Pure Cane Sugar (154 reviews)
Calypso Lemonade Kiwi
Calypso claims to be the "Taste of the islands." What I want to know is what islands? Are we talking islands out in the Caribbean, or are we talking some tiny little pieces of land in the middle of lake Minnetonka. If you don't know what that is you really need to brush up on a little movie called Purple Rain. Speaking of, I bet this is how Prince drinks to relax on a hot, hot day. He wakes up early, spends a good portion of an hour talking to himself in the mirror, heads down to his basement studio where he lays down some guitar tracks that would melt your brain, makes some pancakes, and then heads out in the backyard where he inexplicably does the Bat Dance for two hours while sipping on some Kiwi Lemonade. Of course he has his servants die it purple for him before he allows it to pass his lips.
Like all of the Calypso lemonades this is very tart. That is because they use real lemon juice and pulp to make it. You can see the lemon pulp floating in the drink, but unfortunately you can't feel them in your mouth. The thing that really stands out with Calypso is that they actually use fruit juices instead of artificial flavors. I think this may be the first drink I've ever consumed that actually has real kiwi in it. You can really tell in the flavor. Hey if it's good enough for Prince how can you argue with it?
- Website
- http://www.kingjuice.com/
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Lemonade
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 5/12/2011
- Comments
- View and Leave A Comment
Argo Tea Energizing Carolina Honey
Gorgeous packaging is a selling point to me. I like when people put some time and effort and thought into it. Shouldn't everyone? Does anyone not care when an item is packaged nicely? All you Mac fan-boys, you don't love how well your hundredth iPod is packaged? They do a better job of their packaging than their products. What? How many iPods have you owned because they last about a year and a half before they just stop working. Alright, alright. I'll stop. Now back to drinks.
This tea is fantastic. It's such a dark brew of black tea. One of the darkest ready-to-drink beverages I've ever had. I think that companies try and play it safe. They brew it lightly so that it's not as heavy but brother, this is not that company. It's perfectly sweetened and you can really taste the honey, which isn't overshadowed by the sugar.
This is my first drink from Argo and it will not be my last. You hear me, friends? It will not be my last. I only know one place around here, which is Merge Restaurant in Buffalo, that I can get it, but I hope that Argo steps up their distribution, charges a little less, and pleases me and you by making it more readily available.
- Website
- http://www.argotea.com/
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Iced Tea
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Mike Literman on 5/20/2011
- Comments
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Red Rock Golden Ginger Ale
At least one person on this planet is going to be real bummed when they buy this soda. I feel like most people think of ginger ale as something completely different than those of us who scratch the surface of the soda world a little more. Companies like Vernors and Schweppes, while making decent products, have led the world to believe that all ginger ale is sweet and smooth. Here is a news flash folks; "real" ginger ale has a kick to it. If you've ever tasted actual ginger you know that it has some spice to it. When made into a soda properly it can have quite a burn. That burn is not for everyone, but those of us who like it really, really love it. Usually ginger sodas that have this kick are known as ginger beers nowadays. Sometimes companies still call them ginger ale, and I'm fine with that. Red Rock is one such company.
It doesn't have the strongest burn I've ever experienced in a ginger soda, but it's stronger than I had expected. This is a slow sipper with a lot of flavor. So when aunt Milda ventures to the store to buy some ginger ale to sooth her upset stomach, she is going to be in for a shock when she takes a swig of this. Her stomach will probably be all the better for it though.
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 5/29/2011
- Comments
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Zuberfizz CocoFizz Chocolate
I've been sitting on this for a long time. I knew it was going to be at very least interesting so I wanted to get some other stuff out of the way first, hence the large gap between Zuberfizz reviews.
I don't know who the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is, but they've (apparently) teamed up with the Zuberfizz crew in order to create this little treat.
I, for the life of me cannot place what the chocolate reminds me of. My friend said that it was like the chocolate you get from Kinder Surprise, a Canadian treat which is essentially a hollow chocolate ball with a toy in it. To the tongue, this is a great drink, but once it goes down your throat, it's a little strange. The fizz almost makes it seem like a spicy chocolate. Once it's down your throat you get a nice aftertaste of a real genuine chocolate taste that's quite pleasing. The smell is great, too.
I've got it! It tastes like chocolate PEZ. Don't know what they taste like? Find 'em and buy 'em and tell me I'm wrong. I dare you. Chocolate PEZ. My friend says it also smells like chocolate Tootsie Pops. Together I'd say we nailed it. Track this down. It's fun. Have fun with pop. Pop is fun.
- Website
- http://www.zuberfizz.com
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Mike Literman on 6/1/2011
- Comments
- View and Leave A Comment
Give Energy Mojito Grapefruit
Mohawk Place is the only bar in Buffalo that I think is worth going to. It used to be a biker bar, but over the years it has transformed into a "punk" bar. All of the employees rule, and I've become good friends with most of them. I DJ there bi-monthly, and when my bands play Buffalo that's where we do it. It's a dive bar with the perfect size stage and the room is big enough to hole 200-300 people, but doesn't seem empty when only 50 people are there. It is a beer and mixed drink bar with nothing too fancy. The other day someone asked the one bar tender to make him a mojito. For some reason that is hysterical to me. Don't get me wrong I think they are tasty (minus the alcohol of course), but the idea of someone drinking one at Mohawk is completely ridiculous. It's way to fancy pants for that place. I didn't witness it, but I can imagine Erik the bartender semi freaking out of the guy, and that makes it even funnier to me. I had that on my mind today and when I had to make a decision between Give flavors, it was a no-brainer to go with the mojito grapefruit.
