Sugar - 840 Reviews

The United Kingdom doesn't even know how good they have it. The non-existence of high fructose corn syrup in their sodas is a treat that I could only dream of. This can of cola has 39p printed right on the can. That's a can of soda for 39 cents in the American world. We'd be lucky to find a generic brand at that price in a convenience store. In the UK you can pay that much for a product from a Scottish company that pre-dates Coca Cola. On top of that it is made with real sugar. It's just obscene in the best way possible.

I do admit that there is nothing spectacular about the soda. I mean from the taste of it it's clear why the company hasn't done many sales outside of the UK, and Coke is a worldwide phenomenon, but it's a perfectly decent cola. If this were an American cola I would probably lump it in with store brands, as it doesn't have the right bite to it, but the use of sugar makes it so much more enjoyable.

I'm pretty sure this was just overstock left over from Halloween, and that this is their normal cola in a seasonal can. I still enjoy the idea of a creepy cola though. Made by ghouls just for you.

The K-9s hatred of the postman is a well documented thing, but what many people don't know is that there was a time in Great Britain's history when man's best friend had a bigger enemy.

The year was 1942, and I know what you're thinking, but the previously mentioned enemy was not Hitler. I mean I'm sure the pups didn't much care for him, but he was not the target of their contempt. You see it was an unusually hot and sunny summer that year and lemonade stands were all the rage. Run by kids and adults a like, pop up shops were all over the united kingdoms. People needed a way to beat the heat and keep their mind off of the ongoing war between the axis and allies. For a few weeks that summer life seemed like it was going to be okay and the problems of the outside world seemed but a dream. Then trouble started brewing. The temperature hit an all time high and something about the mixture of the heat and the smell of the citrus drove the local dogs crazy. Whenever someone passed by that was drinking lemonade or had done so in the recent past barking and snarling would ensue. The summer of tranquility soon came to an end and the council shut all of the lemonade shops down. People went back to their miserable lives and the war marched on.

To help remember that life can be grand, even in the most dire of times, Mad Dog has produced a sparkling lemonade energy drink for the inhabitants of Britain. It is possibly the best tasting carbonated lemonade that I have ever tried, and that is saying a lot since it's also an energy drink. The thing is that all of the normal chemical candy energy drink flavors are not present; it simply a great tasting lemonade with very harsh carbonation. It's sweet to an extent that it's almost at the lemon soda point, but it keeps it's integrity and truly remains lemonade. If the energy properties of this drink wouldn't crash their fragile little hearts, all of the folks who were old enough to remember the glory of 1942 would surely have loved this.

Is that an accurate portrayal of mid-20th century England from a 21st century American's point of view?

A. Excuse me. Yes, umm I don't mean to interrupt you but could you please tell me what they delightful pink beverage you are drinking is? I am from another country and I would love to try the local delicacies. You see I am a bit of a foodie and would love to try some of this.

B. This is a Yazoo.

A. Ohh, that sounds exotic! Is it infused with rose petals? Oh, oh is it some sort of exotic fruit that only grows locally?

B. It is flavored milk. It tastes like Strawberry Quik dude!

It's always weird going to another country and walking into a corner store/gas station. Everything is familiar yet different. It's almost like being in a dream where you know what you want and when you reach for it you realize that something is off. Names and packages are different, and sometimes unreadable due to language barriers, but for the most part this could be the store around the corner from your house.

The UK may not have companies like Motts and Veryfine, but they do have Rebina. I've had their original (blackcurrant) beverage before and it was pretty alright. I'm a bit shocked we hadn't reviewed it already because I've seen it in some little markets around Buffalo, and I didn't think it had been that long since I drank it. It's nice that they have expanded their line of drinks. They may have done so decades ago, but this is the first I've seen of it, being holed up in Buffalo.

Essentially Rebina puts out fruit juices that are sweetened and a bit watered down so that they don't taste like actual juice, but instead become juice drinks. This flavor in particular is mostly mango with just a pinch of lime. It has a ridiculously mango smell to it, that I wish was more present in the flavor. I think it's the orange juice that is involved that makes it taste so little like juice.

