Limca. It's veri veri Lime & Lemoni

Name: Limca

Purchased From: Global Foods Market, Kirkwood, MO

Color: White, think Gatorade Ice

Taste: After opening the reused, not recyled (henceforth RNR) bottle of Limca I noitced a ring of brown liquid around the rim. After a wipe from my sleeve (was told it helps), a ring of nasty was left behind (below).

I decided drinking it straight from the bottle may not be advisable so I poured it in a mug, fizzed up just like any citrus soda you've had. The difference, is I remember residual bubbles in most other citrus drinks, where Limca only had a couple bubble throughout.

The aroma is very tough to explain, definitely some lemony citrus, and something else I can't pin down. This other odor doesn't finish very pleasantly and it's the last sense you get before tasting the product, not a good start. It basically tastes like someone put sugar into lemon Perier. Everytime I would go back for another sip I'd get a whiff of that off-putting aroma and wince before drinking. I would have to compare the flavor with a Sprite that's hissing in the back of my JIB restaurant, begging for a syrup change but I'm tired of being the only one lugging that heavy shit all over the place. End result: tastes like crap, first soda to be finished off by my drain; but if well marketed, I'm sure it'd sell.

Uniqueness: *

Taste: *

It's a Drink, It's a Bomb

Name: Sarsi

Purchased From: Global Foods Market, Brentwood, MO

Color: Dark Brown

Taste: This was very intriguing. Due to the color of both the label and soda, I automatically assumed a cola. The furthest down on the ingredients I got to was that there was no HFCS. Needless to say, I was surprised by the sharp aroma of sarsaparilla. I took the plunge and was very pleased. I don't really drink too much root beer these days (had a homebrew from a wedding recently that was pretty good), but sarsaparillas are a different animal. Instead of bite, you get a unique twist for a finish.

In the beginning there is tons of carbonation creating a lot of head, but by the last few drinks it's pretty fizzed out. Also, it came in one of those sanitized, reused (not recycled) bottles. I was told in my travels in Central America to wipe the top with your sleeve to "sanitize" the bottle before you drink - I'm sure my Cardinals hoody is lacking in antibacterial strength, but food for thought.

One interesting fact about Sarsi: in Hong Kong they made a movie about a Sarsi can turned into a bomb that activated when the pull tab was removed. I can't see myself rushing back to the store to buy another one of these, but it was still worth checking out for this quest. Overall, "yea, that's a good one."

Uniqueness: **

Taste: **

The late comedian Mitch Headberg once quipped, "They say Diet Dr. Pepper tastes like regular Dr. Pepper...Well then they f*#ked up." To improve that scathing review, the good folks at Dr. Pepper have come out with a new variation on the original, Dr. Pepper Ten.

The label proudly boasts ten bold calories (per serving of course!), but can that statement really live up to the taste, and more importantly the flavor? For those who like diet drinks, Diet Dr. Pepper is certainly one of the more easy drinking, true to the sugar version, than most other sodas. So, what Dr. Pepper has done, is add sugar, HFCS sadly, to the diet version Ten.

What's been produced is actually better than anticipated. First sip, I was wincing just a little for the nasty, and immediate, aftertaste diet drinks have. Once the gulp made it down, I was happy to find no bitter, tinny taste left. The cherry flavor of Dr. Pepper really shines through, and a good balance of sweetness and fizz.

Where this drink falls flat is lingering aftertaste. While there is no bitter aftertaste, the soda lingers in the mouth like a coating. And in the coating, you can taste the artificial sweetener used to make this drink Ten bold calories (per serving).

There is truly nothing particularly bold with this drink. Coca Cola came out many years ago with C2, a regular/diet mix. Unlike that, which was very watery and dull, Dr.Pepper Ten stands out as a good low calorie soft drink.

Uniqueness: *

Taste: ***

Overall: 2.5

Apple Sidra-Apple Soda, All natural Ingredients

This soda was a find at the local Asian grocery store. The can is a basic 12 ounce, with yellow and red highlights. Yet it really is masking a very tart, highly carbonated, tasty apple soda.

Cracking open the top, the drink gets first breath of air since being canned in Taiwan. The aroma of apples hits like a freight train in the night. That's because smack in the middle of the ingredients list is "Apple Conc," which I can only surmise is apple concentrate. However, "caramel" is also listed, but none of that sugary goopyness is hiding in here.

First sip and already you can tell this beverage is a winner. Easy drinking, a tad more carbonated than a typical US soft drink. What really stands out is the tart, green apple taste which lingers long after the first sip.

I don't know if this is a typical Asian Grocery store staple, but don't let the can fool you, this is worth the price!

Uniqueness: ***

Taste: ****

Overall: 4.5

Here we go

Name: Zuberfizz Key Lime Cream Soda

Purchased From: World Market, Brentwood

Color: Shrek's piss (neon green)

Taste: I was very intrigued when I saw this one on the shelf. I am a fan of key lime and liked that I saw nothing but natural ingredients on the label from this tasty soda out of Durango, CO. It has a nice, clean feeling all the way through. That keylime citrus really hits its notes towards the back of your palette and you're left with sweetness all through the front. Very odd looking in color, but makes it fun to drink. Brings me back to my ecto cooler days. I found it to have medium carbonation, really lets the flavor do the talking. Definitely harks back to a different era.

Uniqueness: ***

Taste: ****

Overall: 3.5 *