Kosher for Passover Pepsi

I don't have to really go into the taste of this beverage. Read our Kosher of Passover Caffeine Free Pepsi review and you'll get the idea… just with some caffeine thrown in! And yes, the bubbles in this Kosher drink are just like the others we've reviewed… small & compact, which is a great sign of flavor!

As I do every year, I found my stash of Kosher Pepsi at Hungarian Kosher Foods in Skokie, IL, a northern suburb of Chicago. They claim to have the Midwest's largest selection of Kosher foods! While at was at the store, it was interesting to see the letter in the soda section explaining why these Kosher drinks were required. Here's part of the explanation:

It is the policy of the Chicago Rabbinical Council not to grant Passover endorsement to any firm making products containing "kitniyos" (legumes) or derivatives of kitniyos such as corn syrup.

This is the policy of virtually all Kashruth organizations today and is based on the long-standing tradition that Ashkenazic Jews (Jews of Eastern European origin) do not use legumes on Passover.

Kosher logo on the can

So, for those new to the world of Kosher soft drinks, during the time of Passover (which I explain in more detail in our Kosher Coke review), Jews cannot have beverages that contain high fructose corn syrup. Thus, the both Coke and Pepsi do limited runs of their drinks using real sugar (most likely cane, but it doesn't actually say on the ingredients).

Note the key ingredient: SUGAR!

Thus, as a beverage enthusiast, this is the time to snap up some of these drinks, since it's one of the few times during the year where you can taste these soft drinks as they should be enjoyed!

I wonder where this can was bottled?

These cans of Kosher Pepsi I picked up featured the controversial new Pepsi logo, which, I admit, looks pretty good on a can. However, if you look closely at the labels, you will note some differences.

Thank you New York!

The most obvious was the phrase "New York" found on the top brim of these cans. Pretty hard to miss. This batch of Kosher Pepsi was bottled by the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of New York… just like Kosher Caffeine Free Pepsi. In fact, I believe most of the Kosher inventories for the big carbonated soft drink producers come out of New York at this time of year, given the substantial Jewish population there.

So, as we we start upon Passover this week, see if you can track down some Kosher Pepsi and enjoy what this soft drink is like without all the syrupy yuckiness found in the common HFCS version. Once you try it the first time, you won't believe you put up with the inferior version for so long!

In the world of fruit drinks, Zola has taken on the task of promoting health, ecological friendliness, and taste. They offer three flavors of superfruit drinks – Acai Original Juice, Acai with Blueberry Juice, and Acai with Pineapple Juice. Before discussing the actual juices, it will be helpful to look at the Acai fruit, the base fruit for the drinks.

Zola Acai Original Juice

Acai is a fruit that is found from the acai palm and is known to have many health benefits. It is grown near the Amazon River and is reported to help with digestion, heart health, and immunity. It is rich in antioxidants; in fact the official Zola website states that it has 500% the antioxidants found in blueberries.

Zola as a company emphasizes their support for the Brazilian community. They have created "Project Zola," which works to give back to the people of the Brazilian Amazon who help to make their drinks possible. I would encourage anyone interested in the ecological and communal aspects of the company to look at their website. For some the environmental care is a definite benefit, but for those looking for a healthy, tasty drink, keep reading.

Now, on to the good part, the drinks themselves, starting with Acai Original Juice. This drink was much better than I expected. I am not a big follower of acai flavored drinks, though here at BevReview.com we have previously reviewed an acai-flavored energy drink, Full Throttle Mother… but that's about it. Like many Americans, I tend to avoid things that I may not be familiar with when it comes to buying drinks. I was very pleasantly surprised. The drink has a fresh taste and is quite clean. It is a bit different than some of the "standard" fruit flavors, like orange or apple, but it is definitely enjoyable. It is not for everyone, but it is good. One real benefit of the taste is that it clears your mouth fairly quickly, and doesn't leave you with a strong aftertaste.

