Shaq Soda Vanilla Cream

Oh boy, where to begin with this one. These Shaq Sodas were actually produced by AriZona Beverages. Yes, the same ones famous for AriZona Iced Teas in the "tall boy" 23.5oz. cans that are famously known for still being priced at $0.99. I don't drink iced tea so knew little about AriZona Beverages, but I have come to find out they aren't from Arizona, but actually based in Brooklyn, New York, where Don Vultaggio founded the company in 1992. This can was actually gifted to me, I haven't seen these in the wild. But there were apparently four flavors in the series, vanilla cream, blueberry cream, orange cream, and strawberry cream, all of which have been discontinued. 

It has an old-fashioned cream soda smell you'd imagine from a higher priced cream soda. I find it comes on smooth at first, but with a few more sips it leaves a bit of a strange aftertaste. I wish the cream flavor was stronger. It comes across with a very weak flavor, much too bland.

Star Wars Space Punch

I picked this can up a while back when The Last Jedi was released, but had forgotten about it in the back of my fridge until now. I'll be pretty honest, I don't expect great flavor experiences from these kinds of "collector" cans/bottles because that's not what their marketing is about. I'm not even really sure who made it, some company called Drink Department One US Inc., which is apparently a division of Drink Department One in Germany. The can looks nice though and has an interesting textured finish. 

The smell has a sort of wheat-like smell. This is not a good drink. It has one of those weird energy drink tastes, yet has no caffeine. I think some of that bizarre flavor may come from the blueberry and blackberry listed in the ingredients, but there are other juices listed in the ingredients I can't taste. While not a good tasting beverage by my standards it was an interesting try.

Tree Fort Ginger Ale

I came across this bottle in a co-op grocery in Maple Plain, Minnesota, right outside Minneapolis. Tree Fort Soda is only a few years old, but is reportedly distributed to specialty shops like organic markets, delis and co-ops around the upper-Midwest. Tree Fort was brought to life by a teenage Eva Duckler, who with help from her brother David, got the company off the ground from the beginnings as a school project for Eva. What I find intriguing is how their website mentions tasting soda as kids the way adults tasted wine. This is was very much my impression growing up as I mention throughout some of my posts pairings for some of these sodas. They claim to use all natural juices and extracts, that and cane sugar are things I'd expect from a boutique beverage company.

The ginger scent from this bottle is a pungent punch in the face. There's adequate carbonation that keeps bubbling up after opening, re-effervescing with each swig. Gladly the flavor is light. Some ginger ale's tend to border on the spice of ginger beer, and I was worried that might be the case after smelling. This ginger ale, however, is lighter than it's appearance or scent may forebode, but heavier than say Canada Dry. It makes a good palate cleanser and would probably make one heck of a Moscow Mule, if you're into those.

Fresca

Here's a glass bottled Fresca found this bottle in a foreign foods market. Fresca is a Coca-Cola Company brand, but this particular specimen was bottled in Guatemala. Fresca was created back in 1966 and marketed as a diet beverage with a grapefruit flavor in the U.S. However, Fresca made in Latin America is not a diet beverage.

As mentioned above certain Latin versions are not diet (no calorie). The bottle pictured here, bottled in Guatemala is listed as 130 calories. It does use corn syrup rather than cane sugar. I can smell that powerful citrus scent without even getting my nose near the top of the bottle when it's been opened. I love the heft of this particular bottle as well. It's a returnable bottle so they are made thicker to withstand reuse. There's something satisfying about the weight of returnable bottles. This actually tastes better than I remember Fresca tasting, but its been many years. Maybe it tastes better because it isn't the diet version? This is a refreshing drink with decent carbonation and good for a hot day or to pair with breakfast. 

Ginseng Up Cranberry

It's been a while since I added any new posts from Ginseng Up. You can read my previous post with a little about them here. 

The frosty red color of this drink with the black label makes it look attractive. I prefer glass bottled sodas when I can get them, but if you're going to use glass bottles why cheap out on these twist caps rather than use a true crown cap? Even twist-off crowns are better than the type on these bottles. I'd say the aroma given off from this drink is sort of like a mix of cranberry and pomegranate. It's scent is sweet and fresh like a fruit salad. Unfortunately, the flavor falls flat for me. The initial punch is very tart, nearly pucker inducing, but then you feel a finish that is quite tea-like. This finish is probably coming from the ginseng extract. Once that flavor evaporates from your taste buds the sourness felt earlier leaves you salivating. The good thing is that there is no lingering aftertaste. This choice isn't bad if you like sour candies, or super fruity natural flavors. Personally, I'd nurse it over a while, not to savor it but because of the intensity. 

Fanta Green Apple

I've reviewed many varieties of Fanta before, but here's a new flavor, Green Apple. 

The color is a bit neon green looking and there is plenty of carbonation, as I'd expect from Fanta. The scent is reminiscent of green apply Jolly Ranchers. It has a very tart taste but is essentially a strong granny apple flavor. This is a strong flavor and not something I'd probably ever finish a bottle of, or even a can. However, if you like the very sweet candy-like sodas on the market this might be appealing to you as well. 

Postobon Manzana

Postobón, a South American beverage company headquartered in Medellín, Colombia. Gabriel Posada and Valerio Tobón founded the company in 1904, naming the company after compounding their two last names. 

The aroma from the bottle is closer to flowery perfume than that of fresh cut apples and sweet like candy. Interestingly, this isn't the first time I've encountered apple sodas with a pink or purplish color. When taking a swig of this it doesn't taste like apple. Give it a few seconds though and the after taste at the back of the tongue presents a tart apple skin-like flavor. Having tried many apple sodas, this is actually a decent option. 

Colombiana Kola

Colombiana is made by Postobón, a South American beverage company headquartered in Medellín, Colombia. And although the beverage is South American, this specimen was actually bottled in New York. Postobón began back in 1904 and they were actually selling bottled water in 1917.

This is a cola flavored drink, but is a transparent orange color. The aroma is creamy.... and the taste too is closer to a cream soda or one of the many Latin American Champagne Kolas. Strange that they label this as kola flavor, I would call it a cream soda. It's rather weak flavored as well. The cream soda taste has vanished from your tongue in seconds. 

Sangaria Ramune Orange

You may have seen previous reviews on here for various flavors of Ramune. This is the first from Sangaria. I mentioned Sangaria in a previous post here. Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to learn too much about their company or its history. 

Once again, the Japanese Ramune style does not disappoint. This bottle has plenty of carbonation that helps bring that natural orange scent to the surface. It smells like a fresh cut orange, not like sugar. The orange flavor is very light, not over powering. The one thing about that light flavor is that there really isn't an after taste. A few moments after sipping it you could almost forget you were tasting an orange flavored drink. 

Solo Banane

I found this bottle in the Hong Kong Market in Atlanta. That market carries mostly asian products but has some Latin American and Caribbean products as well if you look closely. There seems to be more than one brand of Solo beverages out there, one is based in Norway and appears unrelated to this one. This banana flavored soda was bottled in Trinidad and Tobago from the Solo Beverage Company, founded in 1949. 

Banane is French for banana, though I think it's strange it's colored orange rather than yellow. It smells sickeningly sugary and not quite like banana. It has the faint hint of a red-cream soda mixed with banana scent. This bottle seems quite flat regarding carbonation and tastes nothing like banana. I'm not even sure how to describe the flavor, perhaps something closer to a cotton-candy flavored soda. It's not a flavor I'm taking a liking to.