Soda-flavored Cotton Candy

Cotton candy used to be something of a rare treat. It was something you would get if you went to an amusement park, fair, sporting event, or some other special occasion. However, as you grow older, you realize that cotton candy is just spun sugar. You also learn that it’s pretty widely available. The pre-packaged cotton candy you can buy in stores may not be as good as the one you pay $5 for at a game, but it gets the job done. Much like movie popcorn, it’s not just the snack, but the experience itself that enhances things.

The packaging for the cotton candy

Enter this cotton candy. I have no idea what it says, but I love soda flavored things and I like cotton candy. I should clarify this, I like cotton candy when it’s at a special event or when there’s something extra in it. What made me excited about this product is that when I’ve bought cotton candy from Japanese markets, there’s always something extra. For instance, there is a grape variety that has popping candy in it, giving you a pleasant surprise, and there’s a cola variety that turns into gum after a period of time. Think about that for a second, cotton candy that turns into gum. When I bought this soda flavored candy, I had a bit of buyer’s remorse seeing as how there were only three ingredients listed on the back (sugar, coloring, artificial flavoring) which meant that there would be a slim chance of getting a surprise.

They come in packets of two

Well, the best way to describe this candy is that it’s certainly cotton candy. You could buy pre-packaged cotton candy anywhere else and it would taste about the same. The only thing that makes it different is the soda flavoring. There’s no extra pizzazz to make you think “Oh ho ho, now that’s something.” While good and acceptable, I suppose I’m just not a big enough fan of pre-packaged cotton candy to buy it again unless it came with something special inside. If you like cotton candy, then this is worth trying,

Soda flavored cotton candy: 6.5/10

Diet Big Red Soda

My beverage of choice wherever I go is usually a diet soda. Among my favorites are Diet A&W Root Beer, Pepsi Max, and, of course, good old Diet Coke. However, sometimes, like with all good things, when you have too much of a certain diet soda, you grow tired of it. It doesn't mean that the soda isn't good anymore, it just means you've grown too accustomed to it, so you don't appreciate as much as you once did. That is why, for better or for worse, I'm always willing to try different diet sodas that I've never tasted before.

Enter Diet Big Red. I've read about Big Red soda before, but I've never tasted it. Wal-Mart sold non-diet versions of Big Red, but I would rather save my 150 or so calories for solid food. However, the other day, Wal-Mart did in-fact start selling the diet version of Big Red, so into the unknown I go!

Diet Big Red in my Christmas cat glass

There aren't many red colored sodas, so who knows what this was going to taste like. When most people think of Big Red, they think of Wrigley's Big Red gum, and I was almost certain that they wouldn't flavor a soda with cinnamon. Well, the best way to describe the flavor of this soda would be that it tastes like bubblegum. That's right, think about the flavors of Bazooka Joe or Big League Chew, and this soda tastes pretty much like what you're imagining. According to Wikipedia, the flavors are derived from mixing lemon oil, orange oil, and vanilla. Also according to Wikipedia, this soda is a favorite of several celebrities, including Karl Malone.

I can't say that I liked this soda, nor can I say I disliked it. It was refreshing at first, but after a while, I can see how it can turn disgusting. My friends did not seem to like the soda, with one of them describing it as tasting like cough syrup. I wouldn't go THAT far, but this soda is definitely not for everyone. I guess it's a soda that you would like if you grew up drinking it, but for the rest of us, it's a hit or miss.

Diet Big Red Soda: 5/10

Japan Loot part 5

Coming up, I have another candy which I don't know anything about. When I asked Phil what it was, his said, "It's like...Fruit By the Foot..." I received two packets, each of them is a different flavor. The first one I will be writing about is...

Judging by the bag, it looks like it's cola and soda flavored. There are tentacles or something wrapping around the bag. Yep, that's about as much as I can derive from the bag

I tried pulling out a "piece" and realized it was all one long thing, so I broke it off. Anyway, it's a slightly slimmer version of a gummy worm I'd say

So the flavor reflected what I thought it would be, which was cola and soda flavored. The flavors were like those of any other soda or cola flavored candy found anywhere else and I enjoyed it. The texture reminded me of a slimmer gummy worm. Overall, this candy reminded me of cola and soda flavored gummy worms, which is to say it was pretty good.

Soda and Cola flavored Gummy String: 7/10

Based on the picture, I'm sure it's safe to assume that this is grape flavored. However, what's the difference between green and purple grapes? This candy will answer that question

Again, it's one long strand until you break it off

So what's the difference between purple grapes and green grapes? Well...I couldn't really tell the difference between the two grapes. Maybe the purple had a slightly more intense grape flavor, but that's it. Other than the fact that purple grape was a little stronger, I couldn't really tell a difference between the two. However, I do enjoy grape candies, so this one was quite a delight. The texture was the same as the previous mentioned candy. Overall it was pretty good as well.

Purple Grape and Green Grape flavored Gummy String: 7/10

Japan Loot part 2

And here's the second installment of Japan Loot.

A bag of gummy soda flavored candy. I was told by Phil and Karina that the melon soda flavored was the best tasting one. I've never been that big of a fan of melon soda (refer to my adventure with the Brothers Wong), so I wasn't TOO excited. However, because you don't really see melon sodas outside of Asian supermarkets, and because I had no idea what "white soda" was, I had to try this candy next.

White soda gummy on the left, melon soda gummy on the right

I tried the white soda gummy first. The first thing I noticed was that I really like the texture, it was a cross between gummy worms and soft gummy bears, so they weren't too tough and they weren't too soft either. The flavor was like blue colored soda candies, so it wasn't bad, but it wasn't overly impressive. However, due to the texture, I enjoyed this candy quite a bit.

Next was the melon soda gummy. This candy really did taste like melon soda. As I've stated previously, I'm not a fan of melon soda, but I'll be damned if this gummy wasn't really good. Its texture was the same as the white soda gummy, and as I stated, I really liked the texture.

White Soda and Melon Soda Gummies: 8.5/10

Next up we have...

I'm going to assume Purple Yam flavored Crunky. While Phil and Karina were in Japan, I asked Phil to get me something ridiculous. This was his response. I've had Crunky before, and I've always viewed it as a ricier Krackel bar or Crunch bar. Even though purple yam is well known among the Asian community, there aren't many purple yam flavored candies available in the U.S.A.

Alright, so you may be asking, "Where's a picture of the candy, you jerk?" Well my response is I had a picture, BUT it got corrupted and I didn't feel like taking another picture. Lucky for me, the candy basically looks like it does on the box, so you're not really missing out on much. I didn't really taste the purple yam. Maybe it was just colored with purple yam. It didn't taste quite like chocolate, so I know that it was flavored with something. However, I'm not sure what it was flavored with. Despite the mystery, I still liked it. It was creamy and there were many little crunchy bits in there.

Purple Crunky: 7.5/10