Coca-Cola Energy

Similar to the yesterday's post, this was soda was a foray by Coca-Cola into the energy drink space. However, Coca-Cola Energy ceased production in North America but is available from other parts of the world. This particular can is original cola flavored in a zero sugar variety. A regular sugar version and cherry version were also available. Among its ingredients are vitamins that regulate electrolytes as well as guarana which is a fruit bearing plant from South America that is commonly used in energy drinks in combination with caffeine. Although it has zero calories, this can contains more than three times the amount of caffeine of a similar size (12oz) can of normal Coca-Cola. 

The drink smells very much like normal Coke. There's a faint difference in the aroma which could be from the guarana, but it is very slight. It still tastes of cola but it is a much different taste than regular Coca-Cola. The guarana, used in many energy drinks, provides a fruitiness and even bit of herbs to the taste. It does indeed taste like someone spilled a touch of Red Bull into a Coke. It tastes fine, but as mentioned, it isn't going to taste like normal Coke. 

Mountain Dew Kickstart Black Cherry

I try to avoid so-called "energy drinks", but sometimes there's a cross over from some of these soda brands that kind of sit on the fence. Kickstart is a line of drinks from Mountain Dew to wade themselves into the energy drink market but in many places resides among the sodas rather than on the shelves with the Red Bull's and Monster drinks. Their website lists "Dew®. Juice. Caffeine." but it only contains 5% juice. While that may be more than typical sodas, 5% isn't something I'd be crowing from the rooftops about. Are there buyers who think that means it healthy? These cans are 16oz. and the nutrition label says there are two servings per can. I can't help but wonder if they realize putting it aside to consume the second serving later means the carbonation will be gone. As far as the sugar content goes, it actually has just 19g for the entire 16oz can, which is better than original Mountain Dew at 46g for only a 12oz can. I think perhaps they are leaning on the added electrolytes and differentiated marketing as their primary separations from traditional Mountain Dew soda.

Cracking open the can I find it has very little smell, but what is there seems a bit citrus-like rather than cherry. I was not expecting this to taste anything like the citrus-forward Mountain Dew, and yet the first thing I get from it is just that. The black cherry flavoring arrives later, in the finish and aftertaste. I'd say it's almost 50/50.... more like traditional Mountain Dew until finished swallowing, then my mouth is overcome with the taste of black cherry you'd expect to be the focus. I find it to be a decent drink in terms of its flavor. While it isn't a health drink or sports drink by any means, it is healthier than regular Mountain Dew, with both fewer calories and less sugar.  

Lester's Fixins Peanut Butter & Jelly

The majority of these novelty sodas from Lester's Fixins, produced by Rocket Fizz, are so gross that I've been putting off tasting this one but the time has come. I was hoping that the aroma might be one of the more pleasing things about it, but it smells a bit like cardboard. It's not a good flavor. I get a bit of the peanut butter flavor but not really much in the way of jelly. This reminds me of Smucker's Goober Grape... that stuff I only remember seeing at friends houses during my childhood that combined peanut butter and jelly in the same jar... and it wasn't good either. But this is somehow worse than Goober Grape; more stale tasting I'd say. This is a bottle you can skip but your kids will probably beg you to buy if they see it at a road stop.

Capt'n Eli's Root Beer

Capt'n Eli's was based on a family tradition of brewing homemade root beer. Fred Forsley launched this into the commercially bottled Capt'n Eli's soda brand in 1996. While they make a few traditional soda flavors, a root beer seemed like a classic choice to grab for a first review of the brand.

The bottle carries a slight minty aroma mixed with something of a cream. It's hard to place, but I'm getting something like a twinge of something vegetable about the flavor. Other than that I think it's sort of average root beer. I wish it had more bite and some added cream to evoke that root beer float flavor. 

Skeleteens Love Potion No. 69

This bottle of soda from Skeleteens has a pink hue and I get something of a mixed berry scent from it. I'm finding it a tad chemical tasting but I think it's sort of a mix of berry and passionfruit in terms of the flavor profile. Unfortunately, I don't find it that enjoyable and it's possible this bottle is quite old since it seems Skeleteens may no longer exist and it has very little carbonation left. A shame because Skeleteens had some interesting stuff in the day. There's no date printed on the bottle for me to confirm that though. 

Spade Yuzu Lime

I only had the opportunity to take a couple of the flavors from Spade with me on a recent trip, this being the second one I chose since it isn't a common option among soda flavors. Again, I think the Stevia does funny things with flavors in sodas. It seems to be a common thread, not just among the sodas from Spade but other sodas I've had that used Stevia extract in them. It isn't as sharp as high fructose corn syrup, but its not as soft and rounded as cane sugar. The lime and acidity of the yuzu in this soda bring an acerbic quality to this drink. It's not an unpleasant flavor but if you don't like the bite from strong citrus flavors you probably won't like this option.

Spade Dr. Spade

Spade is yet another company aiming to fill a niche for "healthy" sodas. Spade was founded by a small group of friends in 2022 and is based in San Diego. Of the supposed "healthy" soda market space, this might be the first one claiming to be healthy and not a pre- or pro-biotic. Sweetened with Stevia each can has zero sugar and zero calories. They have also added magnesium and potassium for an electrolyte boost. With a name like Dr. Spade, I think its safe to assume this is their entry into the flavor space of Dr Pepper and it's clones. 

