JONES SODA CHRISTMAS PACK TASTE-OFF

This Christmas Eve, the family had its own Jones Soda Christmas Pack Taste-Off. Four holiday themed sodas were tried and then rated on the scale used by RateBeer. Sugar Plum, Christmas Tree, Egg Nog, and Christmas Ham were tasted and rated in five categories that gave each soda a final score between 0.5 and 5.0 points. The individual scores for each soda were then averaged to achieve the overall point total. Participants were Troy's Work Table, the wife, the father, the sister, the brother, and the sister-in-law. On Christmas Day, the brother-in-law and the sister-in-law also tasted and rated Christmas Tree, Egg Nog, and Christmas Ham.

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Sugar Plum = 3.3 of 5 points.

Sugar Plum was exceptionally sweet, almost like cotton candy squared. It was the number one choice of all who tasted it.

"Very sweet. More sugar than plum."
—The father

"Tastes like perfume!"
—The sister

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Christmas Tree = 1.7 of 5 points.

Christmas Tree smelled like an air freshener. It was an artificial rendering of what a Christmas tree would taste like.

"Smells like a candle. Tastes like licking a Glade Plug-In."
—The wife

"It's like sucking on a pine cone."
—The brother-in-law

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Egg Nog = 3.1 of 5 points.

Egg Nog was a bit of an anomaly. It's aroma and flavor didn't blend as well as they could have. Egg nog was present in both, but the aroma had more of lemon and nutmeg to it, while the flavor was influenced by bubblegum and banana. It was pretty good, though.

"Spicy, mellow, and balanced."
—The brother

"No competition. Literally."
—The brother-in-law, who didn't have the benefit of tasting Sugar Plum, and was not too happy with either Christmas Tree or Christmas Ham

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Christmas Ham = 0.8 of 5 points.

Christmas Ham looked like the juices that would be in the pan after exiting the ham during baking. It definitely was closest to its namesake, but that was not a good thing for a soda. I think it was the "hit" of the night, even if in a bad way. It got a (negative) reaction from everyone. Several participants thought it tasted like throat spray and several thought it tasted like bean with bacon soup. I think both positions were correct. Ugh.

"Oh, dear Lord. This tastes very much like ham juice runoff."
—Troy's Work Table

"Gross!"
—The wife

"Bad aftertaste. Similar to throat spray."
—The father

"I want to vomit it back up."
—The sister

"It keeps on lingering down my throat."
—The brother

"The aftertaste is salty."
—The sister-in-law

"I nearly hurled!"
—The brother-in-law

"Yuck! Gagger!!"
—The other sister-in-law

This was definitely a different experience than the 2006 Jones Soda Thanksgiving Taste-Off with the family. But, it is one that I hope becomes somewhat of a holiday tradition. However, I fear a few years from now when Jones Soda has to get very creative with the flavors because they have started to exhaust those most associated with the holidays—like Lump O' Coal Soda!