Jeff's Vanilla Soda

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Twist is anything but vanilla.  Still, he's impressed... can't you tell?

The best bottled chocolate soda I’ve ever had was Jeff’s Chocolate Soda.  Imagine the glee on my face when I found Jeff’s Vanilla Soda at my local World Market.  Now reduce that glee about 10% because I prefer chocolate to vanilla.  Jeff’s Vanilla Soda, much like its brethren, is unique in the fact that it’s made with milk.  Ingredients three and four are milk and cream so I’m guessing this is going to be a fairly smooth beverage.  It’s also 97% fat free in case you were worried about that sort of thing.  


Upon opening I’m greeted with the aroma of vanilla extract.  It’s quite the pleasant yet pungent scent that just entices me to consume it immediately.  So I think I’ll do just that.

Son of a gun that’s good.  It’s like carbonated vanilla ice cream that melted in your fridge.  So incredibly rich and creamy, there’s really nothing like it that I’ve found on the market.  Jeff’s Vanilla Soda is a bit thicker than your standard sodas, but this of course is due to the milk and cream used in its creation.  This thickness may be a bit odd for you upon taking your first swig.  You should keep drinking it because in no time you’ll get used to the mouth feel and truly begin to appreciate what you’re drinking.  

The carbonation levels are also lower than what you might expect, but in this case it just enhances the smooth, smooth, deliciousness that is Jeff’s Vanilla Soda.  I do think they could be a little stronger without losing any of the other aspects of the soda.  It would also allow it to feel a little bit lighter while having a fun mouth feel.

If you’re a fan of cream soda this needs to be in your hand right now.  It may be too heavy for you, but you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t even try it.  Prior to beginning this review I didn’t think there would be any way the vanilla soda would meet the excellence of the chocolate.  I was wrong.  It matches it turn for turn while being a completely different experience.

~A


Squirt with Sugar

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Let’s address the elephant in the room first.  The title of this review is really odd, but it fits the format of other common sodas I’ve reviewed that were sweetened with sugar.  Moving on.  So you wanna Squirt with sugar do ya?  Well I’ve got the bottle for you!  Seriously, look at that bottle.  Appreciate the corkscrew base and gaze upon the simplicity of the label.  This is one of the best soda bottles I’ve seen in a long time.  

Twist later married this bottle of Squirt.  Shortly thereafter a murder investigation began as the bottle had been drained of all life.

The beverage inside is obviously Squirt which is a citrus soda that favors the grapefruit.  I picked this up because of the interesting design and because I think a citrus soda has more to gain being sweetened with sugar.  Citrus sodas are some of the most refreshing out there and removing the syrupy feel of HFCS could really boost that refreshment factor.  I can’t wait to find out.

A mostly grapefruit aroma leaves the mouth of the bottle upon opening.  There’s a vague citrus smell as well, but grapefruit is clearly the key player.

Crisp, clean, cool.  Squirt made me write out words that you’d see in a 90’s advertisement.  My first sip brought in a punch of citrus taste that was tart but not overly so.  Oddly enough I liken the flavor to Sprite if grapefruit were the third ingredient.  Oh, and if Sprite were good.  SICK BURN! YEAH HIGH FIVES ALL AROUND! WOOOO!

The carbonation levels backing this taste were perfect as well.  Small groups of bubbles rush about my mouth making sure all corners have felt their fizzy wrath.  Once they vanish over the horizon it’s within a minute that my mouth resets and is ready to take another sip and experience it as if it were my first.  Like I said… crisp, clean, cool.  Oh yeah, it’s also very refreshing.  Let me just shoehorn that fact in here as well.  Speaking of...when’s the last time you used a shoehorn?

With all this good there is some bad.  Since grapefruit is the flavor at hand get ready for a little bit of bitter with each of your gulps.  It’s not really a big deal, but some might be put off a little bit by it.  Since it does taste a lot like Sprite you may be underwhelmed by your experience.  Even though I liked it I will say that it’s similarity to the lymon beverage did bring me down a bit.  Still a pretty great soda though.

~A


Oogave Loca Ginger Ale

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Been a long time since I’ve reviewed an Oogave product.  If I had to guess I’d say it’s been over a year.  If I had to look it up and give you an exact date I’d say June 5th, 2013.  Loca is the diet brand of Oogave and today I’ll be reviewing their ginger ale.  It’s an all natural 10 calorie drink sweetened with both stevia (boo) and agave nectar (yay).  I don’t think I’ve ever had a diet ginger ale so this should be an interesting experience.

Twist wanted to use the same Cypress Hill Gang joke as last time, but I wouldn't allow it.

Even though my sniffer isn’t at full functionality I can still discern the scent of ginger ale when I put my nose up to the can.  It’s a lighter aroma than Canada Dry, but perhaps the fact that it’s diet subdues the scent.