I have no real qualms with this drink, as it has its place. I just prefer my juices to be what they are and not diluted into what this has become.

Here is another company who graciously put together a care package for me during my stay in the United Kingdom. In the early days of Thirsty Dudes we reviewed a bottle of their elderflower presse that we found in a gourmet shop. It was great but it had a hefty price tag, due to it being imported and all (shipping on glass bottle beverages is obscene even in the states, let alone overseas). I was thrilled to have access to a variety of the flavors for my trip. For the most part I found them to be outstanding, this bottle of raspberry lemonade was no exception.

Let me start by saying that sparkling lemonade is very rare in the US, but in the UK it is everywhere. It's nearly as common as cola is over here. Actually I'll say that it's as common as lemon lime soda is here, which is an inferior flavor in every way. Lime on it's own is great, and I've learned on this trip that sparkling lemon can also be wonderful. I can't say that it is my favorite, but it certainly has its charms, especially since it has real pressed juice added to it. If it were just lemonade this would be nothing to scoff at, but that extra juice pushes it in the exact right direction. I mean anything that has pressed raspberries in it has to be fantastic, especially when it makes you feel like you're eating perfectly ripe berries like this does. It's so damn good. Before I knew it I had drunk this entire oversized bottle, which led to a lot of guilt. I dealt with it though and continued to drink an obscene amount of sodas over the course of my trip. I do it all for you our fair readers. Just remember me when I'm huge and diabetic. Help pay my medical bills. I mean it's only fair since I told you what some drinks tasted like…€¦.right?

In case you are unaware, root beer apparently does not exist in the United Kingdom. It's some sort of rare bird there. People have told me that they have it, but I searched high and low without even a glimpse of the soda of choice. I guess when your company doesn't have a history of cowboys you don't get cowboy drinks (ie. root beer, birch beer, sarsaparilla).

In the odd chance that a cowboy found themselves abroad in the queen's country decked out in pearl snaps, spurs and a ten gallon hat they would be given a strange look as they asked the barkeep for the dark soda. I know I certainly was given that self-same look with only one of those three requirements on (you can guess which one). Instead I was told to try this, and said it was something similar that fell between a root beer and a Dr. Pepper.

Let me tell you this for free; when you go into a drink expecting something similar to root beer and this is what you get it is quite a shock. The absolute only things that they have in common are that they are both carbonated, sweetened and both involve anise. It's actually quite a strong anise flavor, which would result in Mike loving this. I can see where the Dr. Pepper bit comes in. I suppose I would describe it as a less syrupy Dr. Pepper with a whole mess of anise in it.

I must say that any barkeep that serves this to a cowboy asking for root beer would be lucky if they didn't end up with a six shooter pointed at them. If it was properly explained I think the roamer of the prairies would enjoy the bottle as much as I did though.

Mocha: the adult version of chocolate milk. This is a pretty inarguable fact if you ask me, which you won't. What? I'm just being honest. Also, what's to ask? Mocha is coffee, sure, but it's also chocolate, which super negates the adulthood of coffee. Sure, adults eat chocolate and there is nothing childish about it but something about mixing the two together makes it some sort of "kid in a grown up's body." This is the equivalent of the late, great Mitch Hedberg's joke, "Fettuccine Alfredo is macaroni and cheese for adults."

This is good, though. It's good at sharing between the coffee and chocolate and the sweetness is a good, short-lived thing. You don't really get a lot of these canned coffee drinks that are too bad but this is one of the better mocha ones I've had. Still is a bit different than the ones you would get at a coffee shop but it's probably the milk that is used there is "real" versus the milk that is in here which somehow defies science and all refrigeration standards. This goes back and forth between coffee to chocolate to coffee again and that's a nice trip.

For the youth (silent "H") in you, have a mocha. If you want to stop being so stuffy with your ties and tie clips and cufflinks and slacks, have a mocha. Mocha, for those who aren't ready to grow up. Mocha, to prove that you're still "Cool." Mocha, a drink for those who still really like video games but have trouble waking up in the morning. Mocha, for those you who think that as an adult you have to go to coffee shops but don't like coffee. Mocha, for everyone.

