Liquid Cereal, Soda Pop Style...

My all-time favorite snack isn't chips, popcorn or ho-hos. Though I enjoy crackers and cheese, I live for sugary cereal right out of the box (consumed in front of the television, sans milk). For the most part, it doesn't much matter what kind it is: Fruit Loops, Corn Pops, Count Chocula... and the king of cereal snacking - Cookie Crisp. Now, there's a new soda hitting the US market that combines my two biggest loves - cereal and soda pop. Oh god, could life get any better?

Created by the fine folks at Brain Twist, there are 4 flavors: Apple & Cinnamon, Fruit, Peanut Butter, and Chocolate. Obviously, the first two flavors are take-offs of Apple Jacks and Fruit Loops respectively. The Peanut Butter, I wouldn't hazard a guess... but according to the ingredients, the last two flavors pack the biggest fatty punch - 170 calories per can (versus the Apple and Fruit versions with 160 calories). My wife says that's not a terrible amount, but only if that's all you have. What - I can't sample all four versions in one sitting? Where's the adventure in limiting the consumption to just a single can.

I can't personally comment on what it tastes like, since as a canuck, we're not likely to find it around here (sigh). But according to the BevNet, "the consistency of the product literally feels like finely ground cereal that is smooth, not mushy. Put all this together and you have something that, although lightly sweet in comparison, is definitely remniscent of a children's breakfast cereal."

Sounds like an absolute winner to me.

Have a Happy New Year, and we'll see you in the pages of our print editions.

Merry [Cola] Christmas 2005!

I've received a number of e-mails from soda collectors over the past few weeks complaining about the quality of the Christmas packaging this year for Coca-Cola and Pepsi. So here's my two cents worth: I love Pepsi's "holiday" packaging this year with the snowman and snow-covered house. The graphics are almost cartoonish, but they're staying neutral as they have for years. It's cute, but not flowery. Pepsi may have decided not to go to the trouble and expense of bottling 'Holiday Spice' for 2005, but it's obvious they've been concentrating their efforts in the right places lately.

On the otherhand, Coca-Cola has ditched the Haddon Sundblom Santa Claus on its Christmas packaging for the first time in a gazillion years (that's a long time). I'm not an expert on all the reasons why, and I haven't been told by Coca-Cola that they removed Santa for a specific reason this particular year. The company is still sending out the Coca-Cola Christmas Caravan tour this year - and to my knowledge the trucks featuring Santa Claus haven't been painted over with images of penguins and polar bears... yet.

What do polar bears and penguins have to do with Christmas? I have no idea. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't think their holiday commercial with the polar bears drinking Coke will jump-start sales or send the masses on a Coca-Cola buying spree.

It's not a conspiracy against collectors to remove the Santa image from packaging this year... in fact, Santa Claus DOES appear on Coke bottles in the UK and the U.S. World of Coca-Cola commemorative Christmas bottles. And in many Coca-Cola grocery store displays, the Haddon Santa is still prominently featured as a life-sized cutout. So don't write off the big guy just yet.


OK, that's all for now. From my family to yours, here's wishing you a Very Merry [Cola] Christmas and a Happy [Soda] New Year.

See you in the pages of our print editions.

Christmas Sodas... and a Road Trip

There's only 12 days left until Christmas 2005 and I can't wait! And yes, my Christmas shopping is completely finished too! This December has been an excellent time for Playing With Words Specialty Publications (that'd be my publishing company) due mostly to the addition of our special 'everything Coca-Cola' Christmas edition. We're on target to selling out in record time!

Last weekend, I took a 2 hour roadtrip down to Whitby, Ontario to Soda Pop Central for their one of their "soda sippin' Saturday" events. This time it was a very cherry experience with more than 20 different cherry flavored sodas to sample at their shop. It always amazes me when I stop in at Soda Pop Central - their inventory of sodas in glass bottles is always growing. The newest additions are Mexican Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light and Mexican Pepsi in 355mL glass bottles. Sodas from Mexico are a real throw-back to a simpler soda time and a nod to the history of the beverage industry. Plus, they're pretty great sodas. I'm officially addicted to Coca-Cola Light in the glass bottle.

Probably the most interesting thing to me about the Mexican sodas is that even though these bottles are imported into Canada from Mexico, they are priced significantly lower in Canada than they are in Mexico where they were originally bottled. On the crown bottlecap of the Coca-Cola Light is printed: "$3.00 Coca-Cola Light". I paid $1.75 CDN for a single bottle. Even that may seem like a lot of money to spend on a single bottle of pop, but I'd gladly hand it over without a second thought.

