When it comes to mass produced ginger ale, Dr Pepper Snapple has a big footprint in the marketplace by having both Canada Dry and Schweppes in its flavor stable. The only other big player is Coke's Seagram's brand. This fact alone would seem to make Canada Dry a likely candidate for the "Ten" treatment, though I'd think it's also ideal because of the mixer element of the drink as well. Some innovative line extensions have been added over the years, including Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale, in hopes to expand the ginger ale offerings. Recently, the brand has been advertising that it's "Made with Real Ginger," despite that not appearing on the ingredients at all. Let's not fool ourselves here… Canada Dry isn't exactly a Reed's or Fresh Ginger-caliber product when it comes to the ginger experience.

Like the other 2nd generation "Ten" flavors, Canada Dry Ten borrows from the design cues of Dr Pepper Ten through the addition of a gunmetal grey color to the label. The color actually works pretty well as a compliment for the white/green scheme typically associated with the logo, though the way "Ten" is added to the logo, one might miss the distinction or associate this with Diet Canada Dry. As established in the "Ten" lineup, the packaging proclaims that Canada Ten offers "10 Great Tasting Calories," utilizing 3 sweeteners: aspartame, acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

The "Ten" lineup from Dr Pepper Snapple Group seems targeted at a demographic that isn't buying the "Diet" versions of said drinks, and in many cases, as noted by the Dr Pepper Ten advertising campaign, that would tend to be the male demographic. To best see if Canada Dry Ten could lure drinkers of full calorie Canada Dry, we compared Ten against Diet Canada Dry and regular Canada Dry.

When all three drinks are poured side-by-side-by-side, the first thing one notices is color. Diet Canada Dry is a darker yellowish color, while regular Canada Dry and Canada Dry Ten are lighter and look similar. The Diet iteration is also quite a bit more foamy/bubbly than the other two. Finally, the scent of Diet Canada Dry is quite muted, while regular and Ten have a somewhat sweet bouquet.

Regular, full calorie Canada Dry isn't a bad drink. It's sweet and has a hint of ginger flavor. It's light and works well by itself or with food. There's a certain HFCS-syupyness that lasts in the aftertaste. In contrast, Diet Canada Dry's artificial sweeteners are pretty obvious when you sample it, really being noticeable in the bottom part of the mouth with a strong fake experience. Which brings us to new Canada Dry Ten, which actually does a pretty decent job of mimicking the flavor profile of the original. It's sweeter than Diet and closer in overall level to regular. Like the other entries in the "Ten" lineup, it starts out strong tasting like the original namesake, only later having the artificial sweeteners kick in. But that first blast of familiar flavor goes a long way in making Canada Dry more palatable than its Diet brethren. I'd argue that it's a good lower calorie substitute for the original if you are watching your calorie intake.

The use of artificial sweeteners in this ginger ale lineup seems to be a bit more finicky than some of the more bold flavors in the "Ten" lineup. I think they are more noticeable overall. Therefore, while Canada Dry Ten isn't perfect in taking just like a full calorie version, I think it does a pretty darn good job shooting for it!

Canada Dry Ten
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium citrate, malic acid, sodium benzoate (preservative), aspartame, natural flavors, acesulfame potassium, caramel color

A 12 oz can contains 10 calories, 115 mg sodium, and 2 g carbs (2 g sugars). Caffeine free.

For those interested in a comparison…

Diet Canada Dry
Carbonated water, citric acid, sodium citrate, sodium benzoate (preservative), malic acid, aspartame, caramel color, natural flavors, acesulfame potassium, calcium disodium EDTA (to preserve flavor)

A 12 oz can contains 0 calories, 120 mg sodium, and 0 g carbs (0 g sugars). Caffeine free.

Canada Dry Ten is a pretty well executed, low cal knockoff of the original. It's better than Diet and worth a try!

You'll note that the bottom of the bottle has more of a "grip" element in play, while the top features a narrow "label band" for the branding of the drink. Per the article, "the new Legacy bottle will be used for many of DPSG's flavor brands, including 7Up, Sunkist soda, Canada Dry, Sun Drop, Squirt and other soft drinks in the company's portfolio that do not have their own brand-specific bottle designs." You'll note that Dr Pepper is left off that list, as it has its own unique shape.

It's definitely a unique look that breaks from the feel you get with Coke's "Contour" bottle and whatever Pepsi uses. DPSG is obviously looking to stand out from the other Big 2 with this change.

However, I have to wonder about the branding issues on the "label band" now that it's so much smaller. For some brands with more horizontally-oriented logos, it works pretty well (such as we've illustrated with 7Up and Squirt).

On the bright side, it might make Squirt's ugly new design look a lot better!

Unfortunately, I've also seen this type of bottle used for RC Cola, which has a prominently vertical design, and logo is just shrunk to the point of being visually useless.

It's definitely going to be a packaging designer's challenge to make the Legacy bottle work!

What do you think of this new bottle type?

With the increase in teas showing up on the beverage market these days, it's interesting to see how the more "traditional" producers of carbonated soft drinks adapt to these trends. In this case, Canada Dry has combined what they do best and created what they call "a refreshing blend of green tea and ginger ale." And I agree with that assessment.

If there ever was a drink that really was a split personality, Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale is it. There aren't that many drinks out there that are so much ginger ale AND so much green tea, but this beverage does that. Sure, you could say it's pretty much carbonated green tea, but the ginger ale elements really come through. It's an odd combination, that's for sure, but it just works.

Bilingual Label: English

I don't consider myself a green tea connoisseur, so the experience was a bit different for me, but I did enjoy the unique blend of flavors. It's a clean drink that has a distinct green tea sent when you first open the bottle (in my case, a 1.5 liter bottle). The color is on the clearish side, with a hazy yellow/green that you typically associate with ginger ale.

As for the taste, it leans more to the green tea side of things, but there's an obvious influx of ginger ale. The aftertaste also wasn't too syrupy, but the tea flavor does seem to last with you. The ingredients note the sweetener is "sugar/glucose-fructose", whereas in the U.S. it's listed as "high fructose corn syrup", so that may have some influence on the overall taste experience.

Bilingual Label: French

Thanks to the folks over at the Lesley Eats blog, we know that this drink does contain caffeine, which translates down to 0.83 mg/oz. For comparison, Mountain Dew has at 4.5 mg/oz. So while not completely caffeine-free, it's a pretty small amount, probably associated with the green tea. The packaging also makes a big deal about containing "52 mg of polyphenols per 250 mL serving". According to Wikipedia, "research indicates that polyphenols may have antioxidant characteristics with potential health benefits. They may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer."

A full ingredient list is as follows:

Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale
Carbonated water, sugar/glucose-fructose, citric acid, natural flavors, green tea, sodium benzoate, ascorbic acid, calcium disodium EDTA.

A 250 mL (8.5 oz.) serving will cost you 100 calories, 55 mg of sodium, and 26 g of sugars.

Overall, Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale is a refreshing change of pace, bringing two light flavors together with a blend that rewards your sense of adventure, while providing just a darn good drink to experience.

Did you like this review? Digg it.