Twizzling Dr Pepper Licorice

OK so I had seen this some time ago at my local dollar store (Dollar Tree) and wondered about it. Dr. Pepper flavored Licorice. Dr. Pepper Twizzlers? What The? Eventually I decided to get a package and try it.

Not bad. Not great either.

It does sort of have the flavor of Dr. Pepper upon the first bite or two, then it just becomes a jaw battle against a stick of licorice. I'm not sure if the DP flavor is mixed in with the licorice while it's being made or whether it is in the glossy and sticky sugar glaze on the sticks. I suspect the latter.

Overall it is a nice little piece of just edible nostalgia for a 120-some year old soda/pop/cola/soft drink.

I scanned the package a few weeks after opening and eating most of the contents so that is why in the front image the bag isn't full.

Wish This Was Still Around

Hmm I thought I had blogged about this a few years back, guess I didn't. Anyway in the late 1990s maybe early 2000s Dr. Pepper came out with some wacky new flavors, Cherry Vanilla, Berrys & Cream, plus something called Red Fusion. It was colored red and had a sharp cherry flavor like a Cherry Smash. It was good. I wish they still made it, but I don't think they do.

I forget how widespread it was distributed. I know it was distributed in the 20oz. plastic bottles and probably cans. I noticed online it was in cans and also 2liter bottles in addition to the 20oz bottle.

I recall one time when I purchased a bottle or two of the Red Fusion, I got a bum plastic cap that would not come off in the normal way. I think I eventually had to cut the seal carefully with an exacto knife to separate the cap from the sealing ring. I eventually got the thing opened. This happened to me a couple of times and over the years it still happens on occasion usually on Dr. Pepper products. The second time it happened to me on a Red Fusion I wrote (or did I email?) a message to the Dr. Pepper folks about the problem and in return they sent me two coupons for one Free 20oz. bottle of Red Fusion that I never got around to using. Now the coupons are a pretty neat nostalgic collectible for me.

As you can see the coupons expired at the end of 2003. Got to remember to bring them along the next time I go time-traveling to that past.

Of Quarters and Vending Machines

A few weeks back (I wanted to mention it closer to when it happened but I was lazy with scanning of things) I went to get my usual Diet Dr. Pepper from the Pepsi machine in the break room/kitchenette at work. The thing costs $1.25 (down from several months and another vender back when it was $1.35). So I do my usual ritual of making sure the corners of the dollar are as unfolded as much as possible put it into the dollar feeder and then plunk my quarter into the coin slot. Well it did go plunk right into the coin return bin. The machine didn't take my quarter, so I put it in again. Plunk same thing it didn't like this quarter for some reason. I look at the quarter and don't see anything wrong with it just an ordinary quarter, so I fished out another quarter from my pocket and plunked that one in and the machine liked it fine and dandy and I finally got rewarded with my Diet Doctor Pepper. So the quarter?

This is it!

A nice 48 year old quarter from 1964 from before I was born. So why did the machine not like this quarter? Well it turns out that 1964 was the last year that the US Mint made quarters using approx. 90% Silver 10% Copper. Starting the next year 1965 they changed to 75% Copper and 25% Nickel. Modern vending machines are mostly calibrated to only accept the newer combination of metals. I didn't know that until searching on why my quarter wasn't accepted. I thought they just used weight/size to determine which coin, but apparently they have a tiny mineralagist in the machine with an electronic microscope testing the mineral integrity of each coin as it speeds down the slot.

I guess this is a good way to find older coins, or at least to test the age of the vending machine.