Sugar - 840 Reviews

Carol typically has good self-control. Typically being the key word. Sometimes, well, she cheats. When she cheats, she cheats. She takes one bite out of a piece of pizza and the lights go out and she disappears for an hour. Next time you see her, she's mad at herself for eating an entire pizza and everyone is mad at her because she ate the entire party pizza.

She tried really hard to make things work for herself. She tried doing things like meal replacement shakes, chia seeds, countless snacks of vegetables, and so much more. She just had a sweet tooth. She needed something. She was sitting at the office having a cup of coffee when she noticed that someone had brought in individually wrapped caramels. She hadn't had one since she would visit her grandma's house so she ate one. Then she took a sip of coffee. The flavors melded together nicely and she eventually did the deed; she made a new cup of coffee and dropped a whole caramel in, waited a minute, and went at it. She loved it.

Carol had found her vice. It was a little kid friendly and a little adult. It wasn't too sweet but the caramel pushed through the coffee just enough that it made her feel good. Also, it was just unhealthy tasting enough that she couldn't finish a cup of coffee. Her limit was reached and self-control was back in place.

Energy drinks throw around terms like “Intense” and “Fierce” all the time. It's all about marketing and those are the kind of words that are going to catch people's eyes and make them think they will get the most bang for their buck, if you will. When you take a already potent energy drink and triple the active ingredients in a smaller can; you better believe them when they label it extreme.

I was not ready for this. It was 7PM, I had just eaten a large meal, and I knew I needed to be awake and alert until 4am or so. I know when I drink an energy drink on an empty stomach it gives me the jitters, but when I eat a meal I am normally fine. I didn't even drink this entire can (about ¾ of it) and within a half hour I was feeling a bit insane. I was a bit shaky and I could feel an energy in my entire body that needed to be put to use. Basically, I felt a more intense version of how I feel when I drink a normal energy drink on an empty stomach. It kept me going all night, and at 4am I was home and still pretty jacked up. I decided to drink a Marley Mellow Mood to be able to get some sleep, and let me tell you that was a terrible idea. Sure, my mind relaxed and I was able to sleep, but apparently my body just kept going. When I woke up the following day I felt like total garbage. It was as if I has not slept at all, and had been doing vigorous activity all night. So yeah, I don't advise mixing your downers with your uppers. I would make a terrible pill head.

As you can see the functionality of this drink worked wonderfully. Unfortunately that is not our main concern here at Thirsty Dudes. Flavor is first and foremost in our world, and that was lacking in this drink. It has a real bitterness to it, almost like vitamins were dissolved in a Red Bull, but they tried to mask it with a bit of fruity flavoring. It was kind of a chore to make it through as much of the can as I did. I guess you have to sacrifice flavor for this kind of functionality, which is a shame but at least it does what it's supposed to. I would definitely suggest this if you need to just power through your day with some help no matter the cost to your taste buds.

Let me be the first to congratulate kiwi for getting out of the abusive relationship that it was in with strawberry. For decades the only time you ever heard about this beautiful fruit was in relation to its counterpart. In those cases it always took a back seat to the red fruit. I know their relationship was forged because of their similar tiny black seeds, but it quickly went downhill. We've all heard what went on behind closed doors, but I'm not one to perpetuate the rumor mill. All I will say is that kiwi deserved better and I'm glad to see it stepping out on it's own into the spotlight.

Now after decades of living in the shadows, it was no surprise that kiwi wasn't going to come out of the gates and blow our minds. Sure, there are some issues with this beverage, but the important thing is that kiwi is trying and finally there is a beverage that is at least more accurately portraying it's natural flavor. Kiwi is not completely comfortable to come out all on it's own, so in here it is hiding behind sugar, and there's a whole lot of it. There is 69g of sugar in this 16.9oz can with a mixture of sugar, acesulfame K and aspartame. Sure, it tastes more like biting into a kiwi than any other drink I've ever had, but it tastes like you're biting into a canned kiwi that was in heavy syrup.

As a way of an apology for all the sugar kiwi actually put bits and chunks of itself into the drink as well. It gives it a nice texture that might be gross to some, but that someone like myself really enjoyed. Think of orange juice with a lot of pulp but switch the fruit and dump in way too much sugar. There you go.

