Nixie Classic Cola

You'll have to forgive me for seeing this can on the shelves of a grocery store in Texas as I perused the aisles looking for unknown treasures and thinking it was a store brand. Being both unknown, available in single cans, and having a somewhat generic label it was easy to be confused. It doesn't look entirely different from a can of Big K in Kroger particularly with everyone releasing zero sugar versions these days. But I quickly found out that this was not the case. Nixie was founded in 2019 by Nicole Bernard Dawes. Nicole's parents worked in two very different industries, one in natural foods and the other in junk foods. In 2003 Nicole founded Late July Snacks, which produces organic, non-GMO snack foods, mostly a variety of corn chips and salsa. Nixie began in 2019 as a socially conscious drink company with the aim of removing sugar and single-use plastics from its products. It would then make sense that "Nixie" owes its name to the term to "nix" something, or cancel something out. They make many flavors of sodas in classic and slightly off beat flavor combinations. This 12oz can is certified organic, has zero calories and includes ingredients such as stevia extract, Himalayan pink salt, and organic caffeine from tea leaves. 

The can pops open as any can of cola would, but the scent is not that of classic cola. In fact I find the aroma rather sterile. The soda is also of a more orange color than I'm used to seeing in a cola. I can say after tasting this as well as several other sodas using stevia that it imparts a somewhat odd and bitter flavor to every drink that uses it. Some of them even end up making me feel more thirsty after tasting them. Despite often being used in organic drinks it ends up tasting more chemical than the everyday sodas we're used to. Unfortunately, I can't really taste a cola flavoring from this either. It's not the worst cola I've had, but it falls short of being a healthier daily replacement for those who enjoy colas. If, however, you simply want a healthier, more socially responsible option for a decent price it is a valid option. I'll have to find some of their other flavors to weigh in comparison and see if they can provide more of the intended flavor than this one did.