opening an old Chinese armoire. It's an interesting flavor, but definitely not something I'd personally consider sitting around sipping on, let alone ever enjoying with a meal. 

Mountain Dew Voo Dew Mystery Flavor 2022

Another "mystery flavor" offering from the folks at Mountain Dew. This is the 2022 edition. The frosted white color of it leads no hints to what the flavor might be.

The scent from the bottle is reminiscent of raspberry to me. There's a hint of citrus hiding behind that raspberry I'm picking up. Indeed, the flavor of it is very much like you might expect from a blue raspberry soda, but it has a tartness in the finish like a lemon or grapefruit. It isn't unpleasant and might even make a decent regular flavor option despite it being a limited edition. 

Mountain Dew Overdrive

So I'd heard rumor of a limited edition flavor from Mountain Dew only available at Casey's gas stations. I wasn't so sure about such a thing. I'd only known of Casey's in smaller towns, and usually known for the pizza they make in their locations. But a quick google search shows that there are 2,300 locations across the midwest and plains states. As luck would have it, I had the opportunity for a road trip and remembered this when seeing a roadside sign for a Casey's and decided to pull off to check it out. Lo and behold, it was true. I found a stand claiming a Casey's exclusive flavor called Overdrive, in this orange-red color and had to grab one.

The color is just a bit more orange than Code Red. The bottle doesn't actually say "Casey's" anywhere. The only clue to that might be a tiny barn image at the bottom which appears to be on a green bottle. This barn doesn't say "Casey's" but says "1968". I was quite confused at first because the font looked like it read "1%8" until I looked very closely. Still, the funny thing about that is some sites online state the company began in 1959, while Casey's own website says they began in Boone, Iowa in 1968. 

Some slight as to what the flavor might be appear on the label. Next to the orange gorilla-like creature on the label is a lime and a raspberry. Though elsewhere it says "Dew with a blast of Citrus Punch". It does, in fact, smell like a bit of regular Mountain Dew mixed with fruit punch. Unfortunately, I find the flavor lacking. It's a bit like a weaker version of Code Red. It really leaves you wanting something with a bit punchier flavor to it, a real let down considering many of the livelier flavors coming out of Mountain Dew. 

Brownie Caramel Cream Root Beer

Originally produced in 1929, Brownie featured the little elfin mascot on caps and bottles. Brownie was bottled by the Atlas Beverage Company near the corner of Conant St and Carpenter Ave in Detroit. The founder and owner, Walter Tomaszewski, passed the company to sons Butch and Leonard, but the company would close in 1996 and the old building no longer exists. Today, Brownie is carried on by Orca Beverage in Washington who, as mentioned in previous posts, have carried on producing many retro soda labels, which is appreciated by guys like me... though I still wish many of the old bottlers were still around and producing regional sodas. 

You can get a good good snort of that root beer and vanilla scent from the bottle top, pushed by ample rising carbonation bubbles. This soda gives a pleasant blend of rich flavors. A good swig gives a strong root beer flavor, which is followed by a swift vanilla cream taste. It's then finished with a caramel aftertaste. I can imagine in the soda landscape in the mid-20th century this was a pretty original treat to drink.

Jones Soda Icee Cherry

Here's another limited release flavor from Jones, who've had a long history of interesting flavors. I'm curious how well this one will capture that frozen treat taste. 

A promising amount of carbonation with a crack of the twist top. The sugary sweet cherry candy smell rises off the top of this bottle reminds me of a Bomb Pop popsicle. It's got a strange taste though. The cherry is close to being that of a black cherry soda, and it's actually not as sugary as I anticipated. Rather than being saccharine it's actually quite tart. When I think of a frozen Icee it is the opposite, very sugary and not tart. Maybe Jones missed a bit with the cherry flavor they were trying to create. It isn't terrible, but it isn't an Icee in my mind, or perhaps they were working from Icee syrup rather than the flavor of an Icee with all the ice thinning the flavor. 

Kazouza 1941 Lemon Mint

The second of the latest flavors of Kazouza I was able to find recently is this Lemon Mint. So the aroma of this bottle is a little like a cough drop... in a good way. There's a refreshing mint smell combined with a background of citrus. The taste is odd to me though. I immediately felt like I was tasting a mint leaf. There's a greenness in that lemon like that of a leaf that seems more vegetable than fruit. The slight sourness of lemon is there too, but it's overshadowed by that leaflike taste. The taste reminds me of summer yardwork, not relaxing with a cool drink.  

