Overall
Cost: 6/10 [1.20$]
Taste: 7/10
Bears are cute. I wanted Polar seltzer today for unknown reasons, and was almost convinced my store didn't have it (amongst the bubly, spindrift, LC, waterloo, and store brand) until I thought to check the mixer aisle. Behold! What makes a seltzer a mixer and not a seltzer? Is it bottle v. can? Anyway, here she is in all her glory. Very carbonated, very strong scent, very mild taste. I guess I can pretend I'm pounding some vodka, which is a top interest of mine.
Overall
Cost: 6/10 [1.20$]
Taste: 6/10
No solids... only liquids...
This tea brand makes me think of my students, because they love to call things "peak". Ah, the youth. It's owned by Coca Cola, but I thought they already had a different tea brand. Maybe they changed names. I'm too lazy to look into this right now, but the conceit of a sweetened-but-not-CRAZY-sweetened tea does appeal to me. It tastes pretty darn sweet though. But I like sweet things. It's only 33mg caff, which isn't that much, so I can drink this if I am very weary but already had a coffee. Not that that describes me or anything. It tastes like iced tea, and it is much better than plain tea (bc sugar) and the sweet tea I sometimes get from vending machines when I'm dyin (bc way less sugar). A good product. I don't really like the taste of tea that much, but this is probably one of the optimal iterations.
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10
These janked up wines got me taking my own pictures again. Speaking of pictures, what is going on with some of my recent ones? They suddenly look like they're melting. Is it the apocalypse? Maybe this wine fermented into 80% alc and I'm just hallucinating. That'd be nice.
Otherwise, it's not that great. Usually I like merlots, or at least once I'm a glass in I like them, but this one was just 'meh'. It is fairly bright and jammy; strong cherry note, but it's also thin and too intense for my preference. Acidic nose too [me at EDC: some of my best friends have an acidic nose,]. The cork did say "wine is the union of cultures", and I like that. I unioned with Argentina and thought, "next".
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10
Alas, can't drink wine when I really need wine the most (out of the house for 16 hours a day). This juice will have to do. Actually, I bought it for a recipe (pumpkin apple bread), and because the store was completely out of Martinelli's apple juice (which is funny because it implies to me that the undergrads were going ham on Martinelli's apple juice. Is it a mixer? Are their parents just fancy??). Anyway, we like a Simply juice, even if it's just "gently pasteurized". What do you mean by that, COCA COLA COMPANY?
The point is, it tastes good. And it can't be too gentle because it didn't make me itchy. Very sweet, good apply flavor, way better than non-refrigerated non-Martinelli's apple juice. And it's almost the harvest season, so it feels appropriate. What's that? It's gonna be 90+ and sunny all next week? Haha... oh :(
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10
I know everybody makes those "it's just sparkling ___" jokes, but shoo, European wine law really is quite prescriptive. The IGTs are like, bottom-tier crap, and they still have to obey fairly strict location-based restrictions. Anyway, this is my very first trebbiano. (Probably also last, but I guess you never know.) About the varietal, Wiki tells us: "It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine", and that is very real. I see myself similarly.
First taste, as is often the case, was unpleasant. Verrrrry acidic, thin, apple-y, plant-y. Not my favorite. But given a little time to b r e a t h e it gets sweeter, thicker, citrusier. Like a nice orangey apple juice. Doesn't keep super well, though. A real inverted-V wine experience. Pretty low alc (12%) and tannin/histamine, at least compared to the reds I imbibed in early summer. In the end I enjoyed it in accordance with its reputation.