Upon first swig the ginger taste is very apparent, which is quite pleasing to my taste buds.  It’s not as sweet as most ginger ales, but if you’d read the first paragraph or even glanced at the picture of the can you could probably figure out why on your own.  The taste is light and easy to return to, leaving no syrupy feel in my mouth afterwards.

On the negative side of things it feels a little over carbonated.  It’s a rush of foamy bubbles with each sip.  Something I think would work better with a root beer instead of a ginger ale.  You can tell it’s a low calorie beverage without looking at the can.  The flavor, while pleasant, feels weakened and you get that diet vibe on the back end of each sip.  At no point does it taste chemical, but it may not be as rich as you would like a ginger ale to be.

All in all (a phrase I use entirely too much), Loca Ginger Ale is a great addition to the country of diet sodas, perhaps even the governor of a state.  In the world of sodas however it’s more along the lines of a nice next door neighbor.  Did that analogy even make sense?  Probably not, but I’m done anyway.

~A

Xyience Xenergy Grape

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Another beverage from the folks at Xyience and it’s supposed to help with both energy levels and hydration.  What I’ve got in front of me is a can of Xyience Xenergy Grape.  From my previous Xenergy reviews I know that this is going to be more of a Gatorade/Powerade type beverage in terms of taste.  Hopefully it stands out enough from the pack that I can reward it with a good review.  Personally I think it’ll taste alright, but not be anything to write about...even though I’m about to.  Here’s to me being wrong.

Twist was a Xyience major in college...the first time.

A stronger than suspected grape aroma jumps out of the mouth of the can.  Immediately my doubts are turned into cautious optimism.  Will a truly delightful grape taste be awaiting me instead of the somewhat watered down version I was expecting?

Ok, we’re working with a couple of positives and a couple of negatives here.  Positive number one is the strength of the grape.  It is stronger than your G’s and P’s, but not quite as strong as a grape soda.  Even though it’s not carbonated there’s even a little bit of a punch to the finish.  It’s a very smooth drink and I would even classify it as refreshing.

The negatives, or negative in this case, stops this from being an above average drink experience.  With each sip I get a burst of Pedialyte taste.  Now while I’ve learned that many folks like the taste of Pedialyte I am not one of them.  This just opens up memories of when I was sick as a child.  You may have noticed that I use the Pedialyte comparison quite a bit when it comes to lifestyle beverages.  I think this is because their makeup is similar and their goal of hydration is the same.  Unfortunately I have negative thoughts regarding this taste so the review score usuall suffers.

In the case of Xyience Xenergy though I will give them credit for having a decent grape taste.  They do a really good job with their flavor even though they are sugar and calorie free.  So I at least recommend you pick up a can the next time you see it.

~A

This beverage was supplied to us by Xyience.

Wild Cherry Pepsi with Sugar

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Twist will also give you some sugar.

I like Pepsi.  They’re not my favorite cola, but I can appreciate a Pepsi.  I especially liked the throw-back series and their use of real sugar.  Granted it’s not cane sugar; I believe I read once that it’s beet sugar.  All that same though it still makes for a better Pepsi.  Mike handed me a can of Wild Cherry Pepsi that’s made with real sugar.  To be honest with you I don’t think I’ve ever had a cherry Pepsi before.  Kind of odd that I’ve tried all these different sodas, but one of the more common flavors has eluded me.  So let’s give it a go.

Cola is still the primary aroma that comes off the top of this can.  My nose has to search harder than I expected to to get ahold of the cherry scent.  It’s unmistakable once I hone in on it, but it did take a little bit of searching.

That’s alright.  Thankfully the cherry flavor is present with the initial gulp.  As soon as the soda hits my tongue it immediately confirms the flavor listed on the side of the can.  It’s not as rich and vibrant as I’d like it to be, but I wasn’t expecting a craft soda experience.

As mentioned before sugar is the sweetener in this beverage...sorry, REAL sugar.  It makes it so the Wild Cherry Pepsi doesn’t hold on to my teeth and tongue with a syrupy slime.  It would have made it a fairly clean beverage it if weren’t for the cherry flavoring itself.  Cherry is a hard flavor to replicate honestly.  It either tastes too sweet, too strong, too weak, or medicinal.  In the case of Wild Cherry Pepsi we’re going down the medicinal road.  It’s not so obvious of a pharmaceutical taste that I cringe, but it’s definitely a flavor I’m visited by during cold season.

The “not quite right” of the cherry really breaks apart what could be an above average soda.  Since this is Pepsi we’re talking about here there was little chance it would be awful.  There has been too much market research to release something like that.  Instead what we get is a very average cherry cola which is sweetened by sugar, but marred by a fake cherry sensation.

