I appreciate healthy foods and drinks. I really do. But sometimes, you just crave a bottle of soda. Or in my case, ten bottles of Jarritos. Jarritos, for the uninitiated, is a popular soft drink from Mexico known for its wide variety of fruity flavors. I grew up on this drink as a kid, but had a hard time accessing it during my first quarter in college. Back home, however, they're everywhere. The temptation was too much.
I went to the store and bought every single flavor available on the shelf. The cashier gave me weird looks as she scanned every bottle. I didn't care. I went straight home and had this sight before me.
Some of these flavors, like jamaica (hibiscus), mango and guava, were uncharted territory for me; the others were familiar to my flavor palette.
One by one, each bottle was uncapped and taste tests commenced. Almost every flavor had positives and negatives, and a rating from 0-10 was given to each of these flavors.
Jamaica (Hibiscus)
The Positives: The initial taste of the hibiscus flavored bottle is extremely sweet and pleasing, even for someone who may not usually enjoy hibiscus
The Negative: There is a somewhat odd aftertaste, which is very reminiscent of cinnamon or some other spice. It's definitely an acquired taste, which I don't have as of now.
Overall: 6/10
Jamaica is interesting, to say the least. There could be some improvement, but a lot of potential exists for this drink to be revisited later on.
Mango
The Positives: The drink has the right amount of sweetness that isn't too obvious while drinking.
The Negatives: It's extremely syrupy and doesn't taste like mango. The aftertaste, while faint, is enough to throw you off of this flavor because it lingers for a while and is still very syrupy.
Overall: 4/10
Mango is an extreme disappointment. I was expecting a strong eight, but the drink fell very short.
Mandarin
The Positives: It's sweet in all the right places and the mandarin flavor actually tastes like mandarin. I downed this bottle without realizing it because it's that good.
The Negatives: To me, it's a little bit fizzier than most of the Jarritos' other drinks.
Overall: 8/10
Despite the extra fizziness, mandarin is a killer flavor that I recommend to any first-time drinkers.
Pineapple
The Positives: It's pleasantly surprising. The pineapple flavoring isn't too "in your face," which provides for a smooth drinking experience.
The Negatives: The pineapple flavor, for being not too prominent, can be a little tart at times.
Overall: 7/10
Pineapple isn't the end-all, be-all of Jarritos flavors, but it is a solid flavor that you shouldn't think twice about.
Lime
The Positives: It finishes smooth.
The Negatives: The lime's presence is quaint, and what is there isn't necessarily to die for.
Overall: 3/10
It's a very forgetful flavor. I wouldn't recommend this Jarritos flavor to many people, but if you're into drinks that barely taste, go for it.
Guava
The Positives: It's a very tropical flavor and has a delightful aftertaste that is just the right amount of sweet. It pops in at the right moment and it leaves you wanting more.
The Negatives: The bright pink color is enough to make you have second thoughts about drinking it.
Overall: 9/10
Don't let the pink drink distract you. You won't regret enjoying guava.
Strawberry
The Positives: Strawberry is extremely underrated as a flavor; it's refreshing and the strawberry is actually a prominent part of the drink.
The Negatives: It can be a little too sweet at times, which can take away from the drinking experience.
Overall: 7/10
Too many people sleep on the strawberry flavored Jarritos. It could rank higher if it weren't too sweet.
Fruit Punch
The Positives(?): The bottle makes for a nice instrument once the drink is gone, if that even is a positive.
The Negatives: There's too much sugar and the flavor itself has no redeeming qualities; tasting this is a misery ridden trip.
Overall: 0/10
Don't drink this. It's plain bad. It's an absolute zero.
Tamarind
The Positives: Tamarind is an absolutely refreshing choice for a flavor because it's so unique and indescribable yet it's absolutely delicious. It fizzles as it goes down your mouth and tastes unlike any other soda that I've personally tried.
The Negatives: This is one of those sodas that one moment you'll love, and the next moment you'll loathe it. There are certain times in which you'll enjoy the drink and want more, but then you'll take one sip and feel so disgusted by it.
Overall: It's an actual tossup. It is both a perfect ten and an absolute zero because of how varied the experience is of drinking tamarind soda.
Grapefruit
The Positives: The soda tastes like grapefruit, but it isn't sour like the actual grapefruit. It goes down nicely, as a result.
The Negatives: It's essentially an inferior version of Squirt, another grapefruit soda (which probably makes it an okay chaser in comparison to Squirt), so you can get a better experience by drinking Squirt.
Overall: 7/10
It's a good drink, but it's also the same drink as another soda.
So, I drank all of the flavors, now what?
If you ever run into a store that sells Jarritos and you're itching to try one, you can make safe bets with either guava-flavored or mandarin-flavored Jarritos. If you're feeling bold and want to play a game of chance, then tamarind is your best option.
After trying all of these flavors of Jarritos, there's one thing that is guaranteed to happen: a sugar crash.