If you're ever in the Whitby area, make sure to drop in at Soda Pop Central (1001 Burns St. E. #4) where you'll be amazed at their selection of sodas: Orange Crush (and Grape & Strawberry), Kickapoo Joy Juice, Pop Shoppe, Faygo, 7UP, Mountain Dew, A&W Rootbeer, Stewart's, Bubble-Up, Sun Drop, and hundreds more - all in glass bottles the way soda pop was meant to be consumed.

Those of you in Canadian Coca-Cola collectors have probably already seen this as well, but I thought I'd point it out: Petro Canada gas stations (at least in Ontario) are offering a great little promotion for collectors. When you buy two 2L bottles of Coke or diet Coke, you can get a FREE Coca-Cola Christmas tree ornament. There are four different designs available but take note... if you're on the lookout for these, you could have a hard time finding all four. Last week I was in London, Ontario and had to stop at three different Petro Canada locations before I found one that had any left. The one pictured here is the ornament I chose - and it now joins our other ornaments, even though my wife thinks it's a bit too big for the Christmas tree.

Thanks for reading, and check back here later in the week - I'll be writing about the Christmas packaging of lots of sodas this year.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like (Cola) Christmas...

Currently drinking: diet Coke, 8 oz. glass bottle

Depending on your geographic area, you might have as much snow outside your window as I do. Instead of listing at the top of my blog the beverage I'm currently consuming while writing this, maybe I should publish how much snow we currently have. Here in Muskoka, we have near a foot of snow and -4 C (25 F). For Christmas this year, Erin is buying me snowpants and an awesome winter hat (since she thinks if I have the proper winter attire I might actually go outside). When I asked her if I could sew a Coca-Cola patch on them somewhere she just rolled her eyes. Is that a no?

Are you in the Christmas spirit yet? If not, our special 'everything Coca-Cola' Christmas edition will help! It's a magazine for Coca-Cola collectors dedicated to the Christmas collecting season - and available only for the month of December!

Yesterday I was at the grocery store and when I turned the corner into the beverage aisle, the Pepsi delivery man was pulling a skid of product. I stopped him and asked a direct question: "Why didn't Pepsi bring out Holiday Spice this year?" The man looked a little surprised (probably because he wouldn't have expected anyone to remember it). "That was a special edition just for last year, unfortunately," he replied. Am I the only one who didn't think Holiday Spice was a wretched sauce? Served warm, it was rather delightful.

Speaking of warm sodas, while regular Coke and Pepsi served hot might not float your boat, over the holidays, try these and see what you think: hot Dr Pepper or hot Vernors Ginger Ale. I've had both, and admittedly, they hit the spot.

Anyway, back to the grocery store aisle. As I turned my head from my conversation with the PBG guy, who should appear coming down the opposite end of the aisle? Yep, that's right - Mr. Coca-Cola delivery man. It was like a scene right out of some cola wars commercial. I looked at the Coke man and said, "Now you guys behave - no fighting." The Pepsi guy smirked; the Coke man didn't acknowledge my comment. Sort of a reflection on the whole cola wars situation in which Pepsi has always embraced and Coca-Cola claims not to exist.

But how long will Coca-Cola be on top of the cola mountain? Sources say the two cola giants are once again struggling for the top spot in the cola wars. It's hard to believe, but Pepsi has been slowing and silently clawing its way back to the top. Not that the cola market is growing by leaps and bounds, mind you. While the market for sugar colas is shrinking, Pepsi is stealing a bigger piece of the proverbial pie than it has for years.

And Coca-Cola knows that it's every bit as true as analyists are forecasting.

In 2006, The Coca-Cola Company will debut an aggressive marketing campaign that starts with a new global slogan: "Welcome to the Coke side of life" which will replace its current "Real" tagline. I like it... but will it be enough to turn things around for Big Red? In 2005, Coke shares were down 17 percent VS. Pepsi's gain of 12 percent.

I guess this means I haven't been drinking ENOUGH diet Coke. So it's time for me to take one for the team... but I must confess, some Pepsi Lime and Pepsi Vanilla products have been sneaking into our fridge lately.

Thanks for reading, and I'll chat with you again in the pages of our print editions.