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The first of these was not what I expected, and I didn't really expect anything. I did make the mistake that I always seem to make in that I started with the one that I expected to like the most. It was certainly tolerable, but I wouldn't say it was great. This one is black cherry, and it is the next best as far as chances go. I'm hoping I haven't made a horrible mistake, but I suppose I only have two more flavors to go after this one.
I don't know if I should have expected this to be more like the purple of the can, but it is more of a rosé color. Unlike the last one, which said that it was not carbonated and yet still had many points of nucleation at the bottom, simulating a kind of carbonation, this one doesn't have any of that going on. What it does have is an astounding amount of aroma. The smell of black cherries can be picked up feet away from the top of the beverage, and I'm sitting outside right now. It is scarcely believable that the smell would carry this far, but I'm witnessing it myself.
First sip is black cherries, but they're not as strong as they were in the scent. Instead, this is a very watered-down version of incredibly sweet black cherries that has that stevia aftertaste. I had feared that this was going to be significantly worse than the previous one, and so far that's the way things are shaking out. The supposedly refreshing nature of the beverage is invisible in the sip, and I am left with nothing but a mouth of sadness.
Tip-in is light black cherry seltzer that has no bubbles, but it does include the stevia sweetness that is unwelcome. The middle is where the last one is shined, and this one at least gets better as the flavors take a backseat to a lot of water, but the infused flavor is appreciated. The finish, once again, is not good with its stevia aftertaste and overly sweet black cherries.
Bottom Line: I feel like we are slowly falling downhill.
1.75/5
