Soda – Page 15 – The Impulsive Buy

REVIEW: Limited Edition Mtn Dew Spark

Marvo / August 18, 2020 / Reviews / 5 Comments

What is Limited Edition Mtn Dew Spark?

It’s a Dew with a burst of raspberry lemonade flavor, and it’s an exclusive Speedway flavor. The label features a drawing of a crazed race car. It’s a fitting image for a convenience store named Speedway, which is what car racing tracks are called. I also imagine that a crazed race car with a mouth is also something someone who takes speed way too much would hallucinate.

How is it?

Its aroma reminds me of a pack of Starburst, and its flavor brings another Mtn Dew to mind — Mtn Dew Amp Game Fuel Zero Charged Raspberry Lemonade. (And maybe Voltage?)

In my Mtn Dew Amp Game Fuel Zero review, I wrote, “…for some reason, my taste buds and brain occasionally think they’re drinking a raspberry iced tea. Maybe it’s because the berry flavor reminds me of the Lipton Brisk Raspberry and the lemon flavor, which doesn’t really pop that much, makes me think of lemon iced tea.”

With Mtn Dew Spark, the berry part still reminds me of Lipton Brisk Raspberry Iced Tea, but the flavor and tang of the lemonade stand out much more. There’s also a little bit of an added non-lemonade citrus taste, but it didn’t confuse me into thinking this was anything other than raspberry lemonade-flavored. It’s tasty, but I’m a little disappointed it’s kind of a recycled flavor.

Anything else you need to know?

Some of you might be wondering, “What’s a Speedway?” Well, **puts on reading glasses** it’s a chain of convenience stores with a few thousand locations mostly in the Midwest and East Coast. Just this month, it was purchased by the parent company that owns 7-Eleven. For more brick-and-mortar retail chain news, don’t depend on this site.

Also, there doesn’t appear to be a diet version. But if you want a beverage that tastes somewhat similar and with zero sugar, there’s Mtn Dew Amp Game Fuel Zero Charged Raspberry Lemonade.

Conclusion:

Mtn Dew Spark is another solid Dew offering. If you live near a Speedway store, it’s worth a purchase.

Purchased Price: More than anyone should pay
Size: 20 fl oz bottle
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 290 calories, 0 grams of fat, 85 milligrams of sodium, 77 grams of carbohydrates, 77 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Pepsi Pineapple

Marvo / June 24, 2020 / Reviews / 8 Comments

Pineapple is considered a summer fruit, but it’s offered all year long here on this rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Well, technically, it’s offered year-round in every state since everyone can buy it canned.

But here I can buy fresh pineapple, cut up or whole, in almost every store I walk into. I can also easily purchase a cocktail served in a hollowed-out pineapple with paper umbrellas and orchids as decorations around its rim.

What I’m trying to say is that they’re plentiful here. I mean, it’s not like I can throw a pineapple in a random direction and there’s a good chance I’ll hit another. Although, now that I think about it, that’s actually true for me since my neighbor has four pineapple plants.

Anyhoo, while the delectable yellow treat is considered a summer fruit, Pepsi Pineapple should be a flavor that’s available year round because it’s now my favorite fruit-flavored Pepsi. It edges Pepsi Wild Cherry. Heretic, I know. But the fruit flavor is more natural tasting, while the cherry is more artificial.

Pepsi Pineapple was available in Japan last summer, which I reviewed. In that review, I wrote that Pepsi in the U.S. should offer the flavored cola here in the States for Summer 2020. So here it is, maybe or maybe not, thanks to yours truly.

You might think that the two beverages taste the same, but they aren’t. If they were, I would’ve copy and pasted my other review here, dusted off my hands, and sat on a beach with a cocktail that’s served in a hollowed-out pineapple with paper umbrellas and orchids as decorations.

I also wrote in my review of the Japanese version that the fruity flavor was a bit too faint for my liking. This one doesn’t have that problem. Sweet pineapple flavor hits hard from beginning to end (oddly, its aroma is not as fruity). I imagine if I were offered a Pepsi served in a hollowed-out pineapple (paper umbrellas and orchids optional), it would taste similar.

The beverage is described as a Pepsi with a splash of pineapple juice. The can also says it contains 1% juice, but it sure tastes like it has a lot more than that. Maybe that’s where the “other natural flavors” kick in.

While the Japanese version came in 490 ml bottles (around 16.5 ounces), the American version is not available in bottles. Instead, they come in 8-packs of 12-ounce skinny cans. Oh, speaking of skinny, there isn’t a diet version.

Pepsi Pineapple is a simple soda. It’s pretty much a combination of Pepsi and juice from the golden fruit. But it’s also simply delicious.

Purchased Price: Way too much of eBay
Size: 8-pack of 12-ounce cans
Purchased at: eBay (available at Walmart)
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (12 fl oz) 150 calories, 0 grams of fat, 95 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 41 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

Pepsi Soda

REVIEW: Canada Dry Pomegranate Ginger Ale (Canada)

Rachel / April 8, 2020 / Reviews / 4 Comments

What is Canada Dry’s Pomegranate Ginger Ale?

It now seems like a thousand years ago, but before a certain microbe forced us all indoors, I traveled to Canada for a weekend jaunt, and of course, loaded up on new and interesting food and drink.

I discovered that up north, Canada Dry is adding pomegranate to its ginger ale. Whaaaa? I love a good pomegranate (when I’ve got the time to sit and free the seeds from the membranes – and don’t even bother telling me all your lifehacks for this – the only way is to settle in and pick), and I love a good ginger ale, so how could I pass this up?

