Soda Pop - 1421 Reviews

Confession time: I spend way too much time on Tumblr. I spend most of my workday in front of a computer so it's far too easy to keep Tumblr open in one tab and refresh it every 5 minutes. Sure there is a lot of annoying animated gif's and Daniel Tosh apologists on there, but there is also a lot of rad things as well.

Today after I followed someone (http://rotgirlrot.tumblr.com/), they posted the following: "WHOA HEY WAIT A SECOND YOU'RE A THIRSTY DUDE fuck I LOVE YOUR WEBSITE DUDE HELLO /fans self"
This right here made my day. It's really nice to get feedback like this from people who read our ridiculous ramblings about weird drinks.

So since you made my day new friend, this review is dedicated to you! I was surprised that we hadn't reviewed this yet. I even had to check our master list twice because I could have sworn we did it. More often than not we look past the common drinks, but we eventually come back to them. A&W makes a decent (not amazing) root beer, and that's also how I feel about their cream soda. It's thick tasting due to the HFCS, but has a nice vanilla taste to it. The weirdest thing is that it has caffeine in it, which is very unusual for a cream soda.

And for those fellow tumblr addicts, feel free to follow me: http://derekneuland.tumblr.com/

Hotlips does it again. They have managed to make a delicious fruit soda that isn't sweetened with any sugar. I had to look at the ingredients three times just to be sure. And you know what? It tastes great. I'm not one to eat a pear normally, but this is delicious. It's really juicy and flavorful.

My only complaint (and this goes for all Hotlips sodas) is it's only lightly carbonated. I like my soda to be moderately fizzy, but you barely notice it here.

This little guy has been staring me in the eye every time I open my cupboard for about a year now. It's like he's just been daring me to taste his awfulness. I don't even remember where he came from, Mike probably…€¦the bastard. I'd like to imagine that he was summoned forth like some sort of drink demon to ruin my day. You may say, “Hey it's just soda pop in a cute little bottle.” If you utter those words to me I will tell you that A. Cream soda should not be green. B. No soda should be green. It just means that added food coloring to make it wacky. C. Soda that comes in such a small container can be nothing but overly sweetened to the point where It will instantly erode your teeth and give you a terrible stomach ache.

I'm sick of looking at this. I'm sick of being afraid. Today I face my fears and try the dreaded “Chubby” (phrasing).

Oh my god it may be worse than expected. I opened up the bottle and it smelled like a nice pleasant cream soda. I thought to myself, “Hey maybe this actually won't be so bad. Maybe you've just been paranoid.” Then I took a sip and realized the demon had tricked me into taking a large gulp of his poison. It tastes solely like sweetener, with the faintest, faintest hint of vanilla. It has sugar and/or glucose fructose plus sucralose. You can taste it all battling out inside of your mouth, and no matter who the victor is it will not be your taste buds. Damn you Chubby!

“Expect the best. Accept the worst” When Blake Schwarzenbach wrote those lyrics I can only assume he wasn't talking about this soda, but it's fitting. In my world there are few sodas that sound better than a ginger drink that is sweetened with honey. I was thinking a honey flavored ginger beer, and I was hoping for one heck of a burn to it. As it turns out this isn't a ginger beer at all. In fact it doesn't taste like any soda that I've ever had before. That could be a good thing, except that it tastes exactly like honey cough drops; Ludens to be more specific. There is a ginger flavor, but the honey overpowers it and the combo, with a little coriander mixed in gives it a definite cough drop taste. Did you know that coriander is cilantro? That kind of blows my mind.

At first I didn't like this at all really. I was turned off thinking that I was drinking cough drops. I kept sipping on the bottle though, and now that I'm done, I have to say that I don't hate it. It's not something that I would want all of the time, but I think the more you drink it, the more acclimated you become and the more you enjoy it.

Our friends Dave and Gabby brought this back from a trip to Maine. Many thanks to them. After finishing this off, I'm very interested in trying Green Bee's other flavors.

Ah, Gamer Soda, we meet again! In the past you have disappointed me with your bland flavor and lack of caffeine, but I'm willing to give you another try. I do still like that it doesn't have food coloring in it. I appreciate clear sodas that aren't lemon-lime or cream soda.

Now onto the flavor. It's good, but not great. This is definitely one of the better cherry soda's I've had, but it's nothing to write home about. It's crisp and flavorful, and most people would think this is a decent soda. I haven't played video games in a while (Mike will probably scoff at me for that), but I suppose this would be a good soda to drink while playing games if we want to get into that discussion. It's much better than any normal fruit sodas you can find at your local grocery store in 99 cent 2 liters.

