Cherry Float Coke Zero

I enjoyed this in Alexandria MN on a family vacation:

On the crowded counter before supper one night in our rental cabin.

Brand: Cherry Float Coke Zero.

Origin: Atlanta, GA.

Purchase Place: Casey's General Store, Alexandria, MN.

Sweetener: Aspartame and Sucralose.

Review: "Regular" Cherry Coke Zero is one of normal "go to" sodas, so I didn't know what I'd think of this CHERRY FLOAT Coke Zero. I had weak expectations (especially after last week's POOR showing of A&W's Root Beer Float soda). But it was quite good! There was a little extra creaminess to it, but not as far as a "cream soda." It's like a Coke Zero with a little extra vanilla cream to it. Not bad! I poured out a few sips for my boys, and they enjoyed it as well.

Score: 8 out of 10.

Coca Cola Zero Sugar Holiday Creamy Vanilla

I grabbed this while walking through Kowalski's the other day:

 
Brand: Coca Cola Zero Sugar Holiday Creamy Vanilla.

Origin: Atlanta, GA.

Purchase Place: Kowalski's Market, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Aspartame and Sucralose.

Review: I was a little excited for this. I had heard that it was tasty. BUT... it was just too much for me. It was VERY strong on the vanilla. It was almost like it was overly creamy and overly vanilla-y. I suppose that's what it is: a "creamy vanilla" like it says in its name. But it was just too much. Try it if you want something strong on the creamy vanilla, but otherwise stay away.

Score: 4 out of 10.

Jones Soda Special Release Zero Cola

I grabbed this from Hy-Vee last week with my son:

 

Brand: Jones Soda Special Release Zero Cola.

Origin: Seattle, WA. 

Purchase Place: Hy-Vee, Eagan, MN.

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This had a lot of flavor for a 0 calorie soda! The cola flavor was quite unique, and it had a hint of that "Dr. Pepper bite" to it. It was good! Both of my boys enjoyed it as well. We were happy with this one!

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Mug Zero Sugar Root Beer

I stopped at our local "corner store" and grabbed a Zero Sugar Mug:

 
Brand: Zero Sugar Mug Root Beer.

Origin: Purchase, NY.

Purchase Place: Marshall Stop, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This really did NOT taste "diet" or "low calorie." It still had that pretty standard DEEP Mug Root Beer flavor. I was pleasantly surprised! I expected it to be a solid soda, but didn't expect it to taste THAT "normal." If you like Mug and want a diet option, then you need to try this. 

Score: 8 out of 10.

NEW Orange Cream Coca-Cola Zero

My wife grabbed some of these to try from someone who was given most of a 12-pack away on our local "buy nothing" page because they didn't care for it:

Why is "orange cream" centered in this shot,
but then not "zero sugar" or the text at the bottom?

Brand: Orange Cream Coca-Cola Zero.

Origin: Atlanta, GA.

Purchase Place: gifted from our local "buy nothing" Facebook group.

Sweetener: Aspartame and Sucralose.

Review: Cracking this open, I was assaulted with the scent of orange cream. That smell (and flavor) was pretty spot on! The problem is that I like cola, and there's no cola flavor left because it's just orange cream.

I like Coke Zero - it's in my top 5 of normal "daily" afternoon caffeine pick-me-ups. And I also like Cherry Coke Zero - the cherry flavor works itself in nicely with the cola. But this soda is just ALL orange cream. There's no cola flavor left - this is just an orange cream SODA, and not an orange cream COLA. I wish the orange cream was a little toned down so the cola flavor could come through a bit more. I'll put this right in the middle of "average."

Score: 5 out of 10.

Zero Sugar Faygo Orange

I was headed through Rochester today, and I grabbed this at a Kwik Trip:

Back home after being mostly drank!

Brand: Zero Sugar Faygo Orange.

Origin: Detroit, MI.

Purchase Place: Kwik Trip, Rochester, MN.