The can opens with a hint of a cherry-like aroma, but it isn't very strong on the nose. There's a very peculiar taste about this. It does give a slight cherry tang but I think it may be the Stevia sweetener that gives it a tiny herbal skew followed by what might be described as saltiness. That saltiness is replaced by a sweetness after around 5 seconds. Another unusual thing about this drink is that most competitors to Dr Pepper are dark brown in color, whereas this drink is clear. I would not put this up against a Dr Pepper or Mr. Pibb in terms of their flavoring, however there is something to be said about the unusual taste of this drink. 

Dublin Fru Fru Berry

I'm going to guess this soda might be a strawberry blend of some sort based on the color because "Fru Fru" doesn't really give it away. Inhaling from the top of the bottle it gives blueberry and blackberry notes. The plentiful carbonation helps lift those scents up to the nose. It's not actually a strawberry but a real blend of berry flavors. I do pick up hints of blueberry, maybe a touch of grape, just the slightest hint of strawberry, and a sweetness like that of bubblegum flavored cotton candy. I guess we now know what flavor "fru fru" is. Its too sweet for me to be much more than a momentary distraction.

Boylan Sparkling Lemonade

I've reviewed several flavors from Boylan in the past and come across this sparkling lemonade to try. There's a nice lemon juice smell from this one. It's tart enough to make the backs of my cheeks suddenly seize and water my mouth. This would be great on a hot summer day as its basically a carbonated lemonade. If you like tart or sour flavors this would be for you. Two thumbs up. 

Sprite Lymonade Legacy

I'd previously reviewed a bottle of Sprite Lymonade in this earlier post. While I don't want to review the same soda twice, I wasn't really sure if this can was expected to be different from the previous one or not. The can is a different color and they've added "Legacy" to the label, so I had to pick up a can to find out. It has a good deal of carbonation judging by the sound of fizzing coming form the can as well as a slight lime scent. It certainly is a different flavor from the previous Sprite Lymonade. There's a splash of strawberry in this, which goes with the pink hued can. And while I try to remain surprised most of the time I just realized the label does say "lemon-lime strawberry & lemonade" in small text near the bottom. It's a tasty mixture which harkens to the fresh strawberry lemonades common at many restaurants in the summer even if it doesn't have actual strawberries in the bottom. 

Refresco Goya Guaraná

Guaraná is a climbing plant native to the Amazon that produces a fruit, often reddish in color. The seeds of the plant are often used as a stimulant, which is more potent than the caffeine found in a similar quantity of coffee beans. For this reason it is commonly used in energy drinks today. Despite having tasted many energy drinks, I don't know specifically what guaraná is supposed to taste like. After opening the bottle however, I can tell you that this drink smells a little like feet after being released from a sweaty sock. The soda itself tastes very medicinal, and not like a sweetened cough syrup. There are notes that remind me of beer though not heavily. It's a distinct musky flavor that I can't say I enjoy. It must be a very acquired taste or something you have to grow up with to enjoy. 

1776 Beverage Co. White Peach Ginger Ale

This soda was produced by Heartbreaking Dawns, which as far as I can tell, only produces hot sauces these days. Nevertheless, I'm encouraged to try a white peach ginger ale soda. It has quite the peachy aroma. I wish the ginger ale was more prominently figured in the taste. It's largely coming across as just a white peach flavor. This white peach is lighter and more flowery tasting than the typical peach sodas I've tasted. It's decent enough, but as I mentioned I wish there were more ginger ale blended with it. 

Northern Soda Cola

I previously discussed the history of the Northern Soda Company on this earlier post. This time around I've got a can of their cola flavor. A nice sounding crack when opening a can is always a good start. The aroma isn't strong but you can't mistake it for something other than cola. It's a solid tasting cola. It's only slightly more expensive than your main stream soda brands that use high fructose corn syrup, which I'd say is a good trade off for a small batch, cane sugar sweetened, independent brand cola. 

AJ Stephan's Lemon & Lime

Its been a while since I've reviewed a soda from AJ Stephan's line up. The color of this soda is what I'd call "toxic waste green". When open it smells distinctly like lime. After a few swigs I'd say it also taste much more like a lime soda than a lemon and lime. That being said, I've had better lime sodas. I'll continue to keep an eye out for more from AJ Stephan's so I can try some of their other flavors. 

Oak Creek Blonde Root Beer

Oak Creek sodas are produced by Sprecher Brewing in Wisconsin. Multiple Sprecher sodas have appeared in previous posts. The Oak Creek brand is focused only on root beers and makes a standard brown root beer as well as this light colored blonde root beer, both of which are barrel aged for a year. It smells of vanilla and has a color that is clear but tinted slightly yellow like a white wine. I can't say I recall ever tasting a "blonde" root beer before. The carbonation is okay. The bubbles seem to grow taller at the top of the bottle with each tip. I don't sense much of a root beer flavor from this bottle, much more like a vanilla cream. 