Look out! The moose is loose!! I don't know what to do. Climb on the kitchen table like a 50's housewife. That can't hurt. Can moose climb chairs? They can?! Oh man. Here they come? Close your eyes!!! I love you honey. This is it. AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are...are they gone? Are we alive? What just happened? Is that a basket on the counter? What's in there? Canned chocolate milk? With a moose on it? Did that moose come in here and leave a basket of chocolate milk with a friggin' moose on it? What nice animals. Moving forward, I dare you to not think of all moose are angels. Let's have a crack at this stuff to celebrate living through that moose attack, shall we?

Hmm. You know, we've agreed that those moose are alright guys but this drink is alright in the most mediocre of terms. It's strangely thick and, yeah sure, it's chocolaty but it's like weird, powdery chocolate milk. It tastes like it might be watered down, too. Not only that, but it unfortunately doesn't have any mousse-like qualities. I wouldn't expect it to other than the fact that the drink is called "Chocolate Moose" like it would be a play on words.

Honey, moose are our friends. Those great felt antlers. Great, nay, majestic animals. Their choice of drink needs work.

Even the dastardly scientists at Swamp Pop couldn't save this orange pop. It is, and will forever be, an untamable beast. The "junkyard dog" of flavors, orange pop will always be just orange pop. It's fine. They didn't do a bad job and it's cleaner and less syrupy than a lot of the other orange pops I've had but at the end of the day, if a hot dog isn't in my hand and sunglasses on my head, it's not time for orange pop. Sure, it's not limited to backyard hootenannys but regardless of the case, I'm left with a bottle or can of the same, half full container of the same-ish orange liquid. Sorry everyone and especially sorry to Swamp Pop who had until this point, earned near perfect marks. This is your "C" to keep you humble.

Jay and I are constantly and forever in cahoots. We were talking about how everything we've been drinking has been good but it's been pretty tame. Now we're talking. Now we've got chunks and mango and realistic flavors and something from Malaysia.

Still, man, after doing this for as long as I've been doing it, I just can't seem to figure out how companies could get Americans to drink chunky drinks like it's no big deal. Asia's got that under wraps, man. They love chunks and hats off to them because they're on top for that reason. It's a totally different dimension that us American turds just don't get.

I mean it, chunks. Chunks of real fruit. Sugar to keep the natural flavor of the mango and said mango tasting fine. If you ate a mango you very intricately crushed up into a glass, this would be it. Simple, chunky, different, delicious. Adjectives son, adjectives.

Buying this drink made me realize one thing; I don't know how to order coffee. Dunkin' Donuts comes out with this new line of ice cream flavored iced coffee and people, much like me, are lured in. People, much like me, who don't order coffee line up around the corner like Bruce Springsteen tickets went on sale and it's 1987, in anticipation of new drinks.

I go to the little window and order a cookies and cream and the man says, "How do you want it?" to which I not very eloquently and with complete lack of knowledge of how coffee works, "I don't know. However it comes." to which I am challenged with that worst possible response, "It comes however you order it." and I sigh since there is nothing left inside of me as that response might has well have punched me in the stomach in which to knock all the air out and I say, "I don't know. One cream and one sugar." which passed the test and I was on my way.

Now I handled the cup from the little window on down to my cup holder and when I brought my hand back up, it smelled wonderful. It smelled like I was a kid and idiotically put my hands in ice cream. I looked forward to this drink. I got to work and started to drink. Something I must have left in the car was the flavor of this drink because it certainly was not in the cup. Did it jump out? Did it evaporate? Did they forget to put it in the cup and only put some on the outside of the cup? Who knows for sure but what I tasted and what I smelled were two different things. The contents of the cup were nothing more than an iced coffee that you could get anywhere. Yeah, it was good, but it wasn't anything that a regular iced coffee isn't. I assume they did everything right but this tastes nothing like I wanted or expected. What do I know besides gaining the sad knowledge of learning that I don't know how to order coffee like an adult and that when I drink coffee, I get awful shakes and probably shouldn't be drinking the stuff in the first place? Nothing, for I am truly and imbecile. I might as well put my hands in ice cream because I am no smarter than my dumb three year old son.