Kazouza 1941 Apple

It's been quite a while since I've discussed Kazouza, a soda from Lebanon, but I recently found a couple of bottles at a nearby Middle Eastern food market. The last time was this 2011 post. The bottles are smaller than average American sodas. This one just 8.45 ounces, down a bit from the 9 ounce bottles from 2011. 

A nice release of gas when cracking open the bottle always portends well. The aroma is sort of like a crisp Fuji apple. The drink itself has a very light, pale coloring. The carbonation is quite evident when tipping back a bottle. The apple flavoring is also light and dissipates quickly after taking a healthy swig. It's a pretty middling apple soda as far as taste is concerned, but it remains refreshing. 

Pepsi Soda Shop Cream Soda Cola

Coming back around to some Pepsi flavor variations, Pepsi released some vintage-inspired "soda shop" flavors to try to invoke some of the nostalgic flavors of old soda fountains. Noticeably, the ingredients list real sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup. However, that does not mean cane sugar. 

The bottle carries a hefty cream smell, very vanilla. Unfortunately, as taste goes, I feel the cream flavoring is too heavy handed. It masks any cola flavor and has a strong sugary taste. This might be something you can handle from a 12 ounce can, but something this sugary sweet will get sickening by the time you get halfway through a 20 ounce bottle. 

Mountain Dew Thrashed Apple

Another flavor variation from Mountain Dew. Appropriately for autumn we have an apple flavor. I kind of enjoy the artwork they have been displaying on these flavors, though I think the whole "extreme" this and that period is very passé. This one smells like a crisp Granny Smith apple. It definitely gives that apple-cinnamon taste of a nice slice of apple pie, which is nice. But this sort of Mountain Dew blend also imbues a tiny hint of melon with a touch of citrus to it. As apple sodas go, it's not bad.  

Chocolate-Covered Maple Smoked Bacon Soda

Here we have an interesting concoction from Real Soda. If you've followed my blog in the past you may recall Real Soda makes a very interesting variety of labels and flavors. To be honest I've been dreading tasting this one. I know bacon lovers out there will love the very idea of it, but I'm just wondering how well the flavor of bacon transfers to a drink. Not to mention, I have felt quite sick to my stomach after tasting some chocolate sodas before. 

When I opened this bottle my nose was no where near the cap, yet I immediately sensed a small smell of chocolate. I whiff near the nose of the bottle gives the same smell you get when ripping open a pack of that powdered hot chocolate mix. The smell of the chocolate powder is intense enough that it covers pretty much any other scents, but quaffing it enough I can sense a slight maple syrup scent. Ok the flavor is a mélange of senses that kind of confuse my brain for a moment. A swig immediately gives off the taste of cocoa, followed shortly by the taste of maple syrup. It's the aftertaste that later gives a flash of burnt chocolate that then subsides into the taste of bacon. It's an interesting feat to have all these combined in one bottle like this. While it's not something I'm going to sit around and sip on everyday, the novelty and chaos it provides the taste buds is enough that I'd recommend trying it once if you see a bottle somewhere. 

Cicero Beverage Co. Caramel Apple

West-Southwest of downtown Chicago, Illinois is the neighborhood of Cicero. My grandfather was born in Berwyn directly next to Cicero and later lived there as well so I had to pick up this bottle when I found it, though I can't even recall where I found it. Unfortunately, the website for the company is no longer active and the domain name appears up for grabs so I fear they've gone belly up. 

This drink smells of candied apples alright, like a sweet hard candy version. The more I inhale it the more I pick up the faint notes of caramel. Whether that translates into the taste is yet to be seen. That first swig is a punch. It's quite sour, but I think the taste is much more like candied apples than caramel apples. There's little carbonation, but it's clearly visible. It's just not very appetizing, perhaps that is why their web domain is no longer in use.

Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Lemonade

I'm a bit amazed I'm reviewing another flavor variation of Canada Dry already without having posted about the original, plain Canada Dry Ginger Ale. I'll have to rectify that soon. But since I have this Ginger Ale and Lemonade, let's give it a review here. 