Melba's Fixins Carrot Cake Soda

In the same vein as the Lester's Fixins novelty sodas from Rocket Fizz, also exists Melba's Fixins. This is a carrot cake soda. Carrot cake is nowhere near the top of my list when it comes to picking cakes. There's just something wrong about making a desert from a vegetable. Most recipes also contain raisins, which are fine in an oatmeal cookie but not my cup of tea in cake. So here we go, fingers crossed this isn't too gross. 

It's got a strong smell of pumpkin and nutmeg which is not what I was expecting. The flavor is very much like pumpkin pie. Strong notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. Did they accidentally fill this bottle with pumpkin pie soda? It's actually quite drinkable if you're into such fall flavors. No notes of vanilla cream frosting, but I'm surprised by how enjoyable it actually is. 

Sprecher Cherry Cola

This selection from Sprecher is not in their typical glass bottles but in an attractive can that stood out to me on the shelf. I'm not certain what "fire-brewed" is supposed to add to the flavor here. Is there a char that affects the soda's flavor like it's a piece of sirloin steak? Sprecher is of course a Wisconsin company, but I've noted that ingredients of this cherry cola list cherries sourced from Door County as well as raw Wisconsin Honey. I would have thought honey as an ingredient may have been used as a sweetener but they also list glucose syrup. 

A cherry scent is present, as expected, though it isn't very strong. I think it has a very unique flavor profile for a cherry cola. I do taste the cola hiding in the back because the cherry takes center stage. I'm also picking up a soft and pleasant sweetness that tastes like it could very well be from the honey. Wirth each sip I'm mentally trying to isolate this and it does remind me of honey. In my opinion, this is a pleasingly unique cherry cola and the sort of craft soda you could splurge on from time to time as a nice treat and not tire of it. 

Maine Root Blueberry Soda

Maine Root produces sodas using certified Fair Trade produced cane sugar from Brazil. The company is based in Portland, Maine and began producing root beer in 2000. The blueberry scent from the top of this bottle is very strong. It's as if someone bought a container of fresh blueberries at the market then crushed them and stuck it in my face. The taste is equally strong. The odd blueberry with some other fresh fruits, with pancakes, or baked into a muffin is great but this is very powerful. I feel like this should be served with a muffin for breakfast. It's not quite my cup of tea, but I'm sure some folks will enjoy it. 

Jolt Cherry Bomb

Several years ago I discussed the Jolt Cola brand when reviewing Jolt Red Eye. This time I've found found a bottle of Jolt Cherry Bomb. I fear this is an old bottle because they've rebranded and gotten rid of their flavor line up to revert to cola. However, I'm hopeful it may still be alright. I've yet to post about glass versus plastic bottles and cans, which I will get to at some point, but a properly sealed glass bottle can remain good for a long time. There isn't much of a cherry aroma or any much of any other scent for me to sense from this. It tastes a bit funky. I'm not sure if that's due to the age of the bottle, or their particular recipe. I don't find it particularly likeable though, so I'm going to simply assume its bad and dump it. 

Fusion Select Mango Ramune

Since I cannot read the brand of this mango ramune from Japan, I did some googling and I believe the company is called Fusion Select. I've been unable to find a specific website or information about this brand. The scent is sort of earthy, about what I imagine a bunch of mango pulp tossed in a compost bin might smell like. The initial taste is quite clean and watery. The finish is where the fruitiness comes out and like most ramune this seems pretty close to capturing a good mango flavor. There's a sensation as well, not really a umami, but just a hint of savory that makes this flavor interesting. 

Jelly Belly Lemon Drop

The folks that make the famous gourmet jelly beans have a few flavors of soda as well. Something key to Jelly Belly's success is how they can seemingly encapsulate about any flavor into a jelly bean. And, yes, they do make soda flavored jelly beans, including A&W Root Beer and Dr Pepper. 

Gustav Goelitz was a German immigrant in who started a candy business in Belleville, Illinois in 1869. The Goelitz Confectionary Company was successful enough to open factories in Cincinnati and Chicago by 1904. In 1913, the company moved from Belleville, just east of St. Louis, to Chicago. Gustav's son, Herman, opened his own candy business, the Herman Goelitz Candy Company, in California. It was in the 1960's that they began producing jelly beans. In 1976, Herman Rowland, who was Herman Goelitz's grandson, worked with David Klein to create naturally flavored jelly beans. The Jelly Belly was born and named in tribute to blues musician Lead Belly. So while there is a long history of the companies behind Jelly Belly jelly beans, the first actual sale of Jelly Belly beans wasn't until 1976. Herman Goelitz Candy Company remained the company behind the Jelly Belly until 2001 when they renamed to form the Jelly Belly Candy Company. Since 2023 Jelly Belly has been owned by the Ferrara Candy Company. Ferrara brands include Lemonheads, Chuckles, Pixy Stix, Spree, Fun Dip, and Nerds. 

The soda itself smells lemony like a can of lemon Pledge furniture polish. The taste isn't anything great in my opinion. It's basically a lemon sour with a puckering tartness but not overly tart. They've opted for cane sugar which is a surprise to me since I always picture jelly beans as being made in a chemistry lab with corn syrup. 

