We Tried Roxberry’s New Kid-Friendly Soda And Here’s Our Honest Opinion

There’s a delicate dance that plays out when it comes to kids and soda. Soda is a must-have at parties and gatherings of any kind, and—let’s be honest—it’s a huge part of our cultural identity, at least in the epicurean sense. But, at the same time, we all know how detrimental it is for our health, especially for growing bodies. So, to deny kids the experience of a fizzy, sugary drink at a party feels a little cruel, but to let them indulge also feels wrong.

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Roxberry sees you, and they’ve provided a soda alternative to ease your parenting woes. These drinks are designed for kids, to scratch the sugar itch and act as a fun, flavored party drink, without the excessive amounts of sugary syrups, weird artificial junk, and fake fruit flavors. Every 7.5-ounce can of Roxberry contains 5 grams of sugar, 25 calories, and has real fruit and veggies juices. I got my hands on all three flavors, and I’ll give my honest opinion on their taste and whether or not I think they could act as a worthy soda substitute.

Ocean Potion

Ocean Potion—which is Roxberry’s fruit punch-flavored soda—was the least impressive to my adult palate, but I could still see it being a fan favorite for kids. When I think of fruit punch, I think of a loud, potent, bright-red juice, and this Roxberry didn’t have that classic fruit punch… well, punch. It also definitely tasted the most health-conscious. Fruit punch and fizz is kind of a funky combo, but the genuine fruit and veggie taste and gentle effervescence still made this a tasty, pineapple-forward drink overall, albeit a little boring.

Galaxy Gulp

Galaxy Gulp is the citrus-flavored Roxberry, and citrus is always my go-to drink flavor, so I was stoked to give this one a try. I was really impressed with the real-fruit flavor carried by gentle fizz. I was actually surprised to see there was no clementine in this drink—just orange juice as the citrus ingredient. The subtle taste of the veggie juices and coconut water gave the OJ a unique, delicious tanginess that had me finishing off the can in one extra-long sip. This one felt like the most adult-friendly Roxberry. In fact, it reminded me a lot of the orange-flavored Sanpelligrino.

Pink Lava

Roxberry’s strawberry-lemonade flavor in known as Pink Lava. I’m not a major strawberry fan, especially when the berry is packed into drinks, but that’s usually because that fake strawberry flavor is too much for my taste buds to bear. Here, the strawberry comes through like garden-fresh fruit, and the lemonade is like a tangy canvas for it to paint its sweet, juicy masterpiece. Even though this isn’t my personal favorite Roxberry flavor, I thought it was the most impressive. I could taste the carrot juice here more than in the other flavors, and it had a unique grounding effect for the sweet ingredients. Its subtle earthiness made the lemon and berry stand out more, while also making sure they didn’t taste excessively zesty—in other words, this drink is expertly balanced and both kid and adult approved.