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: The first thing I noticed is that this was my first "ZERO SUGAR" Faygo as opposed to "DIET" Faygo. In the past, I've had a Diet Faygo with aspartame, but this had sucralose. So I figured they maybe had a "new line" of sodas or either changed their formula. Then I found this article from a few months ago talking about their NEW ZERO SUGAR sodas.

So how was it? It was decent. It didn't taste TOO "diet" as it had a pretty full flavor. It was very "real" orange and not "fake" orange, which was nice. It was almost an "orange creme" flavor, but not quite. So if a slightly creamy and slightly actually orange flavored diet soda sounds good to you, then try this! I'll rate it a little better than average.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Spongebob Squarepants Bikini Bottom Cooler Pineapple Drink

I opened this with my boys earlier this week:

Brand: Spongebob Squarepants Bikini Bottom Cooler Pineapple Drink

Origin: Woburn, MA.

Purchase Place: Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This was decent, especially for being only 5 calories. One of my boys remarked that it was a little like Mountain Dew, and I could see that - it had the citrus hit of Mountain Dew, but then with more of a pineapple flavored kick at the end. It wasn't overly sweet, which was a concern being it's based off a cartoon. Decent, but not amazing.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Oreo Coca Cola

My wife saw this in the store earlier this week, and she had to grab it for me:

 

Brand: Oreo Coca Cola

Origin: Atlanta, GA.

Purchase Place: Wal-Mart, Roseville, MN.

Sweetener: Aspartame and Sucralose.

Review: The bottle says "Fizzy Cookie Flavored." And my wife had the big question: "Is this just the CREAM of the Oreo?... Is it like a creamy Coke?" I thought otherwise: "I bet it's chocolate too! I think it will be BOTH flavors of the Oreo: chocolatey and creamy."

And unfortunately, I was right.

It smelled totally normal. Just like regular Coke. But the taste was oddly chocolate. AND creamy. It was like a liquified Oreo, with carbonation. It really didn't taste anything like Coke, but the flavor of an Oreo was spot on. But that didn't make it "good." My wife thought it was disgusting, I thought it was sub-par, and my boys thought it was pretty good. I wouldn't want another one of these, so I'll rank it below average. But it you LOVE Oreos, then this flavor might be for you.

Score: 4 out of 10.

The Potions Cauldron "Witches Brew" Blue Grape Soda

This was $5.99 for a single bottle, but I HAD to try it:

When you tap and then spin the bottle, this happens:

Brand: The Potions Cauldron "Witches Brew" Blue Grape Soda.

Origin: York, England.

Purchase Place: Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This was an experience. My boys and I all thought it had good grape flavor and a lot of sweetness - this was a "kids" soda and not an "adult" soda. The flavor was pleasant and it wasn't TOO sweet. The experience of the swirling soda was fun, but I don't know if it was $6 worth of fun. The flavor was good though, and it went down real easy for all of us!

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Bigga Orange Soda

My family recently got back from Jamaica, and this was in the fridge of our hotel room:

On our hotel balcony with the waterpark in the background.

 

Brand: Bigga Orange Soda.

Origin: Spanish Town, Jamaica.

Purchase Place: Unknown (came in our hotel fridge in Riu Ocho Rios).

Sweetener: Cane Sugar and Sucralose.

Review: This was very sweet! And not in an overpowering way. It had a bit of a crispness/sharpness to it that was classic and tasty. Nothing wrong with this! Just a decent orange soda!

Score: 7.5 out of 10.

(See more pics from our trip here.)

Twig's Diet Forget Me Not Grape

I opened this during darkroom time in class earlier today:

 

Brand: Twig's Diet Forget Me Not Grape.  

Origin: Shawano, WI.

Purchase Place: "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store," Jordan, MN.

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This was my first soda from my renewed stash from my run to MN's Largest Candy Store last month before they closed for the season. I've always had decent luck with Twig sodas, and this one didn't disappoint. It does NOT taste diet - it has a full, rich, sugary flavor. There might be the SLIGHTEST "chemically" taste in the aftertaste, but I have to concentrate to really notice if it's there. This was good! (Oh, and a portion of sales goes to the "Forget Me Not Fund" in support of Alzheimer's awareness and education - hence the name and purple ribbons on the bottle.)

