There were so many confusing things about this experience. I thought it’d be a good idea to review random sodas while blindfolded, so I let my local Rocket Fizz in Seattle pick out a dozen flavors and hide them in a box. I put on the blindfold, my wife put three in front of me, and I filmed the results. The problem? Paranoia. I knew that Rocket Fizz carried some nasty stuff (Dirt Soda, Grass Soda, Barf, etc…). That knowledge translated into me projecting my fear onto the unknown beverages. Pistachio Creme was one of those victims.
Problem 1, I was expecting something sweet, and this is more of a flavored sparkling water. Problem 2, a subtle pistachio flavor is really hard to pick out when you’re blindfolded. Problem 3, I’m a really bad taste identifier.
As the video shows, I did not like this soda. Nella Bella is a premium brand of sparkling waters targeted at the low-calorie consumer. It’s an idea that I appreciate, but even after removing the blindfold I have issues with the execution. The soda is very dry and bitter, probably due to a significant amount of carbonation. In and of itself this isn’t bad. The Dry Sparkling sodas are also…dry…and I like them a lot. So, what was so offensive about this?
In the video I say that it tastes like vomit. With more context, that’s not quite true. If you know to look for it you can taste a hint of pistachio, but in my opinion a hint of pistachio in a strongly alkaline beverage ends up tasting unpleasant, almost as if you wanted pistachio but could only chew on the shells. I’m holding onto my 2 out of 10 rating.
I’m not going to write off the brand, I’m willing to try their other products. However, it’s probably unfortunate that I started off with this one, especially blindfolded.
Catalogue:
Sampled on 10/9/2016, received via gift from Rocket Fizz in Seattle
The Sodafry 