Jones Soda S'mores

I found this Special Release flavor from Jones Soda on another recent trip. Many flavors from Jones Soda have appeared here before. If you're reading this from a country where S'mores aren't a common thing, a S'more is a dessert usually made when camping while sitting around the campfire but so many people now have fire pits on their patios that its easier to make them at home again. You'll need Graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate. Spear a marshmallow and hold it over the flames to roast it to a golden brown. Place some chocolate on a Graham cracker, followed by the marshmallow, and sandwich on top with another cracker to make a sandwich and pull out the twig or metal spear from the marshmallow. Then enjoy your gooey treat. 

I'm picking up a very strong scent of powdered vanilla from this bottle but not much else. I'm also not seeing, hearing, or tasting much in the way of carbonation. A bit of bubble action appears when taking a swig and that is about all. This soda has a strange flavor, but I wouldn't say it tastes like S'mores. A fresh draw from the bottle gives a not-vanilla, not-chocolate, not-marshmallow taste. It's sweet but almost like a very muted orange at times. I don't even know how to properly classify it. It's like an amalgam of many different flavors that just don't come near the taste of a fireside s'mores treat. 

Jones Soda Nuka Cola Victory

A recent special release from Jones Soda is this real-life variety of the fictional Nuka Cola. Fallout is a post-apocalyptic game that takes place on Earth in the future. The gaming aesthetic is described as "atompunk" or "retrofuturistic", often resembling pop-culture references from the 1950's, including the comic-style "vault boy" character. Within the game there are several different flavors of soda made by the fictitious company Nuka Cola, which may be traded as currency within the game world.

Although Nuka Cola exists in the video game and this bottle is labeled with the word cola, the color and smell belie this. It's light red in color and the aroma is a mixture of strawberry and peach. Within the game Nuka Cola comes in Classic Nuka Cola, Nuka Cola Orange, Nuka Cola Grape, Nuka Cola Victory, Nuka Cola Wild, and more. This bottle has a high level of carbonation but the flavor is weak. There is a slight hint of peach and melon flavors but its faint and then leaves the tongue rather quickly. All in all, a bit disappointing.

Jones Soda Zero Cola

I've reviewed a number of flavors from Jones Soda over the years but recently came across a "special release" from them in the form of this zero calorie cola. Rather than the traditional cane sugar used in many of their beverages, this is sweetened with sucralose. The cola scent is slight from this bottle. I find it has plenty of carbonation and does taste more like the kind of everyday cola you might expect. It might be a tad sharper than normal despite sucralose supposedly being many times sweeter than sugar. In terms of the diet and "zero" soft drinks on the market though, this can still hold its head up because I think in a group taste test against Diet Coke this one would fair pretty well. 

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. 

Jones Soda Zero Calorie Pomegranate

Lots of Jones Soda reviews here, so I won't rehash any of that. I wish there was a fruitier aroma from the top of this bottle when opening it but it smells a tad of fruit scented cardboard. There's slighter amount of carbonation than I would like from it. I think this could definitely use some of that old fashioned sugar in it because it actually tastes a tad bitter. For pomegranate I think there are better options on the market. I'd be interested in trying the same flavor from Jones with their normal calorie-laden sweeteners.

Jones Soda M.F. Grape

Another choice from Jones Soda. This seems to be a newer flavor from what I can tell. They have a grape soda, but this is specifically labeled "M.F. Grape". The Jones Soda company also produces a line of "carbonated candy" and this name seems to originate from their M.F. Grape candy, so there must be some distinction between the two. 

I really like taking a whiff off this bottle. It's very reminiscent of grape candy, or perhaps even grape drink mix powder. It looks positively black in color, but with a little back lighting it reveals a deep purple color. I'm actually a little let down by the taste. I was expecting something like grape Faygo but with a kick but it falls flat. There's not enough grape flavor to it and what is there dissipates quickly without leaving much of a trace of any grape flavor on the tongue. Sadly underwhelming.

Jones Soda Watermelon

A summertime quaff from the folks at Jones Soda. Since I've discussed Jones Soda before, I'll get straight to the tasting. 

