#beverage review

[kura-reviews]

BDE "Big Drink Energy" Review

I picked this up for 56 cents at Menard's, which obviously means it's great, right?

Well... no. Not at all. It's really bad. The flavor, while it is fairly weak, is not identifiable as anything specific. There is a harsh chemical overtone that lingers for quite a long time in the mouth, it reminds me of the smell of hospitals, and the taste also is reminiscent of cold remedy zinc drops I had as a kid.

This is an extremely obscure brand, the only place you can find anything about it online is the Menard's listing, lmfao. So my hope is that if anyone googles Big Drink Energy Drink they will find this. There is an IPA under the same brand name but it appears entirely unrelated.

0/10. I could not stand more than a few sips.

[kura-reviews]

Dr. Pepper Creamy Coconut Review

I love a good coconut treat, and picked this up on a whim. I didn't know it was released until seeing it at the store. The refreshing taste of coconut is at the forefront with this new Dr. Pepper. I wasn't sure if the flavors would mesh well, but it actually tastes great along with the signature Dr. Pepper flavors. Unfortunately, the high fructose corn syrup taste is quite noticeable and lingers in the mouth for quite a while after taking a sip.

I have yet to try the zero sugar version of this, but I'll reblog this post if I can manage to pick one up.

For this I will rate 7.5/10.

[kura-reviews]

Mtn Dew Liberty Chill Review

One of 3 limited 'Murica flavors for 2024. I have had this in my fridge for a few weeks, I'm slow on the draw, I know.

It's a very blue flavor. I think if it was a different color it would still taste blue. The flavor is very candy-esque and tastes a lot like gummy sharks (which I love!) I think the 50 flavors in one is a load of BS though, I can't taste anything but gummy sharks. The HFCS flavor is minimal, happily for me. I also noticed that the caffeine content is 93 MG. Move aside, Red Bull.

My overall rating is a 9/10. No complaints but probably won't buy again. I wish they had produced a zero sugar special edition beverage this time around, even just one alongside the others would have been nice for those of us who prefer not to drink sugar sodas regularly.

[kura-reviews]

Mtn Dew Purple Thunder Zero Sugar Review

For those unaware, this was originally launched in Spring 2022 as an exclusive flavor at Circle K owned convenience stores. Recently, it extended its reach to become available at Kroger owned grocery stores, with the release of the zero sugar version to seal the deal.

I have been waiting for a zero sugar version of this soda since it came out in 2022. I did try it then, but it was pretty disappointing from what I remember (the sugar version). The primary flavor there was high fructose corn syrup.

However, I'm pleased to report that the zero sugar version is a whole lot better. The HCFS taste is obviously absent, allowing you to taste the intended flavors of berry and plum. The berry itself is not really identifiable as any specific berry, and the plum is also quite subtle.

The overall feeling is quite fruity, and the flavor lingers a bit on the tongue, but it's a pleasant taste. The overall experience is of a lightly flavored beverage, it tastes very refreshing and I just want to keep drinking it until it's gone

In that way, it reminds me of last summer's limited time offering Summer Freeze, in that it's just so easy to crack one open and drink it down. I have been missing Summer Freeze, and hadn't found anything to fill that void. This, however, really hits the spot. It also kind of reminds me of those "Sparkling Ice" flavored sparkling water beverages, the experience of drinking it is similar.

It also has kind of a vibe of a long-gone flavor I remember from my youth, Supernova. This was a Dewmocracy flavor that lost to Voltage. Probably just the berry similarity, but it just has that "feeling" of being similar. Dew enjoyers who have tried dozens of flavors may know what I mean.

My rating, 10/10. I hope they don't discontinue this flavor so I can continue to enjoy it.

[kura-reviews]

Yeah, it's been a while.

My partner took me out for dinner at Applebee's to use a gift card she got for Christmas. You know I had to try this (it's been exclusive for years, but I don't exactly frequent such establishments.)

Well, it's Voltage. It's basically Voltage. Not much else to say about it.

My girlfriend says it has a "deeper" flavor than Voltage, but it's hard for me to tell. It's been a while since I'd tasted Voltage, so again, hard to say.

7.5/10. Better than any of the other fountain offerings, certainly.

