Hello Christmas

Many posts for this blog can come from the gifts I received this year for Christmas, and I'm going to start with this one.

It was rather obvious this present was of the aluminum can variety, but who knew what was inside that wrapping paper?  My kids.  This was one of the gifts from them.

Hello Christmas!  I love novelty cans, and this Hello Kitty certainly falls into that category.  I don't drink soda, so not only did the kids have the pleasure of giving me a good gift but they'll also be the ones to drink it and let me know what they think.  The can will be bottom-opened, of course!

And this was just the beginning.  I look forward to dragging this holiday out for a few more weeks here on the blog.  It's the gift from me that keeps on giving...

M E R R Y

C H R I S T MA S

Polar Winter is Here

The weather here in the Midwest has turned a bit cooler lately, but in another week the temperature is supposed to drop to the single digits.  Not only is the first day of winter close, now it's feeling polar!

Speaking of Polar, this week I saw this delicious-looking can of raspberry pink lemonade Polar sparkling seltzer'ade and had to buy it!  It's a fancy can with its simplistic design, and the vibrant colors breathe a little warmth into the otherwise chilly feel of this season.

But most importantly, it tastes good!  

Low Sodium Trash

The annual inventory is currently underway where I work.  It involves a team of people (including myself) counting every piece of equipment and stock in the building.  And depending on what items I'm counting it may take me to areas I've never been before.

It was in one such new area that I glanced in the trash can and saw a pile of these earth-tone beauties:

This is definitely a newer design from the V8 cans I have in my collection, so with my gloves on I picked up the can on top of the pile and cleaned it thoroughly in the nearest restroom.

I am not a fan of vegetable juice, so there's no way I would even see this in the store and buy one.  But as a reward for doing such a great job during inventory, I'll take it!

The Yellow Wingcan

Mmmm, another yummy flavor of bubly sparkling water.

This one is pineapple and comes in an attention-grabbing bright yellow can.  I saw this at the store yesterday and realized I hadn't tried pineapple yet.  So now I've tried it and it's as good as I expected.

And as with all bubly flavors, there's a witty little saying on the side of this can.

"I feel the need, the need for speed bubly!"

Diet Thanksgiving

A few days ago it was Thanksgiving in the United States.  At one of the meals I noticed this:

A 16oz. Diet Coke can out in the wild.  I was quick to ask if they were going to keep the can.  And they were even quicker to reply, "No".

So I walked away with a full belly and a new can for my collection.

Anyone Want Ice Coffee?

We woke up yesterday to our first snow of the season, which provided a nice backdrop for this week's new can.

This is my second Coca-Cola coffee can, the first one being Vanilla-flavored.  This one is Dark Blend.  And as with the first, I didn't drink this but someone just saved their empty can for me.

There is a third flavor, Caramel.  So now I'll just wait till someone drinks that and gives me the can since I don't care for flavored coffee.  I prefer my coffee like a Coke Zero can... black!

Winter Spiced Can

I stopped by someone's house a few days ago and noticed this can on their table.  And now the can is mine.

Halloween was just a couple of days past when this holiday-themed can already appeared in stores.  This is winter spiced cranberry Sprite.  I'm not a fan of cranberry so I didn't taste this one, but I've heard this has great flavor.

And with this limited edition can already in my hands, the holiday season of can collecting is off to a good start.  Now to watch for those cans with turkeys on them!

AHA, A Good Treat

My family holds an annual autumn weenie roast and this year's was just a couple days ago.

It was good food and a good time.  And I walked away with a bowl of good candy.

I also got a new can of AHA sparkling water; Pineapple + Passionfruit.

This is another good flavor from AHA.  No trick here, only a good treat.

Dreamworld

I gave someone a ride yesterday and when they got in the car they handed this to me:

It's the new limited edition Coca-Cola Creations drink called Dreamworld.  This is the small 7.5oz version.  Although the can claims it's "dream flavored" they didn't think so.  And they aren't the first person to tell me they're not a fan.

Google says it has a fruity candy smell, like Skittles mixed with Coca-Cola, but the taste is more of a citrus flavor.  I read one comment online that said they thought it was similar to Marshmello's limited edition Coke.

Regardless of whether the taste is a dream or a nightmare, the can is cool!

AHA, I've Discovered a Great Flavor

This was found at a local store:

And it's good.  This is AHA brand of sparkling water.  And the flavor is a delicious blackberry lemon.  What caught my attention are the complementary colors of yellow and purple, you don't see those on a can very often.

I'm a big fan of lemonade, especially when other flavors are combined with it.  There are a few flavors that shouldn't be mixed with lemonade, but this is one that works.  And I don't think I have many blackberry-flavored beverage cans in my collection.

Plus, with no sweeteners and no sodium this is a no-brainer of a drink.  Try it.

And More Oranges

Last week I got a can for another orange-based-flavor...

Clear American is a Cott Beverages Inc brand of sparkling water sold at Walmart.  It's one of the better-tasting sparkling water brands, in my opinion.

