Flat Head Lake Monster Black Raspberry soda

IN the supermarket I saw this soda that I haven't noticed before. The bottle has some weird green monster thing with sunshades. Straight from Montana! Hmmm.. looks cool.Glass bottle with a twist off cap. Let's see how it goes.

Is it from Montana? not really, Its appears to be made ocean city NJ, under license from Flat head lake monster. But it doesnt specify either waty. But its a nice thought. Not dissapointed about that though. Would be nice if it was from Montana.

On to the drink itself
As soon as I twisted the cap off I could see the little smoke come out. nice.even though it's black raspberry it tastes like grape soda. it has a nice flavor to it.I like the smell. its 12oz at 170 cals so it does pack a punch in the cals department.But it's like any other soda in that aspect. The first one I had tasted like liquid candy.


This is the 3rd on, I actually had another 2 before. I really like this drink.
5 starts!
*****

Baikal carbonated soft drink

I went to a ethnic Russian store to buy this drink. They only had 1 liter sizes so I bought it. It looked like a cola but it inst. It’s made in Moscow by JSC OST Aqua. The ingredients have taiga root and tea extracts. Hmm.. I wonder what it tastes like. So I open the bottle and pour myself some drink.
…..
A very accurate description would be like this. Have you ever had any grapes with dirt on them? You know that sweet yet (un)naturally earthy flavor you get? That is exactly what it reminded me of. As you can see I did end up drinking most of it so its not too bad. It takes getting used to. It is something I would give out at a party? Maybe as a joke. But otherwise it’s something you should keep to yourself. Yes the flavor does grow on you, and it is possible that the flavor is very Russian so they love it.? But for American tastes, there is no comparison.

Verdict: If you are a vegan and like REALLY natural flavors this might be for you.
3 stars. *** The favor is such that you can drink a glass, but weird enough that you wont get another.

Pakola cream soda

Soda made in Pakistan.

Tastes like cream soda with a strong scent of flavoring. Its very Pakistani. The soda has a distinct aftertaste to it, a food coloring flavor. I think the taste is something that needs to be experienced. As someone else said its "interesting". Its something more to be drunk by itself then a complement to a meal. Most people liked the drink, though 1 person was not into it.

Verdict: **** 4 stars!

extra thought: came from the same place as the bad Indian Coca cola. This was a can and that was a bottle. So far all the ill flavored ones were glass bottles. Could be the metal inhibits particles from flowing. Makes sense. Just like how cans hold fizz longer.

coca cola india

coca cola India



First sip. Not to great.I could swear it has a slight curry hint to it. Tastes stale and old. Not thrilled at all. Store owner probably keeps old stuff. In fact I was also going to buy a fanta but the thing was manufactured in 6 2009. Most of them had their dates erased but a few didn't. Lesson learned don't buy Indian sodas in the US. The coca cola is probably from the same time frame. Too bad.
Thinking about the thumbup cola, the curry taste was probably also due to it being absorbed through the glass. It most likely sat around in a warehouse for a long time, sold by cheating retailers or wholesalers to the retailers..
Too bad the experience was ruined.

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. ****

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.

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...

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