It’s a deep red color – without the label, I would’ve thought this was a new Mountain Dew flavor.

How is it?

The aroma in the bottle was mostly ginger ale, with a touch of sweet fruity something.

Flavor-wise, again, it was ginger-ale-dominant, with a slight fruity tang. I find pomegranate, when not consumed as a fresh fruit, can often taste like a non-specific berry or fruit, and that’s what happened here. It reminded me of cranberry-flavored drinks/foods. Sadly, I haven’t tried the Canada Dry Cranberry soda, so I can’t compare them directly.

But while the flavor might not have read as real pomegranate, I really liked it. It was more toned-down than the color of it suggests. It felt like a hint of candy added to the usual ginger edge. I enjoyed it more than the recent Canada Dry Ginger Ale and Lemonade and Ginger Ale and Orangeade flavors.

The label says it’s a limited time offer, but I could see this as a year-round product – there’s nothing about the flavor itself that pegs it to a certain season.

Is there anything else you need to know?

It doesn’t seem like this has officially crossed the border yet. Hopefully it does soon.

Conclusion:

If you like ginger ale, this is one you should try, if you find it. It retains its ginger-ale-ness while adding a lil’ something.

Purchased Price: $2.29CAD
Size: 500ml (16.9oz) bottle
Purchased at: Loblaws
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (500ml bottle) 190 calories, 0 grams of fat, 70 milligrams of sodium, 49 grams of carbohydrates, 48 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

Canada Dry Soda

REVIEW: Mtn Dew Frost Bite

Louis / March 31, 2020 / Reviews / 3 Comments

What is Mtn Dew Frost Bite?

Given the bottle’s ferocious imagery of an open-mouth great white shark on the label, I was hoping this would be Mtn Dew’s entry into a revolutionary fish-flavored soda game, but, instead, it’s just a “burst of icy refreshment and cool melon.” So, I guess melon.

How is it?

Like most nouveau Mtn Dew flavors, this too has a taste reminiscent of a liquefied Now and Later, which, at least in my opinion, is never a bad thing. And while there is a slight taste of melon — don’t ask me what kind of melon, though — the “blue ice” flavor is extremely prevalent, even if “blue ice” isn’t a flavor found in nature.

But, still, Frost Bite has got a deeply sweet seafaring edge to it that, like the chompers on the non-mountainous mascot, will cut deeply to the bone. Or, given the soda’s oh-so high added sugar content, it might shear the white enamel off with each seriously addictive gulp. If you ever wonder what Powerade Mountain Berry Blast would taste like with a testicular death-grip, look no further.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Available for a limited time, this Mtn Dew flavor is an exclusive flavor to Walmart stores across the country. I bought it instead of toilet paper, mostly because my store was still sold out of it and probably will be for a while.

Conclusion:

Mtn Dew Frost Bite is a downright tawdry yet delicately tasty concoction for landlubbing tongues.

Purchased Price: $1.80
Size: 20 oz. bottle
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 290 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 76 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 76 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

Mountain Dew Mtn Dew Soda

REVIEW: Dr Pepper & Cream Soda

Julie / March 9, 2020 / Reviews / 11 Comments

What is Dr Pepper & Cream Soda?

Peanut butter and jelly. Ham and cheese. An entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s and the ensuing, all-encompassing feeling of shame. Some things naturally go together, and now two carbonated icons, Dr Pepper and cream soda, aim to count themselves among famous pairs.

How is it?

With its dark cola color, Dr Pepper & Cream Soda looks like regular Dr Pepper, but its scent carries a strong vanilla vibe.

The cream soda taste – a creamy vanilla that conjures memories of sundaes and floats – is immediately noticeable at first sip. With subsequent sips, Dr Pepper’s 23 flavors come back to the forefront, with the cream soda lingering in the background. The flavor combination is definitely a pleasant and harmonious one. I would guess at a 2:1 ratio of Dr Pepper to cream soda.

As a result of the pairing, the “spicy bite” that the original Dr Pepper is known for becomes muted, but because of the way the flavors take turns in the foreground, it is always clear that this is a Dr Pepper product. Interestingly, more so than its other flavor combinations like Cherry Vanilla, Dr Pepper & Cream Soda manages to achieve a smooth “cream finish” feeling characteristic of cream soda.

Although I wouldn’t necessarily describe myself as a purist, I tend to prefer the original Dr Pepper to any of its flavored incarnations. However, I was really impressed at how well Dr Pepper & Cream Soda recreates the subtle flavor of cream soda without letting it get lost among the bolder flavors of Dr Pepper. I would drink this one again.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Due to its varying colors and flavors (including everything from raspberry to cotton candy), cream soda can mean different things to different regions. To me, Dr Pepper & Cream Soda’s flavor profile most closely resembles A&W Cream Soda, which makes sense considering the same company owns them.

Conclusion:

Dr Pepper & Cream Soda expertly recreates and balances a sweet, creamy vanilla flavor with its original formula. It made me wonder what other delicious, unexpected soda combinations are waiting to be discovered.

Purchased Price: $4.49
Size: 6 pack of 20-ounce bottles
Purchased at: Giant Eagle
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (per 20 oz.) 210 calories, 0 grams of fat, 80 milligrams of sodium, 56 grams of carbohydrates, 55 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

Dr Pepper Soda