Zola Acai with Blueberry Juice

The Original flavor also has a clear, liquid quality without much solid texture to it, which surprised me as I was expecting it to be a much thicker drink. The smell when I opened the bottle was fresh, but understated. The taste was clean and fruity, leaving an almost plum-like aftertaste, which I assume was the acai. I can definitely see this as a fresh, energy-giving drink.

Visually the look of the juice is opaque and purple – very purple. You can almost see small particles from the fruit, but as I stated before, it was not very viscous in nature – in other words it was more runny than thick. The packaging is aesthetically pleasing and does give that "rainforest" sort of feel. The drink comes a twelve-ounce bottle, and it is very easy to hold and carry.

Moving on to the Acai with Blueberry Juice flavor, the aesthetics are basically the same, as well as the tactile qualities. When it comes to smell and taste, it is a whole new ballgame. When you open the cap, you can smell the blueberries. And the taste can be described as "tasty blueberry satisfaction." If you like blueberries, I think you'll like this flavor. It still has the acai base, but the blueberries come through strong.

Zola Acai with Pineapple Juice

In regard to the third flavor, Acai with Pineapple Juice, again, the tactile and aesthetic qualities are basically the same as the original, but with regard to the taste and smell, it is a whole new experience. Pineapple aroma comes through in the smell, and it tastes like pineapple on an acai base. Where this drink really has a big advantage is that I feel it builds on the taste of actual pineapple juice. There is an understated pineapple taste compared to regular pineapple juice, but it is less acidic. Where regular pineapple juice can be tart or sharp, acai with pineapple juice cuts some of that acidity. If you like the taste of pineapple, you will like this drink, assuming you can tolerate the flavor of acai.

In the nutritional department all three flavors contain 93% juice, and are certified organic, as well as kosher certified. Each flavor also contains 24 mg of natural caffeine from guarana, and as stated on the label, "Each bottle provides 1200mg Omega 3, 6, and 9 Fatty Acids." As with many natural products, if you look at the vitamin and nutritional information on the label, you may be underwhelmed. The numbers aren't overly high, but that is because these products are using natural ingredients and are not fortified with vitamins to make their nutritional numbers look better.

Personally, I enjoyed all three drinks, but I preferred the addition of Blueberry or Pineapple to Original. Upon a second tasting, I think Blueberry is my favorite, but all three are quite drinkable to the fruit juice connoisseur. I do not normally drink acai, yet I found them to be enjoyable, so don't let inexperience with this fruit scare you away. On the other hand, none of the drinks were earth shattering, and for the $2.99 suggested retail price, I would drink them more for the health benefits than the taste. The price is in line, or even less than what you might pay for an Odwalla or Naked Juice drink, but you are getting 12 oz with Zola versus the 15.2-16 oz you get with the other two.

Because Zola's drinks are certified organic this helps to explain the higher price, but being organic is still a big positive for some consumers. It should be noted that, as stated on the label, the juice is from concentrate. Zola does seem to be going after a slightly different market than these other two mainstays, but I see them in a similar area of the health food, juice drink market. All in all, I think Zola has produced three solid drinks that are enjoyable to those who liked mixed fruit drinks with a natural bent.

A&W Float comes in a contoured glass bottle, decorated with an attractive label wrap design (similar to how Coke labeled Coca-Cola BlāK), complete with a bottle cap that can be twisted off without an opener. The bottle proclaims "a creamy blend of rich A&W and ice cream flavor." As this is branded as an A&W drink, you know that it comes from Cadbury Schweppes. They argue that it's "rich, creamy, and so delicious you won't believe it comes in a bottle!"

Of interest is the ingredient breakdown, which actually doesn't contain any high fructose corn syrup. In fact, it starts off with filtered carbonated water, sugar, and skim milk. Not a bad way to go. You don't need to refrigerate this drink when you first buy it, however it should be kept in there after opening (and it's recommended to serve it chilled). Cadbury Schweppes claims that it has a 6 month shelf life. The rest of the ingredient list includes 2% or less of each of the following: cream, pectin, natural and artificial flavors, phosphoric acid, caramel color, propylene glycol alginate, acacia gum, and nitrous oxide (creates foam). It's gluten-free and considered Kosher.

