Recently in Soda Reviews Category

Today, I had some Pepsi Summer Mix. And I really mean some: I couldn't sip more than three distinct sips. I ended up pouring it out it was so awful.

A co-worker had bought a 12 pack on a lark (never having tasted it and displaying questionable judgement) and he suggested that we all have as much of it as we wanted. In fact, he encouraged us to drink the rest after managing to get through one can by himself (there were still 7 left when I tried it). Everyone's been raving about how foul it was over the last week.

It's that and so much more. We were speculating as to how this stuff not only made it out of Pepsi's research department but into the market. My guess was that they had inadvertently melded all the taste-bud-less people from wherever the lab's located into a single focus group. My co-worker Chris believes that the massive mixing vats were due for cleaning and in scraping out the residue of the year's production someone had accidentally gotten carbonated water mixed in. Someone was dared to taste it and they realized that they could recover a little bit of money from this otherwise wasted gunk.

I had to concede that that was the most likely explanation. Bottom line: don't drink it. You'll thank me.

[UPDATE: I forgot to include a link to my other co-worker's opinion.]

Think root beer, not beer beer. It's very apple flavored, as you'd expect. It does have a slight sour aftertaste, but it's not unpleasant. It's something I'd drink again, but I wouldn't make a special trip to pick it up. Official site | BevNet review

3 of 5 stars

This one was another of the bought because of the name sodas. As Wikipedia correctly notes, the soda is pronounced "ore on zhee nuh." As Wikipedia also notes, it could be pronounced "orn gina." Okay, so it's a little sophomoric but it amused me in the store. The initial taste is definitely orange juicy with a very mellow citrus aftertaste. I couldn't imagine drinking this often, but it's pleasant as a rare treat. Official site | Wikipedia Entry

4 of 5 stars

Coming on the heels of the Waialua Vanilla Cream, this was something of a disappointment. Perhaps if I had tasted prior to that exquisite one, I might have rated this one higher. As it stands, there was no aftertaste save a hint of vanilla and the mouth feel was quite strong. It reminded me of something that I unsuccessfully attempted to recall while drinking the entire bottle. It's very bubbly, like champagne, and maybe a little tart. Official site | BevNet Review

3 of 5 stars

I hesitated drinking this because I remembered that I had had it before but I couldn't for the life of me recall my evaluation. I don't generally like colas. Now I wish I had bought a few of them! Cheerwine is delightful: slight hint of cherry à la Dr. Pepper but not the harsh acidity of most colas. It does have the aftertaste that colas always have, but it didn't seem as bad as others I've had. Official site | Wikipedia entry

5 of 5 stars

Absolutely delicious vanilla cream soda. I enjoyed it profusely. I can't say that Hawaiian sugar cane made the difference, but it certainly couldn't have hurt. Light, delicate taste with no discernible aftertaste. Official site

5 of 5 stars

Orange creams are so wonderful: they remind me of 50/50 bars and summer. I could drink them all day long—if I were interested in becoming a diabetic. As it stands, they're an occasional drink due to their sugary flavor. And this one is one of the best of the breed. Official site

5 of 5 stars

I have a thing for lemonades. I'm also, for reasons that I can't seem to introspect successfully, a Francophile. Oh, and I adore berry-flavored drinks. So this one has a lot going for it before I've even opened the bottle. The first sips are delightful: no aftertaste, no filminess in my mouth, and the flavor is tasty. I don't really get the lemonade aspect, but I'll trust Lorina that they're not lying. The "sparkling" aspect of the lemonade is a little distracting—enough that I can't give it five stars. (Sidenote: one of the ingredients is "grape skin extract." What the heck is that!?) Official site | Review

4 of 5 stars

This is another soda I bought because of the name. I don't know if it's pronounced "See See" or "Sissy" or some other way entirely (it's Dutch after all), but I prefer "Sissy" myself. It tastes like orange juice but I don't know if there's even anything orange in there besides coloring: vruchtensap—I think that means fruit juice—10% (8% is sinaasappelsap—I think that's apple juice—and 2% limoensap—I think that's lemon juice). Also, the label said "JUN.05" but I can't tell if that's when it was bottled, which is slightly alarming--or when it expired, which is very alarming. All in all, "enh" for the taste and "bleh" for the coating in my mouth. Official site