Upping my yield with some bonus content: here are all the synonyms of this grape. I bolded my favorites - Albano, Albana secco, Biancone, Blanc Auba, Blanc De Cadillac, Blancoun, Bobiano, Bonebeou, Branquinha, Brocanico, Bubbiano, Buriano, Buzzetto, Cadillac, Cadillate, Castelli, Castelli Romani, Castillone, Chator, Clairette D'Afrique, Clairette De Vence, Clairette Ronde, Engana Rapazes, Espadeiro branco, Falanchina, Greco, Gredelin, Hermitage White, Juni Blan, Malvasia Fina, Muscadet Aigre, Padeiro branco, Perugino, Procanico, Procanico Dell Isola D Elba, Procanico Portoferraio, Queue De Renard, Romani, Rossan De Nice, Rossetto, Rossola, Rossula, Roussan, Roussea, Rusciola, Saint Emilion, Saint Emilion Des Charentes, Santoro, Shiraz White, Spoletino, Talia, Trebbianello, Trebbiano, Trebbiano Della Fiamma, Trebbiano Di Cesena, Trebbiano Di Empoli, Trebbiano Di Lucca, Trebbiano Di Tortona, Trebbiano Fiorentino, Trebbiano Toscano, Trebbianone, Tribbiano, Tribbiano Forte, Ugni blanc, Bouan, Beau, Thalia, Trebbiano Romagnolo, Trebbiano Gallo and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo.
Buona notte, sostenitori ₊˚⊹♡
Overall
Cost: 6/10 [7$]
Taste: 6/10
Every day lemonade is exactly the same... I was most excited for this one (the "pink" is cherry) but it still mostly tastes like lemon water. I don't think I could pick out cherry as being in this, even if it's supposedly more of the ingredients than lime or lemon juice is. I suppose it's a bit less tart. My conclusion about the spindriftonades is: not worth your time.
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10
I'm rebelling against August Pumpkin Time by getting a case of Spindrift Lemonades. They are extremely similar to the non-lemonade spindrifts, but that's OK because I mostly like them all. This one has lemon, lime, and strawberry. The overwhelming flavor is strawberry (and lemon water, but that's just, like, all of them). It is good but not great. Something to imbibe. And I recently learned that all their products are pasteurized, so any OAS fears should be allayed. I am staring down the barrel of the semester and feeling sweaty. But at least I will be staying hydrated!
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10
Many of my family members are now fully into the La Croix life due to their own health problems/alcoholism/special diets etc, which is fun for me because they're like 15 years behind the trend... but really really into it. (Some genetic similarity when it comes to Obsession, perhaps.) And thus I get to try a new flavor when visiting! Bully for me!
This one is pretty good. I don't know if I'd pinpoint it as tango (read: tan-jo) and not orange or mandarin, but definitely in that zone. And since I can't have fresh oranges anymore, one of my greatest joys, it's a nice reminder of the good times. It does make my throat kinda tight actually, but I think that's just seltzer? Anyway, tastes good. Seltzer still is a "meh" drink though. Luckily I'll be back in God's country soon (my house).
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10
Finally, I've completed the trifecta. And this one has the strongest "can" taste of all. What is that, anyway? Is it actually the metal of the can leeching in, or is it some preservative, or is it the type of coffee, or? It's definitely stronger in cancoffee than in bottlecoffee. It tastes so bad. Ugh. Other than the can taste, it's good, like chocolate milk but coffee. A good sweetness (very sweet) that goes well with the choco-pudding vibe. But the can! It's extreme! Boooo, canned coffee. Boo.
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10
Well, it's better than the "original" flavor, I'll give them that. Still tastes like milky sugar canned coffee crap, but with salted caramel flavor, which slightly reduces the can of it all. Only slightly, though. Would never rebuy. At least it's a tall boy. 140mgs caffeine.
Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 6/10
Anything for a cold drink in these times... even if this one purports to be a Shirley Temple yet contains more pomegranate and apple juice than cherry and lime juice. I want more cherry and less g-dang pom! Anyway, it's kind of a strange gingery cherry pommo flavor. I don't hate it, of course, especially given the bountiful 51 calos and 10 sugars (it's almost electrolytic, if you squint), but like... it could be so much better (see: raspberry lime spindrift, which isn't even a soda but is 5x more delicious). So, boo. At least there is a bit of a lime aftertaste, and it is a nice drink in a can. I'll feel better once my house is under 100 degrees.
Overall
Cost: 4/10
Taste: 6/10
Oh Dunkin... the things I do for you. Calling this espresso is such a stretch. It's just creamy sugar coffee water with a special weird "can" ingredient (metal?) that makes my throat feel tight. Maybe that's just what 30g of sugar (not an exaggeration) does at once in liquid form, I don't know. Sugar was not made to be done so dirty!! It's not that it tastes horrible, but it definitely doesn't taste good. Same as all those bottled Starbuckses, I guess. Ugh. Why don't they make, like, non cream-and-sugared versions of these things? What happened to Health Conscious Consumerism? And why does every can coffee drink taste like full can?? Ah well. 2 more flavors to go.
