Reviewing so many different varieties of soda poses a challenge. How do you compare an ice cream sweet orange cream to a dry fuji apple soda?  My solution is to rate the beverages independently, based primarily on how excited would I be to drink it again. I wanted to make sure that was understood before jumping into my review of the Dry Sparkling Fuji Apple soda.

Big disclaimer, the Dry Soda Company provided me with the sample for this review free of charge. Did that compromise my journalistic integrity? Probably. If anyone else would like to compromise it further, please contact me and I’ll let you know where to send the product.

imgp3162

This wasn’t my first experience with the Dry Sparkling sodas, but it’s been a while. I noticed right off the bat how elegant the bottle labeling was. Simple colors, simple fonts, a class japanese inspired apple illustration behind the label than you can see through the glass. It’s all very well thought out and sophisticated.

As you bring the drink to your mouth you’ll notice a high-level of carbonation, so much so that you’ll sense it before the beverage hits your tongue. With that high level of carbonation comes a tartness (the C02 hits similar taste receptors as sour foods), but it’s then mellowed by the unmistakable taste of a fresh fuji apple. The flavor is crisp, it’s refreshing, and it’s sweet enough to satisfy a “soda” craving but not so sweet that it would take away from a nice meal. I highly recommend this as a go-to beverage when you want something to compliment your food (like a wine pairing). This does a much better job than your regularly provided soft drink products.

Would I drink this again? Of course. It’s a 7.8 out of 10. I wanted to rate it higher, but this might be towards the top of what I could give these more restrained styles of sodas. It came down to this question, “would I drink it everyday?” Probably not. imgp3165A lot of times when I want a soda I want a bit more sweetness. Kind of like craving a candy bar. However, if I just want something fizzy, or am at a nice restaurant, I’ll happily turn to one of the dry sodas.  I’m hoping to review more of their flavors in the future. Some are a bit more exotic than fuji apple, some are less, but all of them are an interesting alternative to your typical sugar-laden sodas.

Was this review too boring for you? No?!? Then watch this video below! In the spirit of a “dry” soda, I did a very “dry” video of a blind taste test between this soda and a real fuji apple.

One of the reasons I was excited to review a Dry Sparkling beverage was because they’re a Seattle based company with a great history. I recommend you check it out on their website. Spoiler, it involves a pregnant lady.