This year Jones Soda has capitalized on its prior success with offbeat holiday soda collections. The company plans to donate $50,000 from this limited edition collection to Toys for Tots this Holiday season. Unlike the other holiday pack, this is regionally distributed, not nationally, so it may not be available in your area. For you, the Slashfood reader, I have taken the liberty of reviewing the sodas it contains. Just so you won’t miss out. The flavors include: Broccoli Casserole, Smoked Salmon Paté, Turkey and Gravy, Corn on the Cob and Sweet Potato Pie.I have taken the liberty of adapting this rating system into the “Ick Factor” on a scale of 1-10, 1 being enjoyable and 10 being smoked salmon paté (oops, did I give that away?).

Reviews and photos are after the jump.

Broccoli Casserole

For the record, I have never had a broccoli casserole, but I assume that it must taste nothing like broccoli. This soda tastes like onions and maple syrup. Not horrible, but certainly not good. I didn’t want to spit it out, but then again, I wasn’t going back for another helping. Ick factor: 7 out of 10.







Smoked Salmon Paté

Not being a fish eater, this soda appealed to me the least of all the options. And by “appealed to me the least” I mean that I was totally disgusted by the idea of drinking it. I was also disturbed by the fact that there were things floating at the bottom of the soda. Complete neutrality was not in the cards here. The smell is hard to overcome, but not as hard as the aftertaste. This is truly a horrible soda, a combination of fish and old tires that lasts and lasts. Ick Factor: 10 out of 10.





Turkey and Gravy

Now a standard in the holiday packs, Turkey and Gravy soda is nothing new to Jones soda tasters. The color is a quite off-putting cloudy, yellowish brown. It smells slightly meaty, the muted scent of refrigerated gravy. It tastes much sweeter than any turkey meat I’ve ever had and I would actually be hard pressed to describe it as turkey-flavored. Ick factor: 7 out of 10






Corn on the Cob

I had no idea what to expect from this soda, since corn can be both sweet and savory. I liked the bright, canary yellow color. It had a slightly sweet, generic smell and tasted a bit like orange soda with far too little syrup. If it was slightly sweeter, it would be good, but as is it comes of as fairly drinkable. Ick factor: 3 out of 10.

Pecan Pie

I was actually looking forward to this soda because I like pecans and a fat-free sugar-free (even if it is liquid) dessert means that you can have at least a second serving. It smells a lot like pecan pie, though not as toasty. It is very sweet and taste almost exactly like pancake syrup, without the syrupy consistency. The aftertaste was very pleasant, but overall I don’t think that there was enough pecan flavor. If less bland than the Corn on the Cob soda, it is still not quite enjoyable enough to make me want to pick one up to quench my thirst. Ick Factor: 3 out of 10.

[Photos by Nicole Weston]