Two posts in one day?! I'm on a roll...
I haven't done a junkfood review in quite a while (those smokey bacon potato chips really were quite good), and I just so happened to have gotten something that seemed like a good candidate for a review. So without further ado, I bring you.....
I had seen an ad or something about this soda a while ago. Apparently it was alleged to have been made from marijuana or something stupid like that, hence the name "Mary Jane" (gawrsh, they're clever). My local grocer actually had it on sale, so I thought I would give it a try.
One thing to point out, it doesn't contain nearly the same kind of bizarre chemicals that the major soda brands have in them. This one uses cane sugar, and not that horrid high fructose corn syrup. I did not see any mentions of marijuana in the ingredients, though it did have something called "kava" in it. I am not a hippy and I don't speak their language, so I have no idea what or who "kava" is, and I wondered how it would taste.
Anyway, I popped open the bottle. It gave off a pleasant hiss as a burst of carbonation escaped under the shiny metallic cap. I poured it into the glass in the same manner that one pours a beer, slowly down the side, and it gave up a fairly generous foamy head (it had dissipated mostly by the time I snapped that picture). I raised the glass to my nose to take in the bouquet, if a soda can actually have a bouquet. It had kind of an herbal smell to it. I could imagine that the early recipes of this new tonic called "Coca Cola" may have had a similar herbal aroma way back when.
I feel I should point out that I don't often drink soda, and by not often, I mean almost never. I don't really care for it. They're too sickly sweet for my tastes. Coffee, beer, scotch, they're all A-OK in my book. But soda... I'd rather drink water, thank you very much.
The other thing is that this bottle mentioned that it's a "relaxing soda", made with the proper kinds of ingredients to help bring relaxation or something like that. Is it kava that does that? Seems kind of weird to drink a soda full of cane sugar to try and "relax", but I guess if you've got ADD or something like that then these kinds of stimulants are suppose to help you feel more even or something. So this soda is targeted towards hippies with ADD? Seems a bit too niche....
So how did it taste, you ask?
Well, I guess you wouldn't be reading this far down if you didn't want to know. So it would behoove of me to actually inform you of how this particular beverage tastes, from my own perspective of course. Not being the sugary soda connoisseur, I may not be the most well informed critic when it comes to things such as this, but opinions are opinions. So here goes: It tasted like any other cola... But a bit more herbal.
It kind of had this ginger-y aftertaste that wasn't unpleasant, but was kind of weird at the same time. But aside from the herbal aftertaste, it really just kind of tasted like any other cola. I suppose it tasted like what you would expect any other off-brand cola to taste like. I mean, we all have some memory recognition about what Coke or Pepsi tastes like, and this doesn't really taste like that. I guess it would be like if you drank Safeway Cola or something like that, but with some sort of herbal/ginger aftertaste. Like I said.... It wasn't unpleasant....
So was I more relaxed?
No. I was not. I had already biked home and fought through the baseball game traffic (learn 2 drive San Francisco!!!), so I think the tired/sleepyness I feel is from that and staying up late last night. I don't feel any more or less drowsy or relaxed than I do normally, which is kind of a let down.
Anyway, let's sum it up. Yay for using cane sugar. Meh for the ginger/herbal aftertaste. Meh for not making me more relaxed. Would I drink it again? Not if I had to pay for it. If someone were to give me one, like if I'm at a BBQ or something, then sure, I'll drink it. But it's not something I'd go out of my way to consume again.
Note, following consuming the whole bottle of Mary Jane soda, I instantly grew dreadlocks, listening to weird psychedelic rock with long drum solos, and started playing bongo drums. I now spend my days playing bongo drums, and kicking around a hacky sack in the People's Park in Berkeley. Hmmm.... Maybe it does work?!
One thing to point out, it doesn't contain nearly the same kind of bizarre chemicals that the major soda brands have in them. This one uses cane sugar, and not that horrid high fructose corn syrup. I did not see any mentions of marijuana in the ingredients, though it did have something called "kava" in it. I am not a hippy and I don't speak their language, so I have no idea what or who "kava" is, and I wondered how it would taste.
Anyway, I popped open the bottle. It gave off a pleasant hiss as a burst of carbonation escaped under the shiny metallic cap. I poured it into the glass in the same manner that one pours a beer, slowly down the side, and it gave up a fairly generous foamy head (it had dissipated mostly by the time I snapped that picture). I raised the glass to my nose to take in the bouquet, if a soda can actually have a bouquet. It had kind of an herbal smell to it. I could imagine that the early recipes of this new tonic called "Coca Cola" may have had a similar herbal aroma way back when.
