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