Tropical's Manzana Apple soda

This apple flavored soda was made in Ecuador. It is distributed locally by a a Brooklyn, NY distributor. At $1 for the 12 oz can, I had to get it. Manzana means apple in spanish, for those who don't know.The can is an orange color, with "Sabor hecho en Ecuador!" which means flavor made in Ecuador. At 165 cals for the can, it is a little packed with carbs.

As I opened the soda, it does smell a little like apple juice. The taste is like carbonated apple juice. Someone else mentioned it tastes like apple candy. All around, everyone agrees it's a good soda. It is an apple colored flavor.
Verdict: would try again, think carbonated apple juice.
4 stars ****

Mexican Coca Cola

For those who live in border states Mexican coca cola may not be something extraordinary, but for the rest of us, it is something we have to go out of our way to find. The bottle was a little expensive at $1.50 for 355ml (12oz). It came in a glass bottle and there were some nice touches to it. There is a little cola bottle imprinted on the side, and the label itself is nice and raised. A good feeling.

I needed a bottle opener to get to the drink, since it wasn't a twist off. It was nice and cool having just come from out, so I was glad to get into it. The taste... Hmmm, it wasn't really fizzy, but it wasn't unfizzy. The taste was a ..hmmm almost tastes like stale cola that was actually sweeter. Weird since this is made with sugar and us coke is with corn syrup which is supposed to be sweeter. It went down very smooth and I liked it.

Verdict: will purchase again!
4 stars. ****

Super Supau isotonic drink

This Taiwanese drink is by Vitalon. First question, what is an isotonic drink. An isotonic drink is "A sports drink used to simply replace fluid and electrolytes lost during prolonged exercise" according to "http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/isotonic+drink:. Judging by the lady running on the cover that is what it is. Most sports drinks aren't that sweet so lets find out what happens.

The small was a not too pleasant fruit smell. The drink itself was a cloudy but clear mixture. The taste is like watered down tums. At first I was surprised by the lack of carbonation, but it is an isotonic drink, not a soda. Looks like a soda since it's in the can. Imagine Gatorade in a can. Weird.

Verdict: I would give it 2 stars. As a Gatorade drinker, its not something I'm unused to but I don't feel like finishing it.
2 stars **

I had other people drink it and they would give it 1 stars *. The expression on their face said that they wouldn't want more then 1 sip at all.

halal/kosher : Propylene glycol alginate

Propylene glycol alginate is an emulsifier and it's sources can potentially be animal products so it's best to avoid.

Nescafe Max

A coffee beverage with guarana. The 8oz/240ml can has a power button from a computer on the center, with coffee light emanating from the button. It’s a printed button not an actual button you can depress of course.
I cooled the can before drinking so that it would be nice like ice coffee. The can is a cool !

As I popped open the can and took a sip, I was pleasantly surprised. If you are looking for the guarana, you might find the slightest hint of tanginess, but only if you are looking for it. The drink was splendid. The empty can smells so good. Though not really different from any other sweet canned coffee drink, it is still good. After a few minutes there is a very slight metallic aftertaste, maybe an effect of the can? It’s ever so slight.

This is a Malaysian canned coffee, and the price was under $1, so it is a great price. The ingredient list is much longer than the other coffee’s I’ve seen. I am not adding an energy drink label to it since it’s not labeled as such, even though it appears to be a coffee energy drink mix. Isn’t coffee THE energy drink? Emphasis on the word “the”.

Verdict: Everyone should try!
4 stars ****

Rating system update

Updated the ratings:
i found that there needs to be a neutral rating, one where I would finish the drink but not really be into it. Example, the Black Tea drink was drinable but I really wasnt into it, vs the Goya Ginger beer which I could only drink a few sips tops would have been the same rating, but they aren't the same actually. This gives a better rating for me to show how the drink was to me. Anything before this post might be under the old rating but I plan on going back and updating the star rating.