There isn't much in the way of an aroma from this can but a bit of light ginger ale. In all openness I've had this flavor many times before. Aside from the ginger ale flavor there's this sourness from the lemonade that mixes really well with ginger ale. I recall the first time I saw this at the store and thought it sounded like a bizarre mixture and was surprised by how well it worked. I actually find the sourness of the lemonade makes this particular soda almost addictive. I find I often feel thirsty even after quickly finishing a can. But it is a tasty drink and I'd recommend it for anyone that also enjoys ginger ale. 

Sprecher Maple Root Beer

We're stepping into October and Autumn with this interesting Maple Root Beer from Sprecher in one of their customary 16 ounce bottles. Sprecher is a Wisconsin bottler of several different sodas as well as some beers. You'll find a couple of tastings on this blog from Sprecher. 

At first whiff, it simply has a mild root beer scent. The ingredients list actual maple syrup. It's a rich, flavorful root beer for sure. My taste buds are seeking a sweet maple syrup, but I don't sense it. However, the after taste gives that sugary, syrupy essence you get after eating waffles with maple syrup. In fact, it almost feels sticky like syrup. While there's cane sugar and maple syrup in this bottle, there is no caffeine, but a walloping 266 calories per bottle. 

Hippo Size Jumbo Root Beer

Orca Beverages, bottlers of many retro labels, also bottles this lineup of Hippo Size sodas in different flavors. Despite the name, the bottle is still a very normal 12 ounces. I don't really know what to say about this bottle... it's a very average root beer. There's a decent level of carbonation with a smooth root beer taste. I keep waiting for something else to punch up the finish but I'm not getting anything. It's probably just a basic line to fulfill some sort of regional soda customers. Not much I can add here. 

Oogave Root Beer

This is the second tasting for Oogave, an organic and caffeine free soda line using agave nectar as its sweetener. I'm picking up notes of cinnamon in the smell from the bottle. The actual flavor I get from this however, I feel is lacking. It's kind of like tasting that vegan alternative of one of your favorite foods... the basic gist is there, but somethings just off. It's actually a little bitter to me, but the one thing it has going for it is a lot of carbonation. I just think the flavor needs some work. 

Private Selection Irish Cream Soda

One more from Kroger's Private Selection label. This bottle has a nice vanilla smell to it. I would not say that this bottle is all that different to your standard cream sodas. I find it has a slightly more creamy flavor with a hint of vanilla and possibly the tiniest bit of mint hiding way in the back of the rich flavor profile. It's certainly tasty, probably the best flavor I've had from this label since most of the others are a bit out there. All in all, it's a tasty drink and I'd recommend as a nice after dinner dessert beverage.

Pepsi Wild Cherry

Just a short time ago I finally posted on classic Pepsi cola here. Now we come to Pepsi Wild Cherry... released in 1988, though for some reason I recall the novelty of tasting a Pepsi Cherry my mother brought back from Canada around or before that time that was not labeled "Wild". In any case, this was a catch-up effort three years after Coca-Cola had launched Cherry Coke in 1985. 

What I'm most excited about was that I was able to find this in a glass bottle. As mentioned in the original Pepsi post, it's much harder to find Pepsi in glass bottles than Coke products, though a lot of that is due to infiltration of so-called "Mexican Coke". So it was something of a small victory for me when I found this. 

Most of these well-known flavors from already popular brands don't really need a taste review since most people know what they taste like. This bottle has a light cherry scent, carried by heavy carbonation. The carbonation consists of pleasantly tiny bubbles, unlike some of the big bubbles you often get from soda fountains. It's been a long time since I tasted Pepsi Wild Cherry... and it's a more subtly cherry flavor than I remember, and I like it. 

Mountain Dew Black Label

With this can, we can close the door on the hat trick of the White Label, Green Label, and Black Label series from Mountain Dew. Seeing as Mountain Dew has not been shying away from experimenting with many different flavors as of late, I'm unsure why this three flavor series was packaged so differently. They list them as "crafted" as if they are attempting to attract a more artisanal customer with these, but the ingredients are nothing special. Maybe the tall-boy cans common among energy drinks is trying to straddle the line between the two?

