REVIEW: Jack in the Box Dr Pepper Strawberry & Cream Shake

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Jack in the Box Dr Pepper Strawberry & Cream Shake topped with whipped cream.

Several fast food chains have offered Dr Pepper shakes, but I had yet to try one.

Whataburger, whose locations are thousands of miles away from me, is one chain that comes to mind because every time its Dr Pepper Shake returns, I’m reminded of it via many Facebook and Instagram ads. The regional chain also sold a Dr Pepper Blackberry Shake last year. Another chain that comes to mind is Burger King, which has a location three miles from me. It had a limited time Dr Pepper shake, but I missed it.

So I wouldn’t feel FOMO, I instantly took the opportunity to try Jack in the Box’s Dr Pepper Strawberries & Cream Shake, blended with Dr Pepper and strawberry flavors, then topped with whipped cream. While Jack in the Box isn’t the first to offer a shake flavored like the iconic soda, it is the first fast food chain to sell one flavored like Dr Pepper’s Strawberries & Cream soda, a permanent Dr Pepper variety.

With this being Jack in the Box, which loves to add Oreo crumbs to limited-time shakes, I’m surprised chocolate cookie crumbs didn’t find their way in here, too. I kid, but also not really, because Oreo crumbs really do find their way into a lot of Jack’s new shakes.

Jack in the Box Dr Pepper Strawberry & Cream Shake's tan-pink color that my phone's camera doesn't quite capture.

The menu item has a tan-pink color that my phone’s camera couldn’t quite capture, but it looks more appropriate at Sephora than in a sippable dessert. But I guess that’s what happens when you Bob Ross red strawberry syrup, brown Dr Pepper syrup, and white vanilla ice cream together.

As for its flavor, it initially tasted more like a telehealth appointment through my phone with Dr Pepper than a face-to-face office visit. The strawberry was stronger than the Dr Pepper most of the time. The difference was big enough that I could probably convince you it’s just a regular strawberry shake, if I could hide its Ulta Beauty foundation-like color. A light cream flavor was present, but I’m not sure whether it came from the whipped cream or the vanilla base.

When mixed, the shake tastes much better.

But after mixing everything a bit more thoroughly, the Dr Pepper stood out a bit more, and the two main flavors had a better balance. The Dr Pepper syrup added a noticeable cherry note along with hints of the soda’s famous 23 flavors. I really began to enjoy it once that balance came together.

Jack in the Box’s Dr Pepper Strawberry & Cream Shake is a delightful, delicious treat. When mixed well, it gets across its Dr Pepper and strawberry flavors. It’s worth traveling a few miles to try it.

Purchased Price: $6.29*
Size: Regular
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 680 calories. No other nutritional information is available on the Jack in the Box website.

*Because I live on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

Dr Pepper Tic Tac Review

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Dr Pepper Tic Tac container

It took well over a century, but the good Doctor Pepper has finally released his iconic twenty-three flavored elixir in pill form.

That’s right, the long-awaited third flavor in the Soda Tic Tac trilogy is Dr Pepper. I was a fan of the Coke one, but hated the Sprite. If we’re just going off the drinks themselves, I like Dr Pepper better than both of ’em, so needless to say, I had high hopes for this collab.

Said hopes were… mostly met.

Dr Pepper Tic Tac's Dr Pepper color

There’s no debating that these are Dr Pepper just from the smell and sight of them. They have the familiar cherry-ish waft of the fizzy drink, and to quote the late great Bugs Bunny, “What a maroon.”

We miss you every day, Bugs. Hope you made it to the great Albuquerque in the sky. If only you said, “What’s up, Doc?” to an actual doctor more often.

But enough about real doctors, do these “mints” taste like actual Dr Pepper? Yes! And no!?

They do, but it’s not as uncanny (or unbottley if you prefer) as Dr Pepper collabs usually are. The candy shell has a vague cherry/cola sweetness, but once that’s gone and the mint turns white and gritty, it just tastes like a really watered-down Dr Pepper knockoff. Dare I say Mr. Pibbian – a far less educated soda.