Alright people we need to focus here. We've been in this lab working for what seems like weeks on a new energy drink. Okay, I understand that you've been focusing, and that no one wants to be stuck in this lab, but let's refocus, because Mark's little cloning experiment over there in the corner, is proof that focus has been lost.

What are people looking for in an energy drink? It's certainly not another Red Bull clone, because there are obscene amounts of them in the market. How about coffee? You're right, people are a bit particular about their coffee, and a lot of people tend to not like it. Wait! I have it! What if we us green coffee been extract and not the brewed roasted kind everyone is used to? It's got a nice caffeine kick, but it doesn't taste anything like coffee, but it would be of interest to everyone.

Okay what next? Hmm, I've been hearing that people are skeptical about taurine, so let's keep it out of this drink. Let's stick with the caffeine from the green coffee and maybe add some ginseng and B vitamins. We'll keep this thing fairly natural with none of those chemicals that the other companies use. By doing that we'll be able to avoid the liquid candy taste that energy drinks have. We'll stick out in the market.

We're on to something here people. It just needs one more thing to make it pop. How about we lower the sugar and calorie count, but make sure it doesn't taste diet? No I'm not a magician with the powers to make zero calorie sweeteners taste good. We'll simply use both sugar and stevia. The blend will lower the calorie count a bit, but it will retain the sugar flavor.

We now have a base that is exactly what we needed. It's low calorie with out tasting diet, it doesn't have the chemical taste that most energy drinks have, and it's unique flavor wise because of the green coffee extract. I personally think we could go to market with this, but let's add some other flavorings so we can have a line of drinks, instead of just one product. Mark, what is your clone doing to the mixture? Oh he's adding some pink grapefruit flavoring, well that sounds nice. Actually, I wish it had a stronger flavor. It's definitely pink grapefruit in there, but it's doesn't have the sour taste that would make it taste like real juice was used. I know you did you some real juice, but people won't be able to tell from this flavor. It's just a bit dull. I mean it's good enough to go to market, but my personal tastes want it to be a bit more present.

Mark, you and your clone are fired. No it's not because of the pink grapefruit thing, actually that was fine. It's because you never participate and you created a fully gestated clone while we were supposed to be making an energy drink. I don't care if you're my nephew. I'll deal with my sister's complaints when I get home.

Dear Slim Fast,
What is your name in reference to? Does it mean that by drinking your meal replacements one will lose weight quickly? Or perhaps you means that you will drink this and then refrain from eating other foods aka fasting? Perhaps it's a combination of the two. Whatever your origin story, I think it's a good choice for a moniker for a beverage that is supposed to help one lose weight.

Is it a good flavor name though? Creamy Milk Chocolate? I initially thought no, because I prefer dark chocolate so much more to milk chocolate. I then remembered that I'm a snob and a majority of the world loves milk chocolate, and referring to it as creamy is enticing. Bitter Dark Chocolate just doesn't have the same allure. I mean, I would be all over a drink named that, but I'm a maniac apparently.

The name is very appropriate for the flavor. This is very creamy and very chocolaty. This is what I wish chocolate milk were like. It's a little thicker than milk, due to the protein, but the flavor is also stronger. I would happily drink this instead of eating. Problem is I drank this about an hour ago and I am already hungry again. I think I need to starve myself so that my stomach shrinks down. I eat way too much food.

As far as sweetened, canned, iced coffee drinks go, this is on the better side. I don't drink coffee. I only drink energy drinks when they have to be reviewed. My body doesn't know how to handle pure caffeine so I try and stick to what my body can tolerate which is, at most, small mochas and tea.

This is more coffee than I am used to in these drinks. It's one rung above "lightly sweetened" and you can really taste the coffee in it. Seeing as though I don't know my blends or regions of coffees, I will say rather objectively that I think this is on the lighter side of blends and that it was pretty good. A coffee drinker at the office sampled it and said that it tasted pretty true to a good Kona blend.