First, let's get this right out of the way. Jay and I cannot drink this without thinking of this Homestar Runner cartoon.

Now, 'tis the reviewing hour. Much south of the eerie midnight that would be the appropriate time to drink pop from a company called "Witch's Brew" from Salem, Massachusetts. I feel like I should be listening to the band "Salem" and watching Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and doing something like sharpening stakes and/or doing something with garlic not related to making pasta. I wonder what Italian food vampires can eat. Do they touch that topic in the Twilight series? See, these are the questions that people have. They don't care if they can love. They care if they can use toothpicks which are really tiny wooden stakes.

In broad daylight, a time that vampires hate but witches probably don't mind, I am drinking this pop with my coworkers. Some like it. Some don't. Do you know what that means? That means that some people simply are riding along with Jay's bandwagon of not liking black cherry. Simply put, this pop is just another black cherry pop. It's not bad but it's nothing exceptional. I don't know if I've ever had an exceptional black cherry pop. I don't know if one exists. It would be nice if one did because I'm bored with this monotonous other stuff. You'd think witches could put something in there, like the ever popular "eye of newt" or perhaps something as simple as cinnamon to spice this up. Eh, witches have plenty of other things up their giant sleeves. Pop is probably pretty far down on their list, well below trying not to get burned at the stake and finding pointy hats.

Apparently Pepsi is using their 'Next' line to try out new flavors. First was the Cherry Vanilla that Mike reviewed last week. Now I've come across this 'Paradise Mango' flavor. This is definitely a first for me, as I've never seen mango in a cola before.

Upon opening the bottle, a waft of mouth-watering mango hit my nose. I'm not joking, my mouth literally started to water when I smelled it. I don't eat mango that often, but I love mango flavored drinks. As soon as I took my first sip, my skepticism went away. This is incredible! It's got that classic crisp Pepsi cola taste, with a wave of mango right after. I keep catching myself smelling the bottle before each sip because I don't know if I've had a drink that has smelled this good in a while.

I hope Pepsi decides to expand this flavor into its normal line. I would love to see what this tastes like without all the fake sugar in it.

I have one question; do you like creamsicles? If the answer is no, don't even bother with this soda, because that is what it is in a bubbly liquid form. If you do, then I urge you to get your hands on one of these. As I said it tastes like a creamsicle, but one that was made with actual oranges. It's probably the most natural tasting orange cream soda I've ever tasted, which is always a good thing.

An employee of Trader Joes once told me that all of their products were actually the ends of the batches of other company's products with a Trader Joes label on it. It makes sense. I want to know what company is the rightful heir to this cream fortune, because I'd guess we already reviewed it, and for some reason I think this version tastes better.

Not all cream soda's are created equal. We know this. It's not debatable. Some are amazing and delicious and some just taste like they were dragged through the river. Simpson Spring has always done us good as far as soda goes, so this cream soda already had a leg up before I opened it up.

Lo and behold, I was right. This bottle is delicious! If they were to add a tagline to this flavor, it would be "very vanilla". I don't know if I've ever had a cream soda that has this strong of a vanilla flavor to it. Some people might prefer more subtle cream sodas, but the creamier the better in my opinion.

Dad! I knew you would find someway to ruin my 13th birthday party! I kept you in the dark about most of it, because even though I know you have the best of intentions, you always mess everything up. I had mom take care of the cake, the clown, the decorations and all of the food. Not surprisingly all of that is perfect. You had one responsibility and that was to buy pop for everyone and you somehow messed that up! I even made you a list and told you specifically where you could get it! What, you don't know many 13 year olds who know exactly what stores to buy specific sodas at? Well I'm a new breed, okay?

You completely ignored my list, and obviously went to a discount store. Don't try denying it; you left the price tags on the bottles. Not only did you go the cheap route, but you also only bought one flavor. I know you bought it because you thought it was cute that it's called Dad's and you're my dad. On top of that it's “Big Daddy Size.” I have to tell you, now that I'm a teenager that just sounds creepy and gross. Don't ever say that phrase again! So here we are with a bunch of bottles of Dad's Old Fashioned Red Cream Soda. At first I gave you the benefit of the doubt because cream soda is delicious, and I loved that can of red cream soda mom brought me back from Toronto. The thing is this stuff is garbage. It tastes like someone took 3 parts bubble gum flavored soda and mixed in 1 part cream soda. It's basically champagne cola and cream. It's gross! I hate it! You've ruined my birthday! I'm never speaking to you again!

