Seasonal Surprise: Pumpkin Pie Soda

It's not often that I get to celebrate the season with a specific soda offering but this autumn has presented me with a new flavor, one of which I'd never heard nor tried in my life. The flavor, pumpkin pie, comes to me from Maine Root, a soda company out of Portland, Maine. Instant attraction to this company, just listen to these other flavors: mandarin orange, blueberry, lemon lime...and the company is probably most famous for their root beer. With them being local I can now begin an active search to locate more of these drinks.

Apple, peaches, pumpkin pie -
Who's not ready, holler I!

The pumpkin pie for me might be the least appealing. Outside of eating toasted pumpkin seeds, my love of all things pumpkin flavored is non existent. It is quite a detriment here, however, I do not despise pumpkin. The rare pumpkin pie slice is in my history and overall, I find some of pumpkin's cousins, like squash, appealing. So when cracking into this bottle, my expectations were low and I was pleasantly surprised by a mist that had more of a cinnamon aura compared to that of a pumpkin. Inhaling more of the vapors, I am able to pick out a rich flavor, with a distinct root or spice buried within.

Now, taking the first sip I'm instantly hit with the pumpkin pie taste. There is no escaping it. It splashes across the tongue and the back of the throat and basically permeates the nostrils. The taste is there in full force and the soda component takes a back seat as this is not a very sweet beverage. I find myself taking sip after sip because in all honesty, I'm trying to find something I like about this drink. The basic fact that I do not love pumpkin IS a detriment here and although the soda is flavorful, and really, slightly spicy, I cannot fathom a time when I would opt for pumpkin pie flavored soda.

I would like to call these tests inconclusive but I'm going to grade the soda now and then present this soda to a few friends who love pumpkin pie. I'm hoping that the soda needs a better judge because in my honest opinion, I would not recommend this soda unless someone specifically asked me if I knew of a pumpkin flavored, carbonated beverage.

                                                                   

Overall Taste: 3.5 - Just not for me so the low rating is pure opinion

Fizz Factor: 5.0 - It has a bite but this is a cane soda and quickly loses its pop
Appearance: 7.0 - Bottle is non-descript but is the soda orange? That's is pretty cool
Flavor: 7.0 - While I don't like the flavor, it tastes like pumpkin pie

From the company: 12 oz has 165 calories, 0g of fat, 40g of carbs, 40g of sugar and 0g of protein.