Sac Sac Grape

I picked this little wonder up at my local Asian grocer, and let me tell you, it was quite an experience. Allow me to weave you a tale of madness. I popped it open not long after purchasing it, looked inside and noticed the pale white grape color of the fluid, and began to drink. At first, it just tasted like pretty straightforward grape juice. Very grapey. But then things took a drastic turn. For those of you unfamiliar with Asian juices, they oftentimes contain small chunks of the fruit from which they originate. One of these chunks unexpectedly crossed into my mouth, but I welcomed it. It's an odd sensation at first, but after a few drinks of this nature, it becomes a kind of natural expectation. Anyway, I just assumed that there were chunks of grapes in my drink, and continued to consume the product. Upon the next sip, however, the can became clogged with what I thought was a clump of grape chunks, so, naturally, I tried harder to extract my beverage from its container. It was at this point that the "clump of grape chunks" rocketed out of the can, teetering on the edge of catastrophe at the back of my throat. I recovered, and as I began to chew, I came to a horrid realization.

There was an entire grape in my mouth. An entire grape.

This beverage did not contain mere grape chunks. They don't deal in that kid stuff. This drink was forcefully injecting entire, skinless, seedless grapes into my consumption experience.

At first, I did not believe what my senses were experiencing. Surely there was a mistake. I hastily took another drink, hoping to prove myself wrong, but alas, two more slimy fruits introduced themselves to my taste buds. I chewed (and let me tell you, chewing a beverage is one of the strangest sensations I've ever experienced) and swallowed and took another careful look into the can. Now that some of the grapes were gone and there was room for the rest to shift around, I realized that the liquid itself was actually clear. Upon first inspection of the fluid, there were so many grapes packed into the can that I had mistaken the color of the actual grapes for the tint of the liquid.

Now, at first, I was repulsed. The shock of unexpectedly sucking an entire piece of fruit out of a can of juice was pretty harsh, and almost made me not want to finish the eight ounce can. However, I refused to let my surprise get the best of me, and decided to dedicate myself to it. So I kept drinking, and as I did so, I really started to enjoy the beverage. The grapes were actually a really interesting touch, and the juice itself was good. I did feel, however, that the eight ounce serving was about right, as I don't know that I could have handled much more than that. If you have access to this at a store near you, I definitely recommend that you give it a try. It's worth the experience.

They also offer it in orange. I shudder to think...

Verdict: Hesitantly Recommended. Just be ready for something different.

Water

I drank nothing but water all day yesterday.

...what a sad thing.

Verdict: Water is boring.

Apple Sidra

I picked this drink up at my local Asian Grocer. It's basically just a lightly carbonated apple soda. Now, I like my sodas super carbonated. To me, that is what defines a soda. I like it to sting my mouth a little bit. However, I also really like apples.

My apologies. I am rambling. In any case, Apple Sidra is overall a pretty good drink. The apple taste is very natural (as with most Asian beverages), but as a result it is also very rich and sugary. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I could only drink about half of the can at one time, so Apple Sidra does lose minor points for sustainability of the serving size. I have a hard time holding it against the beverage, though, as it's a price that I'm willing to pay for a more natural, unadulterated flavor. Overall, I enjoyed my time with the beverage, but it is very rich, so if you're not a huge fan of apples, I can't recommend it.

Verdict: Recommended for hardcore apple lovers such as myself.

RC Cola (12 oz. Glass Bottle)

RC is the best cola. Period. Especially with real sugar.

Verdict: Recommended.

Jamaican Hibiscus Tang

This is an...interesting drink mix. I saw it at Wal-Mart and decided that I had to try it. Initially, I thought that it was going to just be hibiscus flavored Tang, but it's an actual stand-alone drink. I've had a whole glass, and I'm still not really sure how I feel about it. It's very strong, and very sweet, and has a weird chemical burn to it. I'm not entirely sure what hibiscus tastes like, so I can't really attest to the accuracy of the flavoring, but I guess it tastes all right. It pretty much tastes like a strangely flavored, more concentrated Kool-Aid. It is worth noting that adding sugar is not a part of the mixing process for this beverage, but somehow it still tastes sweeter than Kool-Aid with a cup of sugar in it. I have a hard time recommending this one, but it isn't terrible.

