The Cola Contenders -- Rounds 3 and 4

Round 3
We continued the great soda war last week with 365 All Natural Cola.

Sorry, no photos this time around. You can go back to the original post to see the soda can. I was going to take a shot of the cola in a glass like I did last time, but it was identical to Blue Sky, which you can see in the original post. Once again, this mean's that 365 cola contains caramel coloring, but it also states it's from a natural source.

Anyway, this brand was somewhat similar to Blue Sky in flavor. It was similar to RC again, but its flavor was a bit more complex and interesting. It wasn't too sweet nor too bland. 365's biggest advantage over its competitors so far is bite. Yes, this soda actually has adequate carbonation! That's a really important cola quality for me. While the RC-like flavor doesn't do it for me the way Virgil's more organic notes did, the presence of amped-up carbonation is an important factor.
Rating (out of five bubbles): We both concur it's a 3.5, making it Grey's favorite and tied for first with me.

Round 4 -- the finale
In the final round, we tested out Jones Pure Cane Cola.



It's in a clear glass bottle, so you can see that it is, in fact, brown thanks to naturally sourced caramel coloring. As I anticipated, this was the clear winner. It has a crisp, complex flavor and plenty of delicious carbonation. Unlike its competitors, it has caffeine, so that may explain the extra bite. Whatever the case, this was a joy to imbibe. It is its own cola -- not a Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, or (God forbid another) RC Cola rip-off. It was refreshing and tasty from the bottle, and as I discovered over the weekend, it's quite wonderful from the can, too. You can buy 12 packs of it from Reasor's for $4 (I think). I am very happy to have found the perfect Diet Dr. Pepper replacement. Though this one has calories, I'm happy to spend 160 of them on something tasty and not totally chemical-laden.
Rating (out of five bubbles): He gives it a 4, I edge it up slightly to a 4.5.

Conclusion: Jones definitely came in first, while Blue Sky was the least appealing. Of course, none can overtake my favorite cane-sugar cola of all time, the German-produced Afri-Cola. Oh how I miss thee.

I hope you enjoyed this little adventure as much as we did!

The Cola Contenders -- Rounds 1 and 2

For the past few weeks, I've been feeling icky about drinking soda. The regular stuff is full of high fructose corn syrup and chemicals, which I know aren't healthy. The diet variety -- my typical go-to -- is a combination of fake sweeteners and more chemicals. Since I don't like club soda or fruity pops, I decided to start the search for a delicious, natural cola drink. Along the way, Grey and I thought it would be fun to do a taste test. We bought three -- with plans to acquire at least one more -- and evening by evening, we're working our way through them. Here are the contenders:
From left to right, we have 365 Cola (Whole Foods brand), Virgil's Real Cola, and Blue Sky Natural Soda in Cola. Not pictured is Jones Cane Sugar Cola because I still have to go buy it.

Round 1 took place Tuesday night. Up first was Virgil's. This brand is the most appealing visually in its neato glass bottle. It also has a fun twist-off cap that I can use for craft projects. Unfortunately, it's nearly a dollar more expensive than the cans for the same amount of beverage. Taste-wise, this drink was quite good. It has a complex flavor more akin to Dr. Pepper than Coke or Pepsi. The clove and vanilla are noticeable but not overpowering. What this soda is missing is bite. The carbonation is a bit lacking, which is too bad. If it were stronger, this may have been an early winner. Rating: Out of 5 bubbles, my co-tester (AKA my boyfriend) gave it 3 bubbles, and I was a little more generous with 3.5.

Round 2 took place last night. The second competitor is Blue Sky.

(A friend recommended I take a picture of the drinks in a glass to show off the color since, without caramel color, most soda is naturally clear. I don't have a picture like this of Virgil's, but I plan to purchase another bottle so I can show you what it looks like out of the bottle. As you can see, Blue Sky's cola is brown because it contains caramel coloring, though the can indicates it's from natural sources.)

This soda comes in a pretty can with lots of lovely blue, but it's not nearly as cool as the bottle. It cost me $.69 at Whole Foods, and I think you can get a six-pack there for about $3, so it does win the price war. The cola had a decent flavor but was much less complex than Virgil's. No particular flavors stuck out to us. Grey and I both remarked that it tasted a lot like RC Cola. I think Coke drinkers will be more likely than Pepsi drinkers to enjoy this soda. Like Virgil's, it has low carbonation, which is a definite strike against it. Where's the bite, natural soda manufacturers? Rating: I gave it 2.5, but my love gave it a 2. Virgil's was a clear winner over this one, giving it a second-day advantage.

Round 3 takes place tonight, so I'll make sure to update you soon. I hope you enjoyed this little detour. :)