While I'm 99.9% it's not sure I really wish this company was associated with Found Magazine. If you are not familiar they collect notes, drawings, list, etc that people randomly find and post them online/in their magazine. It's weird and sometimes boring, but often strangely interesting to catch a glimpse of someone's world.

In the ideal world in my head these sparkling waters were created from recipes that were found on a sidewalk somewhere. You know the owner was just walking along one day, stopped to tie his/her shoe and say a paper laying in the street. The penmanship was interesting looking so they picked it up and it was a handful of recipes for flavored sparkling water. After a quick stop at the market, the ingredients were combined to form wonderfully refreshing sparkling beverages that were so good that a new company was launched.

If that happened to me and these beverages were the result, I certainly would have started the company just so that I could get people to try how great they are. I'm always forcing people to try my drinks, and with something like this I would like to do it on a larger scale. Lucky for me the company already exists, so I can make people buy it, or I could if they were available around Buffalo.

While they call this a sparkling water, I would say that it is a fairly dry soda. As soon as you add sugar to something it ceases to be called water to me. There isn't much sugar in here though, so it is a tad dry, but it's the kind of soda that works better dry. It really tastes like you muddled some cucumber and mint and shoved it into your bottle of sparkling water (with a tad bit of sugar). I fully stand behind any beverage that actually tastes like the things it is named after. There are far too many companies out there that take liberties with flavors. I want what it says on the bottle, and that is exactly what happened here. My mouth couldn't be happier. It's so light and refreshing. It's also a sipping beverage, and not something you find yourself chugging. That is for the best of everyone. Found, never get lost again.

Guys/Girls, I have to admit that I am not a big rooibos tea drinker. In fact, I don't know if I've ever had a proper glass of it. I do know that when there is a selection of bottled teas it is one of the last I would choose. I have no good reason for this. I don't dislike the taste by any means; it's just kind of there. I guess I'm just a green tea lover at heart, and it will always be my first choice, especially if it is jasmine related.

Cheribundi has done a good job with a tea that I care very little about. They took the slightly nutty flavored tea and kept its integrity while adding their classic cherry juice to it. The result is like the mullet of beverages, cherry up front, rooibos in the back. You are instantly greeted by a nice, tart cherry flavor that fades into a tea flavor for the aftertaste. If this type of tea is your thing, then jump right on this train. If you're on the fence, maybe you just need to buy a day pass and ride the train for a little bit and see what you think about it. I think you'll come back to ride again.

Some people enjoy things like lavender or chamomile to calm them down but something about this drink is really putting the relax into me.

It is a good split between milk, smooth and Earl Gray, a pretty neutral tea. Lightly sweetened and placed gingerly into a baby carton, this drink provides countless minutes of sipping pleasure. It's not bitter, not too sweet, and is a good blend of everything that you would want in a milk tea, if you have ever heard of milk tea before and craved it. Hey, I've had stranger cravings for things.

Like I said, this is a relaxing, smooth drink that is meant to be sipped on your front porch, back porch, beachfront property or anything in between. I am very relaxed drinking it. Either that or the fact that I'm listening to Das Racist "Relax."

There is a dark secret in the Warner Brothers universe. Something the brothers in question never wanted to general public to know. You see, their beloved character Speedy Gonzales was in fact a junkie. Well I guess junkie isn't the appropriate word, as his vice was uppers, but he was indeed an addict. Do you think a mouse could really have all that energy and not be hopped up on something? I'm shocked we didn't realize it from the start. The mouse took all the pills and powders he could get his hands on if they would keep him on the move.

For his audition to become a cast member of Looney Tunes Gonzales was very nervous and he ended up drinking far too much coffee in the waiting room. As a result he was all jittery and talked way too fast. The higher ups loved the gimmick and he was hired on the spot. As a result he had to get all amped up on caffeine whenever he was shooting. All too soon the coffee wasn't enough and he moved on to over the counter caffeine pills. Before long he was making back alley deals with various sound and lighting guys. He just couldn't get enough of the sweet stuff and eventually it led to an early death of heart stoppage. His tomb stone had his catch phrase carved into it and a little yellow hat was placed upon it as his tiny little coffin was lowered into the earth. It was a sad day in Hollywood.

