Today’s Review: Coca-Cola Zero Raspberry

Coca-Cola are really churning out the flavours lately, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Here we have a raspberry version, which definitely piqued my interest. I’ve had raspberry coke before, but that was one of those flavour shot jobs at a chain pub, so I figured an official bottle of the stuff would be better.

It is better, in fact. Not perfect, there’s something about these fruit flavoured no sugar drinks that doesn’t sit well, they taste a little too artificial in general. This one isn’t too bad though, there’s a definite fruity flavour that’s actually pretty reminiscent of raspberry, and it blends in nicely with that Coke flavour without becoming too sweet overall. This is definitely better than some of the flavours they’ve brought out, I think I might pick this up again.

My rating: 4/5

Today’s Review: Monster Vanilla Espresso

Guess who’s back, back again. Yes, it’s me, that guy who reviews something every day. Except I somewhat retired back in September after several uninterrupted years. But I think I needed the break. My posts were becoming uninspired, a constant cranking out of low effort content just to keep up with that daily target. So those few months seem to have gotten my creative juices flowing a little better, and since it’s January 1st it’s time for “new year, new review”.

What better way to kick off the new year than with a kick in a can? Here we have Monster’s foray into the coffee market with this espresso blend. They’ve already tackled tea, which is... alright, but now you can get this triple shot espresso with the good old Monster formula mixed in, which isn’t for the weak hearted, medically speaking of course. Also pregnant women. 

I gotta say, this isn’t too bad. I went for the vanilla because I thought the regular flavour might be a little bitter, and I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth this was. Obviously this isn’t a full blown espresso, there’s some milk chucked in as well, but it’s a smooth tasting coffee blend that has a fairly authentic espresso flavour. There’s also a hint of that distinctive Monster taste as well, which is a little jarring, but the coffee does win out in the end. Clearly not one for the coffee aficionados, but if you’re looking for a can of wake up juice you can’t go wrong with this, just don’t drink too many, okay?

Looks like this bad boy retails for £1.99. A bit steep, but it’s included in the Tesco meal deal, so grab yourself a sandwich and a snack for an extra pound and brag to all your friends about what a great deal you just got.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Cadbury Oreo Hot Chocolate

I'm pretty sure Cadbury won't rest until they put Oreos in everything, here we have an Oreo version of their got chocolate powder. Add some hot milk, mix it all together and you’ll have yourself Oreo in a cup, or that’s the idea anyway. This stuff isn’t bad, but it is unremarkable. It pretty much just tastes like hot chocolate, with a little hint of creaminess that doesn’t exactly emulate the stuff in the middle of the biscuit. It’s nice enough for a nice hot drInk, but it’s not worth paying a premium for, and this seems to be more expensive than the regular Cadbury powder.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Oasis Aquashock Spicy Raspberry

I was not a fan of the cherry variety of Oasis' new flavoured water, but seeing another one while stopping for petrol, I couldn't help but give it another go. Here we have "spicy raspberry", which I thought was just a funky name, but it turns out it's raspberry and chilli flavoured. Why is there chilli in everything these days? I mean, I love spice more than anyone I know, but can I have a drink without my mouth burning?

Well yes, I can have this one, because it's not all that spicy. The raspberry is nice enough, I get something of a Volvic Touch Of Fruit vibe, but not as nice. The chilli tastes more like dodgy sweeteners than anything particularly spicy, and while it does leave a little bit of heat in the back of the throat after a few gulps, it's just not worth it. This is nicer than the cherry, but this whole Aquashock thing just isn't working for me.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Oasis Aquashock Chilled Cherry

Ah, you can always count on Oasis to deliver refreshing drinks in tasty flavours, so when I saw they’d brought out flavoured water, I had faith that they’d carried on their trend of success. Here we have Aquashock, a zero sugar water! So really, just regular water with low calorie sweetener chucked in. But this bottle promised chilled cherry, and I was interested to see what a cherry oasis would taste like. 

