Before becoming Big Red, Sun Tang Red Cream Soda was its previous name. The soda was more syrup that carbonated water as the lack of fizz tried to warn me, and if I wasn't so cheap I'd have just thrown the thing out. While Dr. Pepper has dozens upon dozens of clones, the best of the bunch is unquestionably Great Value Dr. Thunder. For Aldis canned meat-containing products like soups, chili, hash, summer sausage, etc; look for the EST. number. To Build Closer Relationships between People, Nature, and Bicycles. Oftentimes, I think naturally as shopper, I think, like other consumers that a cheaper price equates an inferior product. (1) The same full page ad addresses what exactly the purpose of this company was. It's so good, in fact, that you won't care too much that the soda tastes like it's a little bit flat. Kroger own's Ralph's (in California and some other western states) they also own Fred Meyer and quite a few others i have drank big k pops all my life, and when i can't get the store brand i prefer big k over any others. This root beer has no high fructose corn syrup, is sodium-free, has a short and recognizable list of ingredients (carbonated water, cane sugar, caramel color, natural flavor, and citric acid), and the lining of the can has no BPA. Consistency: 3. Boil freshly 1/2 of fresh ground ginger for 20 minutes in 1 cup of water, and then strain. These included "Private label canning and bottling of soft drinks, custom packaging, and franchise canning and bottling". I love Dr. Pepper and Mr. Pibb. ALDI's Millville Cinnamon Crunch Cereal $1.39 - versus - General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch $3.28 You save $1.89! I did not know Aldis had a .95 box of cookies. I noticed this many years ago and what gave it off was the packaging was the exact same ketchup bottle as the Heinz and theres no way they could be that similar and then I started looking at other packaging for different bottles of condiments and yes they can tell that theyre made by the name brand. Recently updated on August 5th, 2022 at 05:31 pm. Although this isnt food but when I was a young woman I worked in a gasoline cap factory that made gasoline caps. I am not sure I have ever seen a five times digital coupon for this so I wanted to make sure you knew about this deal. And lastly, consumers have voiced discontent about the amount of waste produced by plastic single-serve pods. Its actually pretty close. , Who makes Walmart Great value Trash bags. The key to success is that this store brand didn't try to make an exact copy of Dr. Pepper. Safeway's Cherry Select. I swear I think its Benny And Scarry Jerrys. 35 ($3.54/Count) . Currently, the beverage still ranks among the best-selling sodas in the nation. Dr. Bottle design: 5. Smooth which Fred Meyer used to have prior to its leaving my state and becoming the pale imitation, Smiths Marketplace. yahoo psmpackersandmovers@gmail.com; eric bass developer net worth Facebook mcguire's irish pub recipes Twitter ochosi day of the week Youtube What Portion of Sugar is in a Big Red Soda? As other reviewers have said, this brand has its own taste, while often having higher carbonation retention in comparison to more popular brands. You come to America, you learn the language. Kroger Cincinnati-based Kroger operates 40 food processing plants in the U.S. My favorite Big K soda has always been Cherry Cola. dammit dr.bolds so awsome. I'm part of the beverage team who worked to refresh the taste of this iconic item ahead of this anniversary. Headed to the grocery store? We did a bit of digging to find out! We suggest grabbing a few store-brand and name-brand items to see if YOU can tell the difference! $35.35 $ 35. Facebook fans: 2.9 million. "Big K" is also sold at King Soopers here in Colorado. It includes 12 12-ounce cans. Big Red has a delightfully unique, yummy, and sleek taste. Big Red is a delightful side dish, especially when served with spicy foods and grilled meats. Customers who love the flavor and effects of Big Red have developed a cult following. The most popular red soda in America. This list features the world's best cream soda brands including A&W, Barq's, Big Red, Jone's Soda, Dad's, IBC, Stewart's, Mug, Blue Sky, Crush, Americana, Big Shot, Polar Beverages, Millstream Old Time, Jelly Belly, and Zevia. Thanks good post. Talk about BIG savings! We believe in the power of cycling to create a better world as we move forward. www.myspace.com/bitchnuggaproductions has a wicked sweet dr.bold video, if u like dr.bold check it out. I once took a tour of the famous Anderson Pretzel factory. Gross from start to finish, afterwards, and everything in between. A vast amount of sweetener is then used to mask and balance the acidity. Vote up the