Bubba Cola

I already posted about Save-A-Lot's Mountain Holler soda that is one of the many Mountain Dew clones.  I didn't particularly like it.  In fact, I still have cans of it in my fridge.  Nonetheless, I still would like to add Save-A-Lot cans to my collection.  So imagine my surprise when out running a week ago and came across this can below!  Now, Bubba Cola may taste great, but now I don't need to find out to get the can.

Save-A-Lot Bubba Cola 2013

Opening Soda All On His Own

This is just a quick posted to celebrate the good news my son shared with my wife.  He took a can of LeBron James Sprite from the fridge, tried to open it on his own, failed, then tried again, got a little closer, tried a third time, and finally opened it.  He was so proud of himself.  Now, we find several opened soda cans in the fridge.  He gets a kick out of opening them, even more then actually drinking them it seems.  What a champ.

LeBron pauses to congratulate my son opening his
first soda can.  In a later interview, he said he was
"honored" to be the image on the can used.

X-Factor Dragon-Fruit Pepsi

I gained a limited edition can for my collection.  The X-Factor Dragon-fruit Pepsi.  It's a horrific product, really.  It tastes like Pepsi with fruity cough syrup someone impishly spiked it with while you weren't looking. Not fun.  My wife agrees it tastes horrible and was surprised when I trucked home from the store with a 12 pack of it.  "Dude," she said, "We tried that and it tasted horrible."  And it did.  But that was before I started collecting soda cans.  I mean, the X-Factor Pespi clearly says "Limited Edition" so, duh, obviously I need it for my collection.

Oh Simon, you liar...

Now, what provides the can with an additional hoot is that I recall sitting on the couch with my bride watching the X-Factor where they premiered the flavor, you know, sowed the advertising seeds to make folks buy, buy, buy.  And I remember Simon Cowell and Britney Spears cracking open the soda cans and taking sips.  Then Simon says, "It's good.  It's really good."  Oh Simon, Simon, Simon, you make a living being the guy who tells THE TRUTH on your music shows and you expect to fool us with your simple compliment?  Simon says buy and we do.  Just a big game to him.  Of course, Simon is a money man, and knows how to sponsor a product.  The man darn well knew that soda was like carbonating a cough drop.  But you have to admire him for it.  He got millions to take that sip and drop a positive adjective.  But me, I get zilch from Pepsi so I tell it like it is.  The soda tastes like a cola stain on a pharmacy shelf.  But, the can is all right.  So I'll keep it.

Dragon-fruit X-Factor Pepsi 2013

Mountain Dew Kickstart

I was on an early morning run and I discovered this swell can on the side of the road.  It looked like he needed a home so I picked him up and took him home with me.  He's a nice tall fellow.

It is a Mountain Dew Kickstart Orange Flavored Energy Drink.  I'd never come across this beverage before.    It's actually a rather new drink with Pepsi, the owner of Mountain Dew, trying to get people to drink their caffeinated beverages instead of coffee. Maybe it will work.  It also comes in fruit punch.  I'll have to look out for that can.

Coca-Cola Bottle

I collect soda cans, but in truth, I actually prefer drinking soda from a glass soda bottle.  You can buy Coca-Cola in glass bottles in the US.  It is significantly more expensive because stores (correctly) are not anticipating that you will return the glass bottle.  However, the soda is also sweetened with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, which does give an added incentive to purchase it, just for a change.  It's called Mexican Coke and believers buy it and drink it religiously.

Anyway, the Coca-Cola bottle actually has a little bit of history behind it.  It was designed and trademarked by Coca-Cola in 1915 to distinguish Coca-Cola form the many imitators.  It was released in 1916 and marketed as a perk to let folks know what exactly was the real thing even when rummaging around blindly in a bin of ice.

It's actually still a rather powerful idea.  Coca-Cola just brought back their two liter bottles into the familiar coke bottle shape and were rewarded with increased sales because of the positive association consumers have with the shape.  It matters what you put your product in.

You must admit it looks much better this way.
It has more style and less of a "Bottled Vat-of-Liquid-Sugar" feel.