Generally, when I think of a black cherry soda, bile starts to build up in the back of my throat -- a sort of Pavlov’s Dog’s reaction to the overly saccharine and syrupy taste that’s in nearly every black cherry beverage. I don’t understand why this should occurs. Isn’t there someone at the soda design labs who decides on whether a soda is disgustingly sweet, or not? It shouldn’t really take much skill to realize when things are terrible. If someone’s hand were on fire, that person would probably say something like, “Wow, my hand is on fire. This hurts.” Likewise, when someone gets bitten by a snake, they would probably say something like, “Man, I just got bit by a snake. How unpleasant.” So I don’t understand why there isn’t at least one normal, minimum-wage employee who will grade each soda flavor as: A. satisfactory, or B. Idiots, why did you add this much sweetener?
So, now that you understand my view of the average black cherry soda, you must realize how big of a gamble it was for me to grab Boylan's Natural Black Cherry Soda off of the aisle. There was a Steaz Orange waiting for me, positioned at the perfect level for me to comfortably grab, it’s vivid orange reminding me of the clean, fruity flavor contained within it. And then to the right of it, there was a Hansen’s Signature Sarsaparilla Soda. It was curiously distanced away from the other beverages, as if it purposely stood out to say, “Drink me! You loved my Orange Cream brethren, and I can assure you that you will love me the same!” But no, instead, I decided to get my snack on in a very reckless fashion this afternoon, and I grabbed this black cherry beverage.
I must say that it was a risk definitely worth taking. This is the kind of soda that one will want whether thirsty or not. Upon drinking it, I just wanted to keep on sipping it, and sipping it, not out of any physical desire for sustenance, but just for it’s amazing flavor. Right when it hits your mouth, you get that traditional black cherry soda flavor, but much more natural tasting and pleasant. After the initial contact, you begin to taste the vanilla that makes the flavor even richer. And upon swallowing, the taste almost reminds me of a cherry cola, with a definitely sweet, but still very clean aftertaste. Although the cherry flavor dominates, when I am leisurely sipping the drink, not paying too much attention to the flavor, it almost tastes like a sweet fruit cola. I do not think that this is a bad trait, as it adds complexity and an original character to a soda flavor that is usually simplistic and bland.
This soda is easily within my top 5, and after I try a few more black cherry sodas, I just might give this the title of, “The Best Cherry Soda”. It’s a very good candidate for the title at this point, and I think Boylan Bottling Company should be very proud of their creation.
Also, when trying to find this soda, please remember that this is Boylan’s Natural Black Cherry Soda. The ingredients list of Boylan’s Natural line and their normal Bottleworks line differ quite considerably, and although I have not done a side-by-side comparison, I’m willing to bet that the Natural line tastes considerably better.
Reckless.
Where to find this beverage:
- Trader Joe's or other nice grocery stores
- Cosco
Amon Tobin - Get Your Snack On
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