REVIEW: Crush Electric Blue Razz Soda

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Crush Electric Blue Razz Soda 1.

It’s new! It’s blue! It’s like, totally tubular to the max! It’s Crush’s Back to the 80s Electric Blue Razz soda, and if you tend to like blue raspberry flavored things, you’re going to love it!

The can design, featuring a subtle vaporwave style background and some pixelated blue raspberries, really nails the 80s aesthetic. I can totally picture Ms. Pac-Man herself chasing down those squared off fruits, desperate for a taste of blue razz. But luckily for us, no mazes are required if you want to get your hands on some! It only took me a quick stop at my local Walmart.

Crush Electric Blue Razz Soda 2.

As soon as I popped the top on the first can, I was met with a scent as familiar and cozy as a well-worn blanket. That sweet, slightly tart, very blue scent I’ve grown accustomed to from a variety of candies and other treats greeted me like an old friend.

Crush Electric Blue Razz Soda 3.

The flavor was spot on. A sweet, bright top note followed by a quick burst of tartness, but it’s not sour. It finishes off with a well-balanced fruit-forward aftertaste. This stuff was exactly what I wanted from a blue raspberry soda. It hit every note perfectly, the only thing keeping it from achieving a perfect 10 out of 10 score is that the flavor was a bit milder than I’d hoped. It’s definitely more subtle than say, Mountain Dew. It does, however, make truly excellent floats. And if you have a Ninja Slushi, it makes for a movie-theater-worthy blue slush with the perfect texture and viscosity. All in all, I love this addition to the summer soda lineup. I hope it sticks around for a while. But just in case it doesn’t, I’ll be stocking up.

Sidenote: if you’ve ever wondered about blue raspberries and why they are just a flavor and aren’t an actual fruit, the answer is to help easily distinguish it from other “red” flavors and to replace a specific food dye that was discontinued in the 1970s. The more you know!

Purchased Price: $6.34
Size: 12 pack/12 oz cans
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Per Serving: 170 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 65 milligrams of sodium, 43 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 43 grams of total sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Vernors Boston Cooler

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Ah, Michigan. Home of American autos, Detroit-style pizzas…and Boston Coolers?

One of these things is not like the other. But nearly 160 years ago, Vernors joined the soda world from, you guessed it, a pharmacy – just like many of its fizzy forebears.

Vernors is ginger ale, but not the sharp, spicy kind you’d find in a ginger beer. Think Canada Dry, but even more mellow in my opinion.

A Boston Cooler is like a root beer float – only the “root beer” part is Vernors ginger ale.

The origins of the seemingly random name? Murky at best.

Some trace it to Boston Boulevard in Detroit’s historic Boston-Edison neighborhood. Others say marketers liked the ring of “Boston” over “Detroit.” Another theory? It was once a generic name for any soda + ice cream combo. Whatever the real story, Vernors trademarked “Boston Cooler” in 1967 for its ginger ale ice cream bar, and by the ’70s, it had become a Detroit staple.

As a current Michigander, I had to ask the born-and-raised Michiganders. The response was lots of nostalgic nods as well as friendly reminders that “we call it pop here, not soda.”

So when the limited-time Vernors Boston Cooler soda pop hit shelves, I had to give it a try.

My first impression, though: heavy artificial vanilla. Think A&W Cream Soda on the nose. As I kept sipping, my brain tried to convince me it was tasting a creamsicle. The vanilla was overpowering – so much so that the Vernors flavor felt like an extra in the background rather than the supporting actor. Sweet, yes. Fizzy, yes. But that signature “ginger” note? Not really there.

All in all, it was kind of a letdown. I think I’d rather try the original ginger ale ice cream bar for the full experience. Still, if you’re curious (or just craving a taste of Michigan nostalgia), grab it while it’s around. You’ll find it in 12-packs of 12-ounce cans, 20-ounce bottles, and 2-liter bottles.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 2 liter bottle

Purchased at: Meijer
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 140 calories, 0 grams of fat, 55 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 38 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein

REVIEW: A&W Limited Edition Ice Cream Sundae Soda

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Are you a millennial like me? If so, you must remember the New York Seltzer craze. Those cheery glass bottles with their cartoony NYC skylines were everywhere. And I know this seems off topic, but stick with me because I had entirely forgotten about the existence of that stuff until I popped open a can of A&W’s new Ice Cream Sundae flavored soda and was instantly transported back to a bygone 1991 and watching Rugrats while carefully holding one of those aforementioned glass bottles because very young me staunchly refused to allow my seltzer to be poured into another vessel.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that if you yearn for the taste of a long-discontinued cream soda flavored seltzer, which came back in 2015 and was discontinued again, have I got a product for you.