~A

 

Fanta Grape with Sugar

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I often complain that Texas doesn’t have the same number of soda makers than the Northwest seems to have.  We don’t even compare to the Northeast or the East Coast in general.  Austin is starting to come through on the soda end, but that’s just now picking up speed.  My complaints are usually silenced by someone saying “Don’t you get Mexican sodas in your grocery stores?”.  Yes, yes we do and I need to stop complaining because the sodas from Mexico are usually pretty dang good for a variety of reasons.  

Well don't you?

One of the biggest though is that they’re sweetened with cane sugar.  You can get a beverage that wouldn’t be anything but average here in the states, but the crisp sweetness of cane sugar can turn it all around.  That’s what I’m hoping for today in my review of Fanta Grape.

What’s that timeless saying?  Wanta Fanta?  Dontchu wanta, wanta Fanta?  After inhaling the sugary grape aroma that came pouring out of the top of this bottle...yes I do wanta Fanta.

This is an excellent example of a grape soda.  It’s sugary, but not obnoxiously so.  It’s artificially flavored, but keeps the fruit fun.  The taste doesn’t coat my mouth with grape nonsense, but allows a bit of a reprise between sips.  That of course is due to the sugar taking the place of high fructose corn syrup.  I do wish it had a bit more punch to it as I like my grape sodas violent.  I want my throat to burn a little.  I want to wince just the tiniest bit.  Fanta Grape is on the smoother side and the carbonation that it pairs with just sorta shows up at the end.

Some might turn their noses up at this sodas since it is a bunch of chemicals made to taste grape, but long time readers of the site know that’s right up my alley when it comes to grape sodas.  The flavor is strong although nothing I’m going to fawn over for the next few days.  It’s definitely a good soda and takes out it’s HFCS brethren easily.  Make it a little stronger and it’d really be a winner.

~A


Gross Gus's Dragon Drool

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I hold in my hand the final gift from my two friends Alice and Diane.  Our journeys in life have taken us different directions to never meet again.  Their parting gift was a bottle of Gross Gus’s Dragon Drool which could better be identified as a black licorice soda.  “Black licorice is disgustin’” you yell.  “You uncultured rube” I respond.  Ok, perhaps that was a bit harsh, but I do realize that a lot of folks hate licorice in any form.  I am not one of those people.  I like Blackjack chewing gum, the black jelly beans, and yes actual black licorice.  So here’s hoping that Dragon Drool will Dragon RULE!!! OH YEAH SEE WHAT I DID!!!!!!!  I’m so very sorry, there is now a baby in our lives and I’m seriously short on sleep.

This smells of the black jelly beans one might find around Easter time.  I have no proof of it, but I'm pretty sure my mom would slowly eat all my black jelly beans.  My love of licorice is genetic and it may have had a negative effect on my jelly bean accumulation.

Twist bottled his drool once.  It was 160 proof.

THIS IS LIQUID BLACK JELLY BEANS!  Ok, let me expound on that a bit.  The flavor that is hitting my tongue does indeed resemble that of a candy black licorice.  Not the real deal stuff you find at an Olde Tyme Candye Shoppe (you know it’s good because of the e’s), but the kind you might associate with gum and jelly beans.  Sadly the taste Dragon Drool holds isn’t quite as strong as one aforementioned candies.  There is a slight dilution at work here, but the overall idea is still delivered well.

Oddly enough there is a hint of “diet chemical” taste that appears every now and again.  Ultimately it works its way back into the flavor trying to be forgotten, but you won’t forget.  The carbonation is on the stronger side working along with the tastes it has been paired with.  Not overly bubbly, but still very noticeable with each sip.

Gross Gus’s Dragon Drool is so very close to being an amazing soda.  Sadly it’s weakened flavor and occasional odd chemical taste keep it from achieving perfection.  With two strikes against it Dragon Drool still manages to hit a triple in the basketball game of life.  Sports.

~A


JOIA Grapefruit Chamomile and Cardamom

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Sometimes JOIA frustrates me with their flavors.  They’re always well paired, but they challenge me to the point where I can’t honestly win.  Today’s flavor combination is Grapefruit, Chamomile, and Cardamom.  What?  Of course I know what grapefruit tastes like and surely I’ve had chamomile tea, but combine all that with cardamom and I don’t even know what to expect.  I’m going to try something today.  I’m not going to mention any of the flavors listed on the label when reviewing this drink.  Should be easy for chamomile and cardamom… not sure I can do it without talking about grapefruit.  Let’s find out.  Oh yeah, JOIA is an all natural beverage for those of you interested in that.

Twist as he appeared during his brief stint with A-Ha

The scent is that of an overly citrus tangerine.  There’s a bit of flowery backing to the aroma, but it takes a good huffing to even notice it.

A dry citrus sensation slams into my taste buds.  The taste borders on bitter, but there is a sweetness that pulls it back from the edge.  Even though the bitter taste is a bit off putting, there’s something that has me wanting to drink it again once I set the bottle down.  The carbonation level is on the lighter side, which works well with the bitter/tart tastes of the soda.  An abundance of bubbles would just cause an attack on your mouth.   

