While visiting someone yesterday I noticed a Pepsi can on their kitchen table I didn't have. In fact, I hadn't seen one like it before. It was branded as "Soda Shop" and had the old-time Pepsi logo across the top. The flavor was cream soda.
After hearing my admiration for the cool-looking can design, they offered me one and said they had another flavor, too. Then they handed me a can of black cherry.
Wow. You never know when you're going to see a new old-fashioned thing.
Some Pepsi cans have been sitting in my food pantry for a little while, so I decided to group a few of them together in this week's post titled "Fruits and Football."
First, two Pepsi flavors sharing a new can design. There may be other fruity flavors available, but these are the only two I currently have: Mango and Wild Cherry.
In addition to those two, a Super Bowl 54 can has been taking up space for over a year and a half.
This was the Super Bowl played in Hard Rock Stadium in Florida between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers on February 2, 2020. Demi Lovato sang the National Anthem and the half-time show was Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. And since I try to keep this blog spoiler-free I won't say who won.
What do you think of a half-time show featuring KC and the Sunshine Band and the four-person band from Santa Monica, CA, called Chief? Perfect lineup, amiright?
This is a video gaming household. So I wasn't surprised to see my son bring home this Monster energy can that unlocks in-game content for Apex Legends.
Apex Legends is an online multiplayer shooter where each player selects a legendary challenger to fight for glory, fame, and fortune on the fringes of the Frontier. As of today, I believe there are 18 characters to choose from when you enter a game. The character featured on this can is called Wraith.
Although not one of our main games, we have played a little Apex Legends. But to unlock extra in-game content is always nice.
Now if only there were cans for Angry Birds...
Someone I know recently saw this drink at the store and decided to try it. After all, how could a watermelon-strawberry flavored energy drink not be delicious on a hot summer day?
After a few drinks of the bland water he said it was not delicious.
Looking at the back of the can may provide some clues to his disappointment.
Never judge a book by its cover... or a sparkling beverage by its can.
HelloFresh is a company that sells healthy meal-kits. Someone I know has been buying from HelloFresh for a while and they said occasionally a meal will include free bonus items. One of the bonus items they got was this 6.8 oz can of non-alcoholic ginger beer.
Bundaberg is an Australian family owned brewing company. This ginger beer was craft brewed for over 3 days. Some of their other products are a sparkling fruit drink, root beer, cream soda, and more.
So let's see you wrap your laughing gear 'round that!
Following my strange non-alcoholic root beer experience last month, I recently had a similar experience when I found this non-alcoholic water at Walmart.
I've been on a big flavored-water kick for a while now, so I'm always on the lookout for any new or interesting flavors. A couple of weeks ago I saw this Orange Mimosa water at Walmart.
I'd never heard of that flavor before and am typically a fan of citrus, so it was an easy buy. It was later after we got home that I noticed the label said "non-alcoholic." Of course flavored water wouldn't have alcohol. So I went to Google and looked up orange mimosa.
OH!!! A mimosa is a cocktail composed of champagne and chilled citrus juice. Who says you can't learn a thing or two from shopping at Walmart?
This day's featured can is... Day's.
It'd be great if they sold this in a 7-pack. Then you could buy a "week" of sodas.
I'm sure this is the only can of this flavor in my collection.
A candy apple crisp energy drink. In light of my recent vacation, this sounds like something Santa may drink on Christmas Eve...
This day's featured can is... Day's.
This can was given to me last week for my collection. I've never heard of this brand and I didn't think to ask where they got it. The brand has been around since 1946. It's fruit punch flavored, which is an interesting flavor for a soda.
It'd be great if they sold this in a 7-pack. Then you could buy a "week" of sodas.
The family finally made it to Holiday World last week. We have been talking about taking that trip for years, so a few weeks ago I buckled down and made the reservations and declared, "We're going!"
Holiday World is a theme park located in Santa Claus, Indiana. And if you go there, ride The Voyage!! Hands down, it's the best wooden roller coaster I've ridden.
Also in Santa Claus, Indiana, is a must-visit candy store not far from Holiday World called Santa's Candy Castle.
Not only will you find every kind of candy you've ever eaten, but you'll also find candies you never knew existed.
At one point I saw Dad's root beer flavored jelly beans in a plastic replica of a soda can. I made a mental note to grab a can before we left. After all, the can would make a great novelty addition to my collection.
When you see room after room, shelf after shelf of hundreds of different types of candy, you forget where some of the things you find are located. So later in our visit I decided to take a picture of the shelf of "Dad's root beer jelly beans." My powers of observation were lacking that day...
We continued to shop, adding more and more candy to our basket. We finally reached the end of the castle and checked out. We left through the castle's exit and returned to the car. As the kids looked through the candy treasures we found, I grabbed the "Dad's root beer jelly bean" can to admire my purchase.