Well, this cherry is particularly chilled, to the point where it doesn’t seem to be doing anything at all. There’s a little hint of something, a little sweetness, but all in all it’s just a very lightly flavoured bottle of water. The only Aquashock here is the fact that Oasis disappointed me.

My rating: 1/5

Today's Review: Kenco Yummy Caramel Instant Coffee

Flavoured instant coffee is by no means a new thing, but Kenco have brought out a few and I figured I'd try out the caramel one. It's nice they haven't tried to shove some salt into the flavouring as well, they're starting simple, and sometimes simplicity is best. This is instant coffee, so chuck on some boiling water and you're good to go, and it's actually pretty tasty. It's not the level you'd find in your caramel lattes from Costa or Starbucks, but for a flavour shoved into instant granules, it's pretty authentic, and provides a nice level of sweetness. The caramel doesn't hang around forever in the overall taste, but I have to say I was impressed by this stuff, I'll definitely try out the other flavours.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Tetley Super Squash Berry Burst

This "adult squash" trend that has popped up recently is somewhat baffling. I didn't know that squash was considered just for kids, but apparently there's a market for this stuff, I guess like those Harry Potter books with the "adult" covers. Here we have Tetley's effort at creating a "super squash"which not only contains fruit, but also vitamin B6, which can help reduce fatigue. So this is medicinal squash for adults? I wasn't convinced, but I had to try it just to see what it was like.

I think Tetley should stick to making tea, this is not good squash. There's some amount of berry flavouring in there, particularly strawberry, but the majority is apple, and it's not great The fruit is overall a bit weak and it has a bit of a funny after taste. Plus it's only single concentrate, so it's not even economical. Just get regular squash, the supermarket brands are better, and if you're that worried about fatigue, there are probably better ways to deal with it than drinking cordial.

My rating: 1/5

Today's Review: Brothers Rhubarb & Custard Cider

They seem to be putting rhubarb and custard in everything these days, and why not? It's delicious. This one seemed a bit odd, but not too out of place. We all like a fruity cider, right? Well, why not one that tastes like our favourite sweet?

A rhubarb cider would be completely acceptable, it's the custard element that seemed a little weird. But in fact, it's pretty well represented. There's a smooth. creamy undertone that gives this drink a certain air of custard, and I'll let you decide if that's a good thing. For me, while it was a bit odd, it was still pretty tasty when coupled with the rhubarb, and this still made for a refreshing drink. The rhubarb is perhaps too subdued, I was hoping for a bit more tartness, but instead it gives more of a hint of something cream soda-like due to the inclusion of the custard flavour. Still, it's a very decent effort at a unique cider. After all, it could have gone horribly wrong.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Kopparberg Sparkling Rosé Raspberry Cider

Today on "Things We Never Knew We Wanted", it's an amalgamation of cider and rosé from the lovely folks at Kopparberg. Actually, it's just cider in a rosé bottle, but one that it seems Kopparberg hopes will strike a chord with those who want to share their cider without the frat boy image of the wonderful Kopparkeg. 

I'll tell you what, it's never taken me so long to get into a bottle of cider. It's all done up proper with the wire and cork, and it's pretty firmly set in there, it took a good amount of twisting to ease it out with the most unsatisfying pop: a bottle of prosecco this is not. As for the taste, I have to say I'm very underwhelmed. This stuff is fairly high in alcohol content compared to the regular ciders, so the fruitiness is sort of on the back burner. It's like a slightly flavoured alcoholic sparkling water. I mean, it's not undrinkable, it's somewhat enjoyable, but I'd much rather have their regular cider. This is just a whole lot of faff for not much reward.

