Tag: Soda

REVIEW: Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut

Marvo 7 Comments

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

Marvo 2 Comments

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.

REVIEW: Mtn Dew Baja Point Break Punch and Baja Laguna Lemonade

Marvo 1 Comment

It’s Mtn Dew Baja Blast’s 20th anniversary! It’s been two decades since the flavor debuted at Taco Bell. Does that make you feel old? Well, you’re not alone, my Gen X and Millennial friends. It’s also Mtn Dew Baja Season! What is that? It’s when Mtn Dew releases Baja offshoots in tropical flavors to let us know summer is here. Although this year’s flavors, Baja Point Break Punch and Baja Laguna Lemonade, hit shelves a few weeks earlier than previous years.

Baja Point Break Punch is a Dew with a blast of natural and artificial tropical punch flavor. Now, you might be yelling in your head, “Hey! Wait a minute! Didn’t Mtn Dew already Dew a Baja Dew with tropical punch flavor?” It Dew-d, I mean, did. That was 2021’s Baja Punch, but Baja Point Break has a different tropical punch flavor. And I imagine there will be future Baja Dew iterations with a blast of tropical punch flavor. But is this one a blast? Well, yeah, it is.

Looking at the can’s artwork, the flavor seems to combine pineapple, raspberry, blueberry(?), cherry, and donuts. Okay, I’m pretty sure there’s no donut flavor, but those yellow thingies sure look like donuts and not pineapple slices. Its flavor is cherry and raspberry heavy with a bit of pineapple in the background. But there’s enough of the pineapple to convince my taste buds that this is “tropical.” Overall, the fruit combination tastes great and is a little unique from other tropical punch offerings I’ve had.

But enough with the inferior flavor of the two.

If you have to choose between Baja Point Break Punch and Baja Laguna Lemonade for your sugary, caffeinated beverage, go for the one with alliteration because it might be the best limited edition Baja flavor ever. This delightful Dew features a blast of mango lemonade flavor. Now, you might be yelling in your head, “Hey! Wait a minute! Didn’t Mtn Dew already Dew a Baja Dew with mango flavor?” It Dew-d, I mean, did. That was 2022’s Baja Mango Gem, but Baja Laguna Lemonade has a hit of lemonade that makes it taste more of a hit than Mango Gem.

Despite not being in the product’s name, mango is at the forefront of this soda, and adding lemonade takes it to another level. It’s so good that I want to find a suitable professional golfer to name this combination after, similar to calling an iced tea lemonade mix an Arnold Palmer. Laguna Lemonade starts with a bold mango flavor, and then the lemonade flavor appears to add some sourness to the proceedings. It’s a one-two flavor punch that I won’t forget, unlike Baja Mango Gem. Seriously, I can’t remember what it tastes like.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 12 oz cans
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Point Break Punch), 9 out of 10 (Laguna Lemonade)
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 170 calories, 0 grams of fat, 50 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 44 grams of sugar (including 44 grams of added sugar), and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Coca-Cola Spiced

Brandon 34 Comments

I’m a fiend for flavored Coke. And by “flavored Coke,” I actually mean any cola jazzed up with something else, like Pepsi that is mangoed in nature, and yes, the flavored Cokes — most of them, anyway. I love Cherry and Vanilla Coca-Cola, and I am still mourning the departure of Orange Vanilla Coke. (That and the Cinnamon Coke it did at Christmas a few years ago. I’d do bad, illegal things to have Cinnamon Coke be a regular offering.)

I did not, however, care for many of the past couple of year’s “Mystery Flavors” from the Coca-Cola Creations line. You know, the abstract ones meant to taste like emotions and concepts or those designed by algorithms or famous DJs. There were a couple that were tolerable, but because there were far too many to begin with, they all blended together, and now I can’t remember which ones they were.

But I had high hopes for Coca-Cola Spiced because the flavoring seems pretty straightforward: “Raspberry Spiced (and other natural flavors).” Plus, on more than one occasion, I’ve opted for a Raspberry Coke from a Coke Freestyle machine, and I’ve never regretted it.

But make no mistake. This ain’t that, though.

My previously high hopes were dashed against the rocks immediately after cracking open the bottle.

