Rilakkuma - Strawberry Milk

I've had strawberry milk before and I've always found it disgusting.  Mostly because, as Jamie Oliver so eloquently states, "it has more sugar than a can of pop."  And I've had my share of cavities... but I do not like American strawberry milk.  Rilakkuma's strawberry milk on the other hand... is very, very good.  It feels like you are drinking strawberry flavored milk as opposed to strawberry sugar milk.  That's not to say that it isn't a little sweet, but it is proportioned just right.  It's also adorable...is it not?  I have yet to find this particular milk in the US...  But a girl can hope! ;)

Ramune - Mango

Ramune beverages are unique in their own right.  To open these bad boys, you need to release a ball that pressure seals the bottle at the top.  You peel off the seal, take out a green cap, and push down the center firmly to dislodge the ball-stopper which gets caught in a little glass dip in the middle of your bottle!  It rolls around while you enjoy your beverage.  They have a ton of flavors, but so far I've found that Mango is their best.  I've heard that you can also get wasabi, curry, and octopus flavors, but that just sounds disgusting.  ;)  These drinks are popular in Japan and you get them from most asian supermarkets and sometimes world markets.  Aside from their unique style, they're generally pretty tasty and well carbonated.  :)

Postobon: Manzana (Apple)

An apple flavored carbonated beverage that I found at one of our local grocery stores called Michael's Fresh Market.  It was so-so.  Owned by the Pepsi company, Postobon makes a variety of fruit flavored carbonated beverages.  That is, if you can call it carbonation...  It was really mild, which is okay for some drinks, but I thought it made this drink lack in luster.  I mean, apple isn't that exciting of a taste to begin with!  I suppose if you are weak-tongued, you might enjoy this beverage more (*cough* Emad *cough*), but for the true carbonated beverage lover, it would not suffice.  ;)

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory: Coco Fizz - Chocolate Soda

Coco Fizz!!  Wow this drink rocked!!  Also purchased from World Market, this was a much better experience than my last review.  If you have ever been to a diner that serves old fashion fountain sodas, you might have seen an option for a Chocolate Fountain Soda.  This tastes exactly like a chocolate fountain soda -- which was likely the intention.  Chocolate and carbonation together makes weird bubbles -- as if you were blowing chocolate milk bubbles that never popped.  But that's besides the point...  This beverage is amazing!  It's chocolate-y and smoothly carbonated and gives you that good ol' days feeling.  I would assume you can also get this at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory...  Check it out! :)

Zuberfizz: Key Lime Cream Soda

I thought this drink was disgusting.  I like Key Lime.  I like cream soda.  I don't know what could have gone wrong.  But it was wrong.  It was like drinking the syrup from the bottom of a sno-cone.  Lime syrup.  There was no cream.  Hardly any carbonation.  Yuck, yuck, yuck.  I got it from World Market and I didn't look to see  which part of the world enjoys this.  If you like lime syrup, maybe this will pass your taste test, but it did not make the Chi cut.

POMX - Blackberry Tea

POMX makes a number of different beverages that contain pomegranate.  Pomegranate is an antioxidant and can be helpful in reducing heart disease and blood pressure.  Pomegranate by itself is very tart and considered a strong flavored fruit.  Blackberries are also rated highly as an effective antioxidant.  Together they make one heck of a strong drink.  Many people cannot tolerate POMX beverages in general, but with the added blackberry it would be even more challenging.  The potential health benefits probably outweigh the discomfort that comes from drinking this.  It goes down smoothly enough and in small doses is easy to drink.  The price to quantity ratio is not cheap... so it isn't something you could enjoy on a regular basis on a regular budget is my guess.  Despite that, it beats drinking soda.

"Dang! That's Good!" - Butterscotch Rootbeer

"Dang!  That's Good," is no lie.  This is the best tasting root beer I have had to date.  Root beer typically has a good amount of carbonation, which of course burns a little...  By adding butterscotch to the mix, it could not go down any smoother.  When poured into a glass, the foam holds longer than most carbonated beverages.  My brother picked these up when he was at the Mars Cheese Castle in Wisconsin.  Even Emad (who hates root beer as if it were poison) could tolerate it!  You should be warned, however, it is relatively sweet.  If you can't handle your sugar, you might want to avoid this one.

Açaí Green Tea - Superfruit Iced Tea

Açaí, a fruit grown on a palm, is supposedly a good antioxidant with amazing health benefits.  Most of what I've read sounds like it gets more credit than it deserves.  In spite of that, green tea is typically known for it's antioxidant power.  Together, perhaps they make a healthy drink.  Unfortunately, they don't make a delicious drink.  As the bottle clearly states, it's unsweetened and most things without sugar do not make the Chi Chow cut.  Some fruits naturally and freely give out sweetness.  Açaí is not one of them.  It goes down smooth, but is it worth it?  Probably not.

Steaz - Raspberry Sparkling Green Tea

One of the best carbonated beverages I've experienced.  It goes down incredibly smooth and has a nice even taste.  It reminds me of condensed fruit bars (you know, those all-natural, all-fruit, smooshed into a rectangular strip, bars?).  It tastes just like that, in soda form.  Although it says it's green tea, I can hardly taste it with the raspberry flavor.  Despite that, the pairing of bitter raspberry with subtle green tea brings out the best aspects of both.  A sweet, fruity, comfortable drink.

Vita Coco - Coconut Water w/Acai & Pomegranate

Cool... refreshing...  It's everything you would expect from an island beverage.  It has the feel of water and the taste of delightful sweetness.  The acai and coconut are easily tasted, but the pomegranate is a bit hard to find...  Despite that, the drink goes down smooth and cool, as it IS 100% coconut water...  A natural hydration option filled with electrolytes and antioxidants can't be beat.

365's Cherry Vanilla Creme Soda

Sweetened with pure cane sugar, you can feel a little less guilty after drinking a can of this.  It has a very light taste, which is to be expected from a clear soda.  It's exceptional in flavor and has balanced attributes, with no characteristic too strong.  Highly recommended.

Synergy: Kombucha

Found this at a vegan restaurant in Chicago.  It's called Kombucha, which is fermented tea and loved by the organic community.  This particular drink was placed with several other juices and can be bought by any age, but when it arrived at our table, was poured into WINE GLASSES!!!  It had a remarkably tart smell, causing us to spend a good 10 minutes trying to determine whether it was appropriate for us to drink.  Both of our faiths make it impossible to have alcohol.  However, there are some things that have minimal amounts of alcohol in them that are acceptable, such as vanilla (which has about 2-3%, but sometimes more like 35%).  On the other hand, we won't have it in desserts or foods that cook using alcohol -- even when they say it "cooks out."  This particular brand states that it has less than 0.5% alcohol content, which allegedly is negligible.  Therefore, after much discussion, we determined it was appropriate. ;)

Kombucha is strong as it is, but with the presence of grape, it was even stronger.  It tastes somewhat bitter and must be sipped slowly -- it's not a drink you can chug.  Despite this, it is supposedly considered a "miracle drink" in some parts of the world and is said to have healing properties.  Filled with antioxidants, it cleanses out your system.

As interesting as it was, it's strong smell reminds me too much of an alcoholic beverage, so I won't likely be enjoying it again.