Cadbury Schweppes notes on the official website for this drink that "the Floats concept was one of the highest scoring product ideas from our Discovery Innovation Group. This group is challenged to find and create new ideas across our brand portfolio."

It should be noted that while this is a grand product idea, it's definitely not one to try if you are on a diet. A single 11.5 oz. bottle contains 260 calories, 20 mg. of sodium, and 63 g. of sugars, but is caffeine-free. It packs quite a bunch of calories for a small serving.

Upon opening a bottle of A&W Float you do note a familiar root beer scent, hinted with quite a bit of caramel overtone. The drink itself looks like coffee that has been heavily diluted with a lot of cream and sugar; a cloudy, light brownish tone. Basically, it looks like a root beer float when all the ice cream has melted.

As for the taste, well, I had high hopes for this beverage… but they were let down. Yes, there's an inkling of root beer float experience, but it totally tastes fake. There's almost too much caramel flavor and lot of syrupy-ness. The aftertaste just sort of lingers on the tongue in not a pleasant way. The "fake float" elements pretty much drown the positive flavor associated with A&W Root Beer, which makes for a disappointing experience for either a root beer or a cream soda.

It's not a horrible drink, but it's also not a great one. It just tastes so artificial that you shouldn't even bother. Great idea, horrible execution.

So what is it that makes this drink so popular? Why is it sitting at the top of the energy drink mountain? Well, for one thing, it had a strong first-mover advantage, first being big oversees and pretty much inventing the energy drink sector. The drink is based on an original 1962 blend from Thailand known as "Krating Daeng", but eventually was reformulated in Austria and released in 1987. While the origins are rather complex, it was originally devised as a "pep drink" and quickly found popularity with those who needed to stay up late (students, truck drivers, construction workers, etc.) Hence the slogan, "Red Bull Gives You Wings." It wasn't until 1997 that Red Bull hit the United States, being distributed internationally by Red Bull GmbH.

Today, Red Bull is a powerhouse, not only in sales, but in branding. When it first came out, it was considered "the" thing to be drinking. While PepsiCo's Amp may have its name on Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s NASCAR vehicle, Red Bull actually is the name of two soccer teams! (FC Red Bull Salzburg in Austria and Red Bull New York in the U.S.) The brand is heavy into sponsorship of Formula One teams and various extreme sports.

Originally marketed in just the 8.3 oz. can size, it found itself going up against Hansen Beverage's Monster Energy, which offered 16 oz. at roughly the same price. Eventually, Red Bull rolled out both a 12 oz. and 16 oz. version. These days, the 16 oz. size is pretty much considered the standard for an energy drink.

Interestingly, Red Bull has not really diversified into flavor extensions. The only alternative here in the United States is a sugar-free version of the drink. This is odd, as pretty much every competitor has various editions of their drink in the marketplace. This may hurt Red Bull in the long run.

The packaging hasn't changed from when it was first introduced. It still sports the "bullet can" look, utilizing a blue/silver color scheme, augmented by the red/yellow "Red Bull" logo featuring two charging bulls. A tagline at the bottom of the can notes that it comes "With Taurine / Vitalizes body and mind."

Exactly what makes up a can of Red Bull? The ingredient list includes carbonated water, sucrose, glucose, sodium citrate, taurine, glucuronolactone, caffeine, inositol, niacinaminde, calcium-pantothenate, pyridoxine HCL, vitamin B12, natural and artificial flavors, and colors. There is a surprisingly high amount of sodium in this drink — 200 mg — you'd think this was a Jones Turkey & Gravy Soda! 27g of sugars also are included, with the 8.3 oz. can setting you back 110 calories. And according to the official website, Red Bull is Kosher!

