Manzanita Sol Apple

While visiting my brother in Phoenix, I came upon this soda at a gas station. This is an example of why I always look through all of the refrigerators when I stop at gas stations when I travel. Manzanita Sol is an apple flavored soda bottled by Pepsi. I'm sure it began in a board room since I can't really find any sort of history on this beverage. And while that means it doesn't have the soul of some of the old family brewed sodas... it still tastes good. 

The bottle carries a very crisp apple aroma and has a rich amber color. The carbonation is extremely light, though I don't think it subtracts anything from this particular drink. It tastes very much like an apple cider you'd expect to find in the Mid-West during any given autumn but without the small amount of apple pulp left behind. It's flavor is refreshing and that light touch of carbonation gives a snap to the tongue. It literally makes my mouth water. I give this a high recommendation. It would go well as both a non-meal accompanying thirst quencher as well as a nice dessert drink.

Jarritos Mexican Cola

As the first Jarritos soda to appear on this blog, you may already be a little familiar with it since you can find it in many U.S. supermarkets among the Mexican foods. The name Jarritos, means "little jugs" and was so named because the water, flavored with fruit, popular in colonial times was served in clay jugs. Jarritos was founded by Don Francisco Hill, a chemist by trade, in 1950, in Mexico City. 

Strangely, the first flavor they came out with was a coffee flavored soda. Yes, there are other coffee sodas out there, but this seems like an odd choice for the first product of a new company. So Don Francisco created a process of extracting juice from the Tamarind. For those not acquainted with it, the Tamarind is a tree native to Africa that spread to other countries with similar climates because the ugly pods it produces as fruit were used in cuisine and medicine. Again, not my first choice for a new beverage but Jarritos, armed with its new extraction process started bottling a tamarind flavored soda. They were smart to subsequently also release a list of several more traditional fruit flavored sodas as well. In 1988 Jarritos began exporting to the U.S. Today they produce around eleven flavors.

Other than being a product of Mexico, I don't know that there is any real difference between this "Mexican Cola" than any other cola. It smells very refreshing though. Interestingly it's cola flavored but it has a sweetness to it like that of candy. It reminds me of those little candies shaped like soda bottles with cola flavoring. It's sweet and nice, a nice break from many of the colas I'm accustomed to. Although I can imagine drinking too much of it might get sickeningly sweet. I would definitely classify this as a dessert drink, ideal for a light treat after a cookout.

Topo Sabores Apple

Here's another bottle of fruit soda from Topo Sabores following their orange soda, seen here.

This is not a natural soda, so you won't find real apples being used to make it. This is perhaps the reason this soda smells more like a combination of citrous and grape flavors. Did the folks mixing this base it off of an odd strain of apple because it does not taste like apple either. I'd classify this flavor close to a pear flavor. Both pears and apples are pomaceous fruits, but apples are typically more acidic lending to a sharp taste. This soda is smooth. If you're after a pear flavored soda, which I should note I've never seen, then snap up a bottle of this from the ethnic foods section of the grocery store. Skip it if you want the taste of apple. It is however, an interesting taste.

Topo Sabores Orange

Topo Sabores is a Mexican made soda under the umbrella of the Topo Chico company that began in 1895 to bottle mineral waters. The late 1800's were the hey day of consumer use of "healing waters" before people understood what was in the mineral springs being ingested and/or bathed in. The company was also the first Mexican bottler of Coca-Cola, though it is unknown when they began making their own brand of sodas under the name of Topo Sabores.

It carries a sugary orange aroma like that of orange-flavored Smarties. The bottle is thick and carries a considerable heft, which I like. The taste immediately reminds me of cheap orange popscicles as a kid during the summer. It seems a bit odd though that they would use cane sugar, rather than corn syrup, but then include so many chemicals in the ingredients. Maybe high-fructose corn syrup isn't as cheap in Mexico? All in all, it isn't bad but I'd like for them to increase the carbonation just a bit. If you're interested, this brand can be found in many grocery store ethnic food sections here in the states.

Jarritos Lime

The second bottle featured by Jarritos is this bottle of Lime or Limon, sourced from ethnic foods at the local grocery. See the first Jarritos post here.

This lime has quite a bite to it's flavor. In fact, I would venture to say this isn't lime flavored as much as lime-like. Even if it is made with 100% real sugar, the flavor seems to be a complete chemical concoction. It's not a flavor I'm going to remember fondly. If acidic candy if your flavor of choice then go for it, but I'd just as soon pass on this in the future.

Peńafiel Strawberry

Peńafiel is a lineup of fruit flavored sodas from Mexico. It has generous carbonation. The flavoring feels cheap though. The packaging is alright but it's just an imitation product.

Jarritos Mandarin

Jarritos was founded by Don Francisco Hill in 1950 in Mexico City. It was not sold in the US until 1989 and of course is popular with US Latino customers. 

This mandarin soda is quite clean, and refreshing with a natural mandarin flavoring. It's well carbonated but not bubbly when sitting still. Although it's made with actual sugar instead of corn-syrup, I think they could stand to include some caffeine. All in all, it's an enjoyable drink but not memorable. 

Sidral Mundet Apple

Sidral Mundet is well known in Mexico, but unless you spend any time looking in the ethnic food section of your local grocery store, you may not be aware of it. The drink was the creation of Don Arturo Mundet who began bottling it in 1902. Real apples are supposedly used in the brewing process. It is said Mexican mothers give the drink to children with upset stomachs... sounds like the role 7-Up has here in the States.

This beverage has a good level of carbonation. Oddly, there was an almost entirely imperceptible aroma of any kind ever when holding directly under my nose. The flavor reminds me of a crisp Gala apple. It is light and palate cleansing. There aren't many American bottlers making any sort of apple soda so give this a try if you find it at the market.