Sierra Mist Gets "Smart" With Undercover Orange

One place I never thought I'd see Steve Carell in would be the my local market in the beverage section. I wish it was in person but alas, he was only on the label of a bottle of soda. Carell, star of NBC's "The Office," will soon also be featured (along with fellow label mate Anne Hathaway) in the movie version of the old television series "Get Smart." As a tie-in to the upcoming film, PepsiCo has unleashed Sierra Mist Undercover Orange, a "limited edition" lemon-lime soda with mandarin orange flavor. Undercover Orange is clear in color (guess the orange went "undercover") and is quite tasty. The mandarin flavor gives the beverage a nice, crisp citrusy flavor. There's also a Sierra Mist Free (diet) version of this soda which I haven't been able to track down. Kudos to the designers of the label as it really grabbed my attention with the bright colors and clear "orange" soda, as well as the unusual flavor combination. But honestly the selling point for me was that "Michael Scott" was staring at me, daring me to buy this soda. Who knows, maybe I'll even grab my shoe phone, an Undercover Orange and head to the theater to see "Get Smart." And that's what she said.

POWERade's Option Really Turns To ZERO

There's a dizzying array of "sports drinks" on the market currently, with Coca-Cola and Pepsi trying outdo each other at every turn. Recently, Pepsi launched G2, a "lighter" version of Gatorade, and Propel Fitness Water, a lower-calorie Propel. I tried both of these and while they're fine, I just don't see the point of having yet another lower cal version that removes the sugar and adds crap sweetener so it can be marketed as more of a "diet" product. Coke's POWERade Option was one of my favorite beverages to drink—that is when I could find it. Of course now that I finally located an outlet for my Option, Coke's gone and screwed it up by replacing that product with POWERade ZERO. Let me get this straight: Coke decided to remove the 10-calorie Option for zero calorie ZERO? I was worried that those 10 calories would really go to my hips. Also Option was a clear liquid which was enough of a tip-off to me that it was low-cal. I get it. Note to Coke: a gigantic "ZERO" on the label is not going to get me to keep buying this stuff. Geez, Louise. A taste comparison unveils that the ZERO is much sweeter tasting because of the addition of some type of fake sweetener with about 30 letters in its complete name. Option had a nice mild taste. The best thing about POWERade ZERO is that the label is nicely designed, with the white against the now-colored liquid shining brightly. If you're interested, ZERO comes in mixed berry (blue), grape (purple), and strawberry (red). So Coke, I want my Option back. And cut it with the "zero" on all your labels. We ain't stupid.

http://us.powerade.com/#/drink/zero

Häagen-Dazs Goes Green With Tea Ice Cream

On a recent shopping trip to the market, I tried my "don't look at the ice cream case" manuever but I'm weak. A pint of Häagen-Dazs Green Tea ice cream caught my eye. The packaging is attractive, complete with the "limited edition" label adorning the lid. This product falls under the "must try" category simply based on the fact that it's green tea and made by Haagen-Dazs. I've tried a few green tea ice creams in my day and usually it's not something I go out of my way for because I've always thought them fairly bland. Well let me be among the first to say that this Green Tea ice cream is amazing. It's creamy and the taste of the tea—from Japanese Matcha green tea—really shines through. According to Häagen-Dazs's site, this flavor is the number one selling ice cream for the company in Japan, which is no surprise. This flavor will only be around until August so if you're into a fantastic dessert ice cream, grab a couple of pints of this green wonder. I'd tell you where I found mine but I want it all to myself.

http://www.haagen-dazs.com/products/product.aspx

Don't Limit My Diet Dr Pepper Cherry Chocolate!

I'm very late to the game for the Diet Dr Pepper Cherry Chocolate bandwagon. However, there's a good reason for that: I couldn't find the darn beverage anywhere in New York City. I've searched countless bodegas, grocery stores and specialty shops and always came up empty. But then along came Mel, who came through like Eli Manning in Super Bowl XLII. Mel happens to also enjoy trying offbeat flavored sodas and he mentioned that he picked up some of the Cherry Chocolate soda, which he liked quite a bit. He was kind enough to offer to grab some cans from Target and finally last week there it was sitting in my office. I admired the pop art-style artwork that adorns the cans and brought some home, making sure they got nice and chilled. Then it was time to take a sip. And it did not disappoint. The sweet soda starts out with the familiar Dr Pepper taste and a cherry flavor, finishing with a nice little blast of chocolate. Personally I think it's one of the best sodas I've ever had the pleasure to meet. It's limited edition availability is over after April so I'd suggest stocking up. It may or may not return depending on its sales figures but as far as I'm concerned I'd love to see it return permanently and be able to actually buy some on my own. I'm rationing my last few cans and I won't be happy when they're gone. To quote (more like, butcher) the old Dr Pepper jingle, "I'd like this to be a Pepper too."

http://www.drpepper.com/

Pringles Pickle Chips Really Are Extreme

Potato chips that taste like pickles are not everyone's cup of brine. About a year ago I tried Lay's Dill Pickle Potato Chips which were interesting and quite pickle-y, but a bit on on the bland side, at least for me. Along comes Pringles' Extreme Flavors line which includes Screamin' Dill Pickle, Kickin' Cheddar, and Blazin' Buffalo Wing. I was most interested in the latter chips as my first choice but alas, my local deli only carried Dill Pickle and Cheddar so I bought a canister of Screamin' and thought I'd see what some of my co-workers thought. ML (previously mentioned on this blog for her love of Kinder's Bueno chocolate bar) wasn't all that impressed as she thought they were "too tangy," while Belle and Kristen ate just a few and said they were "pretty good." I suspect they were not exactly feeling the Screamin' pickle chip love and didn't want to indulge any further in my "weird" purchase. I took the Extreme plunge myself too, and I'll admit they are an acquired taste. They are an assault to your taste buds but in a good way. I regard these Screamin' Dill Pickle chips as the nasty cousin to the Lay's Dill Pickle chips. I'd like to say that you cannot possibly eat too many at one time but I just finished them before I wrote this post. Of course that was for research purposes.

http://www.pringles.com/pages/products/extreme.shtml