I tasted Virgil’s Orange Cream Soda at the same time that I tasted Bedford’s Orange Cream Soda. Actually, I take that back. I tasted them within minutes of each other. Tasting them at the same time would have been completely pointless.

While the Virgil’s soda and the Bedford’s soda each earned the same rating on my scale (7 out of 10) they were very different beverages. Number one, the color of the Virgil’s was more muted and natural than the Bedford’s. That’s something I appreciate. It looked much more like an orange (the fruit) than orange (the 1960’s psychedelic interpretation of the idea of “orange”). Number two, the Virgil’s tasted much less like a popsicle and more like a carbonated juice. There was plenty of vanilla, and the combination of the two flavors works similar, but I think there’s a higher amount of acid that plays with your tastebuds. Some people in my group reported a cardboard like aftertaste which I attribute to the natural acidity combined with lingering vanilla.

That didn’t bother me as much, but it wasn’t my favorite interpretation of an orange cream. I feel like Phillip’s in Victoria was a bit more successful with the “natural” style. However, Phillip’s is only available in the BC area of Canada, so Virgil’s is a much more accessible satisfier of an orange cream craving. You can find it in most grocery stores for about $1.50 a bottle.

Virgil’s (part of the Reed’s, Inc. brand) has lots of other sodas that I’ll eventually get around to reviewing. Stay tuned.

Catalog:
Sampled on 10/2/2016. This bottle was a gift from a friend.