Verdict: Try this only if you must experience it. You're not missing out on much otherwise.

Luzona Calamansi Juice Drink

This beverage is a little gem that I picked up at a local Asian market in Columbia, SC. I love this drink. This may actually be the best juice drink that I've had in a long time. I had no idea going into the drink what a calamansi was, but it turned out delicious. Apparently a calamansi is a cross between a tangerine and a lime. The juice was amazing. Very fresh and natural tasting, with hints of bitter citrus and splashes of sweetness scattered throughout every sip. If you like citrus drinks, than you will absolutely love this beverage.

Also, on a side note, the drink is packaged in a very heavy can. The can is made of very sturdy aluminum. Upon squeezing the empty can, one finds that it is actually fairly difficult to crush. It feels as though the can is still full and unopened, despite being totally empty. Also, the bottom of the can is thick, and makes the can bottom-heavy, giving the drink a very balanced feel while drinking. I know that sounds silly, but it really is a different experience from the typical American drink canister.

Hmm...I find this interesting. The spellchecker on here told me that "asian" spelled uncapitalized is incorrect, but "american" is not. Huh.

Anyway, Calamansi juice is amazing. One of my all time favorites.

Verdict: Recommended

VOSS Sparkling Water

VOSS sparkling artisan water is pretty decent. Hailing from Norway, VOSS Water focuses on gourmet appearance and minimalist, futuristic design. Now, while I do like the bottle design (very much), it does not speak for the quality of this sparkling water. Voss water is by no means bad. I mean...it's water. It's hard to mess up water. But it's not great either. It's not super carbonated, which to me is a bad thing. If I'm going to drink sparkling water, I definitely want to feel the bubbles, not just taste the carbon. Voss is somewhere on the bad side of the middle. It's not quite carbonated enough for my tastes, but some people may like its gentler approach. I would rank it as somewhere between San Pelligrino and Perrier, with Perrier being delicious, and San Pelligrino being shit.

Not to say that I wouldn't drink San Pelligrino in a pinch. It is a perfectly acceptable beverage, just not the best of its kind. Much like VOSS. If you want a good, high-quality sparkling water experience, I recommend that you stick with Perrier. But they do earn points for the awesome bottle.

Verdict: Meh. There are better competing products.

Yuengling Traditional Lager

Yuengling Traditional Lager is a very good beer. Yuengling is probably the best beer I have had so far. It has a good, respectable beer taste without being yeasty, bitter, or overbearing. The aftertaste is also better than a lot of other beers. It's been a while since I had one, but if memory serves, the aftertaste didn't seem to linger as long as a lot of other beers, and it was never as strong to begin with. Yuengling is just easy to drink. I enjoyed it very much, and think that anybody that likes a good standard beer will enjoy it as well.

Verdict: Recommended

Jones 24c

Jones 24c is a really good drink. I like their sodas a good bit, and I like what they've been doing with expanding their franchise lately. I actually bought this 24c at a Big Lots for 70 cents not even realizing that it was a Jones product. I then proceeded to drink half of the beverage before realizing that it was, in fact, a Jones product. I purchased the Peach Mango flavor, and it was pretty tasty. It was pretty sweet, but not overbearing, and didn't leave the dry or bitter aftertaste that a lot of these types of "enhanced waters" usually leave behind. I haven't seen it anywhere but Big Lots so far, but I would definitely buy it again. It's my favorite flavored water beverage thing yet.

Verdict: Recommended

[Edit: Since this review, I have tried two more flavors of Jones 24c: Lemon-Lime and Mandarin Orange. Lemon-Lime was also delicious. Mandarin Orange was questionable.]

Talking Rain: Twist Naturals

MarionBerry:

Oh God. Oh ugh. Oh ick, this was disgusting. It tasted like chapstick. Don't buy this. There is nothing good about it. Nothing.

Verdict: Stay the fuck away.

Mandarin Orange

This one isn't quite as bad. It tastes a lot better going down, but the aftertaste is kind of bitter and dry. It replicates a real tangerine pretty accurately. I finished the whole container, but only because I was very thirsty. I would only buy this one if there was no other substitute at the time.

Verdict: Not terrible, but don't spend your money on it.

