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.

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. 

Rubicon Sparkling Mango

Rubicon began in 1981 and is listed has having facilities in both Canada and the UK. They specialize in juices but have a line of carbonated juice drinks as well. 

It has a fleshy mango scent with a bright orange color. The color alone makes me think this could be carbonated fruit juice rather than soda flavored with fruit, if that makes sense. The taste is decent. It has a dense mango flavor with a sugary finish. I'd say this has a fairly faithful taste to real mango. It may make a good breakfast drink choice, but isn't a "daily drinker" for myself. After a while I becomes a bit too much for me, but sipping over it for a while is nice. 

Pepsi Mango

Now we move on to another flavor variation of Pepsi cola with this interesting mango blend. Some of these flavor combos fall flat on their face and I feel like after the years of Pepsi and Coca-Cola both releasing vanilla and lime versions, they both kind of went wild with flavor options. 

It definitely has a citrus rind scent. I would actually venture to say it's less like a refreshing smell and more of a musty smell... but then I can't recall having smelled mango outside of a mixed melon tray. As someone who doesn't eat a lot of melon, I find this drink interesting. It has a pleasant amount of carbonation, which I'm sure helps disseminate the fruit smell. The flavor of mango is strong and hits you right up front. There is still a cola taste but it follows at the end. I could see pairing this with breakfast, as just about any citrus or fruity soda goes well with breakfast dishes in my opinion. Overall it's quite flowery but not unlikeable. It's intriguing and one I'd recommend trying if possible. 

Diet Coke Twisted Mango

 

Diet Coke has experimented with a few flavors over the last few years and I've gathered some interesting offerings to try, starting with Twisted Mango.

This has a strange flavor to it and very little scent at all. I was expecting something closer to a melon-like taste, but it's like tasting a carbonated vegetable. The flavor is almost like that of green stalks than that of a sweet fruit. I don't find this pleasant. 

Waialua Mango

Started in 2003, you can find a little more about Waialua Soda Works here. 

This drink has the light pink color of rose wine and a very enticing aroma. The scent is full of melon and strawberry fresh scent. The flavor is a tad bitter with a mango finish, though it's also light and a flavorless on parts of the tongue. You also might find, depending on your taste buds, that is has a tiny hint of vegetable-like greenness supporting the mango flavor. Bottom line is, you probably won't like this soda unless you are big on melon and fruit.

World Market Orange Passion Mango

This is another in a string of sodas made and sold at World Market. You can read up on the Blood Orange review here.

A crisp orange and mango scent accompanies this bottle on opening. What I enjoy about these sodas from World Market is that they are all natural, made with real fruit and containing actual pulp. They are very refreshing and terrific for a breakfast or early morning snack. This particular flavor is a healthy combination of fruit flavors with one not over powering the other. It would even make a nice mimosa variation if one so desired. The carbonation is low enough to make you forget you're drinking a soda but just enough to tingle the mouth. 

Mizuho Mango Flavor Ramune

Here's a bottle of mango ramune I found a local asian supermarket. This is sort of an off-brand variety or the popular Japanese beverages in the distinctive Codd bottles. Read more about the bottle on my earlier post, here.

It has a distinctive melon tang to it, again it appears the Japanese markets prefer a taste more natural to the real fruit than the American counter part market which seems to go for sickeningly sugary beverages. As someone who loves gadgets and machinery, I still get a joy from opening these bottles. As expected from an knock-off brand of drink however it has that lingering chemical tinge to it I do not enjoy.