My rating: 2/5

Today's Review: Tiger Pink Lemonade

It's hard to get a decent cold drink for a reasonable price around town these days, but when I was parched the other day I popped into Tiger and picked up this lovely looking bottle of pink lemonade for a mere pound. There's not too much to say about this, it's just a decent, refreshing bottle of lemonade. Fruity, sour and lightly sparkling, it's a good lemonade, but the lime that's apparently also present isn't particularly noticeable. Still, a very nice, refreshing drink that did the trick on a hot day.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Euro Shopper Cola

Have you ever wondered what a 25p can of corner shop cola tastes like? Well, it might surprise you to find out that it's not good. I didn't expect anything to be fair, I just picked it up in lieu of anything new or exciting to review, just so I could chuck in my two cents. So basically, this is a very cheap cola that taste like a very cheap cola. Sugary water with a miniscule amount of bad flavouring. It tastes a little bit like cola, sure, but it's mostly just slightly flavoured water with a load of sugar. Not even worth 25p. Save up your money for at least the cheap Barr stuff.

My rating: 1/5

Today's Review: Starbucks Cold Brew Latte

It's been... slightly warm this week, so I pounced on the opportunity to try out a cold brew latte from Starbucks. It's like a latte, but it's cold! I don't think I'd actually tried an iced coffee before this one, I missed out on the ones at Dunkin' Donuts before it closed down. Woe is me. Anyway, despite my lack of iced coffee experience, I have to say I'm not a great fan. All the elements of the latte are here, but I think something's lost with the lack of steamed milk. Not a bad little beverage for a hot day, a nice chilled milky drink with a coffee kick, but I think I'd rather go for a frappe. Hot lattes all the way.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Tuck Shop Strawberry Jelly & Ice Cream Drink

Here's a quick little review of this little bottle I picked up in a Spar at the weekend. It's a strawberry jelly and ice cream soda, because we all love it when our favourite party foods are converted into drinks, right? You may have guessed it, but this is basically a strawberry flavoured cream soda, and a sugar free one at that, so neither flavour is represented all that well. There's a hint of cream soda, yes, and a touch of fruitiness, but it all falls quite flat, it's like a mildly flavoured bottle of lightly sparkling water. Did the trick for quenching my thirst on a hot day, but it's not a particularly good drink. I wouldn't bother picking it up.

My rating: 2/5

Today's Review: Monster Juiced Mango Loco

The Monster flavours seem to be coming thick and fast lately. I was pleasantly surprised to see this bright blue can in my local corner shop, and even happier when upon closer inspection I found it was a mango flavoured Monster. I've become pretty fond of mango drinks over the years, and this one promises that tropical flavour with an added Monster kick. It's not just mango in here, there's also guava, pineapple, passion fruit, to name a few. A proper tropical juice concoction.

This ain't your regular can of Monster. The focus is very much on the juice, and they've done a decent job of it. It's not exactly Tropicana, sure, but there's a nice fruity blend in here that is pretty refreshing, if a little bit sickly. The Monster energy blend gives it a nice kick, and while being noticeable it doesn't detract from that tropical flavour. This is a pretty good effort at a tropical energy drink, one that I wouldn't mind picking up again.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Morrisons Toffee Flavoured Milk

Here's a quick review of a bottle of flavoured milk I picked up today. I've tried the generic flavours of Morrisons milk, and while I'm sure the toffee variety has been around for a while, this is the first time I've grabbed it. This basically consists of 95% milk, sugar and flavourings, and with that in mind it's fairly decent. The flavour isn't too sweet or overwhelming, it's a subtle, smooth toffee flavour that works well with the milk and makes for a refreshing drink that still seems pretty healthy. It could perhaps do with a bit more flavour in places, but that would be at the risk of it becoming too sickly, so I guess they're on the right side of the spectrum. A very decent attempt at a toffee milk though, I wouldn't mind getting this again.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Rekorderlig Botanicals Rhubarb, Lemon & Mint

What a lovely English summer's day we've had, although now it seems the warm weather is gone again. But still, today was a lovely day to enjoy a barbecue, paired with a refreshing cider, so I grabbed a few, including this interesting little botanical brew from Rekorderlig. It's a pear cider, with a blend of rhubarb, lemon and mint, in a lovely little see through bottle to set it apart from their usual flavours.

"Little" is the operative word here, you get less volume here than the regular varieties, for the same price. It's good stuff though, a nice combination of flavours, with the rhubarb really coming through, and the tartness of the lemon giving it a nice citrus kick. The mint is subtle, rounding off the flavour, but I have to say it may have done better without it, there's maybe just a little too much going on here for me to appreciate all the elements. But this is a very refreshing cider, with a very unique flavour. I'm looking forward to trying out the other Botanicals, whenever the sun comes back...