1 star: Avoid
2 star: A few sips tops
3 star: finish the drink, but not into it.
4 star: Likeable
5 Star: Amazing

Black Tea Drink from Tung-I

This is a Taiwanese sweet tea drink, without the milk. The can has writing in English, Chinese, and Frecch. The can is imported by a California company. It was $1 for a 11.32 oz (335ml) drink. It is slightly thinner then the average 12oz can. The can itself seems quite sturdy.

So as i poured the drink into a cup, it looked kind of like a cola. Taking a sip, it tasted exactly like it's name. The taste was that of black tea with sugar, no milk. There is a slight smell of cereal coming from the drink and thats because barley is one of the ingredients. On the upside it's sweetened so it’s not a bad drink. But I feel I could have just boiled some tea and made it myself. For a traveler or camper this could be idea, or even a truck driver. The after taste is as if I had added cereal, eaten all the cereal, then drank the left over liquid. I can’t place which cereal exactly, but it's not frosted flakes or captain crunch. Swirling the drink around your mouth I can definitely taste the sharpness of the black tea.

Verdict: I would not buy again, but it was not bad. I just felt like I can make it myself.

2 stars **

Pork warning

For Halal and kosher observers,
A lot of emulsifiers in drinks have pork origins. If something says emulsifier, example e473, e475, or something similar it might be pork based. Sometimes its written as "xxx of fatty acids" or other things like that.

Best to avoid!

Nestle Milo

The label call's the drink "Nestle Milo Chocolate nutritional energy drink". Though it's labeled energy drink, it’s not the type of energy drink that American's think of. There are some vitamins, but no weird ingredients like tuarine, ginseng, or the other stuff that are put into the things on market today. The drink is made in Malaysia and is 180 cals for the can. Wow that is like a candy bar almost. Looking at the can there is a soccer player in Milo gear.

When i popped open the top the small of a type of Swiss miss chocolate with milk was the best thing I could think of. I took a sip, and it tastes like a Swiss miss. An average taste, not bad at all. Maybe I was expecting more, oh well. I quickly finished it off of course, it being only 8oz/240ml. For $1 it's not bad at all, though not my type of drink.

Verdict: for an unrefrigerated chocolate milk drink, its pretty good.
2 stars ** from me, but possible 3 stars *** for chocolate drink lovers.

Ramune melon flavor

This ramune is imported by hadson of Maspeth ny. It was about $1.50 and 200ml. The label is different but it's the same ramune bottle as before. Popping the top was very easy this time, as there was no surprise. The picture is with a half drunk ramune since I was showing someone how it works before I took the pic. Glad a cheaper version was found. It's the same ramune, just different importer. The label says only 70 cals for the bottle.

The flavor once again reminds me of carbonated sugar drinks. The hint of melon isn’t bad, but there is a weird taste. Almost bitter, slightly. Once again the wow factor is not in the drink but in the bottle itself. It's a cool discussion piece, but as far as the actual drinks go, ramune isn’t anything special. I find myself drinking the
bottle because it's open and you can’t close it, not because it's yummy. One thing I found was that if you suck it backwards, you can get the marble stuck again. lol!

I would buy again, but again, only for the bottle novelty.

Verdict: A good conversation piece, not that great as a drink.
2 stars **

Calpico aka Caripis

It is a Japanese non-carbonated soft drink that has a white coloring to it. It is quite popular in Japan. It's Japanese name is caripis, but sold outside as calpico. Here's the reason someone told me.

Say Caripis really fast in a Japanese accent.

Ka ree pis.

Real fast.

Sounds like CowPiss. Lol! And it can kind of look like it. Ewww.. lol.

The bottle itself is a squarish bottle with a nice design to the sides. The cap is just a normal twist cap. The bottle cost about $2, and it has 230 cals for the 500 ml (16.9oz).As I took a sip It felt it has a its a sweet fruit flavor. It leaves the after taste of a mentos fruit chew or tums fruit tablet. Yes tums is not a candy. But it does taste like candy. The texture is very smooth of the drink. A few minutes later there is a slight dryness in the mouth. I'll wash it down with water.

