Stubborn Black Cherry

As it turns out that the Stubborn Soda brand is actually a subsidiary of PepsiCo. This must be either one of those excuses to test experimental flavors or one of many attempts by giant corporations to fly under the radar as a craft/niche product. Interestingly, it appears they are using stevia as a sweetener and the ingredients list purple carrot juice concentrate for coloring. 

Not sure what to make of a soda that list tarragon in its flavor profile, but technically this is black cherry with tarragon. I've no real meter to judge what tarragon tastes like though. A web search seems to describe tarragon as bittersweet and somewhat comparable to anise. It seems to have plenty of carbonation since it fizzes up well each time I tip up the bottle. The color is not as dark as you usually get from black cherry sodas. You'll definitely pick up a black cherry flavor, though not one with a lot of depth. It has a tartness to it though that I think is owed to that tarragon. All in all, I find it a bit of a miss as it's too tart for me to enjoy. I prefer a sweeter black cherry with rich berry flavor.