Soft Drink Taste Test: Calorie-Free Version of Texas Original

Just last week I was at the local Target semi-superstore purchasing a supply of canned drinks to stock the fridge for the upcoming month, including Super Sunday. Among the four fridge fax I purchased was the large box for Big Red Zero, the calorie free version of the beloved Texas cream soda.   The young clerk behind the cash register immediately asked me if I was a computer coder and I was I going to be behind a keyboard for many hours at a time. I told him no, I just like it's red juicy goodness. (The clerks at that store are notably friendly.)

Yes, I'm a fan. I like the original especially the version made with pure cane sugar. I grew up drinking another brand of red cream soda, and the sugsr-filled version of Big Red compares favorably to the taste I'm accustomed.  The calorie free version of Big Red, formerly Diet Big Red, is close enough to the original in taste. Its a worthy substitute.

But what about those native Texans to whom Big Red is the only cream soda they've ever had. What does Big Red Zero taste like to them, how close is the Splenda/0 cal formulation? For that, we turned our own Aaron Savage who loves the OG version.