This soda isn’t bad, but I wouldn’t say it tastes like an ice cream sundae, either. Maaaaaybe a mid-tier egg cream. At best. On that front, I’m disappointed. It smells chemically, leaning toward chocolate, but I don’t really taste much in the way of chocolate flavor at all. The overwhelming taste is cream soda (as if that weren’t evident by the first paragraph) with a smack of something… else. Something I can’t quite put my finger on. Is it supposed to be maraschino cherry? Maybe caramel? Whipped cream? Sprinkles? I don’t know, but I can say that it really doesn’t add much to the final product. If you generally like cream sodas, you’ll probably like this one just fine.

There’s a strong and up front vanilla note surrounded by an artificial undertone that’s a bit distracting but not too horrible. It fades away quickly into a mild vanilla aftertaste. I think this would make a decent float, as the game you can play by scanning the QR code on the packaging suggests. The color is also a bit paler than I expected, but then I do tend to get my sundaes with chocolate ice cream, so that one might be on me.

On the whole, this is worth a try for the novelty factor, but don’t expect something completely new and unique.

Purchased Price: $8.78
Size: 12 pack/12 fl oz cans
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 150 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 40 grams of total sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Mountain Dew Dragon Fruit

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Despite its namesake, dragon fruit isn’t exactly the boldest of flavors. Now, don’t get me wrong, I \*like\* dragon fruit, especially the yellow kind. However, I really find that it adds more in the way of color and texture than flavor, which is why I was honestly kind of surprised when I heard that Mountain Dew, a brand known for bold flavors like Flamin’ Hot and Code Red, had decided to add a dragon fruit flavor to its lineup.

I do have to give them credit where credit is due (or Dew, haha): this stuff DOES really taste like dragon fruit. The flavor is mild, but it is present, and it does evoke the actual namesake fruit. There is a hint of that trademark vaguely citrusy taste most varieties of Mountain Dew share as a background note and a slight aftertaste, and that Dew scent remains present. However, there is a sort of mild, earthy hint of kiwi-like sweetness from dragon fruit that ties it all together.

Even the color looks close. If you’ve ever blended a few chunks of red dragon fruit into an otherwise pale smoothie, topped some Greek yogurt with it, or even just picked up a piece with your bare fingers, you know that bright pink shade it imparts, and I daresay this Dew nails it.

All that being said, the flavor is still really weak. If I’m taking in as much sugar as two servings of Skittles (there’s no zero sugar variety), I want to TASTE something! This almost feels like a sweetened La Croix with the fruit-like whisper of flavor the dragon fruit lends. So, if you’re looking for a bold new Dew to celebrate the summer with, I might suggest Baja Cabo Citrus, 7-Eleven’s exclusive Infinite Swirl, or the returning Summer Freeze. Because sadly, this one just misses the mark and the flavor I have come to expect from one of my favorite soft drink brands.

Purchased Price: $2.38
Size: 20 fl oz bottle (also available in cans)
Purchased at: Walmart (Exclusive)
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 280 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 73 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 73 grams of total sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Mtn Dew Baja Cabo Citrus

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There’s a new Dew in town, and that town is Cabo. Or is it Baja? Both of those are towns in Mexico, right? I wasn’t sure, so I looked it up. It turns out Baja is a state in Mexico, on the California peninsula, while Cabo is a city in Baja, so I guess the name kind of works? Anyway.

In the bottle, this soda is shockingly orange. The deep teal label provides a nice counterbalance, heightening the depth of the drink’s color. I know this might be a bit much for a color, but I find it really appealing. It’s very summery and bright. Looking at it just feels refreshing and summery. Like, I want the bottle to be wearing sunglasses with a pool floaty around it.

Opening the bottle, the scent is very orange-forward citrus. It’s not overpowering, but definitely noticeable. There are faint hints of lime as well, but kind of a syrupy sweet lime, unlike Baja Blast itself. It’s really nice and fresh, and I wouldn’t mind an air freshener or candle that smelled like it.

Then I took a sip. Have you ever had those very generic gummy orange slice candies? The ones dusted with sugar and seemingly only available at gas stations? Yeah, Mountain Dew Baja Cabo Citrus could have been called Mountain Dew Gas Station Orange Slice based on flavor alone. The lime and supposed “Citrus Punch” vanishes into the background, all but invisible against the looming presence of sweet, yet very artificial tasting, orange. If you’re a fan of orange sodas in general, I feel like you’ll probably like this. There’s a brief flash of Dew-flavored aftertaste, but that candy flavor is far more dominant.

I think this would make excellent floats with some vanilla ice cream or freezes with some lime or orange sherbet. It’s not bad, and I actually like it. It’s just very, very orange-forward, and I’m a lime girlie who really appreciates the more tart notes in my soda. (RIP Pitch Black II, the sourest of them all!)

In conclusion, this isn’t a super original flavor, but it is a nice orangey addition to the Dew lineup if you aren’t into that spicy mango flavor that recently dropped at Little Caesars.

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 20 fl oz bottle
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: Per Serving: 280 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 95 milligrams of sodium, 74 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 74 grams of total sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

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