After my post about Mango Orange Sunkist last week, it was funny to get this mandarin orange can.  But I can assure you next week's post will be about a can that has nothing to do with oranges.

Orange you glad this is the last post about oranges for a while?

When Life Gives You Oranges

Yesterday I took a small road trip and went to several flea markets.  In a back room at of one of them were some beer cans for sale.  And by "some" I mean many, many.  And by "many, many" I mean a ton of beer cans.  But no soda cans.

But that's ok because I still ended up with a new can; mango orange Sunkist.

 

Like my great-grand-uncle-in-law used to say:  "When life gives you oranges make mango orange Sunkist."

Very Cherry

This week was a cherry week.  Two new cans to show:

One can is the new Cherry Coca-Cola design.  The other is cherry-flavored bubly.  

And as bubly cans always have a funny saying on them, so does this one:

Marshmello

Ok, so remember when Marshmello held his big event in Fortnite?  No?  Uh, well neither do I ;\

But now there's a Marshmello limited edition Coca-Cola can.  I've heard several people (who aren't familiar with the artist/DJ) wonder what a marshmallow-flavored soda would taste like.  Wrong.  This flavor is actually Watermelon Strawberry.  Man that sounds good!

But now that I think about it, I also wonder what a marshmallow-flavored soda would taste like.

Coca-Cola: Art Deco and Cans

Yesterday's weather was nice enough for a 1-day road trip.  One of the stops was to see this Coca-Cola bottling plant in Du Quoin, IL.

Pic from Google images

I love art deco architecture and it'd been a while since I'd been through Du Quoin, so I had to stop and admire the old Coca-Cola building located next to the fairgrounds.

I also ended up with two new Coca-Cola cans recently, one a 12oz can and the other 16oz.

The 12oz can has the annual Six Flags advertisement.

Both sizes display a bold recommendation "RECYCLE ME".

And the 12oz also has information about its All Access Pass, which brings exclusive access and content to music festivals, artists, experiences, and more for this summer.

Wow, I sure must be a Coke fan.  Nope, but this guy featured in one of my posts from 2011 sure is!!

G FUEL Sonic

There's a new Sonic the Hedgehog video game coming.  Eventually.  Sonic Frontiers may release in November of this year, or possible early in 2023.  But the promotional material has already arrived.

This is a G FUEL can I got last week.  G FUEL is an energy drink, and this particular one is Peach Rings flavored.

With 0 sugar and 0 calories, you're already collecting those rings before the game has released.

"I have no master, except the wind that blows free!"

- Sonic the Hedgehog

Two Cans

 Someone recently gave me these two cans:

OOPS, I meant these two cans:

Sorry aboot that, eh.

Graduation Gift

Last Sunday we went to a high school graduation party for my cousin's daughter.  They had so much great food and many drinks there.  It didn't take long, I was eyeing the can selection...

And I went home a winner!  Three new cans, all Schnuck's brand.  For those unfamiliar, that's a chain of grocery stores here in the Midwest.

The next round of graduation parties for the family will be in a couple years.  I can't wait to see what can-treasures I get from those parties!

Jurassic Lawn 2

A couple of weeks ago I posted about finding a dinosaur in my yard.  The sequel happened this weekend.

The can is from the 9-can limited edition set for this summer's blockbuster movie "Jurassic World: Dominion".

And this one is on the regular Diet Dr Pepper can.

Can I find one more can and make this a trilogy?

Peachy June

Last month was Pride Month, but I didn't get this can until a week ago from someone.

 

 

Peach flavored Peace Tea.

Just Peachy.

Jurassic Lawn

Before mowing today I noticed a can half-buried in the foliage in my yard.

I brought the can in the house and did some Googling.  It looks like there are 9 cans in this limited edition collection for the newest Jurassic World movie, "Jurassic World: Dominion."

Unless the others make their way to my yard, I have no intentions of trying to find and collect all of these movie cans.  I used to do it, now there are just too many to try to keep up.

But I more than welcome any cans that want to come to me.  This is the Dr Pepper Dark Berry can from this collection.

I hope to see the movie in theaters soon, but if not, at least I have a new can to look at.

Explosive Flavor

Tomorrow is Independence Day here in the United States and what better cans to celebrate this fireworks-heavy holiday than Warheads...

My kids are big fans of the Warheads candy, so both of them had to try these five flavors of Warheads soda.

They both really liked all the sour flavors: black cherry, blue raspberry, green apple, lemon, and watermelon.

Happy 4th!!!!

Big One, Little One

While at my parents' house last weekend for Father's Day, they offered drinks and one was Fresca.

If Fresca was chosen, the next choice was a large can or small can?  They had both regular 12oz cans and the smaller 7.5oz cans.

I chose the bigger one.  If you haven't had Fresca lately, it really is a refreshing drink, especially served cold.  People have compared it to Mello Yello or the smaller brand of Ski.

Either way, life is full of options.  Big or small.

