My Holiday Luncheon Door Prize

Our annual holiday luncheon at work was held recently and there was a wide selection of beverages.

But the one I had my eye on was this Sprite sporting a new can design. It's a limited edition can celebrating 50 years of hip-hop.

I haven't drunk any soda for 5 years so how would I get this lovely beast without wasting the soda inside?  I asked my co-worker for hers when she was finished with it.  She knows about my collection and has offered a few cans herself.

The last can of 2023!  And now let's see how many cans I can collect in 2024!  Happy New Year!

Christmas Eve

Santa Claus came a little early this year,

A few weeks ago I was given this year's Coca-Cola holiday can.  I couldn't wait to put the Christmas tree up so the Santa on the can could relax in a familiar environment.  

M E R R Y

C H R I S T M A S

Another Can Rescue

A couple weeks ago I was at work and glanced in a trash can as I walked by.  What did I see?

Someone had thrown away this perfectly good Celsius Peach Vibe can!

Celsius is a sparkling energy drink and this particular flavor sounds really delicious.  But to avoid strange looks and many questions, I didn't ask around to see who drank it to ask for their review.

Instead, I rescued it from impending recycling and now it sits with the other cans in my collection.  It found a good home.

Fill'er Up

Running out of gas during those long video gaming sessions?  Mtn Dew has a solution.

Many Game Fuel cans have been featured on this blog in the past and this is another one.  This flavor is Citrus Cherry and features characters from HALO Infinite on the can.  My son saved it for me from one of his gaming sessions.

Come on, Playstation!  Where's your fuel?

Waterloo at Work

At work last week someone brought in a few flavors of Waterloo for people to drink.

There were two cans I didn't have yet, so I grabbed one of each.  Blackberry Lemonade was one of them.  The other will be featured in an upcoming post.

Waterloo is a brand of sparkling water that... let's just say there isn't much flavor.  One co-worker described it as a can of carbonated water that someone waved a blackberry over and declared it to be blackberry flavored.  While I heard many grumblings from people who tried the drink, it just meant there was more for me because I actually like it.

I'm still not sure why someone would bring all that water to work to just give it away.  But being such a flop at work I suspect it probably wasn't a big hit in their house, either.

Strawberry Monster

Don't be afraid of a little fruit.

Monster Ultra Strawberry Dreams is nice.

Another co-worker now knows about my can collection.  I saw them drinking this and knew I didn't have the can, so I awkwardly asked if I could have the can when they were done.  Then I spent the next few minutes explaining the history of my collection and some of the treasures I've accumulated in the last 12.5 years (yes, my first post on the blog was April 11, 2011).  

They finished the drink, slowly handed me the can, and had a look on their face that clearly said, "You collect what, now?"

A Nice Surprise

Last week I was asked to stop by someone's house to pick up a few things to take somewhere else.  They said there was a surprise in the bag for me.

When I got there to pick up the stuff, I could see something peeking out of the bag at me... it was a can with a new 7UP design.

I hadn't seen this design yet.  And upon closer examination I found out this can is from Canada.

I haven't talked to them yet to find out the story behind the can or how they got it, but if it's interesting I'll be sure to update this post with the information.  

Ghost Sighting

While visiting someone last week, something colorful in their trash can caught my eye.

Halloween is over, but it's not too late to see ghosts.  I politely asked if I could take something out of their trash can and became the proud owner of a new can for my collection.

This is the second Ghost energy drink can in my collection.  The first one was strawberry flavor, this one is cotton candy.

As a collector, you always have to pay attention to your surroundings.  You never know what may be just out of sight...

Liquid Dream

Several weeks ago someone saved this can for me.

I'm not much of a fan of the orange dreamsicle flavor in anything, but I know some people who love it!  And they said this Monster Reserve energy drink was great.

Go try it.  Sounds like it'd be great on a hot, summer day.  But now winter's coming.

Halloween VooDew

With Halloween just a couple days away, I thought it was fitting to feature this Mtn Dew Mystery Flavor can this week.

For the first time, Mtn Dew and Airheads (a brand of taffy) have teamed up for this limited edition flavor.  It tastes like cherry-flavored Airheads.  

My favorite part of this can is that it's marked with the year.  That takes out the guesswork when trying to date cans that are many years old.  

Don't be scared to try this flavor!  And Happy Halloween!

Y3000

My son saved this can for me.  

It's a small 7.5 fl oz can of Coca-Cola.  It's part of their Creations line and claims to be "the first limited edition Coke flavor from the future."  haha

The flavor was co-created with AI, the big world-changer over the past several months.  Scan the QR code to take part in digital and IRL experiences... whatever that means.