A strong cough syrup scent overwhelmed me before the first fizzy sip ever touched my lips. Then I took a drink, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the cough syrup was front and center. Thankfully, it wasn’t as strong as the scent, but it was still very present, a medicinal bite that tasted only vaguely raspberrian in nature, right at the beginning of the drink. And while it mellowed slightly on the back end, it never fully went away.

Because I am a “Zero Sugar” guy, I tried both, and while it is worth noting that the Robitussin-esque qualities of Spiced were milder in the Zero version, they are still there, just muted. It made that version more tolerable, but still, nothing I’d actively seek out again.

So until Coca-Cola brings back Orange Vanilla or Cinnamon (or makes Vanilla Zero Sugar more ubiquitous so that I can buy it more often than “that one time I found it last summer while vacationing in Des Moines”), I’ll stick with the options that don’t immediately evoke memories of staying home from school with a bad cough.

Purchased Price: $2.69 each
Size: 20 oz bottles
Purchased at: QuikTrip
Rating: 4 out of 10 (Original), 5 out of 10 (Zero Sugar)
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) Original – 250 calories, 0 grams of fat, 50 milligrams of sodium, 67 grams of carbohydrates, 67 grams of sugar (including 67 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 54 milligrams of caffeine. Zero Sugar – 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 95 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, 0 grams of protein, and 57 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Limited Edition 2023 Mtn Dew VooDEW

Erin 17 Comments

Back for a 5th Halloween season, VooDEW Grim is here to deliver another mystery flavored ghost white soda wrapped in spooky graphics. In years past, the flavors have all been candy-themed, and while they were intended to represent fairly specific candies, like 2020’s “Fruity Candy Explosion” basically being Skittles, this year’s edition partners Mtn Dew with an actual candy brand.

They’ve offered up a few not particularly subtle hints about the flavor, so I’m going to be equally as unsubtle with offering my guess. If you’d rather try it without being biased, now is the time to pull your reaper hood over your eyes and slowly back away into your graveyard. Try not to trip over that mummy with the mohawk.

This year’s VooDEW is available in both regular and zero sugar, and I tried both before I did any research as to what the flavor was. The zero version was the first I found, and sniffing it, I thought it had a familiar scent, but beyond “fruity candy soda,” I couldn’t have told you what it was. Tasting it had a similar effect, except that I was totally distracted by the artificial sweeteners. As someone who typically enjoys all sorts of sodas, including zero and diet types, I’m surprised I found this one so offensive, but I just couldn’t overlook it. I guess I don’t want fake sugar when I’m drinking my candy?

I was feeling like this year’s flavor might be a disappointment, but thankfully, a friendly apparition in the form of the regular variety showed up in my grocer’s cooler. Things are much improved here. There’s a citrusy lemon-lime aspect in the vein of normal Dew (or maybe closer to Sprite or 7UP) with notes of other fruits like cherry. It leans much more sweet than last year’s decidedly sour edition.

It had me feeling like I should know what this is, but I’m not sure I could have placed it exactly without the help of Dew’s clues. With them, though, it made perfect sense. Calling it “SCAIRY” and dropping a red balloon emoji on their social media along with a Blair Witch-style video of people running through the woods being stalked by a red balloon, I can pretty confidently say this VooDEW is Airheads flavored. Typically, the non-color of the brew is part of the disguise with the blank slate not offering up any hints as to what it might taste like. This year, I think the flavor is hiding in plain sight: White Mystery Airheads. The candy is made with leftover flavorings that are hanging around, so if you try this and think it tastes like some blend of cherry, lime, raspberry, and whatever else, you’re probably right.

Overall, VooDEW 5 is a sweet, smooth drinking soda that I think most people will find enjoyable regardless of how they feel about Airheads as a candy. If you’re able to get the regular version of this scary sip, I highly recommend it over the zero.

Purchased Price: $2.29 (regular), $2.00 (zero sugar)
Size: 20 fl oz
Purchased at: Jewel-Osco (regular), 7-Eleven (zero sugar)
Rating: 8 out of 10 (regular), 6 out of 10 (zero sugar)
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) Regular – 270 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 80 milligrams of sodium, 73 grams of total carbs, 73 grams of total sugars (incl. 73 grams of added sugars), and 0 grams of protein. Zero Sugar – 0 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 80 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of total sugars (incl. 0 grams of added sugars), and 0 grams of protein.