Visiting Scholars

On the afternoon of May 5, 2013 some close family members decided to hold a taste testing of their own. On an earlier excursion to Salt Lake City, these individuals found some Fentimans brand drinks and purchased them at Tony Caputo’s Market and Deli in Salt Lake City, UT. Other beverages were found at Dick’s grocery store in Bountiful, Utah. These individuals enjoyed this experience immensely. They may even join us on our blog again at some point in the future. Reviewers for this post are:

Bubble Trouble

Sho-Fizzle

Effer V. Sense

Root Beer Belly

The Fizz

The flavors, brands, and styles sampled included:

Fentimans Dandelion and Burdock. Fentimans was established in 1905. This particular drink is a gluten free, botanically brewed, fermented, dandelion and burdock drink with ginger extract. Ingredients include: water, carbonated water, cane sugar, pear juice concentrate, glucose syrup, fermented ginger root, and the following extracts (ginger root, water, yeast), dandelion infusion (water, dandelion root, ethanol), burdock infusion (water, burdock root, ethanol) aniseed flavor. 

Review

Bubble Trouble: This one was my favorite. It was not so rich that you couldn’t have all you wanted. The several flavors maintained their individuality so that I could taste multiple things at the same time. Plus, the dandelion and burdock ingredients made me feel like there was some health benefits to drinking this…though I knew better.

Sho-Fizzle: It tasted like a witch’s potion and I’m not sure if I’m going to start seizing in a few moments.

Effer V. Sense: The Dandelion and Burdock was tolerable. Not as bad as I thought it would be.

Root Beer Belly: I thought it was delicious, inviting, tantalizing.

The Fizz: I think this Dandelion drink looked and tasted like the weed spray I use to kill the dandelions in my yard.

Fentimans Rose Lemonade. Also botanically brewed and fermented, this lemonade is made with ginger and pure rose extracts. Rotate the bottle before opening to mix the drink properly. Other ingredients listed on the bottle are: carbonated water, lemon juice concentrate, cane sugar, glucose syrup, fermented ginger root extracts (ginger root, water, yeast), pear juice concentrate, lemon flavoring, citric acid, tantaric acid, natural color, (grape skin extract), rose oil.

Review

Bubble Trouble: The rose lemonade was a thorny disappointment. It tasted like my shampoo smells.

Sho-Fizzle: It has a very sharp flavor, but it left me feeling as if I had just walked through a field of roses and stepped on a few sharp thorns along the way.

Effer V. Sense: The Rose Lemonade tasted chemical. It was like drinking perfume with sugar added.

Root Beer Belly: Loved it!

The Fizz: I felt like I was drinking a bottle of  eu de toilette from my grandma’s bathroom.

Flying Cauldron Butterscotch Beer. This is a non-alcoholic butterscotch cream soda. Advertising itself as a 100% natural butterscotch cream soda, this drink includes: purified carbonated water, cane sugar, vanilla extract, natural caramel, natural flavors, stevia rebaudiana leaf extract.

Review

Bubble Trouble: The butter beer was like having dessert. It is a dessert drink. You should drink it in a shot glass like a dessert... Like when you go to a restaurant and they serve you dessert in a small shot glass. Two swallows and you have had dessert.

Sho-Fizzle: Professor Flitwick did a very nice job. It warmed me down to my toes. The flavor was just right, not too much and not too little. I’m sure it cancelled out the witch’s potion I drank earlier.

Effer V. Sense: This tasted just like it was described in the Harry Potter movies.

Root Beer Belly: It was yummy.

The Fizz: Take me back to the Leaky Cauldron for more Butterscotch Beer. It could only have been better if it had been served in a pumpkin mug. It also made me think I was sucking on a hard butterscotch disc candy. It was delicious.

Bundaberg Guava. Made in Australia, this non-alcoholic beverage should be inversed before opening. It contains carbonated water, cane sugar, 5% guava juice from concentrate, guava brew (water, guava puree, sugar, yeast), citric acid, flavors, colors (carmine, carotene, caramel (plain), pectin, preservatives (sodium benozte, potassium sorbate).

Review

Bubble Trouble: It was toooo much. The flavor was highly concentrated so that it was so rich that you could not guzzle the whole bottle. It even felt thick, like baby food. It was not unpleasant taste, it was just too much.

Sho-Fizzle: Mmmm, it delighted all of my senses. It tasted as good as it smelled and looked. It made me want to swing or swim in a bubbling tropical spring.

Effer V. Sense: This tasted like liquid fruit.

Root Beer Belly: It was good.

The Fizz: It tasted like a bright guava, which I would have enjoyed if I liked guava.