It's been a long time since I last took a trip to Hosmer Mountain. It's a great place to visit this time of year. The trees are full, the air is crisp, and there are not too many bugs around to bother you. Let's not forget the best part of Hosmer Mountain, the abundance of delicious soda everywhere. I managed to find this bottle of Sarsaparilla lying on a pad of moss under an oak tree. I had to wrestle it away from a raccoon, but it found another bottle a few minutes later so luckily it didn't claw my face off.

The soda you find at Hosmer Mountain is always delicious. This is definitely one of the best sarsaparilla's I've ever had. It's really smooth with a nice thick molasses taste to it. It's one of the sweetest bottles I've had, not to mention the strong vanilla aftertaste.

So if you ever find yourself in New England, do yourself a favor and climb Hosmer Mountain. Even if you hate nature, it's worth it to find the delicious bottles of soda scattered everywhere. Hurry before those pesky geo-cachers get them all.

Well if Dr. Pepper can create Ten, Pepsi can create their own beverage for men. Just for men. It's not so directly pointed towards men, but women love "diet" and they have it in their minds that “diet” is their drink. Men don't "diet." They eat less pizza and have one scoop of ice cream instead of three. Men are sensitive individuals who won't admit they have a weight problem until they start breaking chairs left and right. As soon as it happens, they head to the store to find manly, low calorie drinks. Pepsi Next is that. It's for the workingman. It's hard to work in an office full of men who love things like burgers, steak, potatoes, and the like and not put on a couple pounds. It comes with the territory. If you can change one thing, like your pop intake, you're on to something.

This is my maiden voyage into the Pepsi Next line and I believe Derek described it as something like regular Pepsi mixed with Diet Pepsi and although I can't argue with that, I will say that this new flavor line is pretty good. This cherry vanilla is right where I want it to be. Strong cherry and even stronger vanilla flavor easily mask the corn syrup, aspartame, and sucralose; all of which are in this drink which combined with real sugar, make up the most comprehensive list of sweeteners in one drink I think I have ever seen. That combination of sweeteners leaves you with a sweet, but not too sweet, 100 calorie bottle of a pretty decent flavored cola. The warmer it gets, the more the other sweeteners come out, but the first half of this bottle right out of the cooler were pretty good. If this came in a responsible eight-ounce can or something of that nature, I would love it. That is a not-so-subtle hint, Pepsi. Not everyone needs twelve plus ounces to satisfy themselves.

I'm going to make some enemies with this statement, but I don't care: I don't like cranberries. It's true, I've always hated cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving and most cranberry juice/drinks I've had are just gross. That was until I had this soda.

Now I'm not saying "I LOVE CRANBERRY" now. I'm just saying that this is the best cranberry drink I've ever had. That being said, I'm still not crazy about it. It's nice that it's naturally sweetened (no real or fake sugar), and yet still tastes sweet. The cranberry taste is strong yet not overpowering like straight cranberry juice.

This was really supposed to be one of the greatest things to ever grace my taste buds. The Bundaberg flavors I've had in the past have been nothing short of greatness. On top of that it has been scientifically proven that guavas are one of the greatest fruits to even ripen on this planet of ours. Even better this was the third part of a gift that my great friend Terry brought back from a work trip to Australia. As you can tell from my wording everything was aligned for greatness. If there was a god then this had to be the greatest soda to ever be produced. Apparently Homer Simpson's flat tax plan was correct, there is no god.

While this is a soda made with actual guava juice, and it is carbonated just like their other flavors, the other flavors masked the fermented taste that the yeast used caused. Unfortunate for me fruit juice doesn't do as good of a job masking that flavor. It turns out that Bundaberg Guava Soda tastes like a wine cooler. My friends who drank loved this. They were all raving about it. To me it was a disappointment that I still enjoyed. It still tasted like guava juice, just a little fermented, the way that Fentimans fruit flavors do. I will give the company credit for making the soda the old fashioned way though.

Kristall makes nothing but quality fruit sodas. I have loved every flavor of theirs that I have tried, and this one continues their streak of awesomeness. I was at a backyard going away party today and I drank way more pop than I normally do. I also ate nothing but chips and salsa all day (it's my curse) and now my stomach regrets it. This was my ladyfriend's drink of choice for the day, and she was kind enough to share it with me. We drank it early on in the party, so my taste buds were fresh and my stomach wasn't bloated. Lucky me.

Let's face it, 7Up and Sprite don't really taste anything like lemons or limes. Maybe there is a slight hint, but if you squeezed the juices from those two fruits, added them to some sparkling water and then mixed in a bunch of sugar it would not taste anything like those brands. Just ask Mitch Hedberg. That mixture would taste very similar to what is in this bottle. Kristall was able to capture with essence of those citrus fruits without the sourness. Good job guys.