Perhaps my normal person taste buds need work, but as far as I’m concern there might as well only be one ingredient in this soda.  The other two listed ingredients just don’t seem to be altering the flavor.  Perhaps it’s too subtle for a mortal.

If you were looking for a soda that really nailed the taste of a Citrus x Paradisi then look no further.  JOIA has that flavor down pat and bottled it.  As an added bonus it’s quite refreshing, although this is a 80 degree day beverage not a 90 degree day beverage.  All in all I’m rather pleased with this offering from the folks at JOIA and can’t wait to try a few more of their sodas.

~A


Xyience Xenergy Pineapple

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Twist felt flat today, but his thighs looked GREAT!

Today’s Xyience experiment is pineapple flavored.  Technically this can of Xenergy is +Lemonade, whatever that means, in addition to being pineapple flavored.  I’m honestly not sure what to expect here, but I’m rolling with it.  Like all the other Xyience products that we’ve reviewed it’s sugar free and has zero calories.  They’ve been hit or miss so far in the flavor department so it will be interesting to see what side of the fence pineapple lemonade falls.

As the can cracks open the faint aroma that arrives is more lemonade than pineapple.  In fact I’d be amazed if I could identify this as pineapple flavored based on the scent alone.  Hopefully the taste doesn’t leave that much to mystery.

The initial taste I get is the tart bite of a lemon.  Slowly it washes away and transforms into the pineapple lemonade we were promised.  Truthfully it’s lemonade pineapple as the real star of the show cannot be mistaken.  Throughout the entire gulp the lemon teases the tip of my tongue with a tingle of sour.  This leaves the rest of my mouth awash with an average tasting lemonade.  It’s on par with Minute Maid lemonade, which to me is on the weaker side of the big name brands.  

Xyience Xenergy Pineapple is a very refreshing beverage.  Something I would happily reach for on a sweltering day.  It goes down smoothly which makes it easy to return for another sip.  The lack of sugar isn’t overly noticeable and the flavor while pleasant isn’t memorable.  All in all it’s a good energy drink, but an average tasting beverage.

~A

This beverage supplied to us by Xyience

Xyience Xenergy Tropical Punch

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So the last time I tried a Xyience Xenergy beverage I was quite impressed.  It was refreshing, the taste was pretty good, it was all I needed it to be.  Well today’s review is of Xyience Xenergy Tropical Punch where the key idea is Hydration.  Tropical Punch flavor is caffeine free, sugar free, and loaded up with B vitamins.  It’s also enhanced with electrolytes, but whatever.  I just want this to be a tasty fruit punch.

Upon cracking open the can I get a familiar aroma.  This smells a lot like Hawaiian Punch, but not quite as fierce.  So they have the proto-typical fruit punch aroma happening.  Will it translate into the flavor?

Meh, kinda.  This tastes like watered down tropical punch which makes sense because it’s a “Hydration” product.  I guess I should really be comparing the taste of this to Gatorade or Powerade, but I have my own standards of delicious tropical punch taste.  In this case the “punch” is limited and the “tropical” is boring.  As powerful as the flavors were in the last beverage I reviewed, typically much more subtle flavors at that, I expected topical punch to blow me away.

Twist was the muse behind 1999: A Space Oddity

Aside from being “watered down” there’s something in the aftertaste that just seems out of place.  It’s a combination of burn and bitter that lasts for just long enough to sour my opinion on this beverage.  The more that I chug it the more medicinal the aftertaste becomes.  Wandering away from tropical punch and moving toward Pedialyte.  I’ll be able to finish it this one time, but it’s not really something I’d be reaching for again.

So you’re saying to your monitor right now “Monitor, why be angry that a drink made for hydration is watered down?”  You monitor will respond with this next sentence.

“Dave, The Soda Jerks rank beverages based on taste and little else”

So after you unplug your computer to kill it remember what it said.  It Xyience Xenergy an alright hydrator?  Sure.  Do you want to have more than one in your fridge at any given time just to drink?  Unless you want a weak tropical punch flavored beverage with the aftertaste of medicine, no...probably not.

~A

This beverage supplied to us by Xyience

Xyience Xenergy Honey Ginseng

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I don’t normally review non-carbonated beverages, but when the company who creates that beverage reaches out to me then who am I to say no.  Today’s drink up on deck is Xyience Xenergy Honey Ginseng.  Those of you who are fans of the UFC should recognize Xyience Xenergy as the official energy drink of the UFC.  If you didn’t know that, then perhaps they should rework their ad campaign.

Xyience Xenergy is sugar free, zero calorie, and vitamin fortified.  The Honey Ginseng flavor I’ve chosen includes Green Tea in the ingredients list along with several other words that you may have seen alongside some B vitamins and several other words that are much harder to say.