As far as caffeine content, a can of Red Bull sports 80 mg, which breaks down to 9.64 mg/oz. Contrast that with Mountain Dew (4.5 mg/oz.), Vault (5.83 mg/oz.), Amp Energy (8.875 mg/oz.), and Monster (10.00 mg/oz.). No wonder this stuff keeps you up at night!

From a flavor perspective, I wasn't too impressed. The scent upon opening the can was berry, but with a hint of bitterness. The taste itself continued that cherry-ish flavor, but there was quite a bit of syrupy residue. Not so much a "fake" or "artificial" residue, but more of a tart and bitter one. It wasn't very smooth going down, hinting at a medicinal experience. Red Bull definitely has an edge and can clearly be classified as an energy drink based on the harsh flavor, but so many competitors these days are more refined in the taste department. I'm not an energy drink guy myself, but even if I was, I could see myself looking elsewhere based on flavor experience alone.

Given the amount of caffeine I just drank for this review, I will obviously have a lot of time to think about that tonight… when I'm not sleeping!

Back in September I got a call from my friend Nicko, who runs our affiliated mothership website, ChefTalk.com. He told me that during lunch at a restaurant, he ran into a couple of Jones Soda representatives. Striking up a conversation with them, they mentioned how Turkey & Gravy Soda would not be returning this holiday season. Rather, Jones was doing Jewish flavors instead.

Jewish flavors? Nicko and I pondered this for a while and wondered if these guys were just pulling our legs. However, it was true. When the 2007 Jones Soda Holiday collection was announced, gone was Turkey & Gravy… RIP (2003-2006).

We've had a lot of good memories with Turkey & Gravy Soda. No other drink is so reviled as being vile. But in the beverage wars, there's always something new. Thus the introduction this year of Jones Soda Christmas Ham Soda. Sure, it looked all innocent being bundled in the Christmas Pack with other seasonal flavors, but we knew what was up. This was the gross drink of the season.

All you had to do was look at the pinkish brown hue the colored this soft drink to know that it wasn't going to be good. Then, just like Turkey & Gravy, you check the sodium count. 250mg? Yup, this is the one. Ham has a lot of salt in it, right?

Sure, Jones tried to distract us with the photo of the front, Photo #9044 by Michelle Laurente of Whidbey Island, WA. I'm not sure why we have Christmas lights combined with what looks like shoes in the photo, but hey, maybe that's just something they do on Whidbey Island or something.

Upon opening the bottle, a bubbly "saltiness" fills your nose. It doesn't really smell like ham. It smells like all the other gross flavors we've had over the years from Jones. Then you drink it. The consistency is rather watered down, actually. Initial flavor isn't too bad, but then that 2nd wave kicks in, and puts your whole head into a shaking "what the heck was that?" expression as you shudder to get the taste down your throat. A burning aftertaste also lingers. It doesn't taste like ham, the saltiness is there, but I'm not really sure what the heck this drink is supposed to be. It's just not good.

But hey, it's only 35 calories and 8g of sugar, so that's a plus, right?

Christmas Ham Soda is made possible with carbonated water, inverted cane sugar, natural and artificial flavors, salt, glucono delta lactone (acidulant), sodium benzoate (as preservative), caramel color, modified food starch,
potassium sorbate (as preservative), ester gum, and Red 40.

In the end, I don't think that Christmas Ham tops Turkey & Gravy as the worst Jones Holiday flavor ever. It does a nice job coming close, but without an actual flavor or somewhat authentic smell, it's just horrid-tasting sugar water. That's not really a recommendation, just an observation. It's still yucky!

When I first read about this flavor, I just wondered to myself what a tree soda would actually taste like. Would you get the taste of bark? Or the scent of evergreens? Typically, Jones models their flavors after actual food. It's very rare that they pick inanimate objects for a flavor (of course, they started this trend with their Seahawks Collectors Pack… I mean, grass soda?)