Dr Pepper has been a part of “big soda” for years. Some would say he ran the soda game in the 70s. I mean you never see anyone wearing shirts that say “I'm Mellow like Yello,” but “I'm a Pepper shirts were everywhere.”

To combat this unholy terror, the Coca-Cola company released Peppo in the early 70's. The Doctor was having none of that blaspheme of his name and a lawsuit soon followed. It was then that Mr. Pibb was born. One might ask, “How can just a man compete with a doctor?” The answer to that question is to have slightly more cherry in your flavor.

After decades of living in the shadows of Herr Doctor, Pibb decided to step up his game and add some cinnamon into the mix (or so Wikipedia tells me). It was this mixture that became known as Pibb Xtra, and it was labeled as a spicy cherry soda. In reality I can't taste much, if any, cinnamon in this soda. It really tastes like someone mixed a Dr. Pepper and a regular cherry soda together. I must say that I prefer it to the Pepper, but it's not something I would drink on a regular basis. I do know a bunch of people who love it and drink it religiously. I'm not kidding they have a Pibb alter and have ceremonies and everything. You would think they were drinking the blood of Christ or something.

If you've ever found yourself at a backyard party, staring into a cooler full of pop and you chose the orange flavored one; you know what this soda tastes like. It's completely standard orange pop. Nothing fancy. Nothing gross. If you've never found yourself in that situation then you my friend must be attending some fancy parties. Did you drink a caviar soda? If so, that's gross and I want no part of those parties.

I tried to drink a chocolate soda that completed disgusted me, so I decided to settle for an only slightly better vanilla one. When cream soda is done right, it can be one of the best pops out there. It can be so incredibly smooth and flavorful. Unfortunately Red Ribbon missed their mark with this one. It tastes a little too sweet than it should, and the vanilla tastes more like vanilla extract that it also should. It's a unique tasting soda, but it's not unique in a way that I like. I really just wanted to sit back and relax with a nice soda this evening, unfortunately the two that I opened both left me unsatisfied, and were left unfinished. Sorry guys, I'll drink your almond cream soda all day long, but I'll leave the vanilla cream on the shelf.

There were two things that Mario loved in life. Those two things were chocolate and soda pop. What can you really expect from a six year old? Seriously though, Mario had terrible parents, or so his bedroom would have you believe. It was littered with empty pop cans and chocolate bar wrappers. They said it didn't matter because he ate it all of the time and he was still “skinny like a bean.” Mario's parents were idiots. A. All of that garbage would catch up to him weight-wise as he got older. B. I'm sure all of that sugar gave your poor child diabetes or some other disease.

One morning Mario woke up and found that there was not a drop of cola left in the house. On top of that he was out of chocolate bars. He felt like garbage. He now understood why his dad was so irritable on the mornings when he didn't have coffee. The boy was going through withdrawal. It was as he was writhing in pain on the kitchen floor that he came up with an idea. He took one of his mom's seltzer waters from the fridge and dumped a whole mess of cocoa powder into it. He grabbed a bunch of sugar packets and pours them into the mixture as well. It's unfortunate for Mario that he didn't realize that they weren't actual sugar, but his mom's “diet sugar” packets. Mario then took out an oversized spoon and mixed it until it was just a liquid with no powder on top.He took a whiff and it smelled like his mom's chocolate scented lotion. Pleased with himself he took a big gulp and immediately spit it all over the kitchen. His concoction was utterly disgusting. It tasted like a three day old, melted chocolate float that had aspartame in it for some reason. Even though the ice cream had melted, the carbonation remained. Ugh…€¦so gross. Being the scumbag child that he was Mario didn't even clean up his mess. He just took a five from his mom's purse and walked down to the corner store to get his provisions. That little bastard.

Up until this pop touched my taste buds I had completely forgotten that Faygo used to make a chocolate cream pie soda. I remember convincing my grandfather to buy me a bottle. I took one sip and thought it was completely revolting, and I felt bad for wasting it. I pretty much had the exact same reaction with this similar tasting pop, except this time I wasted my own money instead of someone else's.

Mt. Angel is a local brewing company that makes one of my favorite root beers of all time. When I found out they have expanded into other flavors, I couldn't have been more excited. At first I could only find them in an expensive 6 pack sampler, but then I was able to find this single bottle for sale at New Seasons today.

Is it as good as the root beer? I can't say because that would be like comparing a milkshake to a burrito. They're both delicious, but in different ways. I've never had a marion berry drink before and I didn't know what to expect. It's almost like a slightly tart blackberry, which I really enjoy. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to drink this again but it's definitely worth trying. I could see this being someone who loves fruit, especially berries, really loving this soda.