In case you weren’t aware Xyience means extreme science, and Xenergy is a blend of Zen and Energy.  With all nomenclature explained we should be ok to move on.

The faintest of faint aromas sits at the mouth of my newly opened can.  It smells slightly of honey and green tea...which is good because that’s what they’re going for.  Hopefully the taste is as inoffensive as the scent.

Four word review.  “Yay. Huh? Eh. Alright.”  Now let’s break it down.

Yay.  A cool refreshing burst of honey and green tea washes across my mouth.  It cools everything it comes in contact with, satisfying a thirst I wasn’t even aware I had.

Twist is a Mad Xyientist.

Huh?  The gears change direction and now the ginseng and chemicals take over.  It’s not a complete 180 from what I first experienced, but I much preferred the initial taste to what I have now.

Eh.  So I guess I’m stuck with this new taste, but my mouth has quickly accepted this fate.  It’s not so bad and it’s still tastier than most energy drinks.  I really wished that first flavor would have lasted longer.

Alright.  So my wish is sorta coming true.  During the aftertaste the ginseng gives way once again to the honey and greet tea I initially enjoyed.  The only difference is that ginseng is still chilling there in the corner sulking because I didn’t like him as much.  The sweetness from the honey leaves a lasting impression and makes it very easy to return the can to my mouth.

Xyience Xenergy Honey Ginseng is a fantastic energy drink and a pretty solid regular drink to boot.  I could honestly see myself drinking this just because I enjoyed the flavor.  Yeah, there is a bit of weakness shown in the middle of each sip, but XXHG doesn’t tap out.  See what I did there?  I worked in an MMA reference to make part of the review quirky.  I should probably stop while I’m ahead.

~A

This soda supplied to us by Xyience

 

JOIA Lime Hibiscus and Clove

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One of Twist's middle names is "Poppin"

Oh JOIA, how your flavors challenge me.  It seems to always be three flavors with one of them being normal, one being different, and a final one that’s just odd.  Today’s feature is JOIA Lime Hibiscus and Clove.  Lime, good old lime.  I like lime soda it’s usually pretty tasty.  Clove is in here too?  Ok, I’ve had a couple of clove flavored items in my life.  I also used to push them into apples for Christmas decorations.  What’s this?  Hibiscus?  That’s a flower.  While I’ve had a few sodas with hibiscus included, that’s still not enough for my mind to make this a regular flavor of soda...natural ingredients or not.

What am I supposed to do, take a sip and say “oh man the hibiscus in this is poppin’?”  Perhaps if my tastebuds were smarter.  I like to think I still have the common man’s taste buds.  I don’t use words like “node” when describing a scent.  Then again I could probably improve at my descriptions, but that’s for another time.  For now my job is to drink JOIA Lime Hibiscus and Clove.

For being a lime soda it does have somewhat of a flowery aroma.  The clove is also easily identified with each sniff I take.  In fact the lime seems to be riding in the middle of back seat on the hump with his sisters to either side of him.

OH MAN THAT HIBISCUS IS POPPIN’!  It’s not, but I can at least discern the hibiscus flavor from the clove and lime.   While the lime gave off the lightest scent it has taken full command of the taste.  He might be riding in the middle of the back seat, but he’s got control of the radio.  After the initial burst of lime the sweet hibiscus and clove briefly swing by and make a polite appearance.  Quickly saying their goodbyes the girls saunter off allowing their brash younger brother to continue talking.  It’s quite the delicate flavor experience, but their story is told particularly well.

The carbonation is only strong enough to keep this soda from seeming flat.  Microscopically small bubbles rush down the back of my throat with each gulp; just creating a friendly reminder of their existence.

So there you have it.  JOIA Lime Hibiscus and Clove is really a lime soda plus.  The added flavors sweeten the experience and briefly refreshed my palate.  Even though I’m a huge fan of most any lime soda it was nice to have a bit of intermission built in to each sip.  

~A


JOIA Ginger Apricot and Allspice

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How’s the old saying go?  JOIA, JOIA everywhere, and lots of flavors to drink?  I’m pretty sure that’s accurate.  Once again I have a bottle of JOIA in front of me.  This time it’s flavor is listed as Ginger, Apricot, and Allspice.  Three ingredients I enjoy, but never even thought about combining.  As with all JOIA beverages the flavors listed in the title are easily found in the ingredient list along with a host of other natural tastes.  You see, JOIA is an all natural soda with nothing artificial.  This allows me to expect every flavor combination to be at least above average, hopefully this bottle will meet those expectations.

The allspice and ginger are the strongest scents out of the mouth of the bottle.  It’s an aroma that I wouldn’t mind filling up my house.  Perhaps JOIA should start a candle business on the side.  I’d buy one.

Twist actually won Wrestlemania XII, but was disqualified and had to give up the belt.