Dr Pepper Tic Tac in a bowl

I was ready to say these tasted just like cherry Bottle Caps, but I ultimately landed on a particular black cherry soda. They remind me of a drink made by an old med school colleague of Dr Pepper’s — Dr. Brown’s Black Cherry. He’s not as celebrated, but still makes a solid pop.

So, I really like the flavor for about eight seconds, and then I only kinda like it. It reminds me of the delicious sweetness you get from Tic Tacs’ pill cousin, Advil, before you suck on them for too long and they just end up tasting like bitter medicine. That’s how you’re supposed to eat those, right?

Dr Pepper Tic Tac with actual Dr Pepper

With all that said, there’s a kicker here. A saving grace. These Tic Tacs have a fizzing sensation. Have you ever had Zotz, or similar fizzing candy? It’s like those on a much smaller scale, but still noticeable. I honestly don’t think every mint fizzes, only a couple per “sip,” but it adds a fun and creative element to the eating experience.

The fizzing actually made me incredibly thirsty, which might be a stroke of genius brand synergy now that I think about it.

I imagine most Dr Pepper fans will enjoy these just fine, but I’m still not sure they serve much of a purpose. They’re “mints” that don’t freshen your mouth, and not a top-tier “sucking candy.” They’re also not a candy that sucks, and the fizzing is undeniably fun, so I guess that still makes them worth a try. Nothing wrong with a twist on two old classics.

I’m still here for any and all Dr Pepper collabs moving forward. In fact, I have an open pack of Dr Pepper Peeps slowly maturing in the cabinet, and I can’t wait til they get to their maximum staleness to indulge. If only they came in bunny form to honor our old friend, Bugs.

Purchased Price: $4.52
Size: 3.4 Fl. Oz.
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 Mint) 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of sodium,0 grams of total carbohydrates, for some reason they don’t even bother mentioning sugar, 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dr Pepper Blackberry

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Call me weird, but I go to the store when it opens so I can take my time without tons of other people around me. Slowly wandering from aisle to aisle and checking items off my list with 90s muzak in the background is my zen. During a recent grocery trip, the new Dr Pepper Blackberry interrupted my state of zen. While excited about the flavor, I wasn’t quite willing to commit to a 12-pack, but luckily, I found a 20-ounce bottle near the registers.

I enjoy Dr Pepper, but think it’s best when mixed with another flavor. The 23 flavors of the original drink create a base that other flavors can build on. I love ordering a Dr Pepper and adding cranberry flavor every time I visit Sonic. So, it stood to reason that the new Blackberry variety should be a home run for me.

The initial aroma was a blend of the classic Dr Pepper spice with a medicinal blackberry chaser. As a lover of “herbal” sodas (Olipop is my jam), I was into it. Pouring it into a cup allowed it to aerate, and the smell mellowed a bit. This first impression definitely got me excited to try it.

My first sip was confusing. Despite the strong smells from opening and pouring the drink, the taste was very muted. I took a swig of water, hoping it would help reset everything. My second sip, unfortunately, yielded the same results as the first: a faint blackberry flavor that got lost in the drink quickly.

Even though the initial scent of the Dr Pepper Blackberry hinted at a promising blend of classic Dr Pepper spice and a unique blackberry twist, the actual taste fell short of expectations. With each sip, the subtle blackberry flavor faded into the background of the familiar Dr Pepper base. The soda was still decent enough to finish, but I don’t see myself purchasing it again.

Purchased Price: $2.28
Size: 20 fl oz bottle
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 250 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 67 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 65 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut

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I find it very strange that the new Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut comes on the heels of the release of Nestle Coffee mate’s Coconut Lime Dirty Soda Creamer, a product designed to be mixed with Dr Pepper. Why would Nestle Coffee mate agree to develop a product that transforms a regular Dr Pepper into a coconut-flavored one when an actual coconut-flavored Dr Pepper would be hitting shelves soon after?

Like the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop and why Oreo puts out a cookies & cream variety, the world may never know.