The smell from the can is very faint, but a little bit like berry, which the can describes as the flavor. However, my mind keeps seeing this black can and almost wants it to be a black licorice flavor out of my sheer curiosity of what that might taste like in a soda. The drink is dark purple in color, and the taste is like a raspberry and blueberry lemonade. There is not a strong sour bite, but it does seem a tiny bit like lemon. Half way through the ingredients, orange juice concentrate is listed. This is probably what is adding that twinge of citrus flavor. I'd give this a middling grade. It's a decent drink but might benefit from more carbonation. It's a decent flavor to mix up your day if you're looking for something a little different. 

Boylan Shirley Temple

Legend has it that the child star of the 1930's was with her parents and annoyed at not being able to drink the same adult beverages they had, so the staff whipped up this drink to please her. Of course a classic Shirley Temple is a non-alcoholic drink that includes ginger ale with a splash of grenadine and lime. But there have been many adaptations, Some folks will just mix grenadine and sprite or 7-up and call it the same thing. Some recipes include lemon juice rather than lime, some are served with maraschino cherries and others aren't.

This particular soda does have an air of cherry to it. This soda may be the closest thing to that original description I've ever had. It does indeed taste of a light ginger taste and has a smooth grenadine essence. The finish is also just a touch sour. Traditional grenadine syrup was made from pomegranate, but some used in bars may also use cherries or be artificially flavored. Overall, not a bad soda. If they hadn't used cane sugar and instead used high-fructose corn syrup it would probably be too sugary. This edges right on that line. 

Private Selection Creamy Ginger Root Beer

The first Private Select soda I reviewed was way back in 2017. This is a private label of soda flavors from the Kroger grocery chain.

I find that it has plenty of carbonation. The bizarre thing to me, as I hold it under my nose, is the smell. It smells like a jar of Vick's VapoRub. Something about this combination of flavors has created a scent that makes my brain immediately imagine that oily mentholatum rub. The flavor is strange as well. When it hits my mouth I pick up the creamy sort of taste you'd expect from a cream soda. But it quickly switches to an aromatic blend of root beer and ginger. This after taste makes me think it isn't the cream flavoring but the unique mix of ginger and root beer providing that methol-like smell. I don't particularly care for the taste, but it's so uniquely bizarre. 

Hank's Gourmet Grape Soda

 

From Hank's Beverages is another flavor, following on the footsteps of a previous post on Hank's here. 

Always nice to hear a crisp release of pressure when cracking open a bottle. I'm getting a level of carbonation, which helps the flavor dance across the tongue. I'll say that I usually have high expectations of quality from anything called "gourmet", and really how "gourmet" can it be if it's in most of the stores of a huge grocery chain? The taste is grape, yes, but it's a taste that dies off quickly in your mouth and becomes more like raisin. You could do worse, but is it something I'm going to look forward to getting more of? No, not really. Its a middling grape soda. 

Mountain Dew Baja Gold

Another interesting flavor from Mountain Dew. This one, a bright yellow color, and named Baja Blast. 

This bottle has an intense sugary, candy-like odor. It's a very sweet pineapple flavor, but it's 'soda genealogy' as a descendant from Mountain Dew certainly lingers in the background. There's a tingly zest I can feel on the tongue which is reminiscent of classic Mountain Dew. Overall, I don't think it's terrible, but I tend not to want to finish drinks this cloying because they start to make me sick to my stomach after a bit. The label says, "Grab all the Baja flavors", but I didn't see any others at the store when I picked this up so I may have to hunt a little more to find them if they are still available. 

Mountain Dew Major Melon

 

We're on a roll with Mountain Dew flavor off-shoots, so here we are with Major Melon, branded as a Watermelon flavor variety. 

I won't say it doesn't smell like melon, it does... but it's sort of like a watermelon blended with a bit of berry. It does have a decent watermelon taste. As with many things cold and watermelon flavored it makes for a nice summer refresher. Again, I wish it had a little more carbonation, but I enjoy the artwork on the bottle and the color of the drink. 