Son of a gun, that first impression is a delightful one.  Immediately I see why ginger and allspice were the two scents greeting me from the get go.  Each sip I take is like watching them wrestle for dominance.  

Ginger punches Allspice in the throat, but Allspice recovers and jumps onto Ginger from the ropes.  Rolling out of the way, Ginger connects with Allspices kidney.  Allspice hits the mat and Ginger goes on top for the pin.  ONE, TWO, THR… Allspice is able to kick out of it, but rolls out of the ring in a daze.  Ginger charges after knowing that Allspice is weakened, but what’s this?  A chair clocks Ginger across the face.  HE’S NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT!  HE’S NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT! Ginger hits the mat unconscious and Allspice pins him down.  ONE, TWO, TH… a bottle is thrown from an unknown location knocking Allspice out.  The two spices are still in the middle of the ring.  Who threw the bottle?  It was Apricot.

That’s pretty much what my experience is like.  It’s a lot of spice fighting amongst the bubbles and I kind of forgot that there is even supposed to be an apricot flavor.  Then somewhere in the aftertaste I remembered.  While the spices were nice change of pace at first now they are starting to tire out my taste buds.  I want more of the fruit and less of the spice.  It’s no longer a refreshing beverage because of these uneven levels.  Perhaps if Apricot had been given the chance at the title he would have brought his A game.

~A

JOIA Orange Jasmine and Nutmeg

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So I’ve been sent several soda samples this year and fortunately the JOIA line was one of them.  The flavors I’ve had thus far were quite good and they don’t use any artificial ingredients either.  Today’s bottle of JOIA is of the Orange, Jasmine, and Nutmeg flavored variety.  The ingredients list each of the flavors titled plus a few extras like Monk Fruit, which is actually on the rise when it comes to soda making.  I’m not quite sure what this family of flavors will be like when combined, but I'm willing to bet it’ll be tasty.  

Twist has dated someone with all the listed names in this beverage.  Nutmeg was his favorite.

Twist has dated someone with all the listed names in this beverage.  Nutmeg was his favorite.

A delightful natural orange aroma rushes to the mouth of the bottle.  The nutmeg is also prevalent enough to make itself known with ease.  These two flavors don’t completely mask the jasmine, but they’re definitely the stars of this aromatic show.

A citrus kick right to the back of my throat is how I start my journey with this soda.  The orange and nutmeg once again working in tandem.  The nutmeg keeps the orange from tasting too acidic, creating a bitter flavor in the middle of my sip.  As the two power players work with one another the jasmine lilts in the background, creating a subtle sweetness.  Ultimately the orange is the most dominant of the three and has the final say as my gulp comes to an end.

Proving just as important is the small, but sharp bubbles experienced with each taste.  They keep the beverage alive and fun; stopping the orange/nutmeg combination from just sitting in your stomach as orange juice can sometimes do.  

All in all, JOIA Orange Jasmine and Nutmeg is a solid beverage.  All three of the flavors play their parts well, the ingredient list is fantastic, and it’s not just another fruit soda.  The bitter taste will not be pleasing to some, myself included, but it’s not so strong that you can’t enjoy the soda.  Pick up a few and share them with your friends, let them decide.

~A

Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer

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Mike is from Pennsylvania where birch beer is prevalent.  For whatever reason he hates birch beer.  Personally I find it odd that someone who likes root beer could hate birch beer, but I’m sure I have my quirks as well.  Today’s soda hails from Mike’s home state and is called Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer.

Twist can raise a barn... with his mind.

Now the good folks at Pennsylvania Dutch sent me a 12 pack for my review.  As I do with all of my extra sodas I gave it away to my friends.  Let me tell you, Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer went faster than any other soda I’d given away.  In fact one of the guys that got a bottle was a Pennsylvania native as well and had been missing his fix.

The bottle design harkens back to olden times with horse drawn carriages.  Now there is a heavy Amish population in Pennsylvania, so I guess the image could be modern too.  A ribbon at the bottom states that this is “Made From An Old Pennsylvania Dutch Recipe”.  I enjoy statements like that.  They’re always so full of hope until you check the ingredients.  Let’s see what creates this time tested flavor of olde.  Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, caramel color, salt, natural and artificial flavors, gum acacia, and red #40.  Yup, their story checks out.  That ingredient list reads as if it were pulled from the 1800’s themselves.  Sigh.

It never makes sense to me to hide natural ingredients.  Sure, hide all the chemicals you want in your vague “artificial ingredients” tag, but if they’re natural I’d really like to know what they are.  Alright, enough complaining.  It’s time I moved on.

The pungent rooty aroma bursts from the mouth of the bottle.  It’s mostly comprised of black licorice and root beer, but a vanilla tingle is lingering at the end of each sniff.  

