Taste Test Dummies

Which Chai Tea is best?  As the temperatures drop outside the desire to consume hot drinks goes, this is simple science.  To help nudge John and Nick into a tea drinking habit we are trying out Chai Tea this week, specifically black tea (not chai tea lattes).  There are three brands that will be competing this week, Stash, Tazo and Twinings.  Then to add an additional wrinkle Twinings Ultra Spice...

Which Lime Carbonated Water is best?  In the past, this very podcast has already covered Lime carbonated water, and the unanimous winner was La Croix.  Given how many options are out there we are going to do another test, but this time with 3 new contenders.  The new contenders are Liquid Death, Spindrift (with real lime juice), and Topo Chico.  Then there is a twist that La Croix returns but this...

Which Spiced Rum is best?  This podcast has covered a very wide variety of alcohol over its life, from light beer to Italian Vermouth.  The most notable gap is something John nor Nick have shown any interest in doing until now.  This week we finally figure out which Spiced Rum is the best.  And just for good measure we through a Gold rum in the mix to see how it compares.  The contenders are Admir...

Which Grape Soda is best?  This week we finally get a "rematch" of the orange soda episode as we bring back Crush, Fanta, and Sunkist.  This time we are trying their grape offerings, but we also throw in a fourth option which we both enjoyed as children, Welch's.  Please like and subscribe and if you have any suggestions, let us know by tweeting us @tastetestdummies or email us at nickandjohnpodca...

Which Oktoberfest beer is best?  It's once again the most wonderful time of the year - fall.  There is no better way to ring in the autumn season than by enjoying an Oktoberfest.  We kept the format from last year by bringing 2 official Oktoberfest beers (Hofbrau & Spaten) and 2 American "Oktoberfest" beers (Founders & Sierra Nevada).  Please like and subscribe and if you have any suggesti...

Which Chocolate Chip cookie is best?  A homemade baked good is almost always better than a prepackaged option.  Given this fact, we are going to put the grocery store version of homemade to the test.  Each of Aldi, Target, and Walmart have their own bakeries and this week we are testing out their Chocolate Chip Cookies.  As an additional test we are also throwing in Pepperidge Farm's version (the...

Which Instant Coffee is best?  This week we start off by taste testing Arizona's new hard tea variety back.  Later on we get to the main event of trying out 3 instant coffees.  We both drink a fair amount of coffee, but neither Nick or John have gotten into the instant variety.  The contenders for this week are Folgers, Nescafe (Taster's Choice), and Starbucks (Pike Place Roast).  The first two op...

Which Rainbow ring cereal is best?  This week we finally get to a category that America is known for, sugary breakfast cereals for children.  For our first trip through the category we decided to try out a classic in Froot loops and put them up against a couple of their competitors.  First is the health cereal Magic Spoon which is better for you, but for triple the price it better taste good. We a...

Which Moscow Mule is best?  We start this episode by trying two different candy bars who have offered up a new cookie dough flavor (Milky Way and Twix).  Later we get to the main attraction of trying out some premade Moscow mules in a can.  When we tried ginger ales we were a little let down with the lack of ginger flavor, so can the Moscow mules provide the ginger punch we need?  This week's cont...

Which Light Beer is best?  In the past we have done the most popular domestic light beers, but what about the penny pinchers?  This week we bring in some of the options more popular in college dormitories around the country, those contenders are Busch Light, Keystone, and Natural Light.  Then as a final test to see if these options are truly a step below we brough back (one of) our winner(s) from...

Which Apple is best?  This week we start by taste testing a premixed Manhattan cocktail made by On the Rocks.  Later we try our first fruit brought by our special guest Joe.  He brought the 5 best selling apples in the US to see which apple deserves the best apple title. The contenders are Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Red Delicious.  Please like and subscribe and if you have any...

Which Ginger Ale is best?  This week we are finally getting to ginger ales.  We've all seen the main players in this category, but our experience says they are a little weak on the ginger flavor.  Instead we are trying out some of the pricier players in the game in hopes of getting more of that ginger.  The contenders are Fever Tree, Q, Reed's and Zevia.  Please like and subscribe and if you have...

Which Soju is best?  This week we are having a Korean extravaganza.  We start by taste testing some of the most popular Sojus, and test out some of Korea's popular snacks along the way.  These Soju brands are known for their flavored varieties but we decided to try out the original flavor first.  The contenders are Charm, Good day and Jinro.  Please like and subscribe and if you have any suggestio...