Decades later a Californian company has released an energy drink in honor of this star of the screen. If you ask me it's a bit tasteless to name an energy drink after a deceased speed freak. One thing that is not tasteless is the contents of the can. It is based on the delicacy from Mr. Gonzales' home country of Mexico. If you are not familiar it is a cinnamon spiced rice-milk beverage and it is delicious. Arriba did a great job with the flavor, and an even better job of it not tasting like a general energy drink below the classic taste. The weird taurine flavor is there if you search for it, but if someone poured a glass of this the drinker would have no idea that they were getting hyped up on taurine, guarana, ginseng and caffeine. It's something different for those of us who get tired of the energy drink flavor, but need the pick me up (and dislike coffee).

This homage may be in poor taste, but I can assure you that if he were alive and well today Speedy Gonzales would have stock in this company and a garage full of the stuff.

Okay sir, and what kind of oil did you want us to put into your car today? 51-50? Sir do you know anything about oil? I dare say you don't because that number has nothing to do with oil. I'm looking for a response along the lines of 10W-30 or 5W-20. The only two things I know about 51-50 is that I think they were a Canadian band in the 90's and apparently it's the California legal code for someone who is a danger to themselves and others. Oh yeah, it's also a Van Halen record, or Van-Hagar to be more precise.

You say that it's also the name of an energy drink that you partake in quite a bit? Well I've never heard of it, but I'll keep my eyes out for it. Working in this garage all day I need something to help me keep awake, and I'll tell you the coffee they have here is butt, if you'll excuse my French. Oh you have a can I can have? Well thank you sir. I mean I did just insult you, but I appreciate this.

Hmmm…€¦this is actually pretty good. It tastes different than Red Bull and it's hundreds of imitators. It has a berry heavy fruit punch style flavor, without tasting childish or cheap. It's a nice change up from the chemical citrus candy flavor that's the norm. This actually doesn't taste very chemical at all. You say it's an energy drink with a boost? What does that mean? Oh the usual suspects such as ginseng, taurine and caffeine are in here, but they also add maca and astragalus root to it? Well sir, I have no idea what those things are but it tastes good and if it gives me energy this will go on my shopping list. They are used to boost the immune system, strengthen vitality, improve sexual desire and raise resistance against fatigue? Well, this drink really does it all doesn't it?

This has been the weirded oil change I've ever given sir, but I appreciate the break and the drink. I really do need to know what kind of oil you would like me to use though.

Welcome to Coco Cafè where everything we serve is made with coconuts. Sure it limits what we have to offer and to be honest we have kind of a niche clientele, but we do what we do and if you don't like it you can get your nutrition elsewhere. Oh, you're going to be adventurous and stay, well la-ti-da Mr. Fancypants. May I suggest you try our coconut on a half shell? It's really just a coconut cut in half and a knife/fork combo. What can I say; our chef isn't very good in the kitchen. What he lacks in cooking, he sure makes up for in beverages though. Here try one of these coconut lattes on the house. Today he whipped up some vanilla ones, and they are a little bit of okay.

To make these drinks chef starts off with a mess of coconut water and adds a splash of reduced fat milk in it. I don't know why, I think he has some weird vendetta against vegans. I heard his fiancè ran off with an activist or something and now he's all jaded and bitter. Anyways, he then dumps a shot of espresso into that mixture, topping it all off with just a dash of vanilla extract. I personally could use a little bit more of the vanilla because it's kind of hard to find it under the espresso flavor. This really just tastes like a nicer coffee with a whole lot of coconut milk in it that has been moderately sweetened. Even though it's fairly simple it really does taste nice. It also makes coffee refreshing, which is an added bonus.

You know what? We should probably just close up this restaurant and go into the drink business. This whole exclusive coconut dish thing was a dumb idea from the get go.

Oh Slim Fast you were the bane of everyone who enjoyed sweets in the 80s. Okay that's pushing it, but those of us who were kids at the time hated you. Our parents (my mother) bought them to try and help them to lose weight and the promise of a wonderful chocolate drink led countless of us to steal them for our own glory. Unfortunately for underdeveloped taste buds all around the country those beverages were not the treats we wanted at all. Everything about them tasted wrong. I'm assuming it was due to some sort of artificial sweetener. Ugh.