Old Pennsylvania Dutch Recipe or not, that is darn tasty.  The amount of vanilla in this creates a very smooth mouth feel while your taste buds are simultaneously battling the slight licorice taste you’d expect in a birch beer.  The carbonation plays both sides of the field as it first compliments the smooth texture with soft, tiny bubbles.  When the end of the sip draws near and the birch beer begins to bite the carbonation rises up and becomes sharp.  It’s quite the fortunate battle happening in my mouth.  

All in all Pennsylvania Dutch Birch Beer was a really pleasant experience.  I do wish they used cane sugar and told us what the “natural ingredients” were.  Still quite tasty and I’m having a hard time rating it.  I think I’m going to go with “Buy a Pack”, but know it’s on the high end of that scale.  Better break back out the decimals points (NEVER AGAIN).

~A

This soda was supplied to us by Pennsylvania Dutch

Begley's and Bill's Bananas Foster

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The final beverage in my possession from Begley’s and Bill’s is Bananas Foster.  I’m fully expecting a taste of bananas and fire and will be disappointed if this is not achieved.  Ok, so I should probably lower my fire tasting expectations and just be on the lookout for vanilla, cinnamon, and perhaps a touch of rum flavoring.  

I’m going to limit my discussion of their sweetening agent to two sentences and then not mention it again as I’ve talked about it in the past three reviews.  B&B use SweetenFX which is their proprietary blend of stevia and erythritol to sweeten and it works quite well.  In other news, this will be my second or third banana flavored soda and my first bananas foster.  I’m quite excited to see what they can do.

Twist was the cause of the great banana famine of 1823

Twist was the cause of the great banana famine of 1823

This has the strongest scent of the four B&B sodas I’ve tried to date.  The aroma is not unlike banana Runts which give me pause.  I dislike banana Runts as should you.  I’m pretty sure they just use them as filler so the bags aren’t loaded up with strawberry and cherry.  This isn’t a candy blog though…yet…so let’s move on to the actual tasting.

Alright, this could be better.  It certainly has a banana taste to it, but it reminds me of a medicine that’s been given banana flavoring after the fact.  After my sip was finished the some of the other expected tastes came in on the back end.  Vanilla was the strongest, but still easily shoved aside by banana.  I hardly taste any cinnamon or rum and maybe I’m not tasting it at all.  Perhaps I’m just wishing the two flavors into existence.  That’s how faint they are.  

Each sip I take hurts my opinion of B&B Bananas Foster more and more.  The artificial banana taste builds upon itself like lincoln logs stacking higher and higher.  I’m pretty sure I’m about to reach a point where I don’t want to finish the bottle.  This is a different outcome than the previous three B&B sodas where each bottle was emptied.  Nah, I’m stopping here.  This review is poorly written, but the soda is poorly executed so we’re even.

Begley’s and Bill’s Bananas Foster is a good idea, but seems kinda halfway done.  There are so many parts to bananas foster and while they still might be under the hood the less than stellar banana flavoring is the engine.  Give it a shot if you want to, but I’d buy quite a bit before this.

~A

This soda was supplied to us by Begley’s and Bill’s

 

Begley's and Bill's Root Beer

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Sugar.  Free.  Root.  Beer.  I’ve never ever had a good one, but something tells me that Begley’s and Bill’s Root Beer is going to finally give me what I’ve not really been searching for.  You see Begley’s and Bill’s uses something they like to call SweetenFX which is their proprietary blend of stevia and erythritol.  All of their sodas are sweetened with it and their cola and cream sodas taste pretty dang good.  Today is uncharted territory though.  I attribute diet/sugar free root beer to poison.  Something important always seems to be missing.  Let’s see if SweetenFX can fill in for that missing puzzle piece.

If it looks like a diet root beer and quacks like a diet root beer... it much be a duck!

If it looks like a diet root beer and quacks like a diet root beer... it much be a duck!

Ok, so the aroma is a little odd.  Like all the B&B sodas I’ve tried the scent is faint, but can be discovered with a little rooting around.  I can’t tell if it’s a burst of vanilla I’m getting or if this sweetening process is finally catching up to B&B.

It’s not poison, that’s for sure, but this entry into the soda market isn’t as strong as their previous two had been.  Let me preface all of this by saying it’s the best diet root beer I’ve had and that includes Virgil’s Zero.  With that out of the way I’ll tell you that the first third of each sip is very promising and enjoyable.  It’s sweet, it’s rooty, it’s good.

That quickly fades into the next leg of the experience where that initial flavor goes away and you can taste the “diet”.  It’s drier than a root beer should be at this point and even though it’s all natural a chemical taste becomes known.  It’s not something I’m sticking my tongue out over, but it’s noticeable enough to give me pause.

After this fades you’re left with an aftertaste that’s neither pleasant nor terrible.  In fact it taste a little like diet maple syrup.  Throughout this process the carbonation is slowly walking around in the background not really caring if he’s noticed or not.  Now it’s my opinion that root beer can benefit from strong or weak carbonation, but B&B Root Beer needs to add a bit more.

