So, a long time ago, or in this blog’s life 3 posts ago, I posted a video about man in Los Angeles with shop devoted to soda pop. Delicious, hardly nutritious soda pop. We ventured down to California this summer for a family reunion, and after a harrowing drive (LA traffic sucks! 0/10) we were able to visit Galco’s Soda Pop Stop. While we weren’t able to get one of everything, we were able to try an abundance of unfamiliar and “exotic” pops. And, here is what we got.
Hotlips Raspberry Soda
Wow. This soda, made by a Portland, Oregon based pizzeria, tastes exactly like eating freshly picked raspberries; in fact, there is a little bit of crushed raspberry in the bottom of the bottle. Mike: 8/10. Sandi: 8/10. (Also, they apparently have all of their sodas on tap…and they occasionally have huckleberry soda, which must be like the nectar of the gods. Just my opinion, however.)
Bubble Up
Bubble Up is a lemon lime flavor soda made with both lemon and lime oils. It is bubbly, and the aftertaste is slight, but I think that many years of Sprite drinking have changed any expectations for a lemon lime flavor. The flavor is less strong than Sprite, but it is still light and delicious. Mike 6.5/10. Sandi: 6.5/10.
Nesbitt’s Orange Soda
Nesbitt’s of California Orange. The orange flavor is strong, but not overbearing. After drinking (and loving) orange cream, it is a shock to remember what real (straight up) orange soda tastes like. And it was pretty good. Better than Fanta Orange or Sunkist? Probably, but mostly because the taste is a little fuller. Mike: 7.25/10. Sandi: 7/10.
Double Cola
Double Cola is exactly what the name sounds like: a cola flavored soda with twice the amount of cola flavor. It definitely has punch and a rich flavor that is different from most other colas (even though it is a cola). Tastes good, but Pepsi Throwback is still my cola of choice. Mike: 7/10. Sandi: 7.5/10.
Sweet Blossom Rose Soda
Almost as bad as it sounds, but surprisingly sweet and not too overpowering. But I wouldn’t buy it again. Mike: 4.5/10. Sandi: 6.5/10.
Jeff’s Chocolate Cream Soda.
Again, another weird one, but not as bad as it sounds. It was weird to taste a creamy chocolate with carbonation, especially after many years of drinking chocolate milk. It was good, but again, I don’t know if I would buy it again. Mike: 6/10. Sandi: 6.8/10.
Sprecher Root Beer
Rated the best root beer by the New York Times, this root beer is interestingly lacking in the root beer flavor, but is very smooth and “fire brewed,” whatever that means. Rich taste, but not exactly what I think of when I think of root beer. Mike: 7.5/10. Sandi: 8.5/10.
XXX Root Beer
More root beery than the Sprecher, with a bolder taste. If looking for a strong root beer for a drink or a float, this would be a good choice (though not reviewed here, Virgil’s Root Beer is another great choice.) Mike: 7.5/10. Sandi: 5.5/10.
Virgil’s Black Cherry Cream Soda
Strong black cherry Flavor. I liked it better than Henry Weinhard’s Black Cherry (sacrilege for some of Sandi’s family). It has a rich, creamy flavor, that was smooth and delicious. Mike: 7.5/10. Sandi: 5.5/10.
Goya Coconut
Misleading flavor name. There really wasn’t much coconut flavor and it was disappointing overall. Sandi disagrees with my characterization, but she still liked it. Mike: 3/10. Sandi: 7/10.
(Not Purchased at Galco’s but that we have also tried)
Heritage Dr Pepper
With Dr Pepper’s 125th anniversary, it, like Pepsi and Mt. Dew before, decided to revert to the “original” recipe made with real sugar. It was only available in limited locations, but didn’t have the same punch as regular Dr Pepper. It was still delicious, however. Mike: 7.5/10. Sandi: 8/10.
Virgil’s Cream Soda
Powerful vanilla flavor. Almost overpowering. Still, very good and good for the cream soda lover. Mike: 7/10. Sandi: 9/10.
That is our soda round up, for now. We’ll keep you posted as we find more delicious liquid candy from all over the place. And if you have anything you’d like us to try, either comment on this post, or email us at archreviews at gmail dot com.
I’m secretly masquerading as my wife. I’m obviously late to the game, since I figured Mike and Sandi had already reviewed EVERYTHING that was worth reviewing. Obviously not. So, the big question here is, exactly how much DID you spend at the soda shop? Sounds like a sugar party. Next time, let’s have a soda-tasting event. We can all wear turtlenecks and sports jackets (optional for the ladies) and use our brandy snifters as soda snifters.
Let me know what you get worked out.
–El Jefe
El Jefe-
I can’t remember for sure, but I want to say that we spent $15-20, possibly less. I probably would have spent more were it not for the whole unemployed thing, but I guess that’s something that we can add for a reunion activity. But I don’t think we’re going to do turtlenecks instead of t-shirts.