As stated on the most recent episode of the Drinkable Review Podcast, I have never been a big orange soda drinker. It is typically too sweet for me, and I have trouble drinking more than a few sips. I can like it in small doses, but I generally just avoid it altogether.
That being said, I recently found that a grocery store near my place of work keeps a regular stock of Orange Fanta imported from Mexico. Let's just go ahead and put this out there: I am not a fan of American Fanta. I find it to be much too sweet, and the flavors all taste like candy. However, I have heard good things about the foreign versions of Fanta from travelling friends, especially in regard to the European formulas, so I decided to give this Central American variety a taste. Having excitedly returning to the store several times since then to continue to purchase the stuff, I feel safe in saying that Mexican Fanta is almost an entirely different beverage.
The first thing that stands out as different is the aroma of the Mexican formula. It is much more mellow and reminiscent of real oranges than the harsh sweetness of its American counterpart. It still does not smell like sniffing an actual orange, but it is definitely closer to the source. The taste follows in this trend, and is much more flavorful than our typical gas-station variety. The "reduced" sweetness of the drink allows one to really taste the orange flavor of the beverage, and works well in the formula to help emphasize some of the more subtle elements. The aftertaste is also much more dry and does not linger on the palete as long as other drinks of its type, although this is a fairly common result of using natural sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup.
Mexican Fanta is great. It's less sweet, more flavorful, easier to drink, and really just better than most American orange sodas that I have had, making it an easy recommendation. Putting aside the issues and arguments about sugar taxes and the controversies about high fructose corn syrup, I think that it is safe to say that, at least in my experience, sweeter is usually not better, regardless of what sweetener is being used. The rest of the world seems to understand this a little bit better than the United States, and this case of Fanta "hecho en Mexico" is a great example.
Verdict: Recommended
Purchased: Piggly Wiggly [Greenwood, SC]
Size: 12 fl. oz. [355mL]
Price: $1.69
This recipe reminds me of orange Fanta in the UK we had in the 80's. The one we have now is supposed to be more naturally flavoured and tastes like every other orange drink. If it could be reproduced here it would be a dream
ReplyDeleteThey sell it at the Safeway near me in Arlington,VA for $0.99 and I completely agree with your review. I am going to try the Mexican Sprite next.
ReplyDeleteThank You! Someone else gets it too. I am addicted to this stuff and nobody believes me when I tell them it tastes completely different than American Orange Fanta. It is sooooo much better. I grab 2 bottles every time I go to the store, one to drink in the car right away and the other to save for later that night. It's a little more expensive but it's worth it. Your review is 110% spot on.
ReplyDeleteI thought that it was not very good.I like the american version way better.
ReplyDeletedopeshiit
ReplyDeleteThe Mexican Fanta is 100% better than the American HFCS kind
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