Pineapples are synonymous with Hawai’a. However, like rats and spam they were introduced to the island by sailors. Pineapples originally came from South America (probably Brazil) with Portuguese sailors who traveled with the fruit in order to avoid scurvy during their voyages. In the early 1900’s a couple of entrepreneurs started plantations on Oahu and Maui which soon dominated the world market with canned pineapple. The plantations lost momentum in the 60’s and 70’s (production shifted to developing Asian countries) and current harvests stay mostly on the island.
Regardless of the origin or current market share, pineapple is still very Hawaiian. The fruit is sweeter on the island and is one of the first things that we buy when we visit. Not surprisingly, the pineapple soda from Waialua Soda Works was my favorite out of their line of sodas (click here to see my other reviews).
Waialua Soda Works is based on Oahu and produces natural sodas with Hawaiian flavors. And root beer. While I found the other fruit flavors to be a little too reserved, I thought that this pineapple soda struck the right balance of natural juice flavor to cane sugar sweetness. There was a good level of carbonation and acidity to keep the soda bright, and while the pineapple flavor wasn’t super saturated, it was clean and refreshing. For me, this was a 7.5 out of 10 on my rating scale.
One more important thing to note. This review concludes the products I reviewed during my trip to Maui. I hope to do more of these travel pieces in the future. To see reviews of other Hawaiian products, click here. I happened to sample this soda on World Naked Gardening Day. While I didn’t have any legitimate gardening to do in my rental condo, I participated with a photo op taken at the beach with some gardening implements. Enjoy.
Catalog:
Sampled in May 2017
The Sodafry 