As someone who has tried the creamer with a Dr Pepper, my taste buds had a good idea of what to expect when tasting the limited edition soda. Not surprisingly, they’re similar. Both have a bold coconut flavor with a mild taste of Dr Pepper. I imagine, for some, the coconut flavoring might be a bit too strong, bringing perhaps sunscreen to the forefront, but I didn’t mind the intensity. And that tropical flavor did have a creamy taste to it. I didn’t love it as much as I did last year’s Strawberries & Cream variety, but I still found it to be enjoyable.

While it had a creamy flavor, I didn’t notice a creamy texture. The only way this soda could have that is if something is added to it, like, I dunno, sweet cream or…Oh, Nestle Coffee mate’s Coconut Lime Dirty Soda Creamer. Well, that answers my question at the beginning of this review, and the world will know. I believe this is what they call “synergy” in business. But would adding the creamer make the soda better? Fortunately, I still had a bottle of the creamer in my fridge, so I could find out.

Combining the two turned a pretty good soda into a great one, and if you plan on buying a 12-pack of this, I’d highly recommend picking up a bottle of the creamer if you can get your hands on one. Adding it made Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut earn the “creamy” in its name. While adding more coconut flavoring made everything more coconutty, I could still taste the underlying Dr Pepper. What I didn’t notice was the lime in the creamer, but I didn’t care because everything else was delicious.

Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut is a tasty summer soda that shouldn’t be missed if coconut calls to you.

NOTE: There’s also zero sugar version.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 12 fl oz cans
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 150 calories, 0 grams of fat, 55 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 39 grams of sugar (including 39 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 41 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Nestle Coffee mate Coconut Lime Dirty Soda Creamer

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Dr Pepper is a perfect blend of 23 flavors. So why would we want to muddy those with another two by pouring some of the new Nestle Coffee mate Coconut Lime Dirty Soda Creamer into it? Unless two of those 23 are coconut and lime, and the additive just enhances the two already existing flavors. And maybe if this sells well, then there will be another Dirty Soda variety that could be two more Dr Pepper flavors, and before you know it, we’ll have Dr Pepper’s secret recipe, and we can all make our own Dr (Insert Your Name Here).

I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to combine regular refrigerated coffee creamers with soda, but if you haven’t, it can get very science fair volcano-y once the creamer comes into contact with the soda. Fortunately, messy eruptions didn’t happen with this. The Dirty Soda liquid just mixed itself with the soda without stirring up the carbonation. I understand why it’s called Dirty Soda, but if you think about it, the enhancer kind of “cleans” the soda, turning the dark Dr Pepper into something lighter. Maybe I feel this way because I’ve watched too many OxiClean infomercials.

The bottle suggests adding a tablespoon to get the perfect pop, but a tablespoon to what? There’s an image of a can on the bottle, but is that the 7.5 or 12 fl oz? I ended up combining a tablespoon with eight ounces of Dr Pepper, and it tasted very coconutty, a smidge limey, and not very Dr Peppery. It was also that way when I added a tablespoon to the 12 ounces left in the 20-ounce bottle I purchased. It’s enjoyable, but all it does is make the Dr Pepper taste like 20 of the 23 flavors in the recipe were muted. So, I wouldn’t say it tastes better or as good as the original. However, it’s a product that makes me want to buy more soda varieties to find out how they taste with it. Good job, Nestle Coffee mate, for encouraging me to buy more soda! I hope you get royalties or something.

While it doesn’t need to be refrigerated when unopened, it does after you open it. Also, like regular coffee creamers, it’s best to use it all within 14 days for optimal flavor.

If the Nestle Coffee mate Coconut Lime Dirty Soda Creamer interests you, you will not find it with all the refrigerated coffee creamers. You may find it with the dry and individual liquid Nestle Coffee mate products in the coffee and tea aisle. Or, you may find it at a random aisle end cap. Or, you may have to summon the courage to ask a store employee where in the haystack of this store is that needle known as the Nestle Coffee mate Coconut Lime Dirty Soda Creamer. That’s what I had to do at Target because it turns out that, while it says it’s “In Stock” on the app, there were none on the shelves. All of them were “in the back.” Oh, Target, you’re doing me dirty.

Purchased Price: $3.29
Size: 16 fl oz
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 tbsp) 35 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 5 milligrams of sodium, 5 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 5 grams of sugar (including 5 grams of added sugar), and 0 grams of protein.

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