Pepsi Throwback

Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, Pepsi Throwback has already been removed from store shelves. For a limited time only, Pepsi-Co. realeased a cola that was sweetened with natural sugar. And it was delicious. Real sugar always tastes better. In any drink. Ever. High fructose corn syrup isn't a viable substitute. Natural sugar just breaks down quicker and cleaner than corn syrup during the consumption process. I was afraid to try Pepsi Throwback, because I was afraid that it would ruin regular Pepsi for me, which is exactly what it did. I am hoping that Pepsi-Co. turns it into a regular "limited edition" product like the McRib at McDonald's.

Anyway, the drink itself. I was going to talk about my frustrations with the name "Pepsi Throwback" and it's connotations, but that could quickly turn into a long, long discussion. Maybe some other time. Anyway, the drink is pretty much perfect. The drink is a different kind of sweet than regular pepsi. It's a sweet that dissipates towards the end of every drink (as you swallow it), and it does not leave too much of an aftertaste. Throwback sustains well, as I have not only not had any trouble finishing a serving of any size, but I also find myself falling into a sort of depression as I reach the bottom of the can or bottle. Bottom line: this drink is very good. Pepsi got a lot of good response about it, and seeing as I have a hard time drinking normal Pepsi again (and I am sure I'm not the only one), I think that it would be wise of Pepsi to consider turning this into a standard (or at least annual) product.

Verdict: Strongly recommended

Dr. Enuf

Dr. Enuf is kind of a rarity these days. So far, I have only really found it in one gas station near my house in South Carolina, and I've only seen it a few times outside of that. This is a fact which deeply saddens me, as Dr. Enuf is a delicious and unique beverage, and I wish that more people could enjoy it as I do. Dr. Enuf markets itself as a "vitamin enriched soda." It's closest comparison flavor is probably lemon-lime, but that's not really a good comparison. It tastes kind of like those Flintstones vitamins that everybody took as a kid. At first, that sounds appalling. Flintstones vitamins were not necessarily bad, but they were very strong, and would not make for a very good beverage. However, one must keep in mind that Dr. Enuf has a vitaminy flavor equivalent to a 16 ounce glass of soda water into which you drop a single Flintstones vitamin that is allowed to completely dissolve. It's got a definite, but not overpowering taste, and the aftertaste is about as you would expect it to be, based on my description of the flavor. I've personally never had a problem drinking a whole serving of this. I love it, and every time I get one, it is usually gone within a matter of minutes. I know it sounds like a weird one, but give it a shot if you ever run across it. You'll probably be pleasantly surprised.

Verdict: Recommended.

Red Bull Cola

I do not like teh Red Bulls. I think that it is a rancid, overly acidic, mouth-parching, sickening excuse for a beverage. I could not even finish the first and only eight ounce serving that I purchased last year. So I don't know what inspired me to purchase this Red Bull brand Cola today, but...I did. And it was delicious. The first drink was amazing. It has probably the strongest, most pure Cola taste of any common Cola. It was delicious, that is, until the aftertaste kicked in. The aftertaste here was an absolute deal breaker. It was disgusting. A few seconds after I had finished the first drink, a bitter, revolting aftertaste arose from the depths of my throat and seized every active section of my olfactory system. It was gross. The drink gets points for taste, but loses major major points on aftertaste. There is no reprieve. I could say that this drink sustains well and that I had no trouble finishing it, but the only reason that that would be true is because I was constantly taking drinks to delay the horrible aftertaste that I knew was just ready to pounce. This drink it bad. I think it is safe to say that I will not be trying another Red Bull product in the future.

Verdict: Not recommended. 

Sierra Mist: Ruby Splash

Sierra Mist is good. I usually prefer Sprite (despite the fact that it is a Coca-Cola product), but Sierra Mist wins because of Ruby Splash. Ruby Splash is just Sierra Mist with a hint of grapefruit. And it is delicious. It is tasty without being tart or sour, and doesn't dry out your mouth like everything else containing grapefruit. Grapefruit juice is interesting. It's one of the few drinks that I know of that requires another separate drink to rehydrate your mouth. That and Capri Sun. That stuff was horrible...why did we drink it all the time? 