Mountain Dew Flamin' Hot

Here we go again from Mountain Dew. Obviously I had to get this to review it, but I'm not a fan of spicy foods and drinks. I can't even imagine tasting Flamin' Hot Cheetos, yuck. I know that probably offends some of their fans out there who are probably pooping red from them as you read this. 

Well it doesn't smell much different than classic Mountain Dew. There's no taste of ginger or cinnamon, and I can't see an ingredient that spells out what they've added, but sure enough there's a heat that warms the through and back of the mouth from this. It kind of boggles my mind why anyone would enjoy drinking this even if you like spicy foods, but there it is. 

 

Mountain Dew Spark

 

Another one of many Mountain Dew derivatives, Spark is described on the bottle as a raspberry lemonade. 

It does have a fruity lemonade scent. Drinking it, I can say that there isn't very much raspberry in the flavor, just a very tiny hint. It tastes like a spiked Mountain Dew at the front. Once it washes to the back of the tongue I pick up that sort of sour lemonade flavor you expect from fresh squeezed. Overall, it isn't terrible, perhaps a bit too sweet like many of the flavors Mountain Dew has tried. I wish it had a bit more carbonation though.

1893 Original Cola from Pepsi

 

Here's the final flavor in the 1893 series I was able to get. Unfortunately the Black Currant Cola was not easy to locate. I imagine if they released this series at all in the UK it would have been a popular flavor there because there are a number of popular drinks with currant flavoring there. 

So this particular can describes a "dark brown malt flavor" as well as "a touch of aromatic bitters", both of which are already giving me some ideas of what to expect. Of the flavors in this 1893 series this one has that smell of Pepsi cola. I would not say it has a very malt-like taste. However, the bitters a very forward but not too strong. It does conjure an "old-world" feel to it. I think this would be a really nice permanent flavor. 

1893 Ginger Cola from Pepsi

 

Another selection from this 1893 series... 

This one has a very sharp aroma of ginger. A little like the smell of fresh cut cedar mixed with an antiseptic. It reminds of some very strong ginger beers I've had in the past. Though I often find ginger beers over powering the scent is enticing.

I would put the taste of this drink on par with a light ginger beer. As I've said, some ginger beers are very strong and leave your mouth burning. This one provides a little of that "heat" and is stronger than a ginger ale, but is lighter than those types of suffocating ginger beers. There's really almost no cola flavor though. If you wait long enough after a imbibing a mouthful the ginger starts to fade and the back of your tongue might pick up subtle notes of cola, but that's about it. So it's a strong one to be prepared for if you want to give it a try. 

1893 Citrus Cola from Pepsi

 

A little while ago Pepsi created a craft series of sodas named 1893. There were four flavors including Original Cola, Citrus Cola, Ginger Cola, and Black Currant Cola. This can of Citrus Cola contains the same number of calories, 150, as a can of classic Pepsi cola. 

I do find the packaging of this series very nice. An elegant touch in tall, slim cans for a craft experience. Interestingly, they chose orange for the color of this Citrus Cola can, which made me think it would be imbued with an orange flavor, but the can mentions grapefruit essence. I do quite like that the label states the ingredients are Fair Trade Certified though. Opening the can does reveal a grapefruit-like aroma. Though the can does not mention cane sugar, based on the softness of this I think it may in fact use cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. Cane sugar being far superior in my opinion and often, I find, giving a softer sweetness. What I like about this is how rounded the overall taste is. There is no overt cola flavor and yet the fruitiness is light and unassuming. You'd be forgiven for even believing this was a cola drink at all, let alone something from Pepsi. So far it has my endorsement and makes me look forward to some of the other flavors in this series. 

Coca-Cola Cinnamon

 

It only seemed fitting to review Coca-Cola Cinnamon after Pepsi Fire, which was Pepsi's attempt with cinnamon. 

The cinnamon scent is much weaker than expected upon opening. Is that because it is from a can rather than a bottle? I can't be sure, but could not locate this drink packaged in a bottle anywhere. Unlike Pepsi Fire, there is absolutely no heat felt from the cinnamon when tasting it. I immediately get a strong cinnamon taste as soon as it hits the front of my tongue. That cinnamon taste dissipates quickly though, and quickly tastes more like furniture polish. 

Mixed with some alcohol, it might be more popular in Nordic countries during the winter holidays since that reminds me just a little of the some of their more herb-like drinks.