This is an all-natural energy drink. It’s a good thing to be in this day and age. It's made with yerba mate, gotu kola leaf, guarana, gingko biloba and rhodiola rosea root extract. Nothing chemical. Nothing gross.
The can did not instruct me to, so I did not shake it before opening it. As a result three distinctive sections of flavor were in the can. The first third of the can was mostly grapefruit with just the tiniest hint of lime and mint. The grapefruit flavor was great, just the way I like it. The second third was more mojito flavor with a hint of grapefruit and a slight note of yerba mate. For the end of the can it was mostly all yerba mate with a lime/mint aftertaste.
I would have preferred more grapefruit flavor the whole way through the can, but it was still pretty great. Better than most energy drinks. I will definitely be giving their other flavors a shot.
If you ever find yourself in Buffalo at Mohawk place, order a mojito and see if you can get the bartender to snap.
- Website
- http://www.drinkgive.com
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Energy Drink
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 6/6/2011
- Comments
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Jackson Hole Strawberry Rhubarb
I wonder if they wanted to put the strawberry seeds in here? Is there any pop with stuff in it? Aloe has chunks. Some lemonade has chunks. All of those Kato drinks have chunks in it. Juice seems to take the cake when it comes to accompaniment. I bet, if done well, this drink would be awesome if it had actual strawberry seeds in it.
Where is this all coming from? This might be the most honest fruit flavored pop I've ever had. Not to mention it's mixed with everyone's favorite sweet fruit, rhubarb. Yeah, rhubarb is technically a fruit. I thought it was a root, but I guess roots would grow underground. "Plant" would be a good second categorization, but it would also be wrong. Either way, the taste of strawberries and rhubarb...rhubarbs(?)...rhubarb is pretty fantastic.
I feel like this is a real "country guy" pop. Like you get this at farmers markets and ho-downs. I would like Jackson Hole to please respond if you read this and let me know if either of these assumptions is true. I hope they are.
- Website
- http://jacksonholesoda.com/
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Mike Literman on 6/6/2011
- Comments
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3D Multi Dimensional Beverage Mango
This can tells me to "think pineapple." Don't worry friends. I'm already there. I take a bite and it's so juicy it dribbles down my chin. The acidic levels in it make my tongue tingle a bit, but not to a level that it's uncomfortable. I mean it's my imagination so I cut the thing right off the tree/bush with a machete and use that same tool to slice it up. Man this is some good pineapple. I do have a question though. What does this pineapple have to do with my mango tea? There's no pineapple juice in it. It doesn't even have the faintest taste of pineapple. It tastes like a nice dry/bitter white tea with just the right amount of sweet mango juice mixed in. There's also some cane sugar and agave thrown into the mix. It's not overly sweet. It's just right.
Now if I could only get this pineapple off my mind...
- Website
- http://www.revolutiontea.com/3D/
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Iced Tea
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 6/10/2011
- Comments
- View and Leave A Comment
Calypso Black Cherry Lemonade
With all the drinks in the world, it's hard to keep up sometimes. That's why it's nice when people suggest drinks for us to try. It’s even better when they buy them for us. My friend Jenna was appalled that we hadn't reviewed her favorite flavor of Calypso so she bought me this bottle of Black Cherry Lemonade. She was talking it up a lot, and I was afraid of it not living up to the hype and thus ending our friendship when I gave it a bad review. I was kinda afraid to open the bottle because of how much was riding on its contents.
Luckily, it is as good as she made it out to be. The black cherry has such a strong and juicy taste to it. And then the perfectly tart lemonade kicks in and completes the drink. It's a little heavier (or maybe rich is the word I'm looking for) than most lemonade due to the great black cherry flavor, but it works and I like it a lot.
- Website
- http://www.kingjuice.com/
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Lemonade
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Derek Neuland on 6/11/2011
- Comments
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Cripple Creek Brewing Dream Lode Golden Ginger Ale
It's so hot and humid. Being down in those mines isn't much better. Sure it's cooler, but the air is stale and I can't shake this cough that's come over me. Why on Earth did I let Cletus talk me into trekking out to California to mine for gold? That sonabitch couldn't even dig a well on his farm back in West Virginia. We've had absolutely no luck out here at all. We're pretty much out of money and food. Cletus keeps going on and on about this root that he found and he won't leave that stupid spring. Man this sun is oppressive. Cletus left that bottle of whatever it is over there. Screw him! I'm drinking it!
Holy crap! This is incredible! I don't know what Cletus did with this, but it's fantastic. It tastes like that root and a little bit of lemon. I shall call this Ginger Ale. It also has the faintest hint of a burn. It's sweet, but nowhere near overbearing. I bet in the future people will make a cheap knockoff of this and steal my name for it, even though it will be nowhere as good.
Cletus, screw this gold rush, let's sell this elixir!
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 6/14/2011
- Comments
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Excel Red Cream
As I type this I am watching the Phil Spector documentary. As each minute passes he seems to become more and more insane. I also believe one of his parents may have been a fish, due to his facial features. He really doesn't even look human anymore.
None of that has anything to do with this soda, but wow is that dude crazy. This pop not so crazy, but it's really good. It's not often that you come across a cane sugar sweetened cream soda, especially a red one. When something like that comes along you hold on to it. You sip it slow and savor the sweet cream flavor. This has a great balance between sweet and vanilla. They apparently listened to Dave Gahan and "got the balance right."
If you're ever in southern Illinois you should search this out. A high quality local soda is something I can get behind.
- Website
- http://www.excelbottling.com
- Country
- United States
- Sweetener
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Categories
- Soda Pop
- Rating
- Reviewed By
- Jason Draper on 6/15/2011
- Comments
- View and Leave A Comment