best brands of cream soda below. Wiki User 2012-02-09 02:53:16 Study now See answer (1) Best Answer Copy Any one of these dairies; Centennial Farms Dairy Atlanta, GA Compton Creamery. No, no. If you want a really unique, really good store brand soda that doesn't have a name brand that rivals it, Chek Orange Pineapple Soda is what you've been searching for. Still, the good stuff can become expensive, especially if you tend to go through the stuff like it was oxygen molecules and youre buried alive. While it is quite true that the company was owned by the Kroger Company for the production of their Big K line of soft drinks, that wasn't the only brand they produced at Bluefield Beverage. Really good and a very good price, just 88 cents (or 79 when on sale). I know Wal Mart has done more for the low-income families in this country than almost anyone, but they really should be ashamed of themselves for this creation. My girlfriend got me drinking the stuff. (1) While it is quite true that the company was owned by the Kroger Company for the production of their Big K line of soft drinks, that wasn't the only brand they produced at Bluefield Beverage. Big Red is known for its cult following of loyal and passionate consumers who enjoy the sweet flavor and nostalgic moments it provides. . After building this site over several years I have some great industry sources and contacts which help me bring the FACTS and the odd secret to our articles! We changed the bags without stopping the production line, and bagged bread for any Texas retailer you could name. All rights reserved. I would say that its Diet Cola is slightly sweeter than Diet Coke. Youll often find that store-brand items have the same ingredients in the same order as pricier labels. Tase BETTER. If you shake a bottle or can of soda, some of the gas comes out of the solution and the bubbles cling to the inside walls of the container thanks to the tiny pits and imperfections on the inner surface of . Best Answer. I also enjoyed the photos! So, you can pay big for H.K. Big Ben's Grapefruit & Lemon Soda . Eh, its OK. Strong, 'sexy,' colors, it seems to be fusing both the red from Coke and the Blue from Pepsi. This stuff also lacks any sort of aftertaste, which only adds to the boring monotony. Belmont is an ALDI brand, not sure who makes it but it totally may be Ben & Jerrys! A winning label. And when they ran out of the labels, they switched over to the Dollar store, same shape and size bottles were used and they were packaged going to the Dollar store for $.99. -------------------------------------------, By Christian HoopesFeatured BloggerInventorSpot.com. They are just the older style of Huggies., Ive heard Costco diapers are made by Huggies and their formula is made by Similac. (2) I had noticed that Rocky Top which had been everywhere in the nineties was now only to be found in certain places, and after some researching into the trademark I found that it had been cancelled in 2006. While real Dr. Pepper uses a combination of 23 flavors (vanilla, cherry, almond, and molasses are included in those 23 flavors if you believe the most widely held assumptions) to arrive at its unique taste, Meijer Dr. M is amazingly bland. I recommend it if you like Dr. Pepper, but think the price is too high, and it does seem high between special times of the year. Roy dog biscuits are made by Milk Bone. As others have mentioned, Big K is sold at Kroger, not K-Mart. Did you know that your Great Value sprinkles, canned icing, pouched icing, tubed icing, popcorn tins and gel food color are not made by Walmart? It smelled like cherries. Are They Still Popular in 2022? So yes, Big K Root Beer probably won't be my favorite as very few stores actually try to make a good soda. It's bad for your teeth to drink too much soda, and it's not just because of the beverage's high sugar content. You can still sip the delicious bubble gum from your adolescence. Two 12-ounce packs Since 1937, Texas residents have enjoyed Red Cream soda. The Hometown Favorites Storefront offers a huge variety of other hard-to-find food favorites. A vanilla bean garnished with a mixture of orange and lemon oils. Even switching over to Cherry Coke will sound like a good idea to you. Not owned by same company,but owned by one of the brothers that owns Aldi. Pickup & Same Day Delivery available on most store items. The aftertaste wasnt that great. Keurig Dr Pepper has a portfolio of more than 125 owned, licensed and partner brands, with leadership across numerous beverage categories. From $ 37.97 12 OZ (12 Glass Bottles) Select Options. While you might not love it when taking your first sip, the stuff is highly addictive. Exists in a dimension somewhere between flat and fizzy. Big