Tango Sours Tropical (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

This one definitely grabs your attention on the shelf. The can is a bright, punchy design with an explosion graphic that makes it pretty clear what you are in for. Inside, the drink pours a golden colour with plenty of lively fizz.

It is worth noting straight away that this is a sugar free drink, so it is low in calories. As always, that will split opinion a bit depending on how you feel about sweeteners.

Going in for the first sip, the sour hit is immediate and pretty intense. To be fair, the can does not hide this, and it delivers exactly what it promises. It is the kind of sharpness that makes your tongue tingle and tighten slightly, and at first it feels very pineapple forward.

Give it a moment though and things start to settle. The harsh edge softens into something much more balanced and enjoyable. The tropical flavours come through more clearly, with apple and mango adding a sweeter, fruitier note behind the sourness. After a few sips, that initial shock actually becomes part of the fun. It turns into a refreshing, zingy drink that feels a bit different from the usual fizzy options.

There is also a sour watermelon version out now, which we will be trying soon.

Geeta's Green Herby Saag Tika sauce [@Nli10]

 We love curries so when I spot an unusual sauce or combo I like to try it out.  Unfortunately I don't know where we picked this one up!

Spinach & Coriander sounded fantastic so we gave it a try

Unfortunately I didn't spot that is a pretty mild recipe and really needed that chilli chutney that they mention here

It looks and smells fantastic, it really worked well with yesterdays potatos added to the mix like all good saag curries should.

I just wish I'd added a little chilli oil to the mix and really livened it up.  I couldn't fault the flavour and quality on offer here though so I'll try this one again.

And I have paratha back in stock too for that.

Arbor Transpacific IPA Beer (Ocado) By @SpectreUK

It’s a hot day here today and I fancy something refreshing. I fancy an India Pale Ale with my beef sandwich for dinner. I have a comic con tomorrow, a long drive ahead, and a big day of hopefully selling toys to the masses.

This Arbor Transpacific IPA is a 6% in volume mix of American hops and Antipodean hops, from Australia and New Zealand. On opening the can there was a floral aroma of hops with pale malts behind it. This is a very hazy almost milky golden IPA.

On taste, Arbor Transpacific IPA had a bitter bite of floral and herbal hops, with a little citrus and tropical hops following, and then sweet pale malts into the aftertaste. What a joyous jumble of hops, no fighting here, just lots of flavour backed up refreshing malted barley. Yum.

Poppi Raspberry Rose Soda (Tesco) By @Cinabar

I first spotted this drink in an Instagram advert and didn’t think much of it at the time. It was one of those taste test campaigns trying to get people to swap their usual soft drink. The can calls it a soda, which still feels very American to me. I’d always call this fizzy pop, but as the brand started out in a Dallas kitchen, that probably explains it.

Poppi positions this as a lower calorie soft drink with added fibre, so it is clearly aiming for that “better for you” fizzy drink space. I picked up this Poppi Raspberry Rose flavour in Tesco as it sounded a bit different from the usual options.

Flavour wise, raspberry and rose is right up my street. I like floral notes, Turkish Delight being a favourite, so this had promise. Pouring it out, the drink has a lovely soft pink colour and a decent level of fizz. It is sweetened with fruit juice and stevia, which keeps it on the lighter side without tasting overly artificial.

Taste wise, this is a really pleasant surprise. The raspberry is fruity without being too sharp, and the rose adds a gentle floral note rather than anything overpowering. Together they create a balanced, refreshing combination that feels quite summery. It is sweet, but mellow, and easy to drink.

If you are looking for a low calorie fizzy pop that feels a bit different from the usual supermarket soft drinks, this is a good one to try. The raspberry and rose pairing works well, and it stands out from more standard fruity flavours.

Overall, this is a solid option and one I can easily see myself picking up again from Tesco, especially on a warm day. It is a perfect refreshing can of pop, or soda depending on where you are from.

McDonald's Card are the Latest Gambling at Lunch Craze [@NLi10]

 At work we go to lunch as a group and take it in turns to choose where.  I've not minded the McDonalds trips recently as there were some interesting drinks on offer (now sadly gone) but there are collectable cards - which is a fun idea.

 

Except you have to buy very specific things

Which means I got a large Big Mac Meal as the least disappointing option

You get a pack of 4 cards, and it's presumably 18+ because of encouraging childhood obesity.  But - wait - prize every time, collect and redeem sets.  Oh no...

This isn't fun trading cards - this is stealth gambling!

There are 24 cards in the set - and as you can see you can get within pack duplicates.

As you can redeem sets of 4 specific things for a prize though that means that 6 of the cards must be rarer.  And as the prizes on mine are £50, and 52 free Medium meals (one a week for a year) that means that at least those two sets won't be things most people can actually finish.

Indeed the card to complete the £50 set is currently selling for £63 on eBay

For the years food? £500 for one where someone has USED the code so you can't get the prize.

My blue card gives me a free fish-burger or half a portion of nuggets.  I guess that you are supposed to redeem that and buy another meal at the same time.

It all feels a little exploitative.  Granted it's a bonus on top of the disappointment that a Big Mac meal is almost £10 now, but I can see why this wasn't that heavily advertised.

Maybe they'll iron out the kinks in future years (easy solution - the foil 4th card in every set also has a regular version which doesn't give the prize - now your set is actually playground collectable).