Anyway, Ruby Splash. Ruby splash is a welcome change in this world of flavor blasted snacks and drinks. Modern beverages are all hyper flavored, and I'm terrified of every variation of a classic drink that I pick up, because eight times out of ten, the added flavor is overwhelming. This is not the case with Ruby Splash. The hint of grapefruit is just that: a hint. It's very faint, but it is just strong enough to change the experience and give you a unique Sierra Mist taste. It's pretty good.

Verdict: Recommended.

Apple Limeaid from Sonic

I went to Sonic tonight with my girlfriend, and on the way out I decided to grab a random drink that I've never had before. So I went with an Apple Limeaid. It was a mistake. Well, the main mistake was getting a large. This drink was so sweet and so acidic (from both the limes and the apples) that finishing the cup was a chore. It was good. The first drink was amazing. But after a few more sips, it was overwhelming. It's not a bad thing to try, but there are much better beverages from Sonic on which to spend your money.

Verdict: Get something else. If you really must try it, get a small. Hell, even a kid's cup would be enough. 

Rosemount Estate Chardonnay Semillon

Sorry for the lack of updates to anybody who actually reads this blog. I've just been super busy with mechanical engineering stuff this semester, and it has been hard for me to justify spending time on a blog that I feel like nobody reads. I guess I need to just be a bitch and resort to shameless promotion through my facebook profile...

Anyway, wine! Rosemount Chardonnay Semillon is an incredible white wine. I'm not a wine expert, but for what it's worth, this is probably one of the best white wines I have ever had the pleasure of introducing to my palate. It has a primarily fruity general taste, with a mildly nutty aftertaste. It is very crisp and easy to drink. I had no problem finishing a glass, which makes me sound like an alcoholic, but I promise you'll feel the same way.

Verdict: Delicious. And recommended.

Big Hug

So now that I've had some time to get back into the swing of things this semester and figured out my school work routine, I'm starting the beverage review again. However, there will some minor changes. Well...the only change I can think of is that I'm not going to be using a numerical system of judgement anymore. I have subscribed myself to the viewpoint that there is no way to accurately assign an experience a numerical value, especially considering that such experiences are relative from person to person. So from now on my verdict will, much like Ebert and Roper before it, be based solely on varying levels of reccomendation. Anyway, onto business.

Remember the Little Hugs that you used to get as a kid? Well, much to the general public's ignorance, they do in fact make Big Hugs. If you enjoy chemical water as much as I do, this is a drink for you. Yeah, the flavoring is super cheap, but they are delicious, in my opinion. And they're cheap. Somewhere around fifty cents for the 16 ounce container shown above. Also, despite how sweet they taste, they are actually fairly low on sugar. The lemon-lime flavor (which tastes more like green than lemon-lime) only has 16 grams of sugar, which is not nearly as much as other mainstream soft drinks. Anyway, this drink is good, and it will bring you back to those hot summer days of pre-school snack time.

Verdict: Recommended.

Source Perrier

What is there to say about Perrier? It's naturally sparkling mineral water. It's crisp, it's clean, and there is nothing more refreshing. Ten out of ten.

And if you don't like soda water...well, you're just not me. I know a lot of people don't like it, but I love it. I honestly think that Perrier is my favorite beverage. I can drink it at any time, with anything.

So yeah, ten out of ten.

Woodchuck Draft Cider

So, I'm going to go ahead and post the disclaimer first for the nitpickers out there. I will be doing reviews of alcoholic beverages on this blog from time to time. No, I am not 21. However, according to South Carolina state ordinances, it is not illegal to drink in your own home with parental consent. I have never been drunk, and I only drink at home. I have a respect for alcohol that unfortunately many of my peers do not share, and I enjoy my alcoholic beverages for the taste, not the physical result.

Anyway, now that I have justified myself, onto the Woodchuck Draft Cider. This stuff is...not...good. I enjoy a cider from time to time, but cider and alcohol do not quite mix. The result tastes kind of like a cider that's been sitting around in the fridge since last Christmas. It's not necessarily horrible...but it's not very tasty, either. I finished the first one I had with not a whole lot of trouble, but the second one I opened was unmanageable. I could only drink two sips. The aftertaste is not very good, either. Kind of like the actual taste, but worse and longer lasting. The consistency is somewhat like beer, with less carbonation. It also doesn't sustain very well, as I could not even finish a serving.

Conclusion: 3/10
This just isn't very good. If you're looking for something to help out the holiday...look elsewhere.