Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper...really?!

If you like soda as much as I do...and you like Chocolate as much as I do...and like cherries a bit to boot...then seeing something called Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper should catch your eye right away!



It did mine.



I LOVE Dr. Pepper, but I never heard of THIS flavor and had to do a little research to see what I had missed.

According to Wikipedia:

Diet Cherry Chocolate Dr Pepper (2007–2008) was introduced as a limited edition flavor on November 21, 2007. It was discontinued in April 2008. It became available in Canada in early January 2008. A non-diet version was never created. The taste is similar to Canfield's Diet Cherry Chocolate Fudge Soda but with the distinctive Dr Pepper flavor.

Limited Edition all right! It ran for 5 months.

That does not smack of word recognition.

If it WAS world-renoun, it would have gotten a comeback each November, no?

Cherry Chocolate Rain video on You Tube. It's by Tay Zonday, the knucklehead who did the original Chocolate Rain. I don't know how much Dr. Pepper paid him, but...

Junk Food Blog reviews the soda here. (No mention of the video.)

Appropo of Something, which just KILLED Dr. Pepper's Berries and Cream flavor, reviews the Cherry Chocolate flavor here. (you will absolutely have to brush your teeth after reading the Berries and Cream review...)

Associated Content gave a 2-page, thorough review of the drink here. Well, it's 2 pages due to all the click-thru ads! However, while I enjoyed the humor of the above reviews, I give Associated Content big ups for doing a non-biased review.

So the question of "what did I miss" apparently turns out to be "not terribly much!"

I'm disappointed. It sure SOUNDS delicious.

For Cherries and Chocolate, I guess we'll have to stick with the world's favorite: Mrs. Cavanaugh's Chocolate Cherry Cordials. YUM-MEEE!

In the land of Mr. Pibb

I flew from Newark, New Jersey to Phoenix, Arizona earlier this week.
When the airline stewardess (I can't remember the Politically Correct term, so I'm going with the ol' standard...) came by with the Soda Cart, I noticed that someone 2 rows up had gotten a can of Pibb Xtra.

Pibb Xtra? That's the revised name for Mr. Pibb!
I like Mr. Pibb!
(I like Dr. Pepper better, I think, but I haven't had a Mr. Pibb in some time.)

So I had one.

Ever notice that these young ladies give you a cup FILLED with ice, and then pour in whatever soda will fit? BLEAUGHGH. I had to use the back of my fork to pull out all of the ice and pour IN more soda. Of course, after 3 pours I was left with WARM soda...but at least it wasn't FLAT watered down cold soda....

That afternoon, after a very good client visit, we went to lunch.
The Soda Fountain had a few standards (Coke, Lipton Iced Tea...)...and Pibb Xtra!
YEAH! I'll have another Pibb!
Can't get them in New Jersey!

I'm still calling it Mr. Pibb, by the way.
There didn't seem to be anything 'extra' about Pibb Xtra.
Extra colors on the can, maybe.
Maybe it costs extra these days...but what doesn't?

(Actually, according to Wikipedia:

In 2001, a new flavor called Pibb Xtra has 23 flavors and was introduced with added cinnamon flavor, replacing the original flavor in many parts of the US.)

Ok, all definitions aside, this time it was already cold and it had NO ice in the cup.
MUUUUUCH better!

So now I've got a few Mr. Pibbs in me and I realize...as much as I want to like this soda I really DO like Dr. Pepper better.
In fact, the public in general seems to like Dr. Pepper better...some are even Bootlegging it!

Sorry, Pibb. You're a nice guy and all but a Doctor trumps a Mister every time.
An no one needs an Extra Mister.

Strange Little Sodas Kept Alive

I found a GREAT article in Fortune magazine that I wanted to share/summarize for you.
It talked about 5 'niche' sodas that have not lived up to their owner's expectations, but will not die due to their cult following.

Which 5 sodas?

1) Moxie - in the 1900's this cola outsold Coke and Pepsi! Now, it's a cult favorite in the NorthEast and a virtual unknown elsewhere in the States.

2) Mr. Pibb - forget the 'MILF' articles I've written about Mr. Pibb, the bigger story is that the Coke-owned answer to "Dr. Pepper' sold 57 million cases last year. Of course, Dr. Pepper sold 586 million. And it has it's own museum.

3) Slice - strongly endorsed by Roger Enrico when he ran PepsiCo, it never achieved the 10% of market that he envisioned.

4) TAB - Owned by Coke, this diet beverage never surpassed competitor Diet Coke. But last year 3 million cases were bought..some dieters SOMEWHERE are drinking it!

5) Fanta - In the U.S., Coke sold 175 million cases of this tasty little beverage. That's about 7 times more than it's 2000 sales.

You can read the Fortune article in it's entirety here.


5 more sodas that deserve to be showcased on Coke vs. Pepsi!

antique Dr. Pepper recipe book revealed!

Dr. Pepper's origin and history may lie in the tattered ledger some lucky dude stumbled over while antique shopping in Texas.

AND, it may come at a profit.
This savvy shopper bought the book for $200, thinking it would sell for 5 times more.
Turns out it could be worth TWENTY FIVE times more!

But don't' let ME take credit for sharing the news!
Read the whole article by clicking here.

Like Dr. Pepper?
Read about the Dr. Pepper Museum here.

Mix Pepsi with Dr. Pepper?! Not bad. Look Here.

And...if you missed the "Axl Rose sues Dr. Pepper" fiasco...look here.


Plenty of Pepper for all!!!!!!