One account says it tastes like the aftertaste of a tutti fruitti jellybean.  Did we really need a computer to come up with that?

All I know is I'm glad I was able to get one of these cans now because I won't be around in the year 3000 when it's the common, everyday can.

New Wild Cherry Pepsi

I like the new Pepsi logo.  It's simple.  It's bold.  And it looks like this:

Not the best picture, but this new can design really looks good.  The cherries look juicy.  The new logo looks juicy.  And "wild cherry" sounds juicy.

But beware, the can claims "Contains 0% juice".  I beg to differ.

New Waterloo

Waterloo is a brand of sparkling water.  I saw this recently and realized I didn't have one yet, so I got one.

The flavor is lemon-lime.  

Lemon-lime water.  Not sure if it gets more boring than that.

Kind of like this post.

Zero Sugar

I was recently given this Coca-Cola Zero Sugar can.

It's 7.5 fl oz.  I really like the black-on-red color scheme.  The regular Coca-Cola script is white-on-red, but it's full of sugars (artificial).  So you take the opposite of sugar to have zero-sugar, and the opposite of white to make black.  And this is what you get.

Anyway, it's a neat can to have.

Party Time

I attended a birthday party yesterday.  The birthday person wasn't the only one to receive gifts, I grabbed this can for my collection.

I have several other Clear American cans in my collection, but this is my first Mandarin Orange.  And the design of the cans has changed, so now I'm on the lookout for the other flavors.

I gave a gift... and got a gift.  What a party!

In a League of Its Own 3

After reporting on a couple of League of Legend Coca-Cola cans I received recently, my daughter called from college and asked if I knew what League of Legends is.  Yes!  On her next visit home she brought this can to me.

It's a small 7.5oz can that's +XP Flavored, whatever that means.  The packaging said it was another League of Legends can, one labeled "Ultimate limited edition".

With this +XP can, my collection just levelled up.  (video game Dad joke)

New Shop, New Cans (part 2)

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned finding some new cans at my town's food pantry.  Those weren't the only cans I got that day.

I also discovered this box of various canned drinks to be given out.  Digging through the box, I found these three that I didn't have.

It's hard to tell what the green can is, but it's a Wegmans Lime sparkling water.  Next to it is a Wegman's Tonic Water that contains quinine (which sounds dangerous).  And finally there's a La Croix Black Razzberry, which of course is "naturally essenced".

Advice to collectors:  always be on the lookout, you never know when you'll find a can you need!

A Golden Gift

Someone recently saved their Monster Energy can for me.  

With somewhat of an art deco design along the top and bottom, this zero sugar Ultra Gold can is now in my collection.

New Shop, New Cans

Earlier this year the food pantry in my town moved to a new location.  It's now bigger and cleaner and improved in many ways.  I know a couple people who volunteer there so I stopped by today to see the new place.  But what was I really looking for?

Well, I found this box in the back.  CANS!

And that's how these two cans came to be in my can collection.

In a League of Its Own 2

A couple of weeks ago I featured a League of Legends Coca-Cola can.  Last week I got a second can in the series:

This can features the character Ezreal.  I think there are 5 cans in the series, so I'll keep watching for more to feature on the blog.

But for now I'm going to go work on a puzzle...

A Puzzling Gift

This evening some family and friends met at a restaurant for a going-away meal for my daughter.  She's headed back to college tomorrow.

Someone told me they had something for me in their car.  So after we ate we went to the car and this is what I was given:

It's a 1000-piece retro can puzzle!  It combines two of my favorite things; cans and puzzles.

Once the puzzle is together I plan on framing it and hanging it near my can collection.  Maybe I could use it as a checklist to collect all the cans pictured.  I already have some of them.

In a League of Its Own

This can found its way to me:

League of Legends is an online video game known as a MOBA, a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, where teams of players try to destroy each other's base.  I've dabbled in it, but I prefer the digital card game set in the same universe called Legends of Runeterra.

This can features Yasuo, just one of the over 160 characters you can choose to play as.  

The game community won't win any awards for being friendly, but it's a great game to play if you feel your blood pressure is too low and it's time to shed some of your happiness.

Bucked Up Blood

A new can for my collection was recently given to me.  It's an energy drink called Bucked Up.

The reason I chose this can for this week's post is because I live in the Midwest and a lot of fields are being harvested and that stirs up the deer.  It's not unusual to see 3-5 deer every morning on my commute to work.  And those in this area know you have to watch out for deer because when they see a car coming they may run out in front of you or actually run into the side of your vehicle.  So you always have to watch for deer!