There you have it. Coffee drinkers and people who don't really drink coffee too much agree; this is a good canned coffee. What more could you ask for?

If there is one trend that I have come across through my years behind the desk at Thirsty Dudes it's that the denizens of countries south of the United States love both overly sweet and also spicy sodas. Apparently it's all kola champagne, manzana and ginger beer down there. The first of those I can't stomach; it feels like me teeth are rotting with every sip. The second I like alright. The last I absolutely love. Bad good great, in that order.

From the color of this I really expected it to be the dreaded uber-sweet kola champagne. Millions of people on this planet absolutely love that soda, and I simply do not get it. Overly sugared liquid bubblegum is simply not for me. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this did not taste like the spit of someone who is chewing an entire pack of Big League Chew. Instead, it has a nice fruity berry flavor. The internet tells me that it's supposed to be strawberry, but it doesn't taste like a strawberry pop I've ever had before. You know it doesn't taste like those little candies whose wrappers resemble the fruit. It really just has a general berry taste that leans a bit towards strawberries.

A great thing about this is that it came in a reusable bottle. You know like pop used to come in, before everything became so disposable, even though it's supposed to be recycled. For those not in the know, you used to return bottles to the store and instead of them being melted down for reuse they were simply cleaned and refilled. This is how the pop of my childhood was served, and I'm not going to lie, I miss it.

I admit I am enjoying this far more than I expected to. I had anticipated taking a sip or two and then pawning it off on a stranger on the street, but so far I've made it halfway through, and I think I may keep going. You know, like a champ.

"If Benjamin were an ice cream flavor, he'd be pralines and..." well, you know the rest. Famous line. Famous actor. Famous movie. I would like to get the cast of Wayne's World to sit down with me in this cramped office and share in the splendor that is this praline cream soda. I was leery to drink this because I just had actual praline that isn't just a fixun in ice cream for the first time and it was a little too much. This tastes exactly like it, which actually is more impressive. It's too sweet for me to drink the whole thing but that doesn't lose it any points. It's wonderful. I feel like it's doing less damage to my teeth because I can gulp it down and not have to chew it like I would actual praline. The sweetness from the praline combined with the cream soda makes this a "must have" for cream soda fans. There are serious Southern roots inside of this bottle. They should be proud of this.

Swamp Pop. Party time. Excellent.

Don't quote me on this like I'm quoting someone else on this, but don't they say that if you do acid four times you can be considered certifiably insane? I would say the same thing about anyone who eats Cinnabon four times. Cinnabon is great the first two times and anything after that is masochistic and just gluttonous. If you took a Cinnabon, made it not "Andre The Giant" sized and scraped ninety-six percent of the frosting off, you might have yourself a nice treat.

This drink was a bit reminiscent of those painful experiences of being really hungry while simultaneously having a gnarly sweet tooth and being stuck on the interstate. It smells good and tastes good but a couple sips in you feel that feeling of "Wait...did I just eat my fourth slice of pizza?" or "Hold on, was this bag of chips half way empty when I started or did I just eat a whole bag of chips myself?" Guilt and shame. This is a sweet drink. Oh, sure it tastes like cinnamon buns but are drinks really supposed to taste like cinnamon buns? It might not be hard to imagine if Tim Horton's came forward and said, "Well what we do is put coffee and a cinnamon bun into a blender, set it to liquefy, have a handful of Timbits, and come back five minutes later and serve it to the customer."

Cinnabon, I may have retired from "Cinnabonning", but I will commend you with a medal of honor for somehow holding strong through many diet fads. You have always been twelve plus times more unhealthy than Krispy Kreme and they couldn't hack it. You are still here and I commend you. I can only assume that there are some fat politicians on your side for undisclosed, not really legal reasons.

The first thing I need to say about this is that it simply is not enough. I'm not saying that it doesn't live up to my expectations, what I'm saying is that the single bottle I have is just not enough. I have reached a point in my life where about half of a bottle of pop is enough for me. I guess that's when you can tell that you've finally grown up. The thing is that while I drank this bottle I wanted to share it with everyone around me because I was astounded at exactly how good it was. I believe I could have drunk the entire 12oz alone and I still would have felt like it wasn't enough. This could be a dangerous product.