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Sprite Lemon, Lime & Cucumber

I don't really understand cucumber. I mean, I don't hate it, I'm more indifferent to it. I'll eat it if it's in a salad, but I won't go out of my way to consume it. It just seems so pointless, it's mostly water, it doesn't taste good, but it keeps popping up everywhere. Take this bottle of Sprite for instance. If you asked me what would be a good addition to Sprite, I would go with another fruity flavour. Not in a million years would I suggest sticking cucumber in there. But here we are.

What more can I say? This is Sprite with cucumber flavour added. It's a variation on Sprite Zero, so I guess this is something to appeal to those on a health kick. I must say, it does taste a bit like cucumber, but that flavour overwhelms everything else. The lemon and lime are muted, and altogether it makes for a pretty bland drink that tastes a bit too much like cucumber. Not a great variation, I look to Sprite for my lemonade fix, not to get a cucumber experience. Stay out of my soft drinks.

My rating: 2/5

Today's Review: Monster Ultra Violet

Oooh, another new Monster flavour. I'm glad I managed to snag one, because I had trouble seeing it at first. Get it? Because it's Ultra Violet? Hahahaha! Anyhoo, this is another addition to the Ultra range, which I have thus far thoroughly enjoyed. This one is violet, and in true Monster fashion the name and description hold no clues as to what flavour it's supposed to be. The blurb is a ramble about 70s psychedelia and apparel, while also saying it's "pixie dust" flavour, which is entirely unhelpful. But as they say, the proof of the energy drink is in the tasting, or something like that.

Well, it tastes purple, which as you may know equates to something like that artificial American grape flavouring. So basically it's a zero calorie grape flavoured energy drink. It's a little odd, normally I expect that grape taste to be coupled with a sickly thickness, but here it's somewhat light. It's not a particularly great flavour, kind of artificial and vaguely fruity, but it's refreshing enough. Definitely at the bottom of my list of Ultra flavours, but it could be a lot worse.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Dr. Pepper Cherry Vanilla

Dr. Pepper just doesn't get the recognition it deserves over here. Sure, you can get it in regular and Zero, but we're a long way off from it being a beverage of choice at McDonald's. So I'm glad when I stumble across a different variety at any import shops I wander into, and was especially so when I found this one, which boasts both cherry and vanilla in one can. Good old fashioned American flavours.

I figured since Dr. Pepper is already "fruit flavoured" that the cherry wouldn't be all that noticeable, but it is, a nice bold cherry flavour that works quite well with the vanilla. It all combines with the regular Dr. Pepper taste, and somehow ends up tasting a bit like a cherry bakewell. Not a bad thing, but a little odd for a drink. So yes, it's very sweet, and packs a lot of flavour, but perhaps a bit too much. An interesting variation on the original, but I think I'd rather go for the regular.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Monster Pipeline Punch

I wish all new products were as easy to spot as this one. Stepping into my local corner shop, I found this shocking pink can staring right at me. "Pick me," it cried, "pick me and imbibe my energy!" It didn't need to go to all that effort, I had every intention of picking it up anyway. So what is "Pipeline Punch"? Well, it's a combination of passion fruit, orange and guava, with that Monster energy blend mixed in to kick it up a notch. So basically it's a tropical flavoured Monster. I guess the pink makes sense then, but why is it so bright?

One sip was all I needed to find out why. It's a fruity drink, sure, but it's very sweet, and while the individual fruits can be picked out, all mixed together I have to say it tastes pretty much like the colour pink, and a bright one at that. Thankfully it's not bad, it's not sickly in a syrupy way, they've just gone a little overboard with the flavours. This can has a totally tropical taste, and is pretty refreshing, with a good little burst of energy packed in as well. Not perfect, but a pretty good can. I'd say look out for it, but I don't think you'll be able to miss it.

My rating: 4/5