This has 140mg of caffeine (someone), by the way, which is about 1 kcup or 1/2 an actual dunkin medium drink. So that's fine. But you really have to suffer to get it, which is surely the opposite of their intention.
Wait, one more thing: "original flavored with other natural flavors"? Be so for real.
Overall
Cost: 4/10 [4$!?]
Taste: 5/10
This wine is so obscure I had to take my own picture (and for that I apologise). Doesn't inspire much confidence, even though I usually like Garnachas pretty well. The label even looks janky, though the cork was one of those fun new age recyclable foam deals. There's a strong tart cherry flavor - sweet - but also very very acidic. No saddle notes, though. After a day it's muted all around; less acidic but also less fruit-forward and more "Franzia". Never again the franzia times.
Overall
Cost: 7/10 [if it existed, it'd be cheap]
Taste: 6/10
Please, look at this promotional image. This is how things were before AI.... beautiful. Anyway, you might think I'm on a wine bender with two reviews in a row, but it's really just wacky life circumstances and the power of RNG. (Too bad). This has one of the most intense Brettanomyces situations I've ever experienced. I am not a Brett bae. It smells like a sweaty saddle, and that's being generous. Since I am not attracted to horses, this is an unpleasant smell. However, the wine has high ratings, so I tried to stick it out. It does ease up if you let it breathe, and on the 2nd day the smell is much reduced. But the taste is still leather, squeaky, plastic, mulch. Farm life in a bottle. Since the darling otter (?) is serving it, I will endure, but this is really not my vibe. Decent on the acids/tannins spectra though.
Overall
Cost: 3/10 [29$]
Taste: 5/10
Whew, when I opened this I wasn't breaking my alc triangle, but don't ask how things are going now. Anyway, it's pretty good. A strong flavor at first, like always, that made me worry it was too long in my warm house. A little like drinking a basket which once held winter potpourri. Like cinnamon, berry, wicker, and pine. Aftertaste of bright cherry. A long finish. Accidentally paired with lasagna, which was great.
Overall
Cost: 8/10 [2.79 !]
Taste: 6/10
Another spindrift soda offering -- this time, the ingredos are: fizzy water, strawberry puree, apple juice, vanilla extract, and strawberry extract. Starting to see a pattern! It tastes like the things it is, and I do like super-wet strawberry juice, so it's pleasant. Someone online said that it's kind of strawberry-yogurt flavored, and I can definitely see that. More yogurt than shortcake (the old name of this flavor), so changing the name to an ingredient description was a wise move. We love transparency!!
Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 6/10
Beautiful stuff, can art wise. The ingredients on this are pretty interesting: water, apple juice, lemon juice, lime juice - fine, gotta make it sweet - ginger juice - naturally; and I like that they call it juice - and lime extract. What is the difference between lime extract and lime juice?????? Well, the juice is natural, and the extract is bits of lime suspended in alcohol or other chemical mysteries. I see. I see. Anyway, they could probably axe that, because this is a little too limey (although that's the spindrift way). The ginger flavor is PRETTY good, although it's no Fevertree. Better than a Sprite or something, better than a soda-ginger-ale, but not ginger beer level. But, only 34 calos, so I guess that's the tradeoff? It's a little sweet for me but not terrible; definitely too lemon/limey though. Still a fun drink, just nothing to write blogs about.
Overall
Cost: 5/10 [2$]
Taste: 6/10
Unintentionally in my soda pop era (cue Britney Spears's 'Soda Pop'). But what I love about Spindrift is that they sit right in the middle of the seltzer-soda spectrum, so they aren't artificial OR sugar bombs. This is going a little high on the sugar side, but it's still just fizzy water and juice, which I support. Orange, apple, and vanilla. Is vanilla extract a juice? Well, yes. And it tastes like if you added orange juice to perrier and dropped in 1/2tsp vanilla, that's it that's all. But it comes in a cute little can! I'm in.
Overall
Cost: 5/10 [2$ish, what the heck]
Taste: 6/10
