Jarritos: Not Jello, But Colorful and Sweet

Recently, I was sent a sampler box of Jarritos as part of their promotional efforts to increase awareness of the brand and their Club Jarritos game (collect points on the bottle caps, win prizes) and Jarritos Nation game (Post your pic on the site to identify your location, win prizes).  I had only limited experience with Jarritos prior to this shipment.  Mainly, I had used the pineapple varietal in a tropical punch recipe that called for pineapple soda, and it worked well.

I have to say I loved the rainbow look of the Jarritos bottles all in a row on my counter. If not for having such limited counter space, I probably would have left them displayed for a while.  I thought most of the sodas were tasty and some I would definitely buy again. What makes them good? 100% Natural Sugar. Yes, the same ingredient that makes Mexican Coke such a treat.

My favorite Jarritos was the Mandarin. I would pick this over Orange Crush and even “Thirsty? Just Whistle” Orange Vess. Vess is a St. Louis soda brand that I often coveted as a child because my mom would only buy Diet Shasta.

The Jarritos sodas are very, very sweet – sometimes, too sweet – the pineapple flavor especially. I find it’s good in the punch when mixed with booze, but too sweet by itself. The fruit punch is also very sweet but I enjoyed it. It reminded me of Hawaiian Punch. I think most of these flavors would be good mixed with vodka for summer cocktails by the pool.

I was intrigued by the Jamaica flavor. Was it supposed to taste like the island of Jamaica? I expected a jerk chicken soda, but instead got an unidentifiable fruity yet acrid taste. Looking it up, I found out it’s Hibiscus. I wasn’t crazy about this one. I’m not a big fan of flowery sodas.

Another one I really like is the grapefruit flavor – Toronja.  It’s delightfully refreshing.

I recommend Jarritos if you are not diabetic and are in the mood for interesting flavors such as guava, mango, and tamarind and a break from the Diet Coke routine.