The Pop Shoppe Lime Ricky

I opened this last night with supper: 

Brand: The Pop Shoppe Lime Ricky

Origin: Ontario, Canada.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was appropriately tart. It was more tart than just a lime soda - if you want just a "lime" soda, this won't be what you're after. The tartness adds a nice layer to this. It's still sweet, but then that sweetness it cut with that little tart. Nothing special, but a decent soda!

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.

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!  :)