Pepsi Holiday Spice

What were they thinking? 

Just in time for Thanksgiving, I'm finally reviewing Pepsi Holiday Spice. I think I'm a bit late because there's stuff all over the internet about it, but better late than never.

Let's cut the chase. What does it taste like? It's like Pepsi with a lot of pepper in it and there's also a rooty, fresh dirt taste which makes me believe that the "festive blend of holiday spices" is basically just ginger root extract or oil of ginger. It reminds me of the ghastly Goya ginger beer I reviewed below. It's no where near as strong, but it's hotter than other ginger beverages I've had recently.

But is it any good? When I first drank it, I didn't think it was that bad, but the more I drink, the worse it seemed. It's not horrible, but it's not the least bit enjoyable either. Frankly, I don't know what Pepsi was thinking with this stuff. Does anyone actually like it? Most of the reviews and comments about it online have been negative.

Verdict? Bleh. But I recommend trying it because it's cheap and strange. It'll be one of those memories you can enjoy years in the future: "Hey, remember Pepsi Spice?" And everyone goes, "Yeah, that was terrible." Ah, memories.

Pointless Addendum: There's a website called the Pepsi Holiday Spice Project where a guy claims that to win a bet he's drinking nothing buy Pepsi Spice for 45 days. There's even a blog where you can read about the nauseating medical problems he's been having since starting this stupid bet. I seem to be in a minority, but I think the whole thing's a hoax.

Jumex's Guanabana Nectar

What are those scary looking things pictured on the label? 

Today's beverage is Jumex's Guanabana Nectar. This was another find in the little Mexican products section of my local supermarket.

Just what the heck's guanabana? It looked freaky on the label: a green lump with little spikes on it, weird pulp, and a vaguely sinister looking core. According the site I linked to earlier in this paragraph, it's "a member of the Annonaceae, the custard apple family". Doesn't look like any apple I've ever seen. It doesn't really taste like apple either.

I was hoping for something strange tasting. Maybe something really vile. But I was pleasantly surprised. It's quite good.

Don't let the word "nectar" in the title fool you into thinking this stuff's just fruit juice. Nope. It's got sugar/corn syrup added to it, which probably makes it only slightly more healthy than Coke or Pepsi.

Verdict? It's good. I like it. I'll probably drink it again. And I'll be sampling other flavors in the Jumex line.

Goya Jamaican Style Ginger Beer

It burns! It burns! 

Today's beverage is Goya Jamaican Style Ginger Beer. I found this in a little grocery store that sells specialty items. I was curious about what it tasted like even though my encounters with Hansen's Ginger Beer and Reed's Ginger Brew will haunt me until my dying days.

When I opened it up, it smelled like dirt or freshly dug up roots. The taste? HOT!! It's really hot. Did I mention that it's hot? Well, it's hot. Very hot. Imagine if a tabasco sauce company decided to market a soft drink. And that soft drink also smelled, and tasted, a bit like dirt. When it first hit my mouth, the fumes(?) went into my sinuses. I immediately started coughing. I've coughed several times trying to finish this bottle. Sometimes I can feel it in my tear ducts.

The ingredients include oil of ginger, which I suspect to be the cause of my distress.

I don't understand this stuff at all. Soft drinks are supposed to be refreshing, not painful. Why would anyone crack open one of these on a hot day? Why would anyone crack open one of these ever? It's not as nauseous as the Hansen's Ginger Beer, nor is it putrid like Reed's Ginger Brew, but it's just not pleasant. It burns! But, hey, at least my sinuses are clear now.

Verdict? If you like really hot stuff, try it, otherwise avoid it. And on the up side, it only cost 61 cents.

I think I'm done with ginger beer and all types of "Jamaican style" ginger ales. I'm satisfied with regular old ginger ale.

Chubby Cotton Candy Cream Soda

So many "chubby" jokes, so little time. 

Today's beverage is Chubby Cotton Candy Cream Soda. This was a surprise find at a local Dollar General. I paid 26 cents for the squat little 8.45 fluid oz. bottle. I'd read about this stuff before and doubted I'd ever find it here. I think it was first made in Trinidad and Tobago, but this bottle was made in Canada.

There's a lot of different flavors of Chubby, but the only other flavor I saw today was orange. Orange soda seemed like a bland choice to me, so I went with the cotton candy (which apparently is discontinued because I didn't see it on the website).

The taste? I was hoping for something really awful because I tend to have far more fun writing the bad reviews than the good ones. What can you say about a good soft other than it's good? Well, Chubby Cotton Candy Cream Soda is surprisingly good. I think it's a mistake to call the flavor Cotton Candy Cream Soda because to me it tastes like strawberry short cake. I haven't had cotton candy in over 20 years probably, but I don't remember the taste as being anything like this soda.

Verdict? If you can find it, buy a bottle. I can't say I'd want to drink a lot of it, but as an occasional thing, it'd be nice.