Saturday, July 2, 2011

Jarritos Mexican Cola


Jarritos Mexican Cola is not my first foray into the world of Jarritos Mexican sodas. I have had several flavors of Jarritos before, and so far have been only moderately impressed by most of them. They're not bad, but they're not exactly fascinating, either. Until a few days ago, I was under the impression that Jarritos only did fruit flavored sodas, until I caught a glimpse of this one sitting on the shelf during a recent trip through a local grocery's Latin American foods aisle. 

I wasn't immediately certain of what makes a cola specifically "Mexican," but from the ingredients on the back, the only major difference that I could spot was the usage of natural sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. The cola flavor itself is not wildly different from that of any other typical brand of cola, but it does have a slightly unique balance, and although there is nothing about the drink that is especially indicative of Mexican heritage (aside from the labeling on the bottle, of course), the cola taste is strong and pronounced.

My only real problem with Jarritos's take on this age-old beverage is that it is too sweet. I am typically okay with varying levels of sweetness in the drinks that I try, and it is rare that a cola will be anything more than "almost too sweet," but this time I feel that the blatant statement is warranted: Jarritos Mexican Cola is just too sweet. The sweetness detracts from the strong taste of the cola, and distracts the overall experience. This is only worsened by the fact that the sweetness kicks in in the aftertaste, rather than on the palette, leaving a syrupy sensation in the back of the throat that completely overrides the cola.

All in all, Jarritos Mexican Cola is not a terrible beverage, it was just too sweet for my tastes. I did drink the whole thing, and I did really enjoy the taste of the cola, but I think that overly sweet aftertaste is enough to keep me from buying this one again in the future.

Verdict: Worth a try

Purchased: Bi-Lo [Greenwood, SC]
Size: 12 fl oz. [355 mL]
Price: $1.49

2 comments:

  1. Interesting. I've been thinking about trying out one of these "Mexican beverages" for some time now. Perhaps I'll try the fruit punch and report back.

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  2. Strange that you thought it was too sweet. I not only found it less sweet, it has 11 fewer grams of sugar than a can of Coke.

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