The bottle itself sort of hints at the evil flavor inside. My version has a photo of a black cat sitting under a Christmas tree, Photo #9064 by Maria Hutchinson of Warwick, RI. Flipping the label around to the ingredients side, you note that there's a good 90mg of sodium in this drink. As we have learned from past experience, whenever a Jones Holiday beverage contains a large amount of sodium, it's never a good thing in the flavor department. Heck, the dark green color alone should hint to you that this isn't going to be a pleasurable experience.

So, putting caution to the wind, I opened the bottle. There was a definite "pine" scent emanating off the soft drink. It still had sweet overtones like a soda pop should, but it was buried in that odd scent. When you actually drink Christmas Tree Soda, you are probably remind of common household cleansers. Now I'm not saying that Jones went and carbonated Pine Sol or anything like that, but it wasn't a pleasurable time getting those first few gulps down. There is somewhat of a gag response when the sodium level hits the back of your throat, but that's soon surpassed by the odd taste… and the lingering aftertaste of… something. Perhaps "liquid pine-scented air freshener" is probably the best description of this drink.

Christmas Tree Soda comes with 140 calories and 33g of sugar. Ingredients include carbonated water, inverted cane sugar, natural and artificial flavors, citric acid, salt, caramel color, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (as preservatives), modified food starch, ester gum, Yellow 5, and Blue 1.

I can tell you quite honestly that Jones Soda Christmas Tree Soda is not a good beverage. It's a unique move for Jones, being a non-food flavor. It's still not a good idea to stick it in your mouth.

How else are you going to describe Jones Soda Egg Nog Soda, part of the Christmas Pack that itself is a part of the 2007 Jones Soda Holiday collection. And despite the negative reaction we had to the 2006 version of this drink, the 2007 iteration isn't too bad.

The image on the bottle, Photo #8917 by Heidi Lively Melton of Wilsonville, OR, shows a pleasant snowman wearing a "Happy New Year" hat on his head. Would you have a smile on your face after drinking this beverage?

I have to tell ya, the smell isn't too appealing. And after completely hating this drink in 2006, I didn't really look forward to putting this stuff in my mouth. But hey, it had to be better, right? After all, this is a new version with inverted cane sugar!

To be honest, the taste was something like a lemon meringue pie of sorts (but nowhere near as good as last season's Key Lime Pie Soda.) There wasn't a lot of "eggy" flavor at all. In fact, if it wasn't called "Egg Nog", I would never really place the taste. There was quite a bit of sweetness there, which has been customary for this series of Christmas novelty flavors. Aftertaste was pretty clean.

Egg Nog Soda features 180 calories, 45g of sugar, and 35mg of sodium. The full ingredient list consists of carbonated water, inverted cane sugar, phosphoric acid, natural and artificial flavors, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (as preservatives), modified food starch, ester gum, citric acid, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6.

If you experienced this drink at all in 2006, the first thing you'll note is a change in color. Whereas it had a redish-hue before, now it's a light blue/purple color that can be found throughout the liquid. I think the photo on the bottle, Photo #9061 by Jon Pander of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, sums up the feelings this drink brings… fun!

Upon first scent, you might confuse Sugar Plum Soda with some sort of sweet-smelling household cleaner. Sweet is the key word there, because once you taste it, wow, it's pretty sweet. It pretty much tastes like liquid cotton candy, but not in the way that might give you seizures from sugar shock. No, it's just very high on the sweet content there. The flavor leaves a clean aftertaste as well. Not much residue sits in your mouth, partially thanks to the use of the 47g of inverted cane sugar. The flavor actually could be tied a bit to the taste of Jones' Cream Soda product. In the end, very sweet… but what do you expect from a product with the name "sugar" in its title! I'll tell you one thing… it tastes a lot better than the 2006 version!

For those interested, Sugar Plum Soda has 190 calories and 35mg of sodium. The full ingredient list consists of carbonated water, inverted cane sugar, natural and artificial flavors, phosphoric acid, and sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (as preservatives), Red 40, and Blue 1.

Not a bad holiday installment.

