This Is What I Drink : 36

Trader Joe's Vintage Cola

I was pleasantly surprised to browse Trader Joe's the other day and see that they now have their own brand of premium sodas. The display claimed to have such varieties as root beer and ginger ale (possibly more?), but cola and orange cream were the only ones available that day. Cola (or maybe root beer, I'll get it next time) has always been the mark of a brand for me. If their cola is good, there's a decent chance the rest of the line will probably be alright as well.

We'll start with the packaging. It's not great, but not bad either. I suppose it's just a tad generic? I guess a store brand cola is technically a generic brand, but I expect more from Trader Joe's for some reason. Anyway, they get their point across with such a vintage font. As per the formulation, it thankfully uses cane sugar. I'm not sure I would've even bought it if it didn't; I'm a snob that way. There's no caffeine which is a slight surprise though it's that that uncommon in a premium cola. Taste-wise I'd say it's just slightly above average for a premium cola. It doesn't stray far from the basics and it's generally too sweet with 40 grams of sugar per bottle. It's priced reasonably at $4 a four pack. Not too bad, and I'll probably try some of the other varieties just because I'll be shopping there fairly frequently.