K is indeed the house brand owned by the Kroger Company, which is based in Cincinnati, OH (not Columbus as was previously posted). However. Plenty of name brands under Aldis labels. Read our full disclosure policy here. PepsiCo. More info. It's no contest, really. And my pocket has more money! Use the email form to contact Soda Finder for orders and more info! It tastes slightly spicy and has cherry and cinnamon undertones. It makes sense that H-E-B, a grocery store that has been in Texas for more than 115 years, has been able to capture what makes Big Red special and create their own store brand. Try our Mexican Street Corn recipe! I enjoyed reading it and your pictures were awesome. Our Brands Partner Brands Ready-to-Drink Kroger is in the top three or four grocery chains in the country, who I believe also owns Albertsons, along with many other regional chains. Not sure what they are going to. Will look on my next visit. This store brand tastes as good to me as these, yet costs significantly less. 0. The former also has slightly less caffeine at 34 mg in each can, compared to 46 mg in a can of Diet Coke. For those who've never tried it before, Big Red is basically a red version of cream soda that has a little bit of citrus added to the mix. Overall Fat 0g Carbohydrates in total 63g Saturated Fat 0g Trans Fat: 0g Overall sugars 63g Cholesterol is 0 mg. Lets look at some of their most common soda cans. And Walmarts Great Value brand wasnt the only one affectedFamily Dollar, CVS, Meijer, Piggly Wiggly, Publix, and Wegmans were also affected by that recall, so its safe to assume that Tyson supplies chicken for several different retailers store brands. , Your email address will not be published. Secondly, the carbonation is lacking, as the blogger The Aldi Nerdcan attest. Merritt wanted me to add that the drink cointains brominated vegetable oil, yet is not a significant source of saturated fat, which is nice. Made with 100% natural Orange, Grape, Pineapple and Strawberry flavors. Most companies have multiple manufacturers to meet demand anyway. Contrary to popular belief, this flavor tastes like cinnamon, not bubble gum, as some individuals have claimed. It's not an amazing store brand soda, mind you, but it isn't nearly as flawed as the aforementioned sodas. To experience Signature Select Ginger Ale at its best, don't be stingy about adding ice. Who Makes Necchi Sewing Machines? Not bad. Companies that make their name brand products also place different labels on the products. Though it's not quite as good as Sprite, it's a reasonable facsimile for those with budgetary concerns. In a cocktail shaker, combine a dash of salt, the tequila and lime juice. $34.98 Buy on Amazon Sale Bestseller No. So sparkling, so trashy. You can save money on a chilled glass of your favorite beverage by making your own sparkling water, seltzer, tonic water, or soda pop at home. Amys Organic Medium Chili with Vegetables, Annies Homegrown Organic Shells & Cheese, Annies Homegrown Organic Shells & White Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese, Cinnamon Apple Spice Celestial Seasonings tea. Despite efforts to expand the brand, Big Red is still available today while other brands have disappeared. Mountain Dew has a lot of flavors on the market but nothing quite as intense as Mountain Splash. Is there no hope but to gain some self control and try to curtail your soda habit? May the least worst man win! - we evaluated the drinks in terms of cost, flavor, aftertaste, scent, consistency, bottle design, and overall, on a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being absolutely vile and 10 being the regular flavor of the name-brand soda or energy drink quality). It switched 3 time of label designs since his creation. Who Makes Magnum Ice Cream? While Great Value Twist Up is comparable to 7UP, Summit Citrus Twist is more comparable to Sprite because it's a little bit sweeter and its flavor is more pronounced. 6. Toured the factory in high school and have bought Great Value ever since., Tyson 1.5-2.5 lb Chicken Drumsticks $3.88 (depends on location), Great Value 5 lb Drumsticks $5.27 (depends on location). A nickname for the International Prototype of the Kilogram. The plate serves as the base for your volcano. Simple as that! Required fields are marked *. Halcyon Solutions Inc. All Rights Reserved. 