Pepsi Fire

Now that I've finally got a post up on regular Pepsi, I can turn some attention to some of their interesting flavor combinations. 

Coke may have released a Coca-Cola Cinnamon flavor, but Pepsi was a little more inventive with their take on a cinnamon cola by naming theirs Pepsi Fire, invoking some of that heat that cinnamon can bring. Side note... unlike many spices and herbs used in food, cinnamon is actually the ground bark of a bushy evergreen tree grown in southeast Asia, primarily in Sri Lanka. It's a little humorous to me that these companies are now experimenting with cinnamon and cola. When I was a kid I would experiment with drink concoctions in our kitchen, often adding cinnamon. Though I do not think there is any actual cinnamon spice added to this, but probably more to do with some artificial flavors. 

It's got that sweet cinnamon scent I like. I don't actually feel any heat from this in my mouth. There's a tiny tingle well after taking a drink, but nothing like I would expect from something with Fire in its name. The more I drink of it I do get a little better sense for it and it grows a small bit. The smell and taste seem very reminiscent of an alcoholic beverage with ginger. In fact, I bet someone who enjoys a variety of cocktails or ginger beer would probably find this to be an adequate mixer. 

Pepsi Blue

Pepsi Blue was originally sold in the early 2000's but was re-released for a limited time last year when I tossed this bottle in the fridge. Thankfully, despite the plastic bottle it seems to have held its carbonization pressure just fine. Pepsi Blue is a "berry" flavored soda.

It smells of a blend of blueberry and raspberry. Having tasted a number of different berry flavored sodas over the years I can see why this flavor didn't last as anything more than a novelty. It's overly sugary to begin with, but the "berry" flavor rings both unnatural but too front forward as well. It probably doesn't help matters that human brains aren't readily prepared for foods that are such a shade of blue outside of some candies for kids. 

Mountain Dew Dew.S.A

 

This Dew.S.A flavor, was a sort of summer celebration flavor marketed as a mix of three of their spin off flavors, namely Code Red, White Out, and Voltage... a blend of red, white, and blue. 

This blended drink turns out to have a berry-like smell, while the purple color makes you think more along the lines of a grape. The actual taste does feel like a mix of the mentioned flavors rather than a totally new drink. I might even imagine if a kid at a soda fountain filled their cup with each of those it would probably taste a lot like this. I was struggling for a bit with how to describe this but I think the best way to explain this flavor is like if you had a blueberry and raspberry sno-cone and drank the last of the syrup at the bottom of the cone, very sugary. 

Aaaannnndd... now I'm seeing that I actually posted about this flavor once before. Reviewing my previous post is interesting because I think I came about pretty much the same conclusion each time. I'll try not to make this mistake again. 

Jones Soda Crushed Melon

Jones makes a splashy return to the blog with another special release flavor, this time in the form of Crushed Melon, no mention of what kind of melon. The first Jones appearance was back in 2010 with this entry. 

This one gives the aroma of a ripe, overly sugary, cantaloupe. There's plenty of carbonation. It might be the citric acid in the drink, but I get a sharper taste on the back of the tongue that I don't usually get from drinks with cane sugar, even the citrus flavored ones. It's not an unpleasant drink. I think most folks might tire of the flavor by the end of a bottle. This is another flavor I think should have been seen on shelves at the beginning of the summer rather than appearing at the end of the season. Give it a try if you come across a bottle. 

Sipp Sparkling Summer Pear

Sipp does not have a long or detailed history, but had some interesting flavor combinations released a little while ago. It seems they have already shifted their brand, as only three new flavors are now shown on their website and all in cans rather than glass bottles. They offer organic beverages, this one sweetened with agave. 

While this bottle is labeled Sparkling Summer Pear, they also mention green tea and honey. My guess, prior to opening, is this will taste more like a tonic water with very light flavoring. There's a strange scent coming from the bottle upon opening that is hard to place. The smell of tea leaves is definitely hidden in that scent if you give it a few deep whiffs. The taste is quite noxious to me however. The taste of green tea is overwhelming and there is nothing pear-like. As I'm not a tea drinker I find this taste unappealing and won't finish the bottle. 

