Broken Wing

Mello Yello

Today is the first entry in the Citrus Flavored Soda Connoiseur category. And the honor goes to... Mello Yello. Ever since Coca-Cola's hostile takeover of the University of Minnesota, Mello Yello is the only citrus-flavored soda available in vending machines on campus. And I don't have any first hand experience, but I'm told that anyone carrying a Mountain Dew can will be efficiently "removed" from the campus under the cover of night. On the bright side, Mello Yello is a very good choice. It reminds of my childhood, when I would have sleepovers at my friend's house. His parents kept a shelf in their refrigerator solely for Mello Yello, and we took pride in the quickness with which we emptied said shelf. We would stay up late, drinking can after can of Mello Yello until our stomachs hurt. I'm not sure how we ever got to sleep, since building things out of Construx and playing with Ouija Boards are not especially tiring activities.

On to the review. On the whole, I give it two sticky thumbs up. Here's why:

Flavor: Mello Yellow is perhaps the most citrusy of the various citrus flavored sodas. The syrup may be a little heavy for some folks, and if a drop of this stuff is allowed to dry onto a surface, it quickly becomes the most sticky surface on the planet (actually, it's in a tie with all the other Mello Yellow spills).
Effervescence: This is one of the most bubbly sodas in its milieu. Drinking immediately after opening may cause a shock, as it doesn't get halfway down your throat before you feel the need to burp.
Extremity: Highly caffeinated citrus drinks seem to lend themselves to marketing based on how "extreme" the product is. In this case, the "Mello" name would seem to preclude any extremity. Fortunately, the advertising of the early '90's has worked, and I still remember that "there's nothin' mellow about it." However, the complete dearth of recent advertising may have some younger citrus connoiseurs questioning Mello Yellow's extremity, given more recent campaigns for Mountain Dew and Surge. Alas, unless finishing a paper 6 seconds before a deadline qualifies as an extreme sport, I don't have the qualifications to judge this category, since I lead a relatively non-extreme life.
Watch out for:If you buy a bottle from the vending machine, watch out. It is best to wait 5-10 minutes before opening. The fall from the machine turns the bottle into an explosive weapon. And if you do open it up too early, the best case scenario is that soda leaks over the edges, leaving the bottle extremely sticky for all eternity.

Conclusion: Mello Yello gets high marks for me because of its rich, full-bodied flavor. I admit it also wins some nostalgia points, and I am probably acclimated to its taste due to all the Friday nights of my early youth I spent chugging the stuff. My dentist says it is better to drink diet soda, but if I have to drink regular soda, drink it fast rather than nursing it over the course of the afternoon. To that, I say, "Bottom's up!" Posted by mill1991 at April 21, 2005 05:06 PM | TrackBack