11 frank b swinguard switchblade; who makes big k soda. It is Lucerne Foods. Luckily, that was in 2007 and both are perfectly safe now. The obvious answer is, of course, to start buying cheaper pop. Scent: 4. In fact, this soda is so off-putting that you should actively avoid it. On the other hand, if you go with a store brand soda that you've never tried before, you will probably be able to save money, but there's a chance that you will regret your decision. Per Dollar General, this vaguely citrus-flavored soda is made with: "Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Concentrated Orange Juice, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Sodium Benzoate (Preserves Freshness), Caffeine, Sodium Citrate, Erythorbic Acid (Preserves Freshness), Gum Arabic, Calcium Disodium EDTA (to Protect Flavor), Brominated Vegetable Consistency: 7. The company _ the nation's largest grocery seller aside from. 1 The company operated under a franchise distribution model since 1889 and was incorporated in. Shaken, but not stirred. Available at Wal Mart, Mountain Lightning is the low-cost equivalent of Mountain Dew. They wont open an Aldi because Trader Joes is owned by the same company and there would be competition. Big Peach Soda 20oz Bottles, Pack of 10 (Total of 200 FL OZ) 1 Count (Pack of 10) 3.7 out of 5 stars 30. You can find Signature Select Ginger Ale at Albertsons, Safeway, Tom Thumb, or any of the other grocery stores owned by Albertsons. It's not a great choice but, then again, saving a few cents may be worth it to you. I really enjoy them and hope you continue to make them. It has a scrumptious and distinctive flavor. Excellently reviving flavor 12-ounce bottles A 12-pack. Kuhn's-Big K, southeast American department store chain, sold out to Wal-Mart in 1981. And the best part is ALDIs brand is priced at $0.95 to $1.39 per package instead of $5 per box! It somewhat tastes like Coke while its in your mouth, but once you swallow. Sam's Cola doesn't taste exactly like Coca-Cola but it's very much comparable. (2) As for the Rocky Top trademark, it was picked up by Rocky Top Beverages of Salisbury North Carolina in 2012; however, abandoned in 2013. We even tried the two dressings, and they tasted nearly identical! It also offers drinks similar to Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper, which is called Dr. K. There are 110 calories in 1 serving (8 oz) of Kroger Big K Cola. If you do not want to pay for the "brand", Big K makes good products. Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment. Copyright 2006-2016. You can taste a modicum of lemon-lime goodness, but it's very slight. Personalized health review for Big K Zero Calorie Cola Oh! Whether its General Mills or Post, this just goes to show that you dont need to pay for name brands when you can save big bucks on store brands! Press Esc to cancel. Flavor: 9. Olive Gardens Signature Italian salad dressing, Great Value Peanut Butter Stuffed Pretzels, Simply Naked flavor of Stacys Pita Chips. For the last 3 weeks at least one to two have had a leak of some sort. Bold. Facebook. this was a great article, very intersting. Extremely poor. It needs to be something more Bold. Big Red has its own distinct flavor, which is, like all cream sodas, very sweet, syrupy, and vanilla-flavored. For this reason, I've started to cut back everywhere I can and one of my bigger indulgences is pop. So, as you all know prices on name brand products are out of control. But even I know the Real Thing (though by far not my favorite) is much better than this. Overall: 3. Bottle design: 7. Very poor imitation, this tastes like a carbonated lemonade. In a letter to "Children of God for . It's from Waco and was first sold in Texas and Kentucky. When you venture to your local supermarket, there's a good chance that an entire aisle is dedicated to soda. Hip2Save is a registered trademark of Hip Happenings, LLC. 8 Mountain Dew Sangrita Blast. LOL Had a coupon for free crackers and got back a $1.75 rebate on them. (1) Dick Morath is listed as the first Plant Manager, Larry Macke is Production Manager, and Tom Schell is Sales Manager. You have to really concentrate to taste it at all. It is considered to be an American variety of cream soda and was the first red cream soda. Harold Jansing, the president of the San Antonio bottling plant at the time, changed the sodas name to Sun Tang Big Red Cream Soda in 1959 and then to Big Red in 1969 after hearing a golf caddy refer to it by that name. Big K soft drinks are a very good option to save some money in these hard times. I occassionally get Milk Bones in the Roy brand. Big K Red Cream Soda i s a red cream soda similar to Big Red but it is made by the store brand Big K in the United States. But its still not Mountain Dew. It really grabs your attention with the lightning bolts, though it is a naked rip-off of Mountain Dews color scheme. This helps you in selecting the best products for your specific needs at any point in time. I'm from Ohio, we call carbonated soft drinks "pop" here. They are owned by the same family. A staple of my childhood, its true cherry flavor