6 Other Things I Consumed This Week: 12/12/2025

/ / Other Things I Consumed, Reviews / Leave a Comment

Yes Honey Sweet Apple Soda

Yes Honey Sweet Apple and Strawberry Sodas

These definitely taste like they’re sweetened with honey. I picked up the Sweet Apple one first, and when I tried it, I didn’t taste apple. All my taste buds could pick up was the honey, which Winnie the Pooh would be all over and shaking his honey pot-shaped belly in euphoria. But I really wanted more of apple.

Yes Honey Strawberry Soda

Because the honey was so strong with the Apple one, I wondered if it would be the case with another Yes Honey flavor. So I ended up spending another three dollars for the Strawberry version, which had a more noticeable fruity flavor. The honey still comes through strong, but at least my tongue can taste the strawberry.

Adding honey to a strawberry soda creates a unique flavor that’s also quite good. If you happen to see Yes Honey sodas, they’re worth a try.

Yes Honey Soda also comes in Ginger Ale, Watermelon, Berry, and Peach flavors. The latter two flavors have 50 milligrams of caffeine from green tea.

RYSE Sunny D Energy Drink

Ryse Sunny D Energy Drink

I went into my local 7-Eleven to during my run jog brisk walk sloth-paced walk to pick up something to pick-me-up. I had intended to purchase a Monster Ultra, but a can was almost FIVE DOLLARS. So I ended up buying the RYSE Sunny D Energy Drink, which was almost two dollars cheaper.

Does this energy drink taste like Sunny D? I don’t know. It’s been a VERY long time since I’ve had Sunny D, and I’m trying to remember what it tastes like. All I remember is that it was SUPER sweet, and I don’t get that with this sugar-free drink with 200 milligrams of caffeine. It definitely has an orange flavor, but no wave of nostalgia washed over me, reminding me of Sunny D. It’s fine tasting energy drink, and it’s made me curious enough that I might give other RYSE flavors a try.

Pop & Bottle Double Cold Brew Oat Milk Latte

Pop & Bottle Double Cold Brew Oat Milk Latte

This one is not for me. After trying it, I would not repurchase it.

What got me curious about it was that this coffee drink is sweetened with dates. As someone who likes RXBars and Larabars, I thought it might surprise me. As I drank it, RXBars and Larabars definitely came to mind, although too much. It’s not awful, but the date flavor distracts my taste buds from the coffee and cold brew. If I were into niche alternative sweeteners, this would be one of the few coffee drink choices I have.

A can does have 120 milligrams of caffeine. However, the can’s 8-ounce size bothers me. Before I knew it, it was gone.

Starbucks Iced Banana Protein Cold Foam Matcha

Starbucks Iced Banana Protein Cold Foam Matcha

When Starbucks rolled out its protein drinks and protein cold foams, this version that it promoted was the only one I wanted because, if you’re a regular reader here, you know I go bananas for bananas. Anyhoo, this drink was highly disappointing to my banana-loving taste buds.

The foam’s banana flavor was almost non-existent, except for occasional moments when a banana chunk ended up in my mouth. But other than that, all I could taste was the matcha, which isn’t an awful thing because, if you’re a regular reader here, you know I go mmmm for matcha. Well, at least I got a good amount of protein that day.

Alani Nu Winter Wonderland Energy Drink (2025)

Alani Nu Winter Wonderland Energy Drink (2025)

Alani Nu’s Winter Wonderland got rebuilt in Santa’s workshop this year. I didn’t try the previous version, which had a coconut element. However, this updated flavor with a stronger fruity taste is delicious. Out of all the cranberry-flavored holiday beverages I’ve had over the past few weeks, I think this one stands out as my favorite. However, that could be the caffeine talking. But it has a tasty cranberry flavor that’s neither too sweet nor too tart, making it easy to drink. It’s definitely something I’d drink again next year unless Alani Nu changes the recipe again. Which I hope it doesn’t do.

5 Other Things I Consumed This Week: 10/10/25

/ / Other Things I Consumed, Reviews / 4 Comments

7-Eleven Hawaii Cinnamon Toast Slurpee

7-Eleven Hawaii Cinnamon Toast Slurpee

I know the place card for the Slurpee is janky, but this flavor is decent. I’m not sure if it’s trying to replicate the cereal, but if it is, I don’t think it quite hits the mark. It has that hot cinnamon flavor, but without the hot. It’s kind of like a very mild Big Red chewing gum flavor. It’s a good attempt, but since it doesn’t seem to use actual cinnamon, its flavor isn’t quite comparable to the cereal. With that said, this was an enjoyable slushie, and its flavor is good enough that I might pick up another one before it disappears. However, I don’t know if you can tell, but there’s another new flavor with a janky place card that I’ll probably try next week..