2 of 5 stars

First off, any soda with instructions on how to open it (6 steps!!) is a point ahead in my book. Second, any soda whose cap is actually a marble held firmly in place by the carbonation of the soda itself is getting another point. Finally, I like oddly-shaped bottles of any sort. These things may be minor but they add to the experience and bespeak of an innovative spirit that most sodas demonstrably lack. But packaging will only get you so far in my book. It's got a Sprite-like taste and Sprite's one of my least favorite sodas. Add to that the fact that there's 6.76 ounces of soda and it's only getting 3 stars. I'd buy it again, but only because opening it was so much fun. Official site | Wikipedia entry | Amazon page

3 of 5 stars

This is an English soda given to me by my boss, who wanted to see my review of it. Between its national heritage and its billing as a "sparkling grape, blackcurrant, and raspberry juice drink" I had very low expectations going into it. No bad aftertaste, but not so good in the duringtaste. It's way better than any other grape soda, but I'm not a big fan of grape sodas. Official site | Wikipedia entry

2 of 5 stars

A passable orange cream soda. Unfortunately, there's just too many incredible varieties of the stuff to give this one a higher rating. Official site

2 of 5 stars

I'll admit that I only bought this soda because I liked saying "Pangleheimer's." I still do. I'm not really sure what a blush is but this sort of tastes like a wine cooler—at least what I remember a wine cooler to taste like as I haven't had one since I snuck them in the late 80s. It tastes very unique and I like it on some levels: no aftertaste, a hard initial impression, and a slight fruitiness. I just can't see myself buying it again unless I wanted to say "Pangleheimer's." Official site

2 of 5 stars

This is one fantastic cream soda. Extremely pleasant first impression, no aftertaste. It's sugary without being overly so. I found myself savoring every last drop of the 12 ounces. BevNet Reviews | Pop the Soda Shop | Wikipedia entry

5 of 5 stars

Sold to me as a Mountain Dew knockoff, it is anything but. I guess that it's in the "citrus soda" genre but so is Fresca. While I question the wisdom of basing your marketing on an obscure comic strip that ceased publication in 1977, the taste is pretty compelling. It's not as sugary as Mountain Dew but has a similar mouth feel. Origin of the name | Pop the Soda Shop | BevNet Review

4 of 5 stars

This bottle drew me in. First, the name was kind of weird and different from all other Dr. Brown's flavors. As I read the label more closely, I saw the words "celery soda" and knew that I just had to try this. Really, how often can you try out a soda pop made with celery? It's an uncola that's like Sprite without the sweetness or a ginger ale without the harsh taste. The celery is not overpowering, but you can definitely taste it. No aftertaste though the celery does make a re-appearance in belches. Wikipedia entry | Pop the Soda Shop | Reviews at BevNet

3 of 5 stars

I'm a sucker for orange cream drinks. There, I'll admit it. I could drink them exclusively all day long were it not for the fact that they're far too sugary and rich.

4 of 5 stars

Kind of like a harder Sprite. I'm not a big fan of that soda genre, but this one was definitely the best of that bunch. No offensiveness at all and no aftertaste. Official site | Wikipedia entry | Pop the Soda Shop

3 of 5 stars

Also known as "Orangenfruchtsaftlimonade," this fruit-based soda is hard to pin down. There's definitely hints of a lemonade, but the carbonation and other fruit juices muddy the waters so to speak. No aftertaste, pleasant taste, but missing something that would rate it higher. I would drink it again, but this doesn't have me suggesting it to anyone I approach. Official site | Pop the Soda Shop | Wikipedia entry

3 of 5 stars

Blech. This is unsweetened, all-natural orange juice and I don't like it one bit. The only thing amazing is the notion that the "Amazing Facts" on the side of the bottle—"During a job interview never spend more than one minute answering a question"—are amazing. Official site

2 of 5 stars