and lack of syrupy sugardeath made Cherry Select the hit of my circle of friends. Easiest giveaway is the production codes. Mountain Lion's citrus flavor is way too strong and then, to make matters worse, it has an exceedingly sweet aftertaste that will only add to the misery. For those of you not familiar with Kroger, it's a super market. If you end up loving this brand of soda, also try Chek Strawberry Soda and Chek Grape Soda. Start shopping online now with Instacart to get your favorite products on-demand. Aftertaste: 8. A store brand used by Kroger (and subsidiaries) for soft drinks. We took a look at the ingredients lists, and both include apples, sugar, water, and ascorbic acid, in that order, so we can see how theyre pretty much identical. Who manufactures Kroger brand cheese? Thanks for the tip! The 1984 city directory featured a new ad with the tagline added "Home of Rocky Top Soft Drinks" and Larry Fitzgerald had taken over as sales manager. You had to keep drinking it in order to get the full effect (maybe thats Albertsons intention, however). A nickname for Kmart. By - June 6, 2022. Surprisingly good. This traditional soda is among the most favored and well-known drinks in Mexico. $24.95 per 12 pack. who makes big k soda. Many of us can't make it through a day without some carbonated assistance. As to Aldi cereal, I would guess Tree House Foods, the successor to Ralcorp, which is the successor to Ralston. Dr. Thunder is never going to fully replace Dr. Pepper but you should schedule an appointment with one of the cans to see if you find that the taste difference is worth the price difference. We have kept this article on our site for folks who are curious about these off-brand sodas as the reviews on these soda are still accurate today. I have to shop when I am out of state visiting family. I like Trader Joes but Aldi is my favorite. Big Ben's Lime Soda . Read this first. Rumor has it that ALDI's Millville brand is manufactured exclusively for the grocery chain by the big brand, General Mills. Kroger makes almost half its roughly 14,400 in-house products, while most grocers contract with other companies to make such items. The only time they change the recipe for a brand is if they do a specialty one like all Granny Smith or something. If you add a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream to this soda, it becomes bearable. I drink. Gatorade - Propel Fitness Water in Melon Flavor. They also have a Big K sparkling water in a can. Big K may refer to: Kuhn's-Big K, southeast American department store chain, sold out to Wal-Mart in 1981 A larger store format of Kmart A store brand used by Kroger (and subsidiaries) for soft drinks Big K (magazine), a national UK computer magazine in the 1980s A nickname for the International Prototype of the Kilogram First developed in 1937 in the same city that . Using carbon dioxide cartridges, tablets, or pods, soda makers simply add carbon dioxide to still water. ALDIs Tuscan Garden Restaurant-Style Italian Dressing $1.69. In 1981 the local Pepsi-Cola Company built a beverage production plant in the Bluefield Industrial park; however, it appears that yet again they didn't end up using it. Thanks. Merritt called it Citrus Rubber Band and thought that was very amusing. For example, Dr. Pepper has been around since 1885 and Vernor's, a brand of ginger ale, was around even before that. The carbonation level seems to be exactly the same. Continue to add tape around your container in this fashion. Big Red Soda gets widely known among customers due to its distinctive flavor.Find out who makes Big Red Soda, what other ingredients get used in making it, and why it is significant in Texas history. If you ignore these words of wisdom and drink it while it's warm, the ginger flavor will be extremely unpleasant. It generally smelled Mountain Dew-esque. From $ 38.33 . Ice cold, these colas are not bad. The biggest reason I keep buying it is because it doesn't go flat as fast as Coca-cola and other colas. Not all of them are up to par. The soda was more syrup that carbonated water as the lack of fizz tried to warn me, and if I wasn't so cheap I'd have just thrown the thing out. Once you join, you'll be able to save & share your favorite deals, rate posts and recipes and add items to your HipList and Cookbook! And if you have a sweet tooth, check out The 20 Most Charming Candy Shops in America. Good, which is saying a lot in this group. Do They Taste Good? The Big Red flavor is actually citrus oil combined with vanilla from a conventional cream soda. " Put A Little Love In Your Heart, and then Make Your Own Kind Of Music, on the road to Shambala !" Kroger "Big K" Sodas - Has "Black Cherry" been discontinued? dermatologist salary