Score: 8 out of 10.

Limited Edition Coca Cola Creations Y3000

Just after my last post about the Coca Cola that was "co-created with Artificial Intelligence," I happened to be walking through Target and found one by the checkout:

 

Brand: Limited Edition Coca Cola Creations Y3000.  

Origin: Atlanta, GA.

Purchase Place: Target, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Aspartame and Sucralose.

Review: I wasn't that excited to try this. As noted in my last post, people were saying it tasted like perfume or banana, and neither of those excited me. Also, I don't know what "Futuristic Flavored" means on the left side of the bottle... tastes like the apocalypse?

After my first sip, BOTH of those people were right: it started with a sharp/chemically perfume-like taste that was a bit overpowering, but then it ended with a sweeter banana-like flavor. That combo was quite odd. I didn't love it.

But then after I kept drinking, I started to like it more and more. And my boys were sipping on it with me, and they had the same reaction: it got better as we drank it. Maybe the negative thoughts clouded my first sips, but it wasn't as bad as we went on. I wouldn't say I LIKE it, but I DIDN'T DISLIKE it. I don't think I'll buy another bottle, but it was decent. 

Score: 5 out of 10.

Coca Cola Zero Sugar Limited Edition "Ultimate" League of Legends

What?!?

 

League of Legends? And +XP Flavored?

A QR code on the other side of the bottle took me to an endlessly scrolling "limited edition" Coke page.

Brand: Coca Cola Zero Sugar Limited Edition "Ultimate" League of Legends.

Origin: Atlanta, GA.

Purchase Place: Target, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Aspartame and Sucralose.

Review: I've had enough of Coke's new "limited edition" flavors. (Seen here and here.) And yet I keep trying them. But some good news: this one was the best of the limited edition flavors that I've tried. I don't know what an "experience point" should taste like (this is "+XP Flavored"), but it wasn't bad. It was mainly a regular Coke Zero, but there was an extra fruitiness to it. It was almost nostalgic. I couldn't pin-point the flavor, but it wasn't bad. I found a review that said it was a bit bubblegum flavored, and then thought it had a hint of banana Laffy Taffy. A Food Network review said "it’s a super mellow, citrus-peachy flavor." I didn't get much of a peach flavor, but I enjoyed the fruity kick. It's not bad!

Score: 7.5 out of 10.

Diet Shasta Twist Lemon Lime

I tried my 2nd soda from Menards recently: 

Brand: Diet Shasta Twist Lemon Lime.

Origin: Hayward, CA.

Purchase Place: Menards, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This was a decent, tasty, crisp 7Up-like or Sprite-like lemon line soda. It was refreshing. I could have thought it was diet 7Up, only it's a bit heavier on the "lime" than most lemon lime sodas, which I quite enjoyed.

Score: 7.5 out of 10.

 

Diet Shasta Cola

At Menards last week, I grabbed these 2 cases:

Diet Shasta Cola and Diet Shasta Twist!

I tried this one first at work.

Brand: Diet Shasta Cola.

Origin: Hayward, CA.

Purchase Place: Menards, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This had more flavor than I expected! It had the extra sweetness like Diet Pepsi compared to Diet Coke, but then there was an extra almost cinnamon-like flavor. Honestly, it got to feel (taste) OVERLY sweet by the end of the can. But surprisingly good (for generic and for diet).

Score: 6 out of 10.

Coca Cola Zero Sugar Limited Edition "Dreamworld" Dream Flavored Soda

Coke has been trying some new funky "limited edition" flavors. For some reason. I really did not like the "Starlight" Space Flavored Coke Zero that I tried this past spring, but my wife found a different flavor for me to try:

On the dash of my car as I was eating lunch the other day.

Brand: Coca Cola Zero Sugar Limited Edition "Dreamworld" Dream Flavored Soda.  

Origin: Atlanta, GA.

Purchase Place: Casey's, Wells, MN.

Sweetener: Aspartame and Sucralose.  