[kura-reviews]

Ghost Energy Bubblicious Strawberry Splash Review

A friend of mine ( @tomo-the-weedslut ) described this in a discord server as making them feel like this image:

I wasn't really planning to try it, but after they said that, I thought why not. Got it at Target. I've enjoyed some of the other Ghost energy drinks, especially my ultimate fav Green Apple Warheads drink (literally one of the best carbonated beverages I have had in my entire life!)

The flavor is... shockingly accurate to my memory of Bubblicious gum. They even managed to reproduce the feeling of the burst of sugar saturation you feel when first chowing down on a piece of the gum. Even down to the mouthfeel, somehow. I don't understand how science makes this possible, especially since this is a zero sugar beverage.

The only problem is that that flavor persists throughout the entire beverage. It very quickly becomes overwhelming, and the taste is not much like other strawberry treats I've come to enjoy. It's really not for me, sad to say, but they did a DAMN good job reproducing the original product.

My personal taste review is a 2/10, but in terms of flavor accuracy I would give it a 10/10 for pure respect. Not chuggable because I hate it, but if you like it, maybe it could be chuggable.

[kura-reviews]

Old Fashioned Killebrew Cream Soda Review

Yep, it's a cream soda review. Never thought I'd do that, but here we are.

My local grocery store keeps advertising these as 10 for $10 and I'd never taken the time to try them out until now. Keen eyes may recognize the name Killebrew as a power player for the Minnesota Twins baseball team, from 1954 to 1975. He's a household name in Minnesota, even for people who don't care about baseball.

Anyway, the beverage. I'll start off with some background - I have never particularly liked cream soda. As a child, I thought it had a disappointingly flat and just "sweet" flavor, and never picked it out when I was given a rare chance to get a soda myself from the store. I recall A&W cream soda tasting just faintly of vanilla, but otherwise overpoweringly, cloyingly sweet. I felt it was too similar other flavors that are meant to taste only like candy/sugary treats (like cotton candy or bubble gum). The only exception to my cream soda dislike were the Dum-Dums cream soda flavored suckers, which I have always loved for their light fruity flavor with a hint of vanilla.

I am so pleased to report that this Killebrew cream soda tastes almost EXACTLY like the Dum-Dums. I've never actually had a cream soda that tastes like this candy, and I love it. It's sweet, but not too cloying, and while the primary sweetener is still HFCS, the aftertaste is minimal and the flavor doesn't linger on the tongue. A fun fact is that the ingredients say it contains "Pure Minnesota Honey". I'm not sure that I can taste the honey per se, but the flavor is great. The fizz is fairly light, as well.

Honestly, 10/10. I would not mark it as chuggable, but that's because it should be savored.

I have a root beer from this company in my fridge, as well, that I plan to try later. If it's as good as the cream soda, we absolutely have a winner.

[kura-reviews]

Fanta Zero Sugar #whatthefanta Mystery Flavored Soda Fall 2023

What a mouthful. I didn't even see if there was an official name, so this is the best I can do.

This appears to be a zero-sugar-only flavor, there were no other mystery Fanta bottles at the convenience store where I purchased this about a week ago (Holiday Stationstores, iykyk).

There was another mystery Fanta last winter that was a pale blue color, IIRC it was cotton candy-like, my gf got me one to try. That one is no longer available and I didn't love it at the time.

Regardless, this is not the same as that. This is truly an enigma. I drink it and I am puzzled. I even bought multiple bottles and am still trying to work out the flavor. At times it tastes like every Skittle at once. Other times, Jolly Rancher. Again still, SweetTarts candy. Sometimes it tastes a little sour, other times I can't detect a sourness. I want to call it grape because of the color, but it's not simply grape. My gf drank one alongside me, she called out a number of other fruit flavors including pear.

Hand to god, I would say this is a mixed fruit candy flavor of some kind, similar concept to one of the Mountain Dew VooDews of the past.

Do I like it? Hell yes. It tastes great and the carbonation is pretty light. The sourness, when I can detect it, is refreshing. My only gripe is that it's heavily dyed and turns my lips and tongue a sickly greenish purple. It's caffeine free, so I can enjoy it any time of day, too.

10/10. I love that another brand has started to make fun new limited time flavors. Why let Pepsi-Co have all the fun?