Pepsi Wild Cherry & Cream

I've covered many varieties of Pepsi cola in the past, including their Wild Cherry. But they recently released this Wild Cherry & Cream variety. I actually waited a little bit after first spotting it in the wild because it was only available in 12-packs, but sure enough the single bottles eventually followed. Always difficult to justify buying a 12-pack of a new flavor you don't know you'll even like. This bottle released a strong vanilla aroma when opened and carries an expected level of carbonation for a Pepsi. A few sips in I'm still letting it linger on my tongue to gather what I think about it. Personally, I find that there isn't enough cherry flavor while at the same time an over abundance of vanilla cream flavor. It just seems skewed to me. I would have liked a heavier cherry taste with an iota of creaminess to just give it a slight separation from a cherry cola. Additionally, I think it's a bit to artificial in a way that leaves a tad of a chemical aftertaste. Sadly, this flavor isn't quite up to par for me. 

MacFuddy Pepper Elixir

This selection comes from Orca Beverages, who I've mentioned before. The drink has a dark reddish brown tint and smells a bit like cherry soda. Now I had expected some sort of Dr Pepper knock off, but it actually does have a sort of lingering black pepper tingle in the back of the throat. It's cold and refreshing up front, but then a sort of tingle develops in the back, right beneath my sinuses. I'm not sure what to make of that. It's interesting but doesn't make it the sort of thing I'd enjoy sipping on at the end of a hot summer day, or even a cold winter one for that matter.

Culture Pop Strawberry & Rhubarb

I haven't seen Culture Pop on the shelves around where I live, but I discovered them on a recent trip through the South. Culture Pop is another brand of probiotic sodas made in the recent trend of companies attempting to make healthier soft drinks. They claim to use organic fruit juices and organic spices to create their flavors. Their website states that they use natural fruit juices as their sweeteners rather than artificial sweeteners or real sugar. The probiotic ingredient is listed as DE111 Bacillus Subtilis.

This can of strawberry and rhubarb lists just 45 calories and includes ingredients like white grape juice, strawberry, rhubarb, and orange juices as well as sea salt, and cardamom. It smells quite nice, very strawberry scented, similar in smell to much more sugary strawberry sodas. I find it has a very mixed flavor changing rapidly while sipping. The flavor(s) disappear so rapidly I didn't even have time to place them, though I noted it was bitter when first hitting the tongue. On the next sip I held in my mouth longer to try to pick up some of the flavoring. Still bitter tasting, but without any sort of added sweeteners that should be expected. I can also pick up citric acidity followed by a quick flash of unsweetened rhubarb. Most of these prebiotic and probiotic sodas are undrinkable. While this one is bitter, because the flavor is so short lived its much kinder to the taste buds than other "gut healthy" sodas so makes for a nice option in the realm of "healthy" soft drinks. 

Coca-Cola Peach

Now I know that I posted about Coca-Cola's Georgia Peach on this previous post, but this can doesn't specifically appear to be labeled as "Georgia Peach" so it could be different. The fact that this can is from China also piqued my interest. The scent from the can is like that of ripe peach skins. I don't think it smells a bit like cola. Upon tasting it, I think it does indeed taste different than the Coca-Cola Georgia Peach mentioned earlier. In fact I taste no cola from this soda. The bottle of Georgia Peach was a blend of peach and cola flavors. This can tastes only of peach soda. As I can't read the text, perhaps it was only meant to be a plain peach soda. However, when you slap Coca-Cola on something there's a bit of expectation of cola even though it hasn't stopped Mountain Dew from creating all manner of flavors that have nothing to do with the traditional Mountain Dew flavor. But if I were to judge this merely as a peach soda, it isn't bad. I've often been surprised by peach flavored sodas as I don't particular enjoy eating peaches.

Coca-Cola Strawberry

This can is from Coca-Cola, imported from China. The sound of the can opening sounds like it has the expected level of carbonation and it releases a sweet strawberry scent, maybe even a bit like Twizzlers. So, I don't taste any cola in this beverage. I think this is meant to specifically be a strawberry soda from Coca-Cola because I'm just not picking up any hints of cola in it. The strawberry taste is like fresh fruit up front but I find the the aftertaste is more like that strawberry pie filling jelly they sell in a bag at the supermarket. 

Barq's Root Beer

I can't believe I found Barq's Root Beer in a glass bottle. What a find. I think until now I've only ever seen it in cans and plastic bottles and have had it most of my life. Brothers, Edward and Gaston Barq founded Barq's Brothers Bottling Company in New Orleans in 1890. They were mostly known for their orange soda, Orangine, but also sold soda water. When Edward moved to Mississippi in 1897 he started a new company, the Biloxi Artesian Bottling Works. Recall from prior posts that this period in history saw a boom in bottling the waters from natural artesian sources. The exact date appears to be disputed, but sometime between 1898 and 1900 he introduced his root beer soft drink, simply called Barq's at the time. The Barq's company in Biloxi was sold by Edward's descendants in 1976 and began to be marketed more widely around the U.S. Many years of legal battles ensued among various Barq's family business entities. Coca-Cola has owned the Barq's brand since 2000.