Review: This wasn't nearly as bad as "Starlight" Space Flavored Coke Zero! Whew! It smelled a bit fruity when I opened it. My very first thought when I took a sip was "Hmmm... mango?!?" It was basically a mango-flavored Coke Zero. The "mango" flavor overpowered the Coke flavor which I didn't care for (but I'm a fan of cola, so I would say that).

After (and only AFTER) drinking it and forming my opinion, I looked up what the internet had to say. This writer described it like this:

I puzzled and puzzled over how to describe the flavor. Here’s what I came up with: maybe if you had a party, and you made a huge bowl of fruit punch, and then accidentally dropped a splash of Coke into it, that’s what Dreamworld tastes like.

So where I said "mango," she said "fruit punch." I don't feel like we're that far off. And she also agrees that it's not very coke flavored. Another writer said "It had a fruity candy smell -- like Skittles mixed with Coca-Cola -- but it definitely didn't taste the same way. I immediately got a citrus flavor from this soda..."

It's not my favorite combination of flavors, but it's not horrible... especially if the thought of a fruity Coke Zero is intriguing to you.

Score: 5 out of 10.

Sarsi Root Beer from the Philippines

I was out to eat with extended family at Kalsada Filipino BBQ down the street here in St. Paul last week, and I started Googling some of their sodas. Many were fruit-based, but this one called "Sarsi" was labeled something between a Sarsaparilla and a Root Beer. When it was brought to my table, it was labeled as a Root Beer:

It only had 80 calories, and that's because it had some real sugar and some sucralose.

Brand: Sarsi Root Beer from the Philippines.

Origin:  Taguig, Philippines.

Purchase Place: Kalsada, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar and Sucralose.

Review: This was really interesting! It was extra "herby" and had a great bite. It was super unique and had a strong, deep flavor. My wife and boys all got a sip, and they enjoyed it as well. Really fun and unique soda that's supposed to only be available for purchase in the Philippines.

Score: 8.5 out of 10.

Thomas Kemper Low Calorie Root Beer

It had been years since I had "regular" Thomas Kemper root beer. So it was time to try their low calorie version:

Brand: Thomas Kemper Low Calorie Root Beer.

Origin: Portland, OR.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Bloomington, MN.

Sweetener: Honey and Sucralose.

Review: This was listed as 20 calories, so I looked at the ingredients list: it had sucralose as it's "main" sweetener, but it also had honey. I've had mixed reactions to honey in root beer. But this was OK. It was REALLY creamy (almost to a fault), and the flavor was OK: the honey added a unique sweetness to it, but it wasn't bad. It was a bit herby, but sure not over-the-top. I liked this WAY more than the regular Thomas Kemper's Root Beer. It was unique and decent. Not bad!

Score: 7 out of 10.

Dad's Diet Old Fashioned Root Beer

This Diet Dad's was another gift from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law from their party:

Brand: Dad's Diet Old Fashioned Root Beer.

Origin: Jasper, IN.

Purchase Place: unknown (western suburbs).

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This was quite tasty! It had a real deep (almost smokey) flavor which was surprising being it was a diet root beer. There wasn't that "thin and watered down" flavor that many diet sodas (especially root beers) have. Deep classic flavor, just a little bite, and quite easy to drink. Solid soda!

Score: 8 out of 10.

Twig's Diet Black Cherry Soda

I just stopped at "Minnesota's Largest Candy Store" to refresh my soda stash (I might post about that soon), and I only have a few "old" sodas to finish before I get to crack into my "new" ones. Here was was on the old ones that was hiding in the corner of a case: 

Brand: Twig's Diet Black Cherry Soda

Origin: Shawano, WI.

Purchase Place: Blue Sun Soda, Spring Lake Park, MN.

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This has a decent black cherry flavor at first, but each sip ends a little weakly (as you'd expect with a diet soda). So it tastes diet, but it's not bad. The black cherry is a bit sharp, but it's good. If this wasn't diet, I'd rate it around average, but I'm giving it an extra point for having decent flavor and still being diet.

Score: 6 out of 10.