Ask any Japanese friend and they will endorse Calpico and I will to.
Verdict: Should try!
3 stars ***

NOS High performance energy Drink

NOS. Say the name and car fans all over will associate the name with big blue bottles of nitrous dioxide, with orange tops.


As a fan of the Fast and Furious movie, I have seen countless images of Vin Diesel holding a bottle of NOS to soup up his race car. Lo and behold NOS, very popular in the car enthusiasts world has come out with a drink whose bottle version imitates their actual nitrous bottles. The bottle is a nice blue shape and the cap is a star shaped item that looks like a valve. The gimmick is too much! It is awesome! The price tag was $3 for this 22oz drink. As far as energy drinks go it's quite reasonable, as they are all in that ball park. Since I don’t drink energy drinks on a normal basis, I held out getting this bottle until now. Now I can add it to a collection!.

As I opened the cap the hiss of the carbonation was pretty loud. I think I could see it rise! But then I started to smell it, it stinks! It’s like sniffing vitamins. so i dared to take a sip. Not bad. It tastes like any other energy drink. It is likeable. Each sip is more pleasant, but the after taste is kind of weird, leaving a dryness in the mouth. I think for someone who hasn’t tried energy drinks, they would not be pleased at all. There is a tanginess that you have to overcome, and the taste of vitamins in your mouth is also a slight hurdle.
As for someone who has drank many energy drinks, that taste was not bad. not at all. Would I buy it again? Maybe.. but not for the drink itself. It’s on par with other energy drinks for the price/size but the drink doesn’t stand out as special. What I would buy it for is the bottle. That is too cool. The novelty itself of the bottle is worth buying at least one. Would I get the can version... Only if it is cheap enough.

Verdict: Any fast and furious fans should definitely pick one up. Others, might want to hold off.

As for the bottle it can make a great decoration or water bottle!

**update* had someone try it who loves Redbulls and other energy drinks and they were very happy with NOS. Speaking of Red Bull I'm going to try to get the Thai version of it.

Hey Song Sarsaparilla

After playing fallout new vegas, the character is always picking up Sunset Sarsaparilla bottles. When I saw this in the supermarket, I knew I had to try this. In the game the drink is a a lifesaver when you are low on stimpacks. That increases health.

The bottle is a 330ml cad, about 12oz, 140 calories and is by the hey song corp of taiwan. It's imported by helm wing of Taiwan.

I took a wiff before drinking it, hmmm! smells like sweet root beer almost. MMMMM and the creamy fizz that formed was a nice touch. After sipping down the drink, i like it. It does almost have a medicine taste. Its kind of like root beer flavored cough syrup. There is a weird flavor when drinking a big mouthful vs a small sip. I guess that is the sarsaparilla. If it wasn't for that it could almost think that this was a light watered down root beer. Smelling the can afterwords is a nice aroma. Thinking of the taste, it it kind of tastes like liquid dumdums. That's a lollipop for those who haven't had the pleasure to try one.

Looking it up sarsaparilla is a flavoring for root beer, which is why the taste is so similar!

I was definitely glad to buy this. At $1, I would pick it up again.

Verdict: Should try!