So there you have it.  While Begley’s and Bill’s Root Beer is still the best sugar free root beer I’ve tasted it still has it’s flaws.  It tastes alright and isn’t poison, so it’s got that going for it.

~A

This soda supplied to us by Begley’s and Bill’s

 

Begley's and Bill's Cola

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Twist is also all natural

Twist is also all natural

A zero calorie, partially stevia sweetened cola sits in front of me.  It’s Begley’s and Bills Cola and if I hadn’t had their similarly sweetened cream soda the other day I’d be nervous.  I’d be nervous about the taste.  You know the one thing I shouldn’t be nervous about?  Instead though I’m feeling confident that this will be at worst an average soda.  It’s not a terrible thing to be average at worst, it means you don’t fail.  Trust me when I say many sodas fail.  So lets open up this bottle and see what SweetenFX (their proprietary blend of stevia and erythritol) can do.

The cola aroma required is present.  It reminds me of RC Cola, which is my favorite of the three mainstream colas.  It’s a rather faint smell, but the cream soda’s was too and that turned out alright.

Score number two for Begley’s and Bill’s.  Just to get it out of the way, there is no chance I would have thought this was sweetened with stevia.  Where the cream soda had a bit of a tell, their cola tastes quite pure.  The mouthfeel is on the smoother side, but there’s still a bit of a bite at the finish of each sip.  Sometimes this would be attributed to the carbonation, but in the case of Begley’s and Bill’s Cola the bite comes from the flavor.  Speaking of the carbonation, it’s not particularly strong.  The bubbles are small and just fierce enough to keep it from tasting flat.  All in all they do their job well.

Again, the cola’s flavor isn’t reaching an above and beyond status, but it’s better than Coke.  Add to the fact that this is sugar free and only 8 calories and you see why I’m impressed.  It would be nice to have some added spice in this to differentiate it a bit more from your standard fare.  It’s good though and once again what I’d recommend hands down to anyone who needs a sugar free alternative or just like colas.

~A

This soda supplied to us by Begley's and Bill's

Begley's and Bill's Cream Soda

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Ever wondered what Ed Begley Jr. tasted like?  You’re creepy, stop.  For those who answered the question with a resounding “no” I’ll continue on.  Ed Begley Jr. and man named Bill Sabo created a line of all natural sugar free sodas.  Ok, so I’m pretty sure Bill Sabo did the creating, but Ed Begley’s name is on the bottle as well...unless you go to the website where it’s called Birdie and Bill’s.  I have no idea why, but we’re going to ignore that fact to avoid potential awkwardness (maybe it was a love triangle?! Gasp!).  The first flavor I’ve chosen to review is Cream Soda.  The ingredients tell me that it’s sweetened with SweetenFX which is their proprietary blend of stevia (duh) and Erythritol.  

Faux Fact: E.B.J tastes like Twist.

Now since SweetenFX is strictly a Begley’s and Bills item I’ve never come across it.  The bottle swears to me this soda is “Great Tasting” in both English and French, so who am I to doubt it.  Oh, I’m a guy that hasn’t had a good stevia sweetened “brown” soda.  That’s who I am, so I will doubt it.  Let’s not give me much time to doubt though.  It’s time to dive in.

My nostril pulls sharply at the mouth of the bottle, just barely getting the scent of cream soda.  What I do smell is pleasant.  There is a very strong vanilla presence in terms of aroma which is something I fully expect of any cream soda.  I do hope that this scent translates honestly into a taste.

Alright Ed, or Bill, or Birdie, you’ve got a pretty decent cream soda here.  SweetenFX really does an excellent job of creating a drinking experience that lacks the terrible aftertaste stevia is associated with.  Can I tell this isn’t made with sugar?  Yes, but I don’t care all that much as the chemical taste is minimal to non existent at times.  Instead a rich vanilla taste lingers with each sip.  The carbonation is light, but noticeable enough to contrast the smooth cream soda mouth feel you’d expect.  

What’s most impressive is that cream soda is a known sweet beverage and they replicated it very well.  You pick one up and expect a sugar rush in the taste.  They've managed to mostly duplicate that sensation with no sugar at all.  It was a risky soda to make, but they've pulled it off beautifully.  

So, does Begley’s and Bill’s Cream Soda match up to the big brand cream sodas?  Yes it really does and while the flavor isn’t something I’m going crazy over it’s still a good solid cream soda.  For those who need a sugar free cream soda I want to steer all of you in the direction of this bottle.  For those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to chose between sugar full and sugar free, I still suggest you buy a pack.  Either way I’m looking forward to trying a few other bottles of Begley’s/Birdie’s and Bill’s.

~A

This soda supplied to us by Begley's and Bill's