The Constitution of the United States protects the rights of its citizens to keep and bear arms. Therefore I present to you my Black Rifle:
This can was given to me empty by a coffee-drinking friend. They said it was good. The back of the can says this Espresso Mocha is a "blend of espresso, milk, cocoa, protein, and caffeine to help dominate your day!"
The Black Rifle Coffee Company is veteran-owned and distributes its beverages out of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Let the zombie apocalypse begin... now I've got my Black Rifle in hand!
*** This post is not intended in any way to be taken in a political manner. Its sole purpose is for a poorly constructed joke, which is the same writing device used in many other posts on this blog. It's getting harder to come up with new material after nearly 600 posts. ***
This "can" was part of my Father's Day gift from the kids last month.
It's called Getaway Galaxy Rocks. But you won't find any kind of beverage inside, this is blue raspberry bubble gum.
I'm not sure who this is intended for, but the back of the label claims:
Chunky, chewy gum nuggets, perfect for
blowing bubbles while plotting your escape
And it's not a very big can. As you can see it easily fits in the palm of my hand.
I like these little novelty cans. I received a six pack several years ago similar to this.
Whether they are aluminum cans filled with liquid or plastic cans filled with candy, all cans are welcome in my collection.
Click bait title.
Introducing Monster energy drink... Assault.
And here's a pic of some info you can read:
I didn't drink this. Someone else did and saved the can for me.
Its camouflage makes it hard to find in the jungle.
My son and I were at the store last week and he saw these two flavors of Sunkist soda.
They both sounded so delicious. Of the two, we decided to get the "NEW" Berry Lemonade flavor.
Doesn't the can make your mouth water? I believe the psychological trickery used is including the big drops of water in the paint scheme. It looks like that can has been in a cooler full of ice and is now sweating in the heat, ready for you to drink its ice-cold soda inside. A very refreshing thought.
It's an old trick that's been used plenty of times, I'm sure, but with the summer heat here now it makes this can look even more enticing. Maybe the next trip to the store we'll pick up the Strawberry Lemonade.
Someone recently saved these four shiny Mtn Dew Rise energy drink cans for my collection.
The four flavors are Peach Mango Dawn, Pomegranate Blue Burst, Strawberry Melon Spark, and Tropical Sunrise. I have not had the opportunity to taste any of these, but Mtn Dew sure did a great job at naming them. In fact, just hearing the enticing flavor names and seeing the spirited designs of the can gives me a little energy.
As a bonus, each can shows the same information panel telling you that the can contains caffeine equal to 2 cups of coffee. Zero sugar means calories are low at only 25 per can. And the stripe near the top of the can claims "Immune Support" and "Mental Boost."
Mtn Dew usually does a great job with the presentation of their cans and these shiny silver cans with a splash of color are no exception. What better way to RISE and shine in the morning?
Where does one draw the line when collecting cans? Some people pick a brand or two and focus on just that. But if you choose to collect Coca-Cola cans, soda cans are obvious but what about Coca-Cola energy drinks? Or Coca-Cola coffee? For a brand-completionist the lines can quickly become gray.
The brand Pepsi would include Pepsi soda. But do you also collect Brisk since it's under the Pepsi umbrella? If yes, now you're collecting soda and tea. And then juices show up. And what about those weird relaxation drinks? How do you decide which cans to keep and which to refuse?
I've stated many times on this blog that an easy line to draw is whether the drink has alcohol or not. I'm not against alcoholic beverages, but with that as the deciding factor it's a simple YES or NO whether to include a can in my collection. Now that does open the door to a HUGE can pool (any non-alcoholic drinks), but the more the merrier, right?
So when someone handed me this can for my collection, I almost threw it away. It's a "cold brew" and I don't collect cans with alcohol, which includes ALL beer cans.
But wait! That symbol looks familiar. Upon a more careful read of the label I realized this was a Starbucks coffee can, not some micro-brewery beer can. OOPS.
Ok kids, the can-collecting lesson of the day: Be sure to read the label carefully. Don't glance and assume. Other than Monster, black cans aren't real common so it's nice to have another cool black can. And to think, I almost threw it away.
And my other surprise... this can only has 10 calories! Wow.
Isn't it great when a week is themed? Let's take last week for example. All three cans that found their way to me were peach flavored. Neat.
I've still been trying different brands of flavored water and the last 12-pack I bought was AHA peach + honey. My daughter saved a can of Just Peachy Peace Tea for me. And my son came home with a can of peach Crush.
Summer is quickly approaching. And with juicy flavors such as peach, I just can't wait for the scorching temperatures, high humidity, mosquitoes, thick air, sunburns, etc. On second thought, I can't wait for fall to get here.