Here I sit, more than 25 years later and I just did not want to drink this, even though it's my duty as a Thirsty Dude. Sometimes you just have to suck it up. That is exactly what I did, literally, and this is much better than I ever remember. Perhaps it's my more refined palate at a later age, and perhaps it's that they use sugar along with sucralose to sweeten it. It tastes like a melted vanilla milkshake with some protein in it, and it has that consistency as well. It's a bit on the thick side, but it's not all chalky from the protein, so I'll take it. Everything in here does a good job to mask the taste of the sucralose, which was my main concern with this drink. Sucralose has overthrown aspartame as the new king of hell.

Oh guava, you sassy girl. I feel that you are the most forgotten of the tropical fruits. It's not your fault. You are not to be forgotten. It's just that you are. You aren't doing anything wrong. Take this drink for instance. It's good. It's really good. I feel that it is a canned yet accurate portrayal of what you are like in real life. You know when they make biopics of people that are still alive and they get mad because everything was dramatized so much that it makes them look weak or like monsters? This drink, I feel, is "a day in the life" of you, guava. Why? Well the flavor isn't messed with, I don't think. It's filled with chunks and not just chunks of aloe, chunks of you, the fruit in questions. You provide and we make the most of what you give us. You are the lemon of fruits. You know that old phrase. If someone gives you lemons, you make lemonade. If someone gives you guaqva, you make a chunky guava drink. If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that phrase I think my check would be in the mail.

Shane. Get in here. What are you thinking with this? We can't put this out to the public. It's...it's...bland. It also tastes like it might have gone bad. Why is it with every sip I feel like I'm drinking the black plague? It's just a lightly fruity tea. Sure, it says it's "green tea" but I don't really get any bite. As for the plum, yeah, it's there but between the two of them, they're just kind of mellowing out in a sea of mediocrity.

I don't know what's gotten into you lately. You said you were working on something great and this is it? I don't know. We might have to think about getting a new research and development guy in here because this is beyond lackluster. It feels dangerous to drink, actually. Oh. Oh. You say this isn't what you've been working on and it's just something that you mixed together with some stuff you found in the communal kitchen? Oh. Well sorry, Shane. What have you been working on? A diaper that can hold more poop? You're wearing it? You've been wearing it for how long?! Six days? Shane?! That's disgusting. Disgusting and brilliant. You've kept your job buddy. Keep up the good and non-stinky work.

Cheribundi has cherry juice in excess. They must for the amount of varieties of their drinks that are on the market, and all of them with straight up cherry juice in them. In fact they juice 20 cherries for every 16.9oz bottle of juice they produce. They are also purists and don't deal with concentrate when it comes to this tart little red fruit. The result is they have an entire line of products that taste like the wonderful fruit that is the origin of their company name. Seriously, every beverage of theirs I have tried really tastes like I'm eating a bowl full of cherries. As a professional I can tell you that is most definitely not the norm with cherry flavored, well anything.

The downfall of this drink (extremely slight as it may be) is that with all of their diligence on their money maker, the blueberries in here did not receive as much attention as they should have. They in fact came from a concentrate, but hey at least it's real juice and not some artificial flavoring made to taste like blueberries. I don't know if it is due to the concentrate, or just the amount used, but the blueberry is losing the war against the cherries. There is not a harmony shared between them, and the strong flavor of the cherries overpowers the tiny blueberries. The blue fruit is most apparent in the aftertaste and even then the lingering tartness of the red is still highly present. That being said, this is by no means a bad drink. In fact it's on the greater side of the scale. I'm simply dreaming of ways to push it to the “Gotta have it now or I may explode category.”

Oh man, what have I done to myself? Working on this website has led me to taste some of the most wonderful flavors that have ever crossed my palate. For them I am thankful and the potential of running across others like them keep this site running. Then we come across products such as Sosyo and I want to flush it all away. Wipe my hands twice in the air and just walk away from the Thirsty Dudes empire.

