Dad's Old Fashioned Red Cream Soda

I opened this earlier today before teaching my class at the U: 

In an empty classroom.

Brand: Dad's Old Fashioned Red Cream Soda.

Origin: Jasper, IN.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: Is it a CREAM soda? Is it the flavor of the color RED? I still really don't know. The initial sip is smooth and creamy and pretty tasty with a hit of fruitiness (and I'm not just imagining that because it's red). But then it quickly turns "artificial" and kind of "wet cardboard" tasting. If it could capture and hold on to the initial flavor, it'd be more like an "8" for me. But all things considered (meaning the way the taste gets crappier at the end of each sip), it's being marked a bit lower.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Apple Rush Sparkling Apple

I opened this today, as it feels very fall-like around here suddenly:

Brand: Apple Rush Sparkling Apple.

Origin: Somewhere in Florida.

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

Sweetener: None.

Review: It's what you'd expect: it's sparkling apple cider. The carbonation is a fun (but not too crazy) addition to cider. Solid drink for this time of year.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Does No One Like Bottle Caps Candy?!?

Earlier this week, there were random piles of candy left at different study stations in the library of one of the universities where I teach. Today, I noticed that those (diminishing) piles were consolidated into one more public area, and ALL that was left were Bottle Caps:

I really like these, but does no one else?!? I grabbed 3 of these little packs, and I got a big percentage of the "cola" and "root beer" flavored ones, so I'm feeling good right now! 

Manhattan Special Black Cherry

I opened this tonight after a big day: 

 

Brand: Manhattan Special Black Cherry.  

Origin: Brooklyn, NY.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This had a unique flavor. I sipped it before I looked at the ingredients, and then I noticed it has "vegetable juice for color" as the 3rd ingredient, and I swear I can taste that. It has a "natural/earthiness" to it. The black cherry flavor is somewhere between "black cherry" (but not quite) and some sort of "cherry cream" (but also not quite). It's a unique flavor that I have to give them credit for (they weren't just doing "another black cherry" soda), but not quite my thing. It was just OK.

Score: 5.5 out of 10.

The Best Way to Keep a Can of Soda from Exploding When Opened

My favorite YouTube duo is back again. Here they experiment with different ways to keep your soda from exploding all over you when you open it.


Direct link on Facebook (if the video above doesn't play): fb.watch/8Vbp9xwGT6/

That Facebook video is under 6 minutes and is just the good stuff. Here's the "full" video on YouTube which is a (TOO) long 18 minutes if you're interested:


Direct link: youtube.com/watch?v=944cu1HNWn8

Say what you will about Facebook, but I'm just happy that to best monitize videos for Facebook, they need to be severly edited down. And I generally prefer those major edits over long YouTube videos that take 3x as long getting to the same point...

Virgil's Handcrafted Black Cherry Soda

I opened this while in a little motel in Grand Marais recently (after picking it up at the local coop): 

On the stove of our little motel room on the North Shore.

Brand: Virgil's Handcrafted Black Cherry Soda.

Origin: Norwalk, CT.

Purchase Place: Cook County Whole Foods Co-Op, Grand Marais, MN.

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: This was quite rich. "Cough-syrup-like" as my wife said. It was sweet and tasty. It was NEARLY a "black cherry CREAM soda" as it was so creamy. That was the one thing I actually didn't care for that much. Other than that, it was pretty good! (If you like a sugary soda...)

Score: 6.5 out of 10.

A Weasel Walks Into a Bar...

This is BARELY soda-related:

Harmony Springs Cream Soda

I opened this to share with my boys as we had pizza last night: 

Brand: Harmony Springs Cream Soda

Origin: Ludlow, MA.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: This was very heavy on the vanilla, but that wasn't a bad thing. The cream wasn't all that smooth, which could have made it better. But the vanilla helped redeem it. I'd totally call it a vanilla cream, and not just a "cream" soda. If you like heavy vanilla, give this a try.

Score: 6 out of 10.

A Metal Detector Found an Old 7-Up Can

Dublin Texas Bottling Works 1891 Grapefruit Soda

I opened this to sip on tonight: 

Brand: Dublin Texas Bottling Works 1891 Grapefruit Soda

Origin: Dublin, TX.

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

Sweetener: Pure Cane Sugar.

Review: Do you like Squirt? Because it's basically Squirt. If I did a side-by-side, I don't know that I'd taste much of a difference. I think Squirt is decent, so I liked this. Easy.

Score: 6.5 out of 10.