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Reading Draft Blueberry Birch Soda

Well, it's Tuesday, so I guess that means I have another soda review from my classroom in Minneapolis (I think this is the 3rd week in a row):

Brand: Reading Draft Blueberry Birch Soda.

Origin: Reading, PA.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: So "birch" sodas usually have a bit of a sharpness to them, but I expect a "blueberry" soda to be more smooth. So what was this going to be? The answer is: both. The initial sip has that sharpness I expect with a birch soda / birch beer, but then each sip ends with the softness and smoothness of a sugary blueberry soda. It's an interesting combination. I'm not a HUGE fan of most birch beers, so I think the sweetness of the blueberry made the birch beer flavor more enjoyable for me. Still just an OK soda, but a fun combo of flavors. 

Score: 5 out of 10.

 

R-Pep Soda

I had no idea what flavor this was going to be when I opened this earlier today: 

Brand: R-Pep Soda.

Origin: Breese, IL.

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

Sweetener: Sugar.

Review: I was expecting either a "cola"-like or a "Dr. Pepper"-like flavor, but it was neither of those. I couldn't make it out initially: I thought it tasted like a mix of a cream soda and some sort of black cherry soda (SODA, not black cherry COLA). 

Their website describes this soda as: "Very creamy in taste, this soda has obvious flavors of vanilla and caramel, with a few other layers that add subtle cherry and amaretto to the mix." Yep, that's a lot of flavors to figure out. 

The "vanilla" is what was giving me the cream soda vibe, and I got the cherry right too. But overall, I just thought it was OK. It was almost "too busy" in my mouth - lots going on. Not BAD, just DIFFERENT. I'll rank this just above average (mainly for trying something different).

Score: 6 out of 10.

 

Dublin Texas Sweet Peach Soda

Before class tonight, I opened this in my classroom: 

Brand: Dublin Texas Sweet Peach Soda.

Origin: Dublin Texas (duh).

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: I'm not a fan of peach flavored things, so I don't know why I picked this up. (Although I have had a good record with non-diet Dublin Texas sodas.) If you handed this to me and told me to guess the flavor, I think I would have said "weird strawberry?" Or maybe "sweet kiwi?" I don't know that I EVER would have gotten to "peach," let alone "sweet peach."

BUT... it wasn't bad! It was kind of light and summery, as you'd expect a "sweet peach" soda to be. It was nicely sweet without being too much. Maybe peach flavor is hard to do, as I've never had a peach flavored soda before this one. It didn't taste like peach, but it wasn't bad. I'll call this just barely above average.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Spider-Man / Soda Can Humor

Blue Sky Cola

I enjoyed this as I was prepping for class this evening:

With the messy instructor station behind the can.  #ReadyToTeach

Brand: Blue Sky Cola.

Origin: Tustin, CA.

Purchase Place: Mississippi Market, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Invert Cane Sugar.

Review: This is the last of the Blue Sky Sodas that my wife got for me 6 weeks ago. And I'm sad to see them go. And they ended on a high note! This was a really unique cola - it was very creamy and had more than a hint of vanilla. You could have told me this was a "vanilla cream soda" and I would have believed you 100%. It's unlike any cola I've had. It still has the slight "fruitiness" that many decent colas have, but there's more going on. A fun take on cola! Worth a try!

Score: 8 out of 10.