This soda has a surprisingly fresh and accurate smell of watermelon. I think if you were blind folded the smell would fool you into thinking someone was holding a slice of melon in front of you. The color is a bit cartoonish though, almost a bubblegum pink. I'm a little let down by the flavor. It has plenty of carbonation but the front side of a healthy swig is somewhere between flavorless and bitter like a tonic water. Washing it further over all parts of my tongue I get more bitterness, but the finish is where the watermelon flavor comes through. So it's not very satisfying with each sip, instead you've got to live with more of an aftertaste than enjoyment of the drink itself. Nonetheless, it's not as if it's a gross flavor but one I'm not wild on. It will make for an interesting beverage to include at a summer picnic or cookout. 

Jones Soda Orange Chocolate

A new bottle appeared at the grocery store yesterday. I've reviewed plenty of flavors from Jones Soda, some okay and others appalling. Of course I had to pick up a new flavor, but I'm not looking forward to tasting it. I think I have some PTSD from some of the horrendous chocolate sodas I've had before. 

Upon opening it, the smell of chocolate powder is overwhelming. When drinking, I pick up orange notes first, followed by chocolate, but then a sort of sourness in the finish. The chocolate tastes as a cheaper powder you'd expect from inexpensive candies, not like that of a rich cocoa powder. It's not abhorrent, but I remain unconvinced that anyone should be putting chocolate flavor in a carbonated beverage, let alone mixed with orange. Yes, it's novel, but I'd give it a skip. 

Jones Soda Root Beer

Truthfully I've had Jones Soda's root beer before. But it's been eons. Jones Sodas are not daily drinkers for me but I will pick up the odd flavor when I see one or if I'm grabbing a bite where they're sold and want something a little different. But since I hadn't had one of their root beers in ages and haven't posted it here I thought this would be as good a time as any. Similar to the Jones Soda I reviewed a short while ago, the bottle mentions its a product of Canada, so I'm wondering whether or not they moved bottling operations? 

This bottle has a sarsaparilla-like aroma. The cane sugar provides a smooth flavor and it has a decent level of carbonation. I'd say its a decent root beer, but I find the carbonation bubbles to be small. I'm used to great big carbonation bubbles in root beers, but that alone doesn't make it a bad root beer. the flavor doesn't linger long on the tongue after a swig. Additionally, I like a bit more creaminess in a root beer.

Jones Soda Extreme Sour Black Cherry

I'm a bit gun shy after the last flavor from Jones I tried, but time to jump back on the horse and try another bizarre flavor offering from the folks at Jones Soda. This "extreme sour" version of black cherry looks to have been created in partnership with Warheads, a classic American mouth puckering candy.

Well the aroma is nice. It has a rich, deep cherry smell to it and the dark cherry color of it looks nice as well. It has lots of carbonation, evident when taking a swig. I'm immediately struck by the black cherry taste. It takes a moment to start to feel anything resembling "sourness." I'm not typically a fan of sour anything, though occasionally I like Sour Patch Kid candies. This is less sour than that. It's not terrible, and I wouldn't even venture to say it ruins the black cherry taste. I find it just provides a little pucker inducing sensation at the end of a gulp. It sort of hits that spot in the back of your cheeks that makes your mouth water. I think kids that enjoy sour candies would like it. 

Jones Soda Hatch Chile & Lime

Here we are with another special release from the Jones Soda Company. This one is very interesting. With all honesty I'm expecting to hate this flavor, but I couldn't pass it up. In an interesting twist the bottle says "Product of Canada," which I've not seen on a bottle from Jones before and they are known as being based in Washington State. But let's give it a go...

Wow... I opened this bottle a full two feet away from my nose and yet the instant I heard the carbonation release I could smell peppers. It absolutely smells like I was cutting green peppers in my kitchen. I don't smell any hint of lime. Oof... I don't like the taste of this bottle at all. A swig from it tastes like rotten vegetables, or a bowl of very cheap salsa left out in the sun. Look, it's not for me, but by all means if you like chile peppers and come across a bottle, feel free to give it a try. 

Jones Soda Key Lime 3.14

On the footsteps of another Key Lime flavored soda, I'm tasting another special release from Jones Soda. Based on the label, I'm guessing this was a release for Pi Day, (March 14th, 3/14). 