alberta. My father in law knew the parents of the brothers. I almost always buy the house brand regardless of what the product is., Great Value Peanut Butter Stuffed Pretzels$4.42, H.K. Trew Knowledge. In this case, that is completely untrue. Get your Girl Scout cookie cravings all year long at ALDI! A poor imitation of whatever its trying to imitate. Normally this would get about a 6 or so, but it gets 4 bonus points for the name, which is far better than Dr. Pepper. Bluefield Beverage closed its doors on April 27, 2012 and well over a century of bottling history in the Bluefields was over. The thing that makes soda bubbly is invisible carbon dioxide, which is pumped into bottles at the factory using lots and lots of pressure. The ice cream stops the sweetness and the peach flavor from overpowering your taste buds, which will allow you to recapture the magic you experienced during your first few sips. A hint for all you Midwest types: Albertsons is known as Jewel out there. Its a fantastic addition to a soda hit that doesnt contain alcohol. If you read the label, you will find that the nutritional values are the same or even better than some other brands & it tastes just as delicious. Unfortunately, some of the brands covered in this article are no longer available and the prices of these sodas are now mere relics of history.). But the drink's odd texture didn't win fans over, and it was discontinued in the late '90s. Why pay for Peter Pan Peanut Butter which sells for about 13.1 per ounce when you can opt for Walmarts Great Value brand for about 8.7 per ounce?! The two main differences you'll notice are a stronger vanilla flavor in Sam's Cola and an aftertaste that is richer and sweeter. Who really wants to drink something that has pepper in the title? Have you ever eaten Trader Joes Pita Chips with Sea Salt? It appears that in an effort to help keep the plant running at full capacity a new soft drink brand was trademarked by the Kroger Company on April 17, 1984 which went by the name Rocky Top. I feel like I can put it out on the table and serve it to guests. My name is Max Stokes. Scent: 10. Bold has perhaps the greatest name of a soda ever, with the possible exception of a drink called Dr. Pssssst! 2006-2023 Viewpoints. A cheerful font coupled with a good contrast of color. Our childhood favorite snack is actually 30 cheaper when we buy the store brand! You can get your drink at a good price and get a very decent quality. You really don't pick up much of the orange at all until you get to the aftertaste. Not very good. Instead, while Great Value Dr. Thunder obviously draws inspiration from Dr. Pepper, it's able to stand on its own two feet. It is the brand specially made for Kroger supermarkets, but I think you can also buy them in all the other supermarkets that belong to the Kroger group. Better than Mountain Lightning, but still not the Dew. Bonus points for the Pop the Drop phrase. No matter what industry. Sales of hard seltzers and ready-to-drink canned cocktails were valued at nearly $10 billion in 2021 by the Grand View Research firm, which expects them to grow by double digits in coming years . who makes big k soda. 10. With its multicolored floating balls of gelatin, Orbitz looked like the soda of the future. QTY REMAINING: 2 . A Dr. Pepper homage, it doesn't entirely live up to its name. Step 2: Shake and Pour. I am pretty sure everyone can get the kind of soft drink they like, and at a very good price, above all if we compare it with the mainstream soda brands. They were going to sell to Post, who owns Malt-O-Meal, last yea, but the deal fell through. Pay about $1.97 for the delectable ice cream overpaying nearly $4-8 for the name brands! Barrel O Fun Barbecue Potato Chips $2.68. Starbucks Nespresso Vertuo Caffe Verona 32-Pack Only $27.99 Shipped at Amazon (Reg. Aftertaste: 4. Kroger's Big K Cola may be the best of the worst. Finally, this Big Red soda article comes to a close. While your sweet tooth may applaud the change, don't be surprised if the rest of your being regrets not going with a name brand. How could you not pick up a case and try it? Smells almost exactly like it. Cant believe its just as good? On whomakehub.com you will find detailed information about product makers and manufacturers. Great Value Natural Hickory Smoked Bacon$6.84. Youre in luck because, according to one of our Hip readers, the Great Value containers are bigger and cheaper. Flavor: 5. Budget-wise, you will find youre spending more on soft drinks than gasoline and it gets you just about as far; what can you do? This was what actually got me to try Big K again and I have to admit the taste was very close to what I was expecting but different enough to be interesting and enjoyable.