This one is called Blood Raz.  It has a raspberry taste and the flavor is reported to be delicious.  And it's zero calories.

So maybe it's time to down one of these cans to have the reflexes to avoid hitting a deer with your vehicle.  I've been lucky so far without having to drink it.  Just be careful out there!

Very Cherry

I've featured Polar seltzer on this blog before, but this week I tried a new flavor:  Tart Cherry Limeade.

This is known as "seltzerade", a combination of seltzer water and limeade.  And as a fan of seltzer water, this flavor was good.  

I don't know many people who like sparkling seltzer water, but that just means there's more for me.

Strawberry Ghost?

I hadn't heard of this brand until someone gave me their empty can last week.

Ghost Energy Drink.  Looking at their website, they sure do have some delicious-sounding flavors and the can designs are so colorful!  

This particular flavor is strawberry Bubblicious, one of the main chewing gum brands from my childhood.  The person who drank this said after just one drink their taste buds thought they had an actual piece of Bubblicious in their mouth.  The flavor was that good.

This one came very highly-rated, so I recommend you go out and try it for yourself... unless you're afraid of Ghosts...

Pac-Can

In last week's post I explained someone brought a couple of souvenirs to me from their vacation.  The first one was a Bob Ross Positive Energy Drink.  The other was this... Pac-Man can.

And this isn't my first Pac-Man can.  I did a post way back in 2012 about some cans I was given at a Christmas party at work.  Fortunately my two Pac-Man cans have different designs on them.

But how do these two cans relate to each other in regards to my younger years?  When I was turning 13 and stepping into the shoes of being a teenager, there were two items I wanted more than anything but had to choose only one of them.  One was a set of oil paints because one of my favorite shows growing up was The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross.  I wanted to paint like him.  The other gift I wanted was Donkey Kong for the Atari 2600.  I left the decision up to fate (and my parents).  On the big day I opened the present and got... Donkey Kong.  I believe going down that path at the fork in the road led to my eternal video game addiction.  What would I be today if I'd have received the oil paints?  It's hard to tell, but I know my hair would be a lot bigger than it is now.

happy

Happy Little Brakes

The brakes on my car were replaced yesterday.  The guy who did it knows I collect cans and said he got me a couple souvenirs from his last vacation.

The first one was this Bob Ross energy drink.  He said it was pretty good, but I forgot to ask what flavor it was.  One of my favorite things about this can is that it's called a "Positive Energy Drink".

Next week I'll feature the other souvenir he got for me.  I'll give one hint about it... it's a can!

Strawberries & Cream 2

Earlier this year I reported that my daughter brought some Strawberries & Cream Dr Pepper home from college.

The flavor has now hit my area and also includes this variant:

This is the Zero Sugar version of the flavor.  The pink and black design really stands out on the grocery store shelf.

Maybe a diet version will land in my lap next?  We'll see...

With This Ring...

A couple of months ago I featured a Ryse Fuel energy drink... Country Time Lemonade.  The person who gave me that can also gave me this one.

This one is Berry Blast... in nostalgic Ring Pop flavor!  Sure sounds sweet to me, but it contained zero sugar and the person said it was really good without tasting too sweet.

So next time you need a little extra bling, consider the Ring.  Pop.

A Peachy Keen Find

At work a couple of months ago I saw something I couldn't believe.

Someone had thrown away a perfectly good Monster Energy Drink can.

After a careful and germ-free removal of the can from the trash, I cleaned it up and removed the small dents and ended up with a new treasure.

An Ultra Peachy Keen find indeed.

I Have a New Crush

And this one is grape.

There's nothing special about Crush, it's a well-known brand.  But I didn't have this can design yet.

It just goes to show that people of any age can still have a Crush.

1919

A group of us went to my daughter's college yesterday to help her move home for the summer.  While there I was given this can:

While I've never heard of 1919 before, along the top edge it claims "America's Original Brewery Made Root Beer".

This must have been good, it has real sugar (not high fructose corn syrup) and real vanilla.  High in calories at 228, it's also high in taste so I'm told.

A new Classic American can for my collection.

Summer Here Already?

For years Coca-Cola has had a series of cans with summery catchwords on the side.  Last week I got my first one of this season:

This is a Coca-Cola Zero Sugar can.  Btw, I love the black/red/white scheme of Zero cans).

And the message is "Grillmaster".  

While that may not exactly describe me, I doubt I'll find one that says "Can Collector".

Country Time Energy

The weather is getting warmer.  Soon it'll be time to sit on the front porch sipping a tall glass of iced lemonade.

