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.

Teem Lime Soda

I took this with me this morning to grade at one of the colleges where I teach:

Brand: Teem Lime Soda.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: I sort of pegged this as another lemon lime soda, but it was a bit different. First of all, it has caffeine, and none of my “normal” lemon lime sodas are caffeinated. Secondly, it’s labeled as a “citrus refresher,” but it’s only lime flavored. I have no issue with that - it’s just not what I’m expecting when I see “citrus” on a soda.

It was a pretty smooth lime, almost like key lime. But then there’s a refreshing pop/sharpness of the carbonation, so it has a little bit of everything. Good lime flavor, and good to sip on as I was working. Decent, but nothing amazing.

Score: 7 out of 10.

 

10 Year Blogger Birthday!

I had this Facebook memory 2 days ago that first mentioned starting a root beer journal:

Then the next day (October 1st, 2012), I started this blog with this post. Happy Birthday, Root Beer Journal!  :) 

Zia Root Beer

I brought this with me to my office by the darkroom (which explains the cameras in the background) - it was my 2nd Zia from the stash my friends brought me: 

Brand: Zia Root Beer.

Origin: Taos, NM.

Purchase Place: Smith's Food and Drug, somewhere in Utah.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: I was ready for this to be "fancy" as it had a big list of ingredients after the "normal" ones: anise and licorice aren't ALL that unique, but then it has clove, mint, yucca root, and madagascar bourbon vanilla. That's an interesting list. And the root beer is REALLY dark - one of the darker sodas I've seen.

And it WAS a little interesting. What first struck me was a big of a smokiness it had - I think that's the cloves coming through that way. And there's a hint of the mint that feels like normal wintergreen in a root beer. Overall, it's pretty smooth and has a real earthy, herby, smoky flavor. I prefer something a little sweeter, but this is a nice and unique "adult" root beer. (I say "adult" because it's not super sugary - it would not be as popular with kids.) On taste alone, I think I'd give this a 6, but I'm bumping it up for the uniqueness of the experience.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Bazooka Bubble Gum Flavored Soda

I'm currently in the big shared faculty office at the University of Minnesota, and I'm sipping on this: 

Brand: Bazooka Bubble Gum Flavored Soda.

Origin: Incline Village, NV.

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

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: This tasted EXACTLY like I thought it would! It *IS* liquid Bazooka gum. It smells just like it too! This might be a bad thing, but it even has that slight chalkiness that the gum has. This is very sweet and I could not finish it - it's definitely a "sipping soda" and not something you just drink down. The taste is spot on, but it's almost too sweet. Kids might love this, but even this sweet loving man thought it was a bit much. But higher marks for NAILING the flavor.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

Zia Ginger Ale

I opened my first Zia from my friends the other day:

Brand: Zia Ginger Ale.

Origin: Taos, NM.

Purchase Place: Smith's Food and Drug, somewhere in Utah.

Sweetener: Cane sugar.

Review: I was ready for this to be a bit strong as after the first 2 "normal" ingredients (filtered carbonated water and cane sugar), the rest were a bit more extreme: "fresh pressed ginger juice, red chile natural flavors, lime and lemon juice." I was surprised to sniff it and realize it was more subtle than I expected. And the flavor was a bit that way too - it was still flavorful, but not overpowering. Ginger can be a bit much for me, but this just had a nice flavor that ended well with a hit of citrus. There was no back-of-the-throat ginger burn that I get with some ginger sodas. (Oh, I take that back - as I'm drinking it a bit more, it IS biting the back of my throat a little, but not that harshly!) My family all enjoyed this as well. This earned the highest score for a Ginger Ale from me ever!

Score: 8 out of 10.

A Stash of Zia from Utah!

The same fun friends who sent me some Shaq Soda and some Tommyknocker Soda stopped by recently with something that they picked up in Utah for me to try:

 

They picked these up in Utah, and I'll be reviewing my first one shortly. Thanks T and B!

Spring Grove at the MN State Fair

Spring Grove Soda just posted this on Facebook: 

My boys and I were right next to the Spring Grove Soda stand (we got a soft pretzel right next door), but we didn't have any Spring Grove Soda this year. Stop by their stand near the SE corner of the DNR Building!

Tyler the Kid Sarsaparilla

I opened this with my boys last night: 

Brand: Tyler the Kid Sarsaparilla.

Origin: Camarillo, CA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was pretty good! If you had told me this was a root beer, I wouldn't have balked. It's just a little more herbaceous than root beer. There was a nice vanilla flavor, and then a bit of a wintergreen kick at the end. Pretty decent overall!   

Score: 7.5 out of 10.