I just knew this was not going to be anything resembling good in my world. Between the packaging that required a knife to cut away and ingredients that give no hint at a flavor (carbonated water, sugar, citric acid, sodium benzoate and caramel) there wasn't much telling me that this would be something I would enjoy.

Let me go on a little tangent and tell you that I have recently been working my way through critics lists of the greatest horror movies of all times. I've already watched most that are on the lists, but I figured I should fill in the gaps and maybe find some gems. While there have been a handful of great movies, most of them that I had not already seen are just terrible to the point of nearly unwatchable, and I love terrible movies. With that being said there is more horror in this bottle than all of those movies combined.

It says it's a mixed fruit flavor, but online I read something comparing it to cola. I thought it might end up being a fruity cola, which I could be into. Instead I received a mouthful of what tasted like how I imagine prison toilet wine would taste. I checked the Wikipedia page on Sosyo to make sure this hadn't gone bad and it says that it's a mixture of grape and apple cider that tastes alcoholic. It was apparently originally called Whisky No because of this. Ugh. No thanks. This is highly offensive to my tastes and I couldn't get more than two sips into the bottle.

If you are a recovering alcoholic, who for some reason misses the taste of the worlds crappiest fruit alcohol, or are a child pretending to be an adult this may be the drink for you. If you're tastes are anything close to mine, I warn you to stay away. It's sad because I had a nice saag meal for lunch that I was hoping would pair nicely with this Indian soda.

Bunny, when you're done flirting with that ski instructor please meet me in the lodge for some hot chocolate. You weren't flirting? Then I'm guessing that piece of paper you gave him didn't have your phone number on it and had something like directions to the nearest Dairy Queen. Right. I'm sure, Bunny.

I got you and iced tea. Sit. Let's talk. How was that Green Circle you did? Well you're learning. You can't jump up just yet. It might seem boring but it's all about fundamentals, my dear. Aren't you going to ask daddy how his black diamond was? It was fine. Nothing like the one I did in Aspen last autumn but it's adequate. I saw you fall a couple times but you're learning. What did they teach you at that ski camp we went to? Pizza and french fries, right. Well, no, we don't eat pizza or french fries. Those foods are for a lower echelon than us. I got us some dark hot chocolate. I'm sure it's not as good as the stuff we drank when we were vacationing in the French Alps but it's better than nothing.

What do you think of this, Bunny. The view, the quality of the snow, the hot chocolate? You like it? Concise. I like it. This hot chocolate is good but leaves a bit to be desired. I suppose it's the same as the regular hot chocolate with the smallest possible amount of dark chocolate added to be able to call it a "dark chocolate" hot chocolate. It's good but would be nice if it had a bit more of that dark chocolate flavor. Remember when Hans made it for us and he melted down Swiss dark chocolate on the stove and mixed it with heated milk? That is what I wish this was but you can't expect that luxury everywhere, I suppose.

Well darling. Shall we get back out there? In an hour or so your mother will be back from shopping with an armful of bags and a new fur coat. Honestly, I've already had to have a separate closet built just for her fur hats, coats, and scarves.

Filbert's is a Chicago institution. That fact alone leads me to believe that the denizens of the Windy City are either incredibly dumb, or sadly lack taste buds. I don't mean to be harsh, but we've given the company an honest try and they have let us down at every turn. This is the third flavor we've reviewed and I would rather drink the syrupy swill of store brand soda than this cane sugared sweetened bubbly mess.

There is hardly any flavor to these sodas except carbonated sugar water. There is the vaguest of fruit flavors in here, but I would never in a million years guess that it was peach in a blind taste test. I didn't expect it to taste like you were biting into a peach (I would murder ten men to have that soda), but I did expect at least the fake peach candy flavor. Not only did this leave me let down as my dreams were not fulfilled, it couldn't' even manage to live up to my realistic expectations.

I'm sorry Chicago, but I really think you deserve better than this representing your city.

Looking to expand your horizons? Sure. Why wouldn't you be? No one likes to be stagnant. No one likes to eat the same thing over and over again. No one likes to do the same thing time and time again. People need variance. People need change. I bet you don't drink juice with chunks of fermented coconut in it. If you do, I think the next step is something sassy like latex fun. If you haven't gotten there yet, chunky drinks that taste like flowers are the previous step. It's a good step, too. Sometimes the flowers can be too perfumy but sometimes they can be alright. In this drink's case, they are pretty good. There is a nice, firm texture on the coconut chunks and the flavor is a nicely sweetened, nicely floral little number.