Crystal Pepsi

 

The infamous Crystal Pepsi. Originally a short-lived marketing effort from Pepsi in the early 1990's (1992-1994) competing with other clear and lighter colored soft drinks like Clearly Canadian. Caramel coloring was added after all, but the clear color was thought to also give an appearance of a "healthier" alternative at a time when consumers were paying more attention to such things. This actually prompted a Clear Tab from Coke as a rebuttal. 

Crystal Pepsi would eventually fail to win much favor, and was discontinued, but it entered the zeitgeist, capturing the imaginations of young millennials in no small part due to advertising and comedic parodies of the product. In the middle of the 2010's a limited re-release of the product appeared and went just as quickly. 

Sadly, while I may have found this bottle, it's too old to be any good. The carbonation is gone and it tastes much more like flat Sprite than a Pepsi cola. 

Pepsi Cola

Long overdue, I'd been putting off this post just because I know the drinks that have been around longer have more history to cover, not out of any sort of preference. In fact, I sit firmly on the fence between Coca-Cola and Pepsi. A lot of people have hard stances one way or the other, but I find them equally enjoyable as regular colas. I have stronger opinions though when comparing Diet Coke to Diet Pepsi, or Caffeine Free Diet Coke to Diet Caffeine Free Pepsi. 

I've discussed in the past that the birth place of many sodas were in local drugstores, and Pepsi is right in there too. Caleb Bradham, of New Bern, North Carolina, was creating his own cola concoction at the end of the 1800's. In 1893 it was first known as "Brad's Drink". Did he think "Bradham's Drink" was too much of a mouthful? The name changed five years later, when in 1898 it became known as Pepsi-Cola. The popularity of the drink grew, but Pepsi-Cola fell on hard times after World War I due to the cost of sugar. The brand would trade hands to Charles Guth in 1931. Guth hired someone to improve the recipe, and as it so happened was the president of the Loft, Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of candy in the 1920's. Loft had a chain of Happiness Candy retail stores with soda fountains in them. Guth used his new Pepsi-Cola acquisition to replace Coca-Cola in the candy stores. In 1941, the previously separate Pepsi-Cola Company, merged with Loft under the Pepsi-Cola Company name. The current landscape of food and beverage might look very different had Coca-Cola purchased Pepsi-Cola on one of the many occasions they reportedly had to do so in the 1920's and 30's. 

In 1961, the name of the drink was shortened to simply, Pepsi, and then the Pepsi-Cola Company merged with snack maker Frito-Lay in 1965 to become just PepsiCo. Pepsi would go on to create a number of unique ad campaigns, most-notably they kicked of the Cola Wars of the 1980's with the Pepsi Challenge, a guerilla marketing effort based on blind taste tests showing people preferred Pepsi to Coke and later leading to the debacle of New Coke from Coca-Cola. Today Pepsi's beverages place second in market share to Coca-Cola, combining for 30% of soft drinks globally. 

It's fairly difficult to find Pepsi in a glass bottle. As you should know by know I prefer soda in a bottle if possible. Unfortunately, the particular curves of this bottle needs a cloth to pick up the drips like you'd use on a wine bottle. This particular bottle tastes of a little more cinnamon than you normally expect from a new can of Pepsi. Otherwise, I think everyone knows what Pepsi tastes like so I'll skip over other details. 

Diet Coke Feisty Cherry

 

The last flavor I have from this series from Diet Coke is this can of Feisty Cherry. 

Now, I like the deep black cherry aroma from opening this can. It's much nicer than the smell from the others in this series. I had high hopes from the smell, but it's another fail for me. Weak on the cherry flavoring, and the artificial sweetener leaves a bitter flavor. Similar to the Zesty Mango, there's a spice that brings up the rear. Not a fan of this one or the others in this series. 

Diet Coke Ginger Lime

 

Another selection from this series from Diet Coke is this Ginger Lime flavor. Based on the last couple posts, I'm expecting a sharp lime taste with a trailing heat of ginger following. 

The can offers tiny whiff of lime, but very little scent otherwise. Now, I'm surprise by how weak the flavor actually is. This takes a departure from the last two flavors I've tasted in this series. There's a very weak cola flavor, like that of a coke that was finished and all the ice in the glass melted... but with the hint of a slice of lime in the glass. I find it underwhelming. Overall, this series of drinks seems more like Diet Coke trying to offer a competitor for all the flavored seltzer waters on the market. But I find them lacking. 

