A 'Not Quite Spring' Roadtrip

Though it's officially Spring here in Ontario, it sure doesn't feel like it. So when I woke up this morning to a bright sunny day - no blowing snow, freezing rain, or ice pellets - I knew a roadtrip to my favorite soda store in Whitby (2 hours away from me) was in order. I've written about Soda Pop Central in the past, but I always find new and unique soda pops there every time I visit.

Owner Dave Repol has done wonders for raising awareness of the goodness of sodas in glass bottles. At his shop, you'll find hundreds of sodas from around the world... and nearly all of it is in glass bottles.

Among the rows of sodas for sale is Dave's vast collection of Vernors memorabilia on display, mostly vintage pieces he's accrued on eBay and from other collectors. The walls are covered with Vernors vintage advertising and Hires ads as well. It makes for a really nostalgic visit for collectors and an important introduction for young soda drinkers. The beverage industry is long and storied, and Soda Pop Central is a fabulous place to learn that there's more to it than the newest offerings from Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

My favorites are Sparky's rootbeer, Dr Pepper directly from Texas (with the pure cane sugar), and Coca-Cola Light (diet Coke) from Mexico... all in glass bottles, of course. I always pick up a few bottles of my favorite sodas when I'm there, but I also make a point to pick up the new sodas that Dave brings in that I haven't tried before.

New this time around was: 'Looks Like Orange Tastes Like Grape' (obviously a soda that appears orange but actually tastes like grape - what a weird concept); Ramune Melon Flavored soda, imported from Japan (and has a marble that rolls around inside the neck of the bottle); Frostop premium root beer and Frostop Vanilla Caramel were new additions, and extremely tasty.

Also new to the line-up at Soda Pop Central is an entire line of Crush sodas in glass. I've seen grape, strawberry and peach before, but this was a first for me to find Pineapple, and Tropical Fruit Punch in longneck glass bottles. And so my soda discoveries continue.

I left Soda Pop Central today with a case of 24 mixed bottles and one extra bottle of Sparky's right out of their cooler for the road. Unfortunately, I drank the whole bottle before I made it out of the parking lot. Oh well, such is life.

Visit Soda Pop Central at: http://www.sodapopcentral.com (1001 Burns Street East #4, Whitby, Ontario) or contact Dave at 1-800-977-3765.