Noble Cane Cola tastes like an olde timey soda. It's the kind of thing that would be served in restaurants in the old west part of amusement parks if they were trying to be authentic. I am obviously not over a hundred years old, so I can't say for certain if it actually tastes the way cola did when it was first invented, but in my head it does. The flavor of this falls somewhere between a your “classic” cola taste and Moxie. There's something in it that gives it a unique taste that is on the verge of tasting medicinal without tasting like gross medicine. Does that make sense? It's also slightly fruity. Now you're completely confused. When I drink this I feel like I should talk slower and take more time to enjoy my day. It's one of, if not the single best cola I have ever tasted.

Now that I have you on the hook and you need a bottle all for yourself, let me let you in on a little secret. That special taste in here is actually due to the mixing in of Louisiana figs. I bet you didn't see that coming. I also bet that if you knew they were in here before someone spoke of the virtues of the cola, you probably would have said “Ick” and passed it right by. You would have been wrong to do that because there is magic in them there swamps, and it has been captured in this bottle of cola. Now I just need to travel to somewhere I can purchase this and pick myself up about a dozen cases, so I can become the glutton I always knew I could be.

This is one of those drinks that you have to check and then check again to make sure that they are in fact not alcoholic. The look of the bottle just screams, “This will get you drunk without tasting like alcohol!” If it were something along the lines of a Mike's Hard something or other I would not be surprised. After checking it for a third time I am finally convinced that this is “safe,” so I'm ready to dive in.

My first thought is that this is not nearly as sweet as I anticipated. Actually my first thought was thank god I didn't miss something and this isn't alcoholic, but the sweetness thing crept into my mind directly after. I had expected it to be ridiculously sweet like other apple sodas I've tried that leave your salivary glands seeping sweet apple flavor for hours.

I then thought, well this actually kind of tastes like apples and not artificial garbage. 20% apple juice will do that to a soda. This is a little bit of okay in a bottle that I had severe doubts about. I would happily drink this again and in a blind taste test of apple sodas it might not be the ultimate winner, but it would be in the upper echelon.

I still believe that you could give a bunch of these to high school kids and tell them they were alcoholic and watch as they got progressively drunker as they drank them. Actually, I kind of what to do exactly that right now. Kids can be so dumb when they want to seem cool. I cant wait to mess with Mike's kid when he's a teenager.

We are lucky enough to have a McDonald's with a Playplace pretty close to our house. It's nice because when it's terrible outside it's close and my son loves it. He loves the slides and loves the tubes. We went only to discover that it's gone. They have since turned the Playplace into a dining area. Bummer. He and I both agreed that it was a bummer. We went in and decided since we made the drive we should at least get something to eat. I got a McGriddle, which was nothing short of a masterpiece, and my buddy got a parfait, which he might have taken three bites of.

I also got the "limited time only" Chocolate Covered Strawberry Frappe. I enjoy their frappes. This one though, I wish it wasn't a limited time so everyone could enjoy it. I mean it. This thing was great. It had tons of whipped cream with strawberry sauce on it atop of a strawberry chocolate frosty treat. The icing on the cake? Chocolate chips jammed all upside in it; Little bits here and there of fantastic, chocolaty goodness.

I really liked it. It was sweet it really tasted like strawberries and it was just something wonderful. Which brings me to the painful reality that is real life. I opened the door and my buddy was splashing around in a puddle, which I naturally disapproved of. I put the parfait and the frappe, two rhyming foods, on the roof while I got him in the car and in the split second it took me to do it, a gust of wind came from the heavens and knocked my food off the roof. "Son of a gun!" I exclaimed. It was alright. I got him in the car. Then, as luck, which I do not believe in, would have it, another gust of wind came and blew everything off the roof again. My mistake. Happens once; fool on you. Happens twice; fool on me. Then, a 180 happened when I saw none other than The Hamburglar. Everything was instantly fine again and I got to teach my little buddy who the Hamburglar was. An important lesson a father can pass down to his son.