Ramune Strawberry Soda

ramune strawberry

This is a Japanese drink imported by sangaria us. the bottle is oddly shaped with the neck becoming very thin. The bottle holds 200ml, which is less than 7 oz. For the small size it packs a high calorie punch at 100 cals. Comparable to mountain dew in cals.
Getting the bottle open was a pain in the butt. It's not a twist off cap, or bottle cap. There is essentially a marble preventing the soda from leaking out. Literally. I had to pop out the push top from the first cap, then shove the push top into the bottle. It took a few tries, and some force I might add. I guess thats a great way to keep kids from drinking it. I was surprised it took so long to open.
Once I got the topper shoved in, the marble just fell into the soda. The slim neck design helps the marble from dropping into the bottom of the bottle, and at the same time, when trying to chug, the marble will prohibit more then a little bit of liquid from coming out at one time. In effect, it helps you make the soda last longer since there is so little of it in the first place.
As for the drink itself, its a nice sweet flavor. Like a carbonated version of some strawberry drink from the supermarket isle. The drink itself was not that fizzy though. The scent of the bottle after finishing it is quite pleasant.
I can see why parents would want their kids to drink it since it only lets them drink a little bit at a time, and they probably need practice opening it themselves. For those who are calorie conscious it can make a good sweet drink in a small package. The bottle cant be resealed so once its opened it has to be drunk.
At almost $2, the drink is more of a novelty than something I would buy all the time. I was spending more time thinking about the bottle then the actual drink. The drink itself is nothing spectacular, just an average fruit flavor beverage. I would recommend to try it once just because of the bottle design, but I wouldn't keep it around the house. Nice novelty though. IF it were $1 I might keep it around though.

Verdict: Should try once. Bottle more interesting than the drink itself.

You can see the marble here. I'm still trying to extract it from the bottle. Not too hard, it is glass.

Nescafe Mocha Coffee

Nescafe Mocha, a ready to drink coffee beverage that comes in an 8oz slim aluminum can. It's distributed by Nestle USA, but it’s made in Malaysia. 140 calories for 8oz, its packing a bit of sugar for a little can. Let’s see how good it tastes. The expiration is march 2011 so there is still some freshness left!

Mmmm. Pretty good! Nice mocha taste in your mouth. I quickly finished it off. Tastes a little watery but thats because they are using skim milk rather than whole milk. I don’t even want to know how much the caloric content of a full milk version would be. But it's a definite winner at only $1. Even smelling the can afterwards is satisfying!

Verdict: Should try!

Hajoori's Kashmira Soda

Hajoori's Kashmira mixed spice flavors soda.
The bottle was a little more expensive than the other indian drinks at $1.29. This is a soda made in Gujrat India
The bottle was well wrapped in a nice plastic, red all around. As I started to undo the plastic a very nice scent started coming out. I thought ot myself, wow this is pleasant. The soda must be nice!....
A bottle opener was required. As I popped the cap the first thing I smelled was the scent of spice. not too bad. then I took a sip. wow. in a bad way. It tastes like , whats the best way to put it. Like someone took a whole bunch of cumin seeds and put them in a cola. at 180 calories for a 330ml drink I would think its a little sugary. no way. you might as well ground up cumin and then drink some water.
this is a never buy again.
Will update as I get some people to sample it.
as for the bottle itself, it has a nice design on it. too bad i wont purchase it again.
Man, in my expedition in drink hunts 3 out of 5 are bad. and 2 of those are totally undrinkable. I hope this isnt a trend!

Verdict: Avoid

*update* someone said that this would make a great chutney for samosas. Interesting idea! Could be a good alternative for chutney.

Limca Soda

Limca soda
THe is a whiteish lemond lime soda that is sold in india for 12 rupees. After my pleasent experiance with it's sister soda, Thumbs Up, I was hoping that this too would be a great drink. I found itfor $1, and bought it home. THe bottle is diffrent than thumbs up in that there are curves going into the bottle, whereas the thunbs design was some type of geometric one.
Opening the bottle required a bottle opener. After I got it open, the first sip ... was not great. not at all. And this was made under six months ago. Wow that was not a pleasent experiance. Everyone I gave a sip too also didnt wasnt anymore. One of descriptions I recieved was hat it tated like old luggage. THe smell you get when you open some luggage and the mothballs just get you. that would be a pretty good description. Definite avoid.
As I am sitting looking at the half empty bottle, I see that the bottle is 330ml, and about 110 calories according to the label. More sugar coudlnt save it. I seriously think it made me neausous, no joke. Maybe you can judge sodas by their label. So far 5 star was 5 stars and thumbs up gets a thumbs up.
I was reading reviews online and it seems like other people are in the situation. THe drink tastes like dish washing detergent. Seems that indians who loved limca at home hate it outside. Quite possible the exporter is the same person, shipping out crap drinks, becasue inside India itself, the same poeple who reviewd it as dish washer drink, say its great. some poeple are blaming the air, but really that cant be the case. thinking about it now, they actually rewash and reuse these bottles, so possible dish wash soap left in them? nah, but you never now.