Note that this bottle also has an older style of labeling, likely hand in hand with the fact that they have a throwback glass bottle. Labeling as far back as I can recall from my childhood is silver and black. As much as I enjoyed Barq's growing up I always disliked the silver and black because it resembled the Raiders team colors. It also has the embossed diamond pattern around the neck that was used many decades earlier. I love the vanilla scent. You can always tell from a sip of Barq's root beer what they mean by the slogan, "Barq's has bite" because there is a signature crispness in the finish that I always look for from any root beer I taste. This "bite" is often what I think my friends from the U.K. and Ireland are describing when they complain that root beer tastes "minty" and reminds them of the dentist. I never felt that way but I can understand what they are trying to get across. Just as expected, this bottle has the high level of carbonation you expect from them. Barq's is a solid root beer choice and I would always be willing to recommend it to someone that wants to try root beer for the first time.

Wild Bill's Black Cherry

Following up on yesterday's choice from Wild Bill's Craft Beverage Co., I have this black cherry soda from them as well. This one has a nice dark cherry scent and colorful red hue. It's well carbonated and very tasty. Though I do feel this is closer to sweet cherries in taste. It reminds me of Cheerwine, but slightly more robust in flavor. 

Wild Bill's Root Beer

While in Texas I came across a brand I hadn't seen before, Wild Bill's Craft Beverage Co. This seemed quite fitting for Texas, though apparently the company is located in Millington, New Jersey. They craft a variety of soda flavors, many classics as well as a few more peculiar flavors. One of the more unique features of the brand is a traveling soda truck. Wisely used as a great word of mouth advertising tool, the truck appears at many events, shows, and conventions selling custom mugs that buyers can use for unlimited refills, even years later.

This 12oz. can weighs in a 170 calories per serving and 43g of sugars. The root beer is made with can sugar and is caffeine free. The can offers up a traditional creamy root beer scent akin to an A&W. I find it has adequate carbonation. What strikes me about it is how classic it tastes when so many other newer soda brands end up making root beer tasting a bit herbal. It's crisp for a soda with cane sugar instead of corn syrup. It may be the slight hint of licorice in the finish that maintains that faint bite you want from a root beer. This could easily be mistaken for an A&W root beer despite being small batch, craft-brewed. I'm pleased with this soda so will look forward to tasting some of their other flavors, at least one of which I have on hand for an upcoming post. 

Dublin Vintage Cola

Another bottle from Dublin Bottling Works in Texas. This time I've got their classic Vintage Cola to taste. I can smell a rich kola nut aroma. This truly does taste like a classic cola. The cane sugar rounds the sweetness nicely, but I'd love it if the flavor hung longer on the tongue. I find it dissipates rapidly with next to no aftertaste. With a flavor like this I want it to last longer. All that said, it's a good tasting soda and you really can't go wrong picking a cola if you're not interested in some of Dublin's more unique flavors. 

Fanta Watermelon

I came across this can in the refrigerator of a foreign foods market. I couldn't read it, but the style was clearly Fanta. Despite the incredibly tiny text on the English language label, my guess as to the origins appear to be confirmed. It looks as though this flavor is from China. In previous posts I've mentioned how Fanta has many flavors that are regional in nature, not offered in other countries or sometimes even regions of the same country. 

The soda has a pinkish-red color but I smell nothing from the top of the can. A first sip makes me reel a little. The taste is very pungent, much more so than the Japanese watermelon ramune I tasted just a short while ago. This has Fanta's candy-like fruit flavoring all over it. Its made with high-fructose corn syrup as is typical for countries where Fanta can get away with it in place of real sugar. If you really dig watermelon or you want a watermelon hard candy in a can to drink this is for you.

Gross Gus's Pimple Pop

Gross Gus is a series of different flavors of disgustingly named sodas produced by Indian Wells Brewing Company. Indian Wells creates craft beers in addition to sodas and is located in Inyokern, California, situated halfway between Bakersfield and Death Valley. The Indian Wells Brewing Company URL is failing a DNS lookup, but a search reveals a new URL for the company. Unfortunately, at the time of this post their website is not functioning, displaying a "maintenance" message. According to their Facebook page, they were still posting a couple of months ago, so must still be operating. While other searches state they have over 100 flavors of soda, it might appear that they sell a number of other novelty sodas rather than actually produce that many themselves. However, these Gross Gus flavors actually have the Indian Wells name on the label. 

The smell is reminiscent of coconut. It tastes sort of creamy, but not like a cream soda. It's very sugary tasting. I tried to place what the taste was in my mind and was avoiding searching the label for a hint. In the end, my eyes wandered and I located the words "marsmallow soda" printed up the side. I hope that spelling is intentional, but it really does taste like marshmallow. For a novelty flavored soda they've really nailed this flavor and yet it's not a sickening flavor like so many of the novelty sodas are. This one is actually drinkable, even if very sweet to the taste. 

