Coca Cola Sweatshirt

My niece had this sweet sweatshirt, and I was jealous...

Sakura Cherry Blossom Cola

I grabbed this while out my with boys recently:

I used my phone to translate the Japanese on the side of the bottle.

Brand: Sakura Cherry Blossom Cola.

Origin: Japan.

Purchase Place: Shanghai Wholesale Market, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Review: This was sweet and tasty, but it wasn't "cherry blossom" at all. It had a slight citrus sweetness to it that reminded be a bit of Fresca. It was good, but very sweet - this 8 oz bottle had 110 calories (8 oz of Coke would be around 93 calories, and 8 oz of Pepsi would be 100 calories). Sweet, citrusy, and just a BIT floral. It was good, but SWEET!

Score: 6 out of 10.

Lakefront Brewery Golden Maple Root Beer

I opened this while cooking last night:

 

Brand: Lakefront Brewery Golden Maple Root Beer

Origin: Milwaukee, WI.

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

Sweetener: Pure cane sugar and pure Wisconsin maple syrup.

Review: I didn't get a TON of maple flavor from this. I'd could say I'm disappointed a little, but the flavor wasn't bad, so I'm not too upset. It's less "maple" and more like "if a root beer and a cream soda had a baby" which is NOT a bad thing. It was a bit like a creamy root beer. The flavor wasn't amazing, but it was good for what it was. I'll rank this just a bit above average.

Score: 6 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.

The Two Kinds of Dr. Pepper Bottles

How did I not know this??...

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.

Quick Stop at an "Up North" Candy Store

When my boys and niece and nephew and I took at 4 day trip up to Grand Marais, MN, we swung by a candy store on the way home.  It was the Sweetly Kismet Candy Store just south of Duluth near Jay Cooke State Park. It's a new "suburban barn" looking candy shop just off the freeway at the Carlton exit.

Some cold sodas...

... and a lot on the shelf!

The bathroom is fun too.

I'm a sucker for traditional "Cow Tales," but I haven't seen all these flavors!

I grabbed a few sodas that I'll have to try shortly. Here are more photos from the Grand Marais trip with the 4 kids!

Root Beer Socks

Yes, it's mid-July, but I just opened this as a late Father's Day present from my family:

It LOOKS like a can of root beer...

... but the top pops off to reveal socks inside!

And the "nutrition facts" are kind of fun.

Liquid Death Killer Cola Flavored Sparkling Water

On Saturday, I stopped at "Five Below" with my son so he could shop for his girlfriend, and I grabbed a Liquid Death. On Sunday, I opened it while I cooked supper:

I was ready to "murder my thirst" as it says at the bottom.  ;)

 

Brand: Liquid Death Killer Cola Flavored Sparkling Water.

Origin: Los Angeles, CA.

Purchase Place: Five Below, Roseville, MN.

Sweetener: Agave Nectar and Stevia Leaf Extract.

Review: First of all, you have to note that it's a "flavored sparkling water" and not a "soda." It's not nearly as sweet as you'd expect a soda to be. But with both agave and stevia, it's still PLENTY sweet - it's not like a La Croix or something.

I don't know if I would have labeled this as a "cola" by just sipping it blindly. It had a real fruity / floral sweetness to it, and a bit of that "sharpness" that stevia tends to add. It wasn't a bad flavor, but it really wasn't what I'd say was "cola." In the end, I didn't care for the sharpness it had (even though it was only slightly carbonated which helped, because otherwise it would have been VERY "sharp"), and the flavor wasn't what I expected. The sweetness was good, so I'll give this a middle-of-the-road score.

Score: 5 out of 10.

'Rocket Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop' in the Mall of America

We were at the Mall of America this past weekend celebrating my youngest son’s birthday, and we stopped at Rocket Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop for the first time. I had been to Rocket Fizz in Vegas 12 years ago, but didn't realize I had one so close to home:

Sodas were kinda expensive at $2.99/bottle, but they had a huge selection of novelty sodas if you’re into that sort of thing!

Lots of candy and novelty metal signs as well. (And sodas down low.)

The middle part of this cooler is all birch beer, root beer, and sarsaparilla.

I didn't get anything, but I'd stop back (if I was willing to spend a little more) if I wanted to find some funky flavored novelty sodas! I think I've had all of the root beers in the image above, but I wouldn't be surprised if I stopped in sometime to grab a few other sodas.