Not knowing much about what dreidel games and chocolate coins had in common, I hopped over to Wikipedia for a little education:

Chocolate money, also known as chocolate coins, consists small disks of chocolate, moulded into the shape of coins, and wrapped in gold or silver foil for added effect… also a common Hanukkah gift, known as Hanukkah gelt or chocolate gelt. They are often used in place of real money in dreidel games.

Bundled with the Chanukah Pack is a plastic dreidel, complete with game directions on the back of the box packaging, so beyond enjoying the beverages, you can have some fun entertainment as well!

Chocolate Coins Soda packs 190 calories, 47g of that inverted cane sugar, and 35mg of sodium. The full ingredient list consists of carbonated water, inverted cane sugar, natural and artificial flavors, caramel color, phosphoric acid, and sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (as preservatives).

But really, how does it taste?

Well, this brownish soda is very similar in scent to Christmas Cocoa Soda, but with more of a Tootsie Roll, chocolate influence. And the taste, as mentioned in the intro, is pretty much a liquid version of the candy itself. It's pleasant and attractive, nothing disgusting at all. It's not a flavor that would go well with food items, but as a novelty soda, I don't really think that was the intent anyway. It's a good drink that I'll miss with the holidays passing by.

The photo on this bottle, Photo #9083, was submitted by Jeremy Doorten of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Three cheers for the folks in Canada! And nice job on a creative flavor, Jones!

[... a latke is] a potato pancake, made with egg and potato, typically fried and seasoned with onion. Folks like to add toppings to latkes, including sour cream, cheese, and apple sauce.

Apparently to make sure that you have the right toppings, you can find Jones Soda Apple Sauce Soda in the Chanukah Pack, part of the 2007 Jones Soda Holiday collection.

One would expect an apple sauce-flavored beverage to taste a lot like apple juice or cider. At least that was my impression. And true to form, Apple Sauce Soda does have that appearance. It's a darker cider color, a brown-influenced yellow to be exact. The label features a purple/pink gradient color scheme, with the Jones logo noted in silver, and the flavor name colored in off white/light yellow. This packaging look is consistent for all flavors of the Chanukah Pack. It's very similar in color to Jones Soda Latke Soda.

The photo on this bottle, Photo #9098, was submitted by Liz Garcia of Seattle, WA, who incidentally submitted the photo for our bottle of Jones Soda Jelly Doughnut Soda, as well. In fact, I find it a bit suspicious that 3 out of the 4 label photos found in my Chanukah Pack come from people in Washington state, the home of Jones Soda. Was there a huge shortage on Chanukah photos? In any case, this photo features a menorah with 7 lit candles, having nothing to do with apple sauce.

Upon opening the bottle, yes, it does smell like apple sauce, though there is a bit of syrup flavor there as well. The taste is pretty close to apple sauce, which was encouraging. It was rather pleasant. Pretty smooth as far as apple sauce-flavored drinks go, I guess. The aftertaste was rather clean.

If anything, I felt that the drink's apple flavor could have been more enhanced. It was almost like you were drinking a watered down glass of apple juice. Or you know when you make concentrated apple juice, and the frozen part hasn't fully thawed, creating this apple-flavored water in the container? That's probably how I'd describe the apple effect in Jones Apple Sauce Soda. Oh, and throw some carbonation in there as well!

Like the rest of the Chanukah Pack, Jones Soda Apple Sauce Soda Soda is Kosher and caffeine free. Sweetened with inverted cane sugar, this drink will cost you 190 calories, 47g of that contributed by the sugar content, 35mg sodium. What's in the drink? Well, carbonated water, inverted can sugar, natural and artificial flavors, phosphoric acid, sodium benzoate (as preservative), caramel color, potassium sorbate (as preservative), modified food starch, ester gum, and yellow 5.

An interesting flavor option, reflecting a taste that has some existing expectations. Overall, not a bad attempt, but Jones Soda Apple Sauce Soda isn't very memorable, in either a positive or negative way.