I feel I should point out that I don't often drink soda, and by not often, I mean almost never. I don't really care for it. They're too sickly sweet for my tastes. Coffee, beer, scotch, they're all A-OK in my book. But soda... I'd rather drink water, thank you very much.
The other thing is that this bottle mentioned that it's a "relaxing soda", made with the proper kinds of ingredients to help bring relaxation or something like that. Is it kava that does that? Seems kind of weird to drink a soda full of cane sugar to try and "relax", but I guess if you've got ADD or something like that then these kinds of stimulants are suppose to help you feel more even or something. So this soda is targeted towards hippies with ADD? Seems a bit too niche....
So how did it taste, you ask?
Well, I guess you wouldn't be reading this far down if you didn't want to know. So it would behoove of me to actually inform you of how this particular beverage tastes, from my own perspective of course. Not being the sugary soda connoisseur, I may not be the most well informed critic when it comes to things such as this, but opinions are opinions. So here goes: It tasted like any other cola... But a bit more herbal.
It kind of had this ginger-y aftertaste that wasn't unpleasant, but was kind of weird at the same time. But aside from the herbal aftertaste, it really just kind of tasted like any other cola. I suppose it tasted like what you would expect any other off-brand cola to taste like. I mean, we all have some memory recognition about what Coke or Pepsi tastes like, and this doesn't really taste like that. I guess it would be like if you drank Safeway Cola or something like that, but with some sort of herbal/ginger aftertaste. Like I said.... It wasn't unpleasant....
So was I more relaxed?
No. I was not. I had already biked home and fought through the baseball game traffic (learn 2 drive San Francisco!!!), so I think the tired/sleepyness I feel is from that and staying up late last night. I don't feel any more or less drowsy or relaxed than I do normally, which is kind of a let down.
Anyway, let's sum it up. Yay for using cane sugar. Meh for the ginger/herbal aftertaste. Meh for not making me more relaxed. Would I drink it again? Not if I had to pay for it. If someone were to give me one, like if I'm at a BBQ or something, then sure, I'll drink it. But it's not something I'd go out of my way to consume again.
Note, following consuming the whole bottle of Mary Jane soda, I instantly grew dreadlocks, listening to weird psychedelic rock with long drum solos, and started playing bongo drums. I now spend my days playing bongo drums, and kicking around a hacky sack in the People's Park in Berkeley. Hmmm.... Maybe it does work?!
[this is good] Okay, when I saw the title of this entry to your blog, I had to read what you had to say about it. I don't drink soda often either. Maybe once or twice a year. I heard about Mary Jane a few years ago but since I don't drink soda I never tried it. Thanks for doing that for us who don't.
I'm glad to know, in the end, you took up playing a musical instrument though.
Who knew?
Paolo
Posted by: How We Eat | 07/19/2010 at 01:18 PM
[this is good] I'm here by way of the [culture is good] spotlight, so congrats again.
Is it kava that does that?
According to what I read at Wikipedia and kava.com, yes. It does seem, however, that kava is more potent when prepared by hand than by commercially processing it and adding it as an ingredient. Kava itself apparently has a much, much older history in Oceania, even prepared as a drink, than soda/soda pop/pop/fizzy drink/seltzer/any of the above does.
I rather like cane sugar as a soda sweetener, myself, and I don't say that lightly, having enjoyed Pepsi Blue and all the strange color variations of Mountain Dew. I don't think I'll come across this particular "Mary Jane" stuff as I am nowhere near San Fran, two states up and far away from I-5.
Posted by: jaklumen | 07/20/2010 at 05:15 AM
Real sugar in soda is so much better... People say chemically, high fructose corn syrup and sugar are almost identical, and therefore it really doesn't matter. But since I am not a douchebag, I tend to not enjoy processed sweeteners.
Good to know about kava though (I guess)... I've already gotten rid of the bottle so i don't remember how much was in it.
My general recommendation: If you want something to drink that is relaxing, stick to booze! :)
Posted by: Larry Appleton | 07/21/2010 at 09:19 PM
I think cane sugar is a better alternative-- it's nice and not so intense.
My general recommendation: If you want something to drink that is relaxing, stick to booze! :)
Not for me. I swore a solemn oath to my wife I wouldn't touch the stuff ever again because it left me psychotic. Booze, that is. Kava... well, I don't know... yet.
Posted by: jaklumen | 07/22/2010 at 03:04 PM