Thanksgiving Week: Day Four - Soda Shaq: Blueberry Cream

I cannot say I've ever had blueberry cream anything in my life before this day.  I've seen it, so it's not that I was simply prevented from experiencing it, I simply never took the opportunity to try it.  Apparently I've been missing out if it's a strong enough flavor for Shaquille O'Neal to devote his attention to it.

Day three of the soda test continues, so where does this new flavor rate?

First off, that face is going to haunt me.  Shaq looks way too delighted by a surprise there for me to feel comfortable.  It could mean anything from "they just wheeled in a cart of my favorite dessert stuffed with money" to "I think that supermodel just pinched my butt."

Again, opening the can involves a flimsy pull tab, but while it is annoying dealing with it after the can is open, at least it doesn't break before that.

The color of the beverage actually manages to remind me of thinned out blueberry juice.  The carbonation was between the first two sodas, having a small head that faded quickly.

Taste-wise, this soda has the strongest flavoring past the cream flavor, but I'm torn as to it's quality.  When I eat fresh blueberries, I love the tartness that first hits the tongue mixed with the natural fruit sugars.  Many artificial blueberry flavors don't have either, instead having an artificial tartness that overpowers or the flavors are simply flattened and dull.

If I had to compare the blueberry flavor here to something else, I would compare it to a wild blueberry jam, the kind that isn't overly processed and still has blueberries and blueberry bits inside it.  You don't get much tartness, but instead you get that cool aftertaste that blueberry jam leaves in your mouth after you swallow.  It overtakes the cream flavor quickly after it moves over your tongue, but not so quickly that you don't get to taste both flavors.

It really makes me wonder what I've been missing in other blueberry cream flavors.

This is probably my favorite of the sodas so far.  I still wish it felt a little heavier so the taste would last longer, but I'm glad they don't rely on corn syrup to do it.

I give this soda a B+.  if I was offered a choice and wanted something lighter than a regular soda but more flavorful than water, I would likely reach for this.