The Refreshing Taste of Wood Rosin (and Other Beverage Tangents)

It was a combination of nostalgia, curiosity, and a really good sale that prompted me to purchase a 12-pk of Fresca Peach Citrus soda.

It was only after I had downed a can that I read the side panel and noticed this beverage contained "Glycerol Ester of Wood Rosin."

(Yeah, the Curse of Blogspot put my photo in sideways...I'm too tired to care...tilt your head to the right and it'll look perfectly normal...)

Rosin? The only rosin I'm familiar with is that used on violin bows. And frankly, I never looked at a musician rosining a bow and thought, "Mmmm, that looks tasty!"

So I did a little googling and found a couple studies...

http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v35je05.htm
http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v37je02.htm

"...wood rosin that is harvested from the stumps of longleaf pine..and purified to a beverage-grade ester gum."

Well, gee, when you put it like that, it does seem much more deletable!

I won't bore you with scientific jargon, but my non-scientific summary is that the glycerol ester of wood rosin is used to suspend citrus oils in beverage.

There have been studies on rats that indicate that this additive passes through the system without being absorbed.

(Note to those who like to complain about their jobs: It could be worse -- you could be analyzing rat poo for a living.)

Even though it appears that the FDA has signed off on adding wood rosin to one's diet, I don't think I'll be sending on the journey through my digestive tract with any regularity.

But I have to admit I liked the flavor combination of Fresca grapefruit and peach. However, my taste in beverages may be somewhat unique...

...WHICH SENDS ME OFF ON ANOTHER TANGENT:

All this soda analysis got me thinking about Epcot's Ice Station Cool. My little family group probably went through that faux iceberg four or five times when we were at Disney World last year.

Hot temps + Free Soda = Cyn drinking many, many tiny cups of Beverly.

Yes, I am the only human in North America who actually likes, nay, loves that infamous beverage.

(If you search the web for Beverly images, you will find many like this.)

But here I am, with my hands literally full of the stuff.

It could be because I'm half Italian, or it could be because my Holy Trinity of Condiments (wasabi, tabasco, jalapeno) has effectively annihilated my taste buds. But I wish I had an ice cold can of Beverly right now to wash the taste of...

(OFF ON ANOTHER TANGENT)

...McDonald's Hazelnut Iced Coffee out of my mouth.

Esteemed husband and I tried out this new McD beverage tonight. It may be that the seemingly confused minimum wage worker didn't have the recipe down right, but it was the most VILE java beverage I have ever consumed. Well, attempted to consume. Neither of us could manage to actually drink it -- it was sickeningly sweet with very little coffee flavor.

I considered complaining, but without the caffeine I had been hoping to ingest, I just didn't have the energy.

McD's is giving out free samples of the iced coffee starting tomorrow -- I'd love to hear if anyone else taste-tests it. I'm just pissed we had to pay for it.

But I suppose this is my payback for all the free Beverly.