Rosetta’s Kitchen is a delicious vegetarian/vegan restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina. On a recent sojourn to the South, my youngest brother introduced me to this fine establishment. My general rule of thumb is: if there’s a craft soda on the menu, I’m going to order it.
I’m not quite sure how much this fits as a “true” craft soda. I’m about 99% sure that it was mixed & made in-house at Rosetta’s, which would make it impossible to find outside of one certain establishment. That being said, it’s still worthy of review in my eyes.
Place of Acquirement: Rosetta’s Kitchen, Asheville, NC
Drinking Vessel/Portion: 8oz clear glass, ice included.
AROMATICS: 10/10
I mean, it has an orange slice so this is kind of cheating. But I love it, it’s perfectly pungent and citrus-y.
FIRST SIP: 7/10
Oh wow! OK, there’s a lot to unpack here. Not super sweet, but definitely nice and depthful!
TASTE: 6.5/10
I mean, it’s good. I’m not sure what they’ve used to fulfill the “cream” portion of the title, but whatever it is, I can’t taste it. Either way, the soda has a pretty decent body, it doesn’t feel like it’s basically slightly flavored water.
AFTERTASTE: 6.5/10
Pleasant, not super strong.
MOUTHFEEL: 6.5/10
OK, so it’s lightly carbonated. And I was brought the drink with ice. Not my ideal mouthfeel, but not bad.
DEPTH OF FLAVOR: 9/10
It’s orange-y, it’s a little ginger-y, it’s not super creamy, but there is a lot here. It reminds me of an herbal tea, to a certain extent.
SWEETNESS: 4/10
This is not a sweet soda! I enjoy it, but it’s not a sweet soda. Definitely don’t think there’s fake sugar, maybe some more natural sugar in it? Something like a raw sugar or agave nectar, maybe?
FLAVOR(S) TASTED: Orange, “herbal”, ginger.
LAST SIP: 7/10
Definitely lost some flavor, but that is to be expected when ice in involved :/
OVERALL RATING: 6.5/10
This is tough. So first thing to note: the ice significantly detracted my from enjoyment of the drink. It was my fault for not asking for no ice, but at the same time, no serious soda is served with ice in it. The taste was definitely pleasant, but I can’t help but think if it were just a tiiiiny bit sweeter it would’ve really brought out more of the orange taste. Also, as I believe I stated before, not much on the cream front from this soda.
That being said, it was still a unique experience that was moderately pleasant. Combined with the delicious, delicious food they have at Rosetta’s, it was a good time all around. My only suggestion would be: this ain’t no Orange Cream soda. It’s an Orange Soda.
