Coke in 1885

If you know, you know... ;)

Melba's Fixins Strawberry Shortcake Soda

I opened this with my boys during supper last night: 

Brand: Melba's Fixins Strawberry Shortcake Soda.

Origin: Camarillo, CA.

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

Sweetener: Cane Sugar.

Review: I've only had one other "Melba's Fixins" pseudo-novelty soda, and that was decent, so I had relatively high hopes for this. My boys and I sniffed it, and it DID smell like strawberry short cake. When drinking it, the first thing that hit was the creaminess - it was like a "cream soda." And the strawberry flavor was solid, but a bit subtle. The carbonation was a bit harsh, so it was like a cream soda that just had a little "bite" to it. In the end, we all agreed that it totally was a "strawberry shortcake soda." It was like a subtle strawberry flavored cream soda.

Score: 7 out of 10.

Barq's Lip Balm

I have this Barq's lip balm in my car:

It's surprisingly "correct" in it's flavor! If I had to guess what major root beer company this was, I'd say Barq's as it has the slight "bite" to it.

Olipop Classic Grape Sparkling Tonic

I opened this before class yesterday: 

 

Brand: Olipop Classic Grape Sparkling Tonic.

Origin: Oakland, CA.

Purchase Place: Kowalski's Market, St. Paul, MN.

Sweetener: Stevia and their "olismart" blend.

Review: Interestingly enough, this can contained 45 calories whereas their "cola" that I had last winter had 35 calories. This one had more fruit juice concentrates, so that must have been the difference: the cola just had apple and lime juice, but this had grape, apple, and lime. (Which makes the sugar content go from 2g to 4g.) But it had the same NINE grams of fiber added to it!

This was pretty good! It wasn't an overly sweet child-like grape soda (or "tonic" I suppose I should say). It was still tinted purple, but the flavor was a little deeper and almost "herbier" than a standard grape - there was more depth to it. I didn't get a bad aftertaste from the Stevia which happens with some drinks. This was a bit better than their cola in my mind! I'll need to keep exploring these tonics!

Score: 7 out of 10.

When Enjoying High Fructose Corn Syrup in a Soda...

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!  :)