This week we start out by trying Pringles new Habaneras chips, with habanero and lime flavor.  Later we bring in the popular Japanese snack Pocky and pit them up against 2 of their competitors (Fran and Pepero).  With everything on the line can Pocky justify their place in the snack aisle?  Please like and subscribe and if you have any suggestions, let us know by tweeting us @tastetestdummies or e...

What Irish Whiskey is the best? This week we start out by trying a strange mixed drink called the Irish Cactus which combines Bailey's and Tequila.  Then sticking with the theme we try out the three most popular Irish Whiskey's in the universe (my source only contained Earth information but I feel it's fair to extrapolate).  The contenders are Jameson, Proper 12, and Tullamore Dew.  Please like an...

What Italian Vermouth is the best? This week we have another mystery box containing a wine that we are not very familiar with.  This time the mystery wine, that apparently has wormwood, is Italian Vermouth.  We cover a wide array with one Bianco (Chazalettes), one dry (Trincheri) and one extra dry (Triozzi) and later guess the price order.  Please like and subscribe and if you have any suggestions...

What meat stick is the best? This week we revisit the meat stick category, but this time we try the more expensive options.  Each of these products boasts about being some combination of natural, non-GMO, no added sugar etc.  Today we will see if these labels actually change the flavor.  More importantly we learn if the flavor is worth the increase in price.  The contestants are Chef's Cut, Chomps...

What Toffee candy is the best? This week we will try out my nomination for the best chocolate candy bar on the market.  The chocolate covered toffee candy bar feels less exciting than your Snickers and Milky Ways of the world.  But what they lack in pizzazz, they make up for in flavor and texture.  The contestants are Heath, Russell Stover's, and Skor.  Please like and subscribe and if you have an...

What Rosé is the best? We have wetted our proverbial beaks in most parts of the wine world, but this week we get to Rosé for the first time.  More specifically we are trying Rosés from France.  Join us as we ask all the important questions about Rosé, although if you are one of those people who want those questions answered, you may need to look elsewhere. The contestants are Cote des Roses, Mirav...

What Bloody Mary Mix is the best? This week we have an unintentional brunch-centric episode.  We start off by trying out Sunny D's new Vodka Seltzer, and later on try some Bloody Mary Mixes.  Three of our contenders come in cans, Mr and Mrs T, Q, and Zing Zang.  We also throw in Clamato juice with Creole seasoning to see how a Bloody Caesar Compares.  Please like and subscribe and if you have any...

What Mocha Iced Coffee is the best? This week we start off by trying out Busch Light's new Peach flavor and later try some bottled Iced Coffees and 1 frappuccino.  This weeks contenders are Dunkin Donuts, International Delight, Starbucks, and Wide Awake.  Please like and subscribe and if you have any suggestions, let us know by tweeting us @tastetestdummies or email us at nickandjohnpodcast@gmail....

What Caramel is the best? This week we start off by trying out Doritos new Hot Mustard flavor and later try some Caramel candies.  This weeks contenders are Brachs, Kraft, and Werthers.  Please like and subscribe and if you have any suggestions, let us know by tweeting us @tastetestdummies or email us at nickandjohnpodcast@gmail.com .      SPOILER!  Below is a list of which candy corresponds to wh...

What White Port Wine is the best?  This week we have a mystery box that introduces us to a completely new category of wine, the White Port.  Listen as we embarrass ourselves by speculating what types of alcohol we may be drinking! This weeks contenders are Niepoort, Quinta de la Rosa, and Sandeman.  Please like and subscribe and if you have any suggestions, let us know by tweeting us @tastetestdum...

What Root Beer is best?  This week we have two different rounds of intense Root Beer competition.  In our first round we put two of the big dogs up against each other, A&W vs Mug.  Then the first round winner moves on to face off against 3 other Root Beer brands, Dad's, Sprecher, and Virgil's.  Please like and subscribe and if you have any suggestions, let us know by tweeting us @tastetestdummies...

What Hot Salsa is best?  This week we are doing a second round of Hot Salsas.  Our first round the salsas weren't quite hot enough (with Pace edging it out), so this time around we are ramping up the intensity.  The contestants are Arriba, Mateo's , and Mrs. Renfro's.  Please like and subscribe and if you have any suggestions, let us know by tweeting us @tastetestdummies or email us at nickandjohn...