This MILF likes Mr. Pibb

Normally I would not use a headline that reads like something you'd see on Hot Horny Moms dot com...but this good looking, married 31 year old woman from Michigan really DOES like Mr. Pibb, and writes about it in her blog. She even titled the entry 'A Soda Story'. *sigh* A girl after my own heart!

(Granted, this young lady is probably about to get 100 hits this week from guys surfing the web and thinking they're gonna see some Large Boobs. Sorry! Look at it this way...I'll get 100 hits from those same guys!)

And while we're on the topic of Mr. Pibb, let's look closer into this Dr. Pepper competitor!
Mr. Pibb is a Coca Cola brand...but it seems to be MUCH more popular in the South than up here in the North. I only comment because Dr. Pepper, it's direct rival, is nationally recognized. (I often see the same disparity between Mountain Dew and Mello Yello)

Chris Houser has built the on-line shrine to Mr. Pibb here.

Mr. Pibb and Dr. Pepper ought to duke it out at the Coke vs. Pepsi lens!

Topix hosted a poll to let you choose a favorite between the two here.
Another debate, on LetsGoPens, broke out here.
(By the way, is it REALLY offensive to call the color Cherokee Red? I never even heard of the term before today!)

In all, I'd like to thank the little lady from Detroit for reminding me how great Mr. Pibb is!
Time to got to lunch....

Pepsi can now distribute Rockstars

PepsiCo has signed a deal with Rockstar Inc., so it can distribute Rockstar Energy Drink.

Remember what happened the LAST time a Rock Star got involved with soda? I'm talking about Axl Rose's war-of-words with Dr. Pepper.

Rockstar has about 14% of the Energy Drink Market Share. Monster Energy Drink leads the pack with about 29% and Red Bull has about 25%. (Some former Pepsi and Red Bull employees have gone to work for the little "Purple" beverage company. They have never been heard from since...)

Back in the Fall, Coca Cola appeared to be speaking with Hansen Natural, looking to distribute the monster-sized Monster...but it does not look like that evolved.

But what does this say about Pepsi's EXISTING energy beverage efforts?
Pepsi owns and distributes Amp Energy Drink...but Amp does not appear in the Top 5. Is Pepsi admitting that they are better served buying into a winner rather than cultivating their own?

Axl Rose uses a Lawyer to attack a Dr. (Pepper)

Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy is in stores. Did you get a free Dr. Pepper?

Despite an earlier post about Dr. Pepper offering a free soda to every American interested if the new GNR album debuted in 2008, front man Axl Rose is complaining that the give away did not go smoothly...and has sent his lawyer after the soda maker to make good.

You can read about the exchange of words here.
In short, the website that was supposed to fill orders for Free Dr. Peppers was 'down' often, due to the incredible response. Axl would have you believe that he is distressed for all of those who did not receive their free soda.

What a humanitarian, right?

Bogus.
Axl has showed up to his concerts HOURS late in the past, and several times has walked off stage before a show was complete. Did he immediately petition that is ticket-buying fans be compensated for their fraction of a show? No. Did he insist on refunds for all unsatisfied guests? No.

Dr. Pepper's inability to fulfill every American's wish for a free soda is inadvertently giving Axl Rose an opportunity to let his Lawyer do what Lawyer do best - seek out and bring in some cash. (in legalese, that's called 'seeking reparations'.)

It will be interesting to see how far Axl goes with the tirade, and how far Dr. Pepper will cave.

Get a Free Dr. Pepper and thank Guns N' Roses!

Get a Free Dr. Pepper?! I have to thank Guns N' Roses for the soda?!
What does all of this have to do with the Government of China?!??!

It appears that Dr. Pepper lost a bet (well...made an offer they cannot refuse) and now have to start offering free sodas to the citizens of the USA. This all has to do with GNR's release of their new album "Chinese Democracy".

You can read an article on the soda slinging here.

You can read about the Dr. Pepper Museum here. I wonder if the museum will now carry the new album...?

You read about MORE Dr. Pepper products here. Not all of them are free.


Don't forget to visit Coke vs. Pepsi!
That soda site rocks!

Quick! Fanta - Coke or Pepsi product?!?!

Today I had lunch at Burger King. I went small - Whopper, just pickles and ketchup...small fries...small soda.

I'm standing at the Soda machine and I almost ALWAYS get a Doctor Pepper at Burger King.
But as I reach for a cup cover I see a drink that catches my eye.

Fanta.

My mind goes into a spin. "Fanta? Is that a Coke product? Hmmm...Doctor Pepper isn't a Coke product. Neither is Nestea. Is Fanta one of those Independent sodas? Aw maaaan...."

You see, once you start blogging about Soda, you think about it more and more.
Which COULD be considered weird, but...

So I get home and I go onto Wikipedia and do some research.
Before the answer poops up, I close my eyes and try to get the guess right.

I say..."independent soda".

I am wrong.

Fanta is a Coke product. And while the Burger King on Route 9 only carried 'orange', it turns out that they offer over 70 flavors world wide...however, most of them are only available in some countries. Don't believe me? Click here.

In my head, I hear those Hispanic women singing "Fanta...dontcha wanta?!?!". Well, they did in that preview before SpiderMan 2...but that was a few years ago.

Head spinning, I wonder is Pepsi has over 70 citrus flavors available overseas?
I..uh...hmmm...Geez, I dunno. I don't THINK so.

And then it occurs to me...
...Who Cares? I don't drink Organge Soda, really.
Maybe once a year, just to see if I like it any better this year than last.

I pop the lid on my Doctor Pepper as the girls since "Fanta...dontch wanta?!?"
I don't, really, but apparently 70 foreign countries do.