Thomas Kemper Cane Sugar Soda

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Regular; Container: 12 oz bottle
BevNET Review: Using real peach juice, honey, sugar, and natural flavors to create the flavor of the drink, Thomas Kemper’s Ginger Peach Soda is a very enjoyable product. There’s a very natural tasting peach note to the mix, followed by a pretty hefty amount of sweetness (33g of sugar per bottle) and a crisp finish thanks to a moderate amount of carbonation. The ginger flavor is in there, albeit in a mellow way, but we would definitely like to see this increased to the point where there’s a touch of heat to the product. Otherwise, we really wouldn’t change a thing about what’s inside this 12 oz. bottle. As for that bottle, they use a squat looking glass bottle with a paper label. It’s not flashy, but it definitely has a certain high-quality, old-fashioned vibe to it. Overall, we’d like to see more ginger flavor to the mix, but otherwise, this is a pretty well executed line extension from Thomas Kemper.Reviewed on: 11/16/2009

Product Type:Carbonated Soft Drink: Regular; Container: 12 oz bottle
BevNET Review: Oregon Marionberry is a slightly tart tasting drink that, since most people probably don’t know the flavor of marionberry, is best compared to a mixture of grape and raspberry. It’s sweetened with honey and sugar, which makes for a product that’s sweet but not overwhelming to the point of leaving behind a sugary coating in your mouth. Really though, our issue isn’t with the flavor of the drink (it’s quite good), but with the marketability of the product, which is certainly going to be more limited than a more mainstream fruit (e.g. blueberry). Still, they’ve given the drink some nice presentation and we like the tie to the Pacific Northwest (where the drink is from) by incorporating Oregon into the name. That certainly might help with consumers who feel like drinking something with a local feel. Otherwise, the look of the drink is simple, but polished and high quality, relying heavily on text rather than fruit images. Overall, it’s good, but probably not the first Thomas Kemper flavor that we’d reach for. Reviewed on: 11/16/2009