Johnnie Ryan Diet Soda

I had this as a caffeine boost 2 days ago:

Brand: Johnnie Ryan Diet Soda.

Origin: Niagara Falls, NY.

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

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This tasted like a good cola. I was thinking it was pretty decent with a rich, almost berry flavor, and that it was alright. Then I remembered it was diet, and was quite impressed. There's a lot of flavor here for a DIET soda.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Harmony Springs Sarsaparilla

Had another soda in class today:

Don't judge my messy desktop.

The flavor isn't listed anywhere on the bottle. The bottle says "flavor on crown,"
and that's the only place to see what variety you're drinking.

Brand: Harmony Springs Sarsaparilla

Origin: Ludlow, MA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was just OK. It had a strong, earthy, herby flavor that was just a BIT too much for me. If you're into that sort of thing (and I know many people are), then give this a try. But it wasn't quite what I'm into, so I'll give it a slightly lower-than-average score.

Score: 4 out of 10.

Original New York Seltzer Root Beer Soda

I was intrigued by this tiny bottle, so I brought it to class with me today:

Brand: Original New York Seltzer Root Beer Soda.

Origin: Walnut, CA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This first struck me because it only had 4 ingredients: carbonated water, cane sugar, citric acid, and natural flavors. That's not unheard of, but definitely on the lower end of ingredients. So I was ready for this to be more of a "flavored water" than a "soda." I sniffed it, and it smelled like root beer. The first sip was totally root beer. And then there's a sharpness and crispness that comes later in the sip that's the normal "carbonated water" experience. So really, it's like a carbonated water drink that's flavored like root beer. The sharpness is a LITTLE weird at the end of each drink, but it's not bad. The root beer flavor is pretty classic and smooth (until the sharpness hits). It's a very unique experience - I'll give it a slightly better-than-average score.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

p.s. Under the cover, there was a message. They were founded in 1981, so it asked "What's the best thing 2 happen 2U in 1981?" Well, I was born. So that was good.

Iron Horse Diet Root Beer

I was at school grading projects yesterday, and I took this with me:

Brand: Iron Horse Diet Root Beer.

Origin: Edina, MN.

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

Sweetener: Sucralose.

Review: This was thin and a bit weak as diet sodas can be, but the flavor was pretty good. There was a hint to wintergreen, and it was pretty smooth. I wish it had a deeper flavor, but it wasn't bad for a diet.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Soda Boy Caramel Cream

This was my LAST soda in my (current) Frattallones Ace soda stash before I get to crack into my 2 cases from MN Largest Candy Store that I got last month.

Brand: Soda Boy Caramel Cream.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: Holy crap. It tastes like a liquified caramel candy. And you know what? That's not really a good thing. It was WAAAAAAY too sweet. I couldn't finish it. I just had about a dozen small sips. The flavor was pretty spot on for "caramel," but just to flippin' sweet!

Score: 3 out of 10.

Old Red Eye Root Beer

I took this outside with me yesterday to enjoy while doing some yard work:

Brand: Old Red Eye Root Beer.

Origin: Mulkilteo, WA.

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was heavy on the wintergreen, but pretty tasty. Besides that, it's got good flavor and is a solid root beer. It seriously was one of the more "wintergreen-y" root beers I can remember having, so if you like wintergreen, you should try this.

Score: 7.5 out of 10.

Grapefruit Kiss Soda

I brought this to my board meeting earlier this week:

Brand: Grapefruit Kiss Soda.

Origin: Mukilteo, WA

Purchase Place: Frattallones Ace Hardware, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: You know, it tasted like Squirt. All "citrus" sodas taste that way to me. It's like I'm racist, but only towards citrus sodas.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Mong Lee Shang Pearl Soybean Drink with Tapioca Ball

I was getting some groceries at Cub Foods yesterday morning, and I found myself in the ethnic foods section. I ended up leaving with this:

Oh wait, I can't read that side. Here's the english side:

Yeah, I know. A little risky. Still, it sounded like it could be good. I searched the can over for "shake well before opening" because I figured I needed to do that, but I didn't find that anywhere. I shook it well hoping it wasn't carbonated. Here it is partially poured out into a glass:

That glass had NO tapioca balls in it! I felt robbed. But then a fair amount came out in the final pour. They weren't dark like on the can (and like what I'm used to in my bubble tea), and they were tiny. Here's a spoonful of them:

Brand: Mong Lee Shang Pearl Soybean Drink with Tapioca Ball.

Origin: Taipei, Taiwan.

Purchase Place: Cub Foods St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: This was pretty tasty. It DID taste like soybeans! (Soybeans was the 2nd ingredient behind water, and before sugar and non-dairy cream.) I was born and raised on a farm, so I know what a soybean tastes like when popped into your mouth. It was like sweet soybeans. It was about as thick as whole milk, and pretty good. I figured this could be something I don't finish, but I downed it all pretty quick.

Score: 7.5 out of 10.