You should know as soon as you drink this, though. You should know that the next step is, as I mentioned before, latex fun. Tight stuff. Stuff with zippers. Like it or not, that's next. Brace yourself. It gets hot in there.

I had to do a little Internet search to find the origins of the Mojito, because I honestly thought it was a modern invention, as I had never heard of it until about five years ago. I was way off, there are debates on the timeline, but one thing for certain is that this concoction existed on this mortal plane by 1650. Apparently it just became more popular in recent years, or else I'm just completely out of touch. Actually, that is very likely.

In my daydreams the following situation occurred: some friends were getting ready for a beach party and they decided last minute that they should make some mojitos for their day of leisure. They ran to the store and each was supposed to get an ingredient; one was to grab lime, one sugar, one sparkling water and the other apple mint (they apparently we're going nonalcoholic or they had the rum waiting in the car, that part did not matter to me). When they met back up after their purchases Mr. Apple Mint complained that he had to pay more because he had to buy two things. Everyone looked at him quizzically and he produced a bag of fresh mint and a jug of apple juice. Everyone laughed because he was obviously a dum-dum head who didn't realize that “apple mint” is just a type of mint and they didn't mean to get both apples and mint. They all laughed even more and added the apple juice to the mix for kicks, and the wonders it did provide. Guys, in that daydream, I was Mr. Apple Mint! I honestly thought that this was going to be apple, mint and lime. Oh the difference a comma can make (and an “M” as I almost spelled that coma).

Yogo Vera did not make the same mistake as me, but they did change up the classic recipe a bit. This is sugar, lime, and apple mint (which does have a slightly fruity flavor). Instead of the classic sparkling water and rum this Korean company used aloe vera drink, complete with chunks. The aloe gives it even more of a nondescript fruity flavor, and buries the mint a bit. It's not quite the wonderful drink that was created in my daydream, but it's perfectly acceptable. I would have preferred it to have a stronger mint flavor, but that would probably make it taste like you were drinking lime aloe after brushing your teeth. What a temperamental herb mint is.

My quest might be over. Jay and I had a bit of a "date day" today. We ran all sorts of assorted errands like buying a microphone, replacing a headlight, duplicating a key, and so much more. One of our stops, midway through the way, was a trip to Starbucks. He read my previous review about my new quest of finding the ideal chocolate chai and how what I'm looking for just might not exist. Well friends, he changed my opinions on that matter by introducing me to Starbucks chocolate chai.

This chai, was in all regards, superior to any other chocolate chai I have ever had. Not only can you taste a strong chocolate flavor but it also has bite, brother. It's downright spicy with its nutmeg or cinnamon or wizardry or whatever else makes up a chai. Sure it was the temperature of the sun when I was handed to me and I left it in the car while Jay and I ran more errands but when I got back, it couldn't have been more "go time" if it tried. This, without a doubt, is my new drink. Goodbye childish hot cocoa. Goodbye adult hot chocolate mocha. Hello Eastern treat chocolate chai. Eastern right? You have a little debate about that. I'm leaving it there.

I wanted to share this with as many people as I could in the case that it actually tasted like kimchi. Within the last year or two I have really gotten into kimchi from, somehow, never having tried it for thirty years. Now any time it's on the menu I'll try and get it; that is if udon isn't on the menu. There is a restaurant not far from where Jay and I live that has kimchi udon and it is far from terrible. There is a kimchi soup called kimchi jjiGae that just rules. Tofu, pork, kimchi, spice, noodles and rice cakes: the whole thing.

So now you know my recent new love. Big deal, right? Well it's important to have an appreciation for kimchi before you drink this because it tastes just like kimchi. I'm not kidding. It tastes like someone juiced kimchi and added a sprinkle of sugar and carbonated it. It's frighteningly accurate. It's good in that it tastes like what it's supposed to but what it is supposed to taste like is not a carbonated, sweetened drink.

It is what it is but what it is just shouldn't be.