Verdict: Avoid, at least outside India

Thumbs Up Cola THUMSUP

Thumbs Up Cola.
I came across this Indian soda and was intrigued by it. Its comes in a glass bottle, and most of them looked like they probably have been around. It's a 330ml drink (that 11.55 oz), and looking at the manufacture date, it was made 1 year ago. Says "best if drunk within 6 months". I looked for a bottle that was under six months, no avail. I took this one anyway. The bottle itself is an ice design, with a nice geometric shape around the torso. The printed thumbs up makes me think this is something from 1980 though.
Opening was not easy. most of the bottle caps I have come across twist off but not this one. I had to hunt for a bottle opener. I got it off finally. Ready to take my first sip. I was surprised that the drink was still fizzy.Veryy fizzy. I guess that says something about glass bottles. A plastic bottle drink would be ultra flat after all this time.
The drink itself, the best way to describe it is curry cola. not joke, I fell like there are curry spices in the soda. its pretty good though. I had someone else try it and they liked it. It's a power punch to the tongue with a cheap soda after taste.
Only cost me $1, and having it shipped from india, the price is quite nice. Though in india it actually costs about 20 cents retail so there is still a fat profit for the importer.
Its 110 calories for the entire bottle, making it much lighter than american sodas. Almost 25% lighter. It is made of high fructose corn syrup and sugar.
Would recommend to try.

***wait a minute
I just noticed its called THUMSUP not THUMBS UP! LOL!

BCGA 5-star ginger ale

BCGA 5-star ginger ale. At least I think that's the name. It's a Jasmine tea 100% fresh ginger ale according to the label. Anything that says it is 5 stars, well I hesitate a little. But I figured why not. Cost me $1.79 for a 12oz bottle. 160 calories per bottle, not bad. It says it's made of cane sugar, and you can actually see the cane settlements at the bottom of the bottle. It's bottled by TMI trading in Brooklyn.
As I opened the bottle I forgot that it's carbonated so a little fizzed out the side. First sp was pretty good. I forgot to shake it up, and tried to close the cap. Couldn't so some more spilled. I just drank it as it.
Hmm.. I actually though it was really good. There is the burn of ginger in my esophagus as an after effect. But it's still worth it. Not something I would buy all the time, but once in a while it's a definite. I had a few other people try it though and they couldn't take more than a sip. If you don't like ginger, then don't bother. That should be obvious but still...

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testing why i cant add titles

Goya Jamaican Style Ginger beer

Goya brands foods have been a big part of my life, so I thought I would start of with their Jamaican style ginger beer. I haven't tried it but thought I should give it a shot. I purchased it from the local supermarket for under a dollar. it came in a brown glass bottle, 12oz, with a bottle cap. Only 190 calories per bottle, so its a little more calorie packed then a 12oz soda.

The cap looks like you need a bottle opener but it easily twisted off. A little bit of visible carbonation evaporated into the air. As I took the first sip, i was not too thrilled. the taste of chemical was there. as the drink went down my throat, i could feel it in the back of it, though it is expected considering it's ginger. I went back for another sip later to see how it is. i could feel the drink in my nose. The second sip was a little better then the first. not undrinkable. I think this is probably one of those drinks that will grow on you. i could see drinking it often, only if i had to drink it several times to get used to it. one word to sum it up would be "eh". not too bad, but not great.
*after thoughts* I took another sip. wow still gets my nose. weird! its more likeable after each sip. I stand by it not being that great but that i can definitely grow on a person

Cool drinks blog.
This site is to review all the weird and wonderful drinks I get get my hands on.
All non-alcoholic crazy drinks I can get my hands on I will review. I want to share my experience with the world. There are so many great drinks out there.