Eh, nobody's got time for that!  But if you need a little extra energy this summer to get everything done then here's the answer...  Ryse Fuel Country Time lemonade energy drink.  Someone else drank this and saved the can for me, but they said it was really good!

Summer's coming.  Don't forget to stay hydrated!

Tokidoki

For Spring Break last month, my daughter went to Branson, Missouri, with a few other people.  As with most trips, some souvenirs were brought back.

My souvenir was this can of Tokidoki Stellina Star Pop soda.  And the flavor?  Well, if the unicorn doesn't give it away I'll just tell you... blue cotton candy.

Did I already have this can in my collection?  Certainly not.  Does the Tokidoki logo near the top of the can look like a poison symbol?  Maybe a Love Poison based on the heart?  Kind of.

But it's a great novelty can to have.  And I think I'll let one of the kids drink this one.  This unicorn poison may be a little too sweet for my blood.

It's the Easter Peepsi

Another holiday and another new can.

This is the newest limited edition flavor from Pepsi.  This one is Peeps.  The person who drank this said it had more of a caramel taste than marshmallow, but regardless of the flavor it was good!

H A P P Y

E A S T E R

Arctic White

Along with last week's Rocket Pop flavor, my daughter also brought an Alani Arctic White energy drink can to me from college.

I'm not even sure what flavor this would have had because she didn't think to ask her friend who drank it.  The important thing is she thought to get the can and bring it to me.  haha

Now that spring break is over, she has returned to college to continue looking for cans for my collection her education for a great, rewarding future career in a field she really enjoys.

It's the Bomb!... Pop

Another treasure my daughter brought to me on a recent visit home from college is this Alani energy drink can.

One of her friends drinks Alani and my daughter is going to try to get more cans for me.

But this one is called Rocket Pop.  And the flavor is obviously Bomb Pop, as hinted at by the design of the rocket ship.

Her friend said this was delicious!  I can only imagine the taste must have been out of this world!

Coca-Cola Move

Ok, so there's a lot of information on this little 7.5 fl oz can and I had to Google it to figure out what it all meant.  

By the way, I'm fish-sitting this week while my daughter is on a trip for Spring Break.  Leo is eyeing the can, maybe he wants to try this new limited edition flavor of Coca-Cola called Move.

Move is the flavor and I've been told it tastes like Pina colada, it has kind of a coconut taste.  This is the zero sugar variant.  The regular one is white on the right side of the can where this one is black.

Rosalia is a Grammy Award-winning artist Coca-Cola teamed up with for this flavor.  The can design is taken from sketches Rosalia made while sampling Coca-Cola Move at a creative workshop.  The drink also inspired her new single, "LLYLM".  

This is part of Coca-Cola's Creations line of drinks, including Marshmello, Dreamworld, and others.  

Leo is a betta, a tropical fish.  He's probably imagining himself on a beach holding a can of Coca-Cola Move in hand.  Well, in fin.  And maybe not ON the beach but swimming near it.  On second thought he's probably just nervous about that big pink and black thing near his tank.  Either way he's been transformed, I'm sure!

Ginger Lime

A while back Diet Coke released a series of flavored sodas.  

This was one of them.  Ginger Lime.  I'm not a fan of ginger, nor am I a big fan of lime, so I didn't try this but someone else was nice enough to drink it so I could have the can.

Now to get back to cleaning out the pantry of empty cans...

Sweet Watermelon

The weather's been warmer here lately and I'm ready for spring.  On second thought, I'm ready for summer.  My sister put in and underground pool last year and I'm ready to go swimming.

And this can of watermelon soda makes me want it to be summer even more.  This is Kroger brand Mercado Sandia.  A quick Google translation shows this means "watermelon market".  Weird.

My daughter brought this to me from college on her last visit home.  Even hours away from home she's always on the lookout for a new can for me.  I guess I raised her right.

And in the background is a painting she did a few summers ago.  Que apropiada.

Another Code Red

I really like the new Mtn Dew can designs from the last few years.  This one is no exception.

It's the newest Code Red design.  And the can kind of tells a story.  On the left side of the logo there's a huge red dinosaur-beast monster that looks like he's about to attack with a giant cherry.  Or is he stealing them?

On the other side are the good guys coming to defend the cherry-laden city.  A red emergency light is flashing and air support is on its way in the form of a jet and helicopter.

It's obvious Code Red is a cherry-flavored soda, something you couldn't tell in previous designs (here and here).

I hate to say it, but I think the "monster" cherry taste is going to win this time.  (What?  I'm a dad)