A nice loud crack from the escape of carbonation when opening a bottle is always satisfying. I'm a little more concerned though about the radioactive green color of this soda though. I find the bottle has very little to smell. I've really got to inhale deeply to try to sense it. Tipping back the bottle really releases a lot of carbonation bubbles despite looking flat when it just sits on the table. The carbonation really comes alive on your tongue. This bottle tastes nothing like a key lime pie to me, or even like other key lime sodas I've had. This is a very puckering sour lime taste. If you like sour, and some folks do this might be for you. I however, don't really enjoy this bottle and wouldn't want to sip it on the deck on a warm night and suggested giving it a pass. 

Jones Soda Sugar Cookie

Jones Soda strikes again with another Special Release flavor, this time in the form of Sugar Cookie. This is a bit fitting based on the taste of yesterday's selection. 

A frosty, powder blue color seems fitting for this drink. The scent coming from the bottle isn't that unlike the Coca-Cola Move reviewed yesterday, but there's also the tiniest dash of something that I can't quite place. Is it the smell of a buttercream frosting? It definitely smells like a sugar cookie with frosting on it. The taste on the other hand is almost citrus-like to me. There's something tangy taking over the front of it's flavor. The sugar cookie-like taste is hidden in the background only peeking out in a flash during the finish over the tongue. For that reason, I think this is a bit of a swing and a miss. It was a valiant effort, but the taste can't quite keep pace with the aroma. 

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. 

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. 

Jones Soda Turkey & Gravy Soda

Here's another soda from Jones. I've talked about their sodas before and mentioned that they've had several "unique" flavor releases in the past. Years ago they had a pack of different holiday themed flavors for Thanksgiving. I hadn't heard much of those in some time but picked this bottle up at the local grocery store the other day as soon as I saw it. 

First thing's first... these are clearly sold for the sheer novelty and curiosity. No one would want to drink this for it's great taste or to quench their thirst. Carbonation levels are just average, but let's get to brass tacks. Taking a big sniff of this stuff after cracking it open reminds me of the smell of Armor All cleaning and protectant for automobiles. As for the taste, it is strongly reminiscent of the fatty oils left in the pan after roasting a turkey sometimes used to make gravy. One swig is enough to want to forget you tried it. 

Jones Soda Green Apple

Another flavor in a line from Jones Soda. My initial post on their Strawberry-Lime details their history if you're interested. 

I'll continue to keep tasting the Jones lineup both because I'm curious about some of their flavors and because they are little hit or miss. I have found both good and bad from these guys, but their gimmicky packaging never really did much for me. This green beverage smells like a Granny Smith apple. It does have a crisp apple taste, albeit with a strong acidic bite. Despite the off-putting color it sort of grows on you. It's an interesting try in the small world of apple flavored sodas.You might want to give this one a comparison for yourself. 

Jones Soda Blue Bubblegum

Another incarnation from Jones Soda. Jones has been around since 1987 and you can read more on them at this post.

This particular blend comes in an unholy bright blue color more reminiscent of a sports drink than a soda. It is well carbonated and does smell of bubblegum. If I had closed my eyes I might have thought a piece of Bazooka Joe's was under my nose. Unfortunately this does not taste as much like bubblegum as it smells. The bubblegum flavor disapates quickly and I'm left with a slightly chemical taste in my mouth and taste buds that feel the slightest bit numb. Once again Jones misses the mark in my opinion. I have to assume that their user-submitted bottle and print ad photos are the only thing selling these sodas from Jones. Better luck next time.

Jones Soda Fufu Berry

This is the third Jones soda tasted for this blog, so see my earlier post here, for more about the history of Jones Soda. 

Right off the top it's got a higher than average amount of carbonation and the pleasant aroma of strawberry jello. It also taste like jello. It reminds me of a mix of strawberry and raspberry jello. I've had Jones soda's prior to beginning this blog and never really found any of their drinks enjoyable. Thanks to Fufu Berry I can say that stretch is over because I like this bottle and might even try it with vodka someday. 

Jones Soda Zero Calorie Vanilla Bean

For more on the history of Jones Soda see my previous post here.

The "Zilch" line from Jones Soda is their line up of no calorie or diet sodas. While there is a small amount of vanilla smell and decent amount of carbonation, I found the flavor of this to be lacking. This tastes like a carbonated bottle of hotel soap. A bit chemically tasting and contrary to the natural taste I was expecting from a name like Vanilla Bean.