Hazelnut Java Pop Coffee Soda

By Niki D'Andrea Mon., Mar. 14 2011 at 8:00 AM

Categories: Caffiend

We were reluctant to try coffee soda, because the one time we drank Manhattan Special espresso soda, we thought we were going to vomit. So we had low expectations for Hazelnut Java Pop Coffee Soda. Luckily, we were pleasantly surprised at the flavor.

The Java Pop was a light caramel color, and smelled heavily of caramel and hazelnut. The flavor was dominated by the caramel and hazelnut, as well, and hardly tasted like drip coffee at all. It was sweet, but not overly so, probably because the manufacturers used cane sugar.

There's very little carbonation in the drink, so Java Pop avoids that weird flavor that comes from combining fizzy carbonation with coffee or anything dairy-based. The Hazelnut Java Pop really tastes like a sweet water, and can be very thirst quenching if served cold.

As for energy boosts, drinking a Java Pop is probably the equivalent of having a regular soda pop in the morning. It's not as potent as hot brewed coffee, but may be a little more practical for summer mornings.

All the ingredients in Java Pop are organic and fair-trade certified. Looking at the label, there's nothing unnatural or unrecognizable in the blend: filtered water, organic cane juice, Fair Trade Certified Green Mountain organic coffee, organic caramel, and natural coffee and hazelnut flavors. There's no Taurine, no vitamin B complex, and no weird energy boosting ingredients with names we can't pronounce. Java Pop is what it is, and it's quite good.