Coca-Cola Dreamworld

 

I found this yesterday at the grocery store. My first impression when walking by was that it was just another limited edition bottle design, but then I noticed it says "Dream Flavored". I have no idea if that's some stupid marketing thing or if they've actually done anything to the flavor so of course I had to pick up a bottle. 

Right off the bat I could smell something different. Taking in a big whiff, at first I though bubble gum, but no, it's more like melon. Now I'm not a big melon eater so I'm not exactly sure what melon this is I'm tasting... cantaloupe maybe, or perhaps honeydew? It's not a bad flavor combination to be honest. I think it would have been better released during the summer, perfect to drink at the State Fair. As it is September now, most of the State Fairs have ended and this flavor profile doesn't conjure autumn in my mind. Nevertheless, I'd recommend giving this a try. 

Diet Coke Zesty Blood Orange

Next, in this series of flavors from Diet Coke is this Zesty Blood Orange. I've liked a number of Blood Orange sodas over the years, though I'm not sure I've ever had one blended with cola. 

Unlike the Twisted Mango, this can presents a sharp orange scent. There's really no cola flavor present as it's overwhelmingly orange in flavor, though somehow thinner than traditional orange soda. I wasn't sure what they meant by "zesty" but trailing the aftertaste you do pick up a little spice in the back of the throat. It's not heat, but more like a tingle you might get from trying an exotic pastry.

Diet Coke Twisted Mango

 

Diet Coke has experimented with a few flavors over the last few years and I've gathered some interesting offerings to try, starting with Twisted Mango.

This has a strange flavor to it and very little scent at all. I was expecting something closer to a melon-like taste, but it's like tasting a carbonated vegetable. The flavor is almost like that of green stalks than that of a sweet fruit. I don't find this pleasant. 

Fest Pecan Root Beer

I don't recall where I picked up this bottle from Fest. They are supposedly a company out of New Orleans, but their domain (festcola.com) seems to be vacant at the present time, so I'm not sure if they are still bottling or not. Their Instagram and Twitter accounts are still up, but as of today, neither has had any new posts since 2019, so that does not bode well. Unfortunately, that means I may never get to taste some of their other flavors such as Peach Ginger Ale or Almond Cola. What drew me to this bottle was the styling. The font and swooping parallel lines give me a 1970's aesthetic. 

The soda has a rich golden brown color, not as dark as a typical root beer. It's smell is not just nutty, but earthy, almost smoky. The flavor is complex, almost bourbon-like with the slightest hint of caramel. It has a decent amount of carbonation, but I think it's right. Too much carbonation can sometimes make a soda a bit sharp and distract from the flavor. I can appreciate the use of cane sugar as well, which as I've mention in previous posts provides a softer, more "round" sweetness than corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. Just half way through this bottle and it's won me over and makes me a bit disheartened about the possibility of not being able to try their other flavors. Kudos to the folks that created this recipe. 

Dry Vanilla Bean

I've featured some other flavors from Dry Soda on this blog before, such as their Juniper flavor here. 

A crisp hiss of pressure when twisting the cap releases a bright smell of vanilla. While this has a wisp of vanilla on the front end of a sip, it's followed by a more chemical taste like a seltzer that I don't particularly find enjoyable. This is a noticeable trend to me among the Dry Sodas in that they are not exactly in the realm of other sodas, but very specialized to a niche drinker or someone looking to use them for meal preparation purposes. I've got another flavor from Dry to review soon, but expecting I'll probably feel the same way.

Mountain Dew White Label

Mountain Dew continues its exploration of flavors with this White Label flavor blended with a citrus flavor. This flavor was released in the same time period as their Black Label and Green Label. History on the original Mountain Dew can be found in this previous post. 

It has a grapefruit-like aroma when opening. The flavor is like that of a blend of Fresca and Squirt, not unpleasant to me at all, albeit with more caffeine. Interestingly it lists white grape juice high on the list of ingredients. I think the carbonation level is just right. One of the thinks that strikes me though about this drink is the beauty of the matte white can.