Space Flavored

My latest Limited Edition can:

This little 7.5 oz can is part of Coca-Cola's Creations line of beverages.  One of the current biggest mysteries of the universe: what flavor does this taste like?

I've heard it's similar to cream soda or sprite, while the internet says marshmallow, raspberries, burnt caramel, vanilla, cotton candy, skittles, cherry Coke, strawberries, etc.  This can was already empty when given to me, but I sure am curious to find out what I think it tastes like.

Whatever the real flavor is, Starlight obviously has boldly gone where no beverage has gone before.

RC Berries?

Yep.  This can made its way to me last week.

Someone saved this limited time flavor for me.  It was a hit in their household.  Berries and cream flavored RC.  

What will they think of next?

Jelly Belly

This house is no stranger to Jelly Belly jelly beans.

So when I got a text from my daughter a couple months ago asking if I wanted her to pick up these three Jelly Belly sparkling waters I said, "Sure!"  The Jelly Belly brand is known to be very flavorful, but I have to mention she found these at one of those stores where everything's $1. 

These are "sparkling waters," which a lot of people consider bland and tasteless.  The three flavors here are orange sherbet, very cherry, and watermelon.  The initial taste of each one didn't disappoint... much.  I could definitely tell what each flavor was, but it didn't last long and then turned into slightly-flavored water.  But I did drink them all.

And if you want to learn more about the Jelly Belly brand, I recommend a 2010 documentary called "Candyman" that explores the history of Jelly Belly.  It prominently features David Klein, the man who invented them.

Paid in Yerba Mate

While lending a hand at the local food pantry yesterday, something caught my eye:

It was a stack of cans.  I noticed two things about them: 1) They were all the same  2) It was a can I didn't have in my collection.  So as payment for my assistance, I took a can home with me.

I was torn.  I really like strawberry, but I don't really like pomegranate.  So this was going to be a toss-up.  But it didn't really matter since I was only interested in the can itself, not the drink inside.

And if you want to know a little more about this drink, here's the text on the back of the can.  After reading it I was even less enthused than before about trying the beverage.

And to leave things on a cliffhanger, I still haven't tried it.  It sits in my pantry waiting to be bottom-opened and sampled.  And if I take a couple drinks and realize this stuff is delicious, I know where to get more of it.  See picture #1.

I Got the Right One, Baby

Earlier this year someone I know was at a huge flea market and sent a picture of a Pepsi can featuring Ray Charles.  I had never seen one before, so I knew I didn't have it.  They didn't say how much it cost, in fact, that was the last I heard from them that day.

A few days later, I was at their house and they handed me the can.

This was a limited edition set of 3 cans Pepsi released in 2018.  The other two cans featured Michael Jackson and Britney Spears.

Doing a quick search on this blog revealed a post I made in June of 2018.  What do you know?  I had the other two cans in the set all along!  I just didn't have Ray Charles.

So now my set is complete.  Accidentally.  I was afraid to ask how much they paid for the can, I was going to pay them back.  They said it was only $2 and it was their treat.  How neat.

Vanilla Sky

There was a cloudy, dreary sky this evening.  But the silver lining is that I got a new can for my collection.

Not the best pic, but it shows the Nitro Pepsi can of Vanilla Draft Cola.  I posted about Nitro Pepsi just last month, and this is my second Nitro flavor.

My daughter said these Nitro sodas are real good, real smooth.  Until I try one myself, I'll have to take her word for it.  And her used cans.

Bang Dew

After starting a new job last year, it took me this long to finally make this fantastic discovery:

I've mentioned in a few posts that I've received cans from some of my new co-workers, but it isn't widely known yet at work that I have a collection of trash aluminum cans in my basement and garage.

But this recycle bin was a great find.  And inside I was able to find 5 cans to clean up and bring home.

Obviously someone needs help with their energy level.  But these four bang energy drink cans and Baja Blast Mtn Dew can are now in my collection where they can be appreciated.

New weekly reminder: check the trash recycle bin for treasure.

H A P P Y   E A S T E R

Casey's

In this part of the country, there's a Casey's in almost every town.  So I shouldn't have been surprised to find out they have their own brand of beverage.

Casey's is a convenience store.  I never go inside, I just "pay at the pump" when I get gas there.  That's why I wasn't aware of this brand of drink.

But someone I know must have needed a pick-me-up one morning and bought this Mocha-flavored coffee energy drink there.  They saved the can for me.  And now I wonder what other flavors of coffee energy and other Casey's-branded beverages in general they offer.

I suppose I could just walk into one of the stores and see for myself what cans they have, but "ain't nobody got time for that."  Especially me.  Plus, that would take me out of my routine of: 1-stop, 2-refuel, and 3-go.

cW4k

cW4k

Canned Water for Kids

cannedwaterforkids.org

It was almost 3 years ago I posted about getting a can of water at a parade.  A couple of weeks ago I found the same design on an aluminum bottle, so I grabbed it for my collection.

After all, water isn't just for kids any more...