Cream soda: a nostalgic elixir that transports you back to simpler times with every sip. Whether you call it "cream soda" or get fancy with "creme soda," this carbonated classic is undeniably a sweet delight. While many of us didn't experience the era of Schwinn Stingrays and soda fountains firsthand, cream soda has the power to evoke that very feeling.
This review broadens the horizons of cream soda exploration, venturing beyond the classic to uncover the best orange cream soda and the best red cream soda. The judging criteria prioritize faithfulness to the classic cream soda profile - a harmonious blend of genuine vanilla flavor and nuanced character. The ideal cream soda should be more than just sweet; it should be fizzy, well-rounded, and enjoyable enough to finish an entire bottle or can.
Diet Cream Soda Champion: A&W Diet Cream Soda
For those seeking a sugar-free option, finding a palatable diet cream soda can be a challenge. A&W rises to the occasion, crafting a diet cream soda with surprising depth and dimension. Unlike many of its counterparts, A&W's diet version delivers a satisfying cream soda experience.
Red Cream Soda Revelation: Big K Red Cream Soda
While Big Red enjoys a dedicated fanbase, particularly in Texas, Big K Red Cream Soda emerges as the superior red cream soda. Available at Kroger and Kroger-owned grocery stores, Big K offers a flavor profile nearly identical to Big Red - sweet and syrupy with a bubble gum-like essence - but with an added boost of fizz. This extra fizziness effectively cuts through the thick, sugary flavor, resulting in a more balanced and enjoyable beverage.
Orange Cream Soda Delight: Teddy’s Orange Cream Soda
Teddy's Orange Cream Soda strikes a perfect balance between its two key flavor components. The harmonious blend of orange and cream, with a deep vanilla creaminess that softens the orange soda's edge, creates a delightful and refreshing taste experience.
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The Sweetest Sensation: IBC Cream Soda
If you crave that decadent, sugary sweetness, IBC Cream Soda is the answer. Made with cane sugar, its clean sweetness complements the pure vanilla flavor, creating a good, strong flavor that will put you in a good mood with every sip.
The Budget-Friendly Surprise: Shasta Cream Soda
Despite being known as a budget soda brand, Shasta's cream soda boasts a rich, toasty, almost caramel-like flavor that belies its price point. The powerful vanilla flavor contributes an ice cream-style creaminess, making it an excellent choice for ice cream floats.
The Refreshing Choice: New York Seltzer Vanilla Cream Soda
New York Seltzer's Vanilla Cream Soda offers a milder flavor and less cloying sweetness, making it an exceptionally refreshing option. Its small bubbles and highly active carbonation create a delightful dance on the tongue.
The Rich Vanilla Experience: Faygo Vanilla Creme Soda
Faygo's Vanilla Creme soda, with its vintage-inspired packaging, delivers the richest vanilla flavor among all the cream sodas tested. Its clear appearance adds to its appeal.
The Perfectly Balanced Classic: Boylan Creme Soda
Boylan, a popular soda brand, nails the delicate balance of vanilla flavor and fizz in its Creme Soda. The use of real cane sugar contributes to its crisp, natural flavor, creating a soda that tastes exactly as it should.
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Cream Soda Ranking: The Contenders
The following cream sodas were also evaluated, offering a range of tastes and characteristics:
- C&C Soda: While budget-friendly and boasting a potent vanilla flavor, C&C Soda lacks the signature creaminess of a true cream soda, leaning more towards a vanilla cola.
- Chubby Cream Scream: Targeting a younger audience with its colorful packaging, Chubby's cream soda offers a unique botanical flavor that sets it apart, though it may not be for everyone.
- Polar Diet Cream Soda: Despite being a diet soda, Polar's offering has a bold flavor that almost masks the taste of aspartame, making it a decent low-sugar option.
- Bedessee Imports West Indian Cream Soda: This soda stands out with its delicate carbonation, giving off a creamy sensation without relying heavily on vanilla.
- Mug Cream Soda: While readily available, Mug's cream soda was found to be lacking in flavor, with notes closer to root beer than cream soda.
- Zevia Cream Soda: A calorie-free option sweetened with stevia, Zevia Cream Soda is light and refreshing, with no lingering aftertaste from the alternative sweetener.
- Solo Cream Soda: This Caribbean-born cream soda offers a slightly herbaceous flavor and softer carbonation, with an aroma reminiscent of anise.
- Olipop Cream Soda: Packed with beneficial ingredients and low in sugar, Olipop's cream soda delivers an extra-creamy and rich taste, reminiscent of an ice cream float.
- Jamaican Choice Cream Soda: This Caribbean cream soda is praised for its unmatched creaminess without an overwhelming vanilla taste, offering a smooth and refreshing experience.
- A&W Cream Soda: Known for its frothy consistency and sweetness, A&W Cream Soda stands out with a distinctively creamy sweetness that some compare to Tootsie Rolls.
- Dr. Brown's Cream Soda: With a history dating back to 1869, Dr. Brown's Cream Soda is a balanced and beloved brand, offering a sweet, creamy, fizzy, flavorful, and smooth experience.
- Stewart's Cream Soda: Made with real cane sugar, Stewart's Cream Soda offers notes of vanilla and honey, with an earthiness similar to a traditional root beer.
- Virgil's Cream Soda: Decadently rich and smooth, Virgil's Cream Soda features a natural vanilla cream flavor, eschewing synthetic additives, GMO ingredients, and high-fructose corn syrup.
The Cream Soda Origin Story
The very first cream soda formula is believed to be a concoction credited to E.M. Sheldon, and published by Michigan Farmer in 1852 - but it tasted quite different back then. Other than sugar, the original cream soda recipe didn't include any of the expected soda ingredients, but instead featured milk and eggs. While modern-day cream soda has a taste to match its name, this beverage doesn't contain any actual cream.
Methodology
The 15 cream sodas on this list were chosen based on accessibility and affordability. There are many cream soda makers out there, but several of them proved difficult to locate outside of certain regions. To determine the ranking, each soda was tasted from a glass after being chilled in the fridge. The lowest-ranking cream sodas have little to no creaminess or signature vanilla flavor.
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