Mountain Dew Citrus Blackberry

The next Mountain Dew I have is also a tie-in with the World of Warcraft campaign mentioned in yesterday's post. Is there some sort of food flavoring fad going on right now that I've missed? I'm encountering a lot of blackberry stuff lately, both in the soda world and in other foods. I don't know if most of these companies are using real blackberries for their flavor extracts or if they are completely artificial, but a search online shows the U.S. gets most of its blackberry crops from Mexico. Will we see the end of this blackberry trend staring down the tariff trade wars in recent news?

The bottle's aroma is similar to that of a grape, not particularly "berry-like", but there's a tinge mixed in with the scent. I repeat my sentiment from yesterday's citrus cherry... they are making the most imperceptible changes to the flavor, or maybe not changing the flavor at all!, then slapping a new name on the bottle as a marketing gimmick. This bottle doesn't taste that far different from their Pitch Black. It's time for Mountain Dew to get more creative or I'll start skipping their new and limited flavor releases. 

Mountain Dew Citrus Cherry

Diving back into the world of Mountain Dew... as I've mentioned, it's nearly a full-time job keeping up with their releases. It seems they have a marketing tie-in with World of Warcraft, an online multiplayer role playing video game. The subtitle says "Game Fuel," as if sitting in a chair for hours playing a video game was the equivalent of playing a full 90-minute soccer match. Before I taste this, I'll point out that the label states that a serving size is one bottle (20fl.oz.) at 290 calories and a whopping 77g of sugars, for 153% of the RDA of sugar and 28% of the RDA for total carbohydrates. Oof! I hope you're playing from a standing computer desk.

After opening, I take a good sniff from the top and I smell something citrus along with a scent that, for some reason, reminds me of a new carpet showroom. I don't think the flavor is that far distant from their Code Red flavor, but then its been some time since I've tasted Code Red. It seems like in an effort for their "flavor scientists" to keep up with the number of flavor variants each year they simply alter existing recipes by a tiny amount and slap a new name on it. It's getting tiresome to keep up, but I wouldn't want to miss an entirely new taste experience by passing them up. Something they count on I'm sure. If you like some of their classic taste experiments, like Code Red and Live Wire, I think you'll like this one as well. 

Bazooka Bubble Gum Soda

This is another novelty soda from Rocket Fizz. However, this one has the weight of a well-known pop culture brand name on it with Bazooka. The bottle reminds me of classic pink bubblegum in both color and smell. The taste is a bit wonky though. There's a strong taste of cheap bubblegum like the sticks found in baseball cards and Bazooka wax paper but its also a little like licking a petri dish. There's a weird chemical flavor at the end of each sip. Interesting, but I don't find it enjoyable. If they really wanted to complete the nostalgic feel they should have made the label peel off with a Bazooka Joe comic strip on the back. 

Canada Dry Black Cherry Ginger Ale

This was a surprise find on a road trip. I've not seen a black cherry ginger ale before from Canada Dry or anyone else. I like ginger ales and black cherry sodas so I had to grab this one. On top of that, its made with cane sugar. While Canada Dry does bottle within the U.S., based on the fact that the URL printed on the bottle is a .ca top-level domain and there is French text in addition to English, I wonder if this flavor is only sold in Canada. It might explain why I've never seen this flavor before. 

It has excellent carbonation. Despite being a single use bottle, it's thick and hefty glass feels closer to a returnable. I find that it is cherry forward in flavor. I think it tastes more like a standard cherry than your typical black cherry. The ginger ale taste hides in the background but I can taste it coming through in the finish. While not as complex a flavor as I'd hoped for, its a good soda. 

Red Rock Frambuesa

The second Dominican Red Rock soda for me to review is this bottle of Frambuesa, which is Spanish for Raspberry. It smells of strawberry candy and appears to have ample carbonation. The taste is not quite strawberry or raspberry. I find it's quite a mix of berry flavors. Luckily, it doesn't leave a lingering aftertaste but I do think it's too candy-like for my liking. I would have to nurse this for a long time to avoid feeling sick to my stomach after a bit. 

Dublin Texas Root Beer

A new flavor to try from Dublin, this time a classic root beer. I've discussed Dublin sodas a few times now, so refer to prior posts for more about them. I happened to pick up this bottle at a Buc-ee's outside of Waco somewhere. 

The bottle has a nice old-fashioned creamy smell to it so I'm anticipating good things. After a couple of draws off the bottle I'm feeling underwhelmed. I know they use cane sugar, which typically gives a rounded sweetness in comparison to high fructose corn syrup, but this just seems rather weak. The level of carbonation is right, but I want something more of a root beer flavor "snap" and this is a bit soft. Don't get me wrong, it's a fine root beer, but when I consider the number of other root beers I've tasted I don't think this is one I'd reach for over the others if they were all stocked together in my fridge. So, my recommendation would be to skip over this and grab one of Dublin's other flavors. 

Dry Cucumber

I've reviewed multiple flavors from Dry in the past. They've always left me disappointed but being that their initial target was for use in cooking, and then as mixers, I suppose it's to be expected. I continue for the sake of curiosity when I come across another flavor from them but in all honesty, I may have a slight bias by this stage going in that I probably won't like it, so there's my disclosure. 