Alani Nu Hawaiian Shaved Ice Energy Drink

Alani Nu Hawaiian Shave Ice Energy Drink

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve been loving my journey through the Alani Nu energy drink flavors. However, that journey has hit a bit of a snag. While this flavor is good, it’s also too sweet for me. I mean, all the Alani Nu flavors I’ve tried are sweet, but this one goes over the edge. The flavor tastes like a combination of strawberry, pineapple, and vanilla, with a hint of coconut and a flavor that reminds me of the wooden spoon that comes with shave ice. It’s definitely not a flavor I’d repurchase.

Wonderful Chocolate Covered Pistachios

Wonderful Pistachios Chocolate Sea Salt and Chocolate Toffee

I received free samples of these from Wonderful in the two varieties available: Chocolate Toffee and Chocolate Sea Salt. Both are coated in dark chocolate. These are, um, what’s a word that would best describe these? Wicked. The good wicked. Wicked good. Or maybe Wicked Elphaba Good because the pistachios are green? If I had to pick between the two, I’d pick Chocolate Toffee over Chocolate Sea Salt. The latter definitely hits the sweet and salty spot, but I enjoyed the mild butteriness of the toffee more.

Mela Watermelon Water + Pineapple

Mela Watermelon Water + Pineapple

I picked this up after playing a round of mini golf on the least crazy mini golf course ever. No windmills. No mystery tunnels. No walls to bank off of. I was thirsty dealing with the heat, humidity, speed of the greens, and the fact that I haven’t touched a putter in over a decade. This tasted like I squashed watermelon with my hands because I was frustrated with taking 12 strokes on one hole, letting the juices go through a strainer, and into a glass. The pineapple is milder than the watermelon, so it was kind of easy to miss. Perhaps it tasted like I squeezed a pineapple wedge with my bare hands to let out my frustration for taking 11 strokes on another hole. While I suck at mini golf at this particular course, this watermelon water with a hint of pineapple did not suck.

Humm Mango Passionfruit Probiotic Kombucha

Humm Mango Passionfruit Probiotic Kombucha

My parents have a habit of picking up random stuff at Costco, even if they have no idea what it is. For example, they bought a case of Alani Nu Energy Drink, not realizing it contained 200 milligrams of caffeine per can. Another example is this kombucha from Humm. They picked it up based on the flavor combination, but didn’t know what kombucha was. So when my parents offered this to me during this week’s visit to my childhood home, I had to educate my parents about the fermented drink, which was one of the better-tasting kombuchas I’ve ever had. Sometimes kombucha has a light alcoholic vibe to it because of the fermentation, but I didn’t notice that with this one. It had a taste and feel that’s more like a probiotic soda than a kombucha, with a sweet mango flavor and a bit of tartness from the passionfruit. It’s decent enough that I’m kind of glad my parents impulsively bought this.

REVIEW: Alani Nu Pumpkin Cream Energy Drink

/ / Reviews / 2 Comments

And so it begins: Pumpkin Season.

But not just any pumpkin season, an extra pumped-up, super caffeinated pumpkin season.

For the first time in its short and successful history, Alani Nu released a limited edition Pumpkin Cream sugar-free energy drink. Growing from a supplement store darling in 2018 to one of the most sought-after and competitive drinks in the entire market, Alani Nu is going where few companies are willing to go: cold, bubbly, sweet pumpkin.

Pumpkin-flavored drinks are nothing new. Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte is the origin of the last two decades’ worth of pumpkin spice obsession, but cold and carbonated is a different story than warm and milky. After the massive success of Alani’s Witch’s Brew, a slightly sour caramel apple-flavored energy drink, I’m not surprised the company is willing to take a big, spooky swing and attempt a new release that could be polarizing for consumers. And indeed, divisive this one will be.

Alani Nu Pumpkin Cream is good, but there’s no doubt that it’s kind of weird. The flavor has that immediate vegetal quality to it. It’s kind of round and slightly funky — unfamiliar, but not bad. This isn’t just merely bubbly spices; it’s pumpkin, akin to jarred or canned pureed pumpkin, and I respect that. Especially when combined with the very present cream quality, it tastes a lot like a scoop of pumpkin ice cream, which is pleasant, but no doubt, again, kind of weird.

The taste is quite sweet with just the slightest dash of cinnamon to support the profile without any other notable spices like nutmeg or ginger, which makes sense as it is pumpkin cream, and not pumpkin spice. Aside from ice cream, this drink also reminds me of another true-to-taste pumpkin product that arrives this time of the year: Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Joe-Joe’s.

It is not a flavor for the faint of heart or part-time pumpkin lovers, and it is far from a crowd pleaser. However, it executes what it is aiming to execute, and that is a pretty autumnally admirable energy drink that’s fun for an occasional seasonal sip.

Purchased Price: $7.99 (I overpaid for an early release, single can)
Size: 12 ounces
Purchased at: Energy Drink City Website
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can, 355mL) 10 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 180 milligrams of sodium, 2 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 0 grams of total sugars, 1 gram of sugar alcohol, and 0 grams of protein.

Scroll to Top