I've never had a cucumber soda to my recollection, but I imagine this will approximate something like carbonated cucumber water found in spas or nail salons. It takes a moment after opening and a very strong whiff, but it does smell like freshly sliced cucumber. After a draw off the bottle, I think it's quite like a cucumber that hasn't yet full ripened. I can get used to the cucumber melon flavor from Gatorade because the melon sweetens and mellows the cucumber flavor, but this bottle is strong. That's actually saying something for a drink from Dry because I've always felt flavors, I have tasted from them in the past were far too weak. This one has a punch, unfortunately I think you need to be a bigger fan of cucumbers to enjoy it. I understand there are some alcoholic cocktails that use cucumber water so this may also be of use for those. 

Dr. Wells

Ludford Fruit Products, incorporated in 1928, in Los Angeles, created Dr. Wells in 1935 as an alternative 'pepper' brand soda, like so many Dr Pepper clones. As noted in many other posts, the 1960's and 70's saw a lot of consolidation of soda brands as larger companies swallowed up smaller operations. In 1970, the Rheingold Corporation purchased Grapette. Having introduced flavors other than grape, Rheingold decided to change the name from Grapette to Flavette. This seems like a poor attempt to work in the word 'Flavor' into the branding but comes off rather hacky sounding. Flavette then purchased Dr. Wells as well as Mason's Root Beer. According to FTC papers Flavette purchased something like 81 independent bottling companies during the 1970's. PepsiCo ended up buying Rheingold, triggering the Federal Trade Commission to force PepsiCo to release some of its brands to encourage market competition since PepsiCo and Coca-Cola combined for about 58% of the soft drink market at the time. The Monarch Beverage Company purchased the Dr. Wells brand in 1987 and later sold it along with some other notable soda brands to Hedinger Brands in 2007. Today, Dr. Wells is produced by Dad's Root Beer Company, based in Jasper, Indiana.

I think the scent of this bottle is slight, but I'm picking up faint notes of cherry. There's a noticeable kick of carbonation churning up to the top with each swig, sometimes nearly overflowing from the bottle. I've also spotted that they include cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. It has a smoother flavor than Dr Pepper but the "spices" or "pepperiness" is too weak, closer to drinking a cherry cola. 

Twig's Sour

Twig's Beverage has been a family-owned company in Shawano, Wisconsin, Northwest of Green Bay since it was founded by Floyd Hartwig in 1951. The next time I'm up around central Wisconsin I may have to try to carve out some time to make a visit. I like the style of their logo and labeling. Although they use real sugar as their sweetener, I noted that the serving size marked on the bottle is 1.5 servings rather than the usual 1 as most bottles, which makes it look like it has fewer calories and sugar than other sodas.

While "sour" could mean many things I assumed this means something like a lemon-sour flavor. The scent when opening the bottle is indeed lemon-like. It has a decent level of carbonation and it's certainly pucker-inducing. I'd venture to say this is almost like carbonating a bottle of lemon juice extract or dissolving a pouch full of lemonhead candies into a soda. Its tasty, but I often find that sour flavors like this leave me feeling thirsty afterwards and I need some water to quench that thirst. I think kids that like sour candies would enjoy this one. 

Foxon Park Gassosa

Italian immigrant, Matteo Naclerio, founded Foxon Park Beverages in 1922 and it is still operated by his descendants. In addition to a wide variety of traditional soda flavors they also produce some unique flavors, such as this Gassosa flavor, and Iron Brew, their own take on the Scottish Irn Bru.

When uncapped, I get a light lemon scent. The soda is effervescent with delicate carbonation. Each and every tip of the bottle releases a tiny roar of bubbles rising to the surface inside the bottle. The lemon taste is slight, not overpowering. "Gassosa" is a type of lightly lemon flavored Italian drink, sometimes used as a mixer. It lives up to its name because it does provide a slight bitter bite to it but not pucker inducing. It's very much like a faint tasting lemon ice. 

Hosmer Mountain Sarsaparilla

Hosmer Mountain has existing in Connecticut since 1912, established to deliver bottled water. Arthur Potvin purchased the company in 1958 and turned to bottling sodas. Their many flavors are all said to be developed in-house as well.

An old-world scent of sarsaparilla wafts out of the bottle. The carbonation is adequate but I prefer a lot more from my sarsaparillas and root beers. It's a good, but average tasting sarsaparilla. I'd recommend giving it a try if you find it, but that doesn't mean it's knocking my socks off. That said, I'd like to try some of their other flavors in the future. 

Jones Soda Pineapple Cream

Back to a new one from Jones Soda. I've had many pineapple sodas over the years. I usually enjoy them. But I've never come across a pineapple cream before, which makes this one interesting. The aroma is very fresh, both pineapple and melon-like. The pineapple flavor comes across well and tastes nice. The creaminess takes a moment to develop though. It slowly emerges in the finish and towards the sides of my tongue and mouth. Overall a nice tasting soda with a good level of fizz. 

Spezi

A couple of years ago I reviewed Mezzo Mix and Schwip Schwap, two German cola and orange soft drinks. I also remarked at how the orange and cola combo were unusually popular in Germany but not much of a think elsewhere. Recently, I encountered yet another German orange and cola soda in Spezi. The Riegele Brewery in Augsburg, Germany created the Spezi name in 1956 and it was originally the name of a beer. Many American breweries got involved in bottling soft drinks during the prohibition era, but Germany never had such a period. Although Riegele owned the Spezi name they did not enter the soft drink market until many years later when they discovered that pubs were making cola and orange soda drinks mixed to order. Because this was inefficient for bartenders Riegele decided to bottle pre-mixed cola and orange sodas with the Spezi name. Spezi ColaOrange grew in popularity as the so-called "original" orange cola. But soon demand outpaced supply and Riegele spun off Spezi into a separate company in the 1970's and licensed the bottling rights to local breweries all over.

It's an attractive looking bottle at just a quarter-liter, or about 8.5 ounces. The pleasant orange aroma is not unlike the other orange cola sodas tested previously. Carbonation levels are light. I find this flavor a pretty even mix between the orange and cola, however I think the orange tastes more like orange juice than an orange soda which is interesting. It also doesn't leave much of an aftertaste. All in all its not unpleasant but not surprisingly great either. It's a fresh option and I'd recommend giving it a taste if you are lucky enough to come across it on your journeys. 

Australian Style Hot Ginger Ale

This soda isn't actually from Australia. Instead you'll find that it's created and bottled by Rocket Fizz in California. There's a fresh herbal smell to this bottle when opened. It does carry a ginger essence but in a conversely cool manner. There's plenty of carbonation too. When taking a swig you've got to give it a moment but then the heat begins to build in the back of the throat. Unlike some "spicy" ginger beers I've tried which tend to build heat more forward in the mouth, this heat concentrates in the back of my throat. It isn't an unbearable heat, but you definitely feel it there. But now that I've tasted it, my job is done. I'm not a fan of hot or spicy beverages, though I'm sure there are many who would enjoy this more than me. 

Tomomasu Watermelon

Masukichi Tomoda began producing ramune sodas in Ogi City, Saga, which lies on the western side of the Japanese island of Kyushu. The original building has now become a museum dedicated to the story of Tomomasu beverages. The folks at Tomomasu Drink Co. Ltd. have been creating a variety of sodas for over 120 years now. 

Uncapping this tiny "grenade" style bottle unleashes a healthy watermelon scent. It literally smells like a fresh cut slice of watermelon under my nose. It has ample carbonation and the watermelon is just right for my liking. It's light handed and I think making fruit flavors in soda is something the Japanese always seem to do so well. They have a knack for really nailing authentic fruit flavors unlike the candy-like fruit flavors made in the U.S. This one is nice because while you get a good sense of the watermelon flavor it doesn't linger in your mouth making you sick 5 minutes later. The lightness of it makes is close to those fruit flavored sparkling waters, save for the fact that this contains high fructose corn syrup. I like the bottle as well. These little "grenades" always take me back to my childhood drinking Canada Dry from their little green hand-sized bottles. I'll keep on the look out from other flavors from Tomomasu to taste since this is the first time I've had one of their drinks. 

Q Kola

When I saw this bottle I had to question if it was really a soda. The picture may be deceiving but this is basically a wine bottle filled with 24oz of cola. It's thick glass, hefty weight, and haughty label immediately give it an air of a decadent soda. I would love to discover a bottle of this in the future to bring to a dinner party instead of wine just to see what people thought. Unfortunately, I doubt I'm ever going to see this particular packaging again as they seem to have shifted to cans and smaller bottles. Q seems primarily focused on the mixer market for upscale cocktails. 

The carbonation is average in intensity with fine aeration bubbles similar to what you might see in a champagne glass, while the cola aroma is light. The flavor gives green tea vibes... similar to some of the colas I've had in the past with green tea or a mixture of various herbs. It tastes of a touch of cinnamon and maybe coriander. With further inspection of the label I wasn't too far off. They list cinnamon, cloves, coriander, lemon, lime, orange, and nutmeg in addition to kola nut as ingredients. Noticeably they use organic agave as their sweetener. 

Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut

This is a limited edition flavor from the Dr Pepper label. Truth be told, I've never been a fan of coconut in anything so I don't have high hopes for this drink but I'm willing to give it a try in the name of science!

It doesn't smell that different from run of the mill Dr Pepper. I had imagined it smelling like some kind of pina colada. Oof!!! The first sip hit me like a truck. Plenty of carbonation in the drink but this "creamy coconut" flavor of theirs is so heavy handed. You can still pick up some of the traditional blend of Dr Pepper flavor but it tastes and feels like I'm drinking hand lotion. Thank goodness this is a limited edition. I appreciate the desire to experiment but this is a big swing and a miss in my own opinion. I think to enjoy this you'd really have to love coconut.

Caruso's Maraschino Cherry Cola

Caruso's falls under the WBC soda line currently produced by Sprecher. This bottle has a rich cherry scent. It reminds me of cough syrup. Upon tasting it, I'd say it's much more of a cherry soda than a cherry cola because I'm not really tasting much in the way of cola. It's heavy on the cherry though. I'd safely put it slightly above average for a cherry soda. If I'm judging it as a cherry cola, then it's pretty awful based on the previously mentioned lack of cola flavor.