Coca-Cola Freestyle

[ListeningToTunes]

Anybody else like having fun with these machines? Are there any combinations you particularly like, or don't like?

http://en.wikipedia....-Cola_Freestyle if you haven't heard of them. It's a high-octane soda machine.

I had my first exposure to them just last month. My general method is to get just a few swigs at a time, maybe three times until I'm ready to leave, then a full to-go cup. Not surprisingly, they tend to taste just a bit less refined than traditional soda machines and of course canned/bottled. But this is to be expected, because instead of just two components being combined (water + mix) you have up to four: water + sugared or artificial sweetener-base + base flavor (Coke, Sprite, etc) + secondary flavor (cherry, lime, etc). It's probably like how when you make something like potato salad or salsa: it tastes better if you let it refrigerate overnight and everything has combined more.

Ones I've tried:

Coke + raspberry: one of my favorites

Coke + vanilla: a very accurate Vanilla Coke. I've missed this ever since it was discontinued. But I've always seen it since on the soda machines at Rubio's Mexican Grill (only one I'm likely to be near is in *** ********* though, and I'm not always over in that specific area).

Coke + Coke Zero + raspberry + vanilla (mixing half regular and half diet is something I do at soda machines when possible)

Sprite + raspberry: surprisingly good (as well as with half Sprite + half Sprite Zero)

Sprite + strawberry: good

Dasani Sensations + grape: bad. Some flavors don't stand up to lessened sweetening

Mello Yello + cherry: unremarkable but fine

Some of the secondary flavors can be had on their own (I think) under the Fanta name. This might also apply to some of the non-carbonated ones like Dasani, Powerade and Hi-C.

Lime: odd. Doesn't taste remotely like lime; not sure how to describe it. But I tend to be attracted to it

Peach: good

Definitely more to come.

[Little BabyDoll Christine]

I wish! Looks like it would be a gas. Nothing in my area.I understand that in other poarts of the world, coke is sold in over a dozen mixes

[I M Soaked]

Why not just go to the fountain and put a little of each flavor in your cup? Kids today call it a "Suicide". In my day, we just called it mixing the flavors.

[DailyDi]

The cherry plus coke is better than the actual cherry coke!

[Guest Lil_Lilo]

I want one of those machines in my house! So many possibilities... I particularly likethe Cherry + Coke and the Cherry + Sprite!

[Honu]

Haven't seen one, but I'd like to. Who has them? Well, being out in the middle of nowhere, the trend may end before it gets here.

[Guest Lil_Lilo]

Bullritos has them.. Im not sure who else..

[Honu]

What we have here has "pollo" in the name. Juan Pollo, El Pollo Loco and a few of the really common stuff. This is not at all like Tampa that has Five Guys and Bonefish Grill. Oh well, I'll just keep sipping my classic Coke out of a can with a 5 cent CRV on it.

[ListeningToTunes]

Why not just go to the fountain and put a little of each flavor in your cup? Kids today call it a "Suicide". In my day, we just called it mixing the flavors.

That's not the same thing. (Although--needless to say--you could do Suicide in epic proportions with a Coke Freestyle machine.) I often do mix flavors at traditional machines though, albeit ones that make sense: Mountain Dew with a non-carbonated variety; Fanta Strawberry plus Hi-C Fruit Punch is especially good; Sprite and Minute Maid Light Lemonade, and others.

A lot of Chevron locations around here and some others have machines with cherry, lemon, vanilla (and lime, which I've never seen used) "shots" you can add, and some 7/11 locations have something similar where it'll mix cherry, lemon, or vanilla into whatever flavor you're dispensing. Coke Freestyle is just an expanded version of this (doesn't do "shots" though).

Around here our Burger King locations have them, beginning earlier this year I think. I don't know who else; it's not something I've paid much attention to. The official site has a locator. (Talk about how NOT to design a website. I once saw this sort of thing referred to as "mystery-meat navigation".) In the San Bernardino area it looks like a lot of Del Taco and Five Guys locations have them.

I've jokingly thought I wouldn't mind having one at home too. What I'd really like is a product line of concentrated flavor add-ins in a large variety of basic flavors (cherry, lemon, lime, grenadine, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, pineapple, kiwi, orange, grape, apple, peach, vanilla, kona, chocolate, etc) you could add to any drink. A line of Mio products would be perfect. Most existing Mio flavors are too exotic, plus if you add them to soda they makes it too sweet because they were meant to be added to water. For adding to already-sweetened drinks they only need enough sweetening to support the extra flavoring.

[DailyDi]

Firehouse subs is where i go to play with one

[warpiper]

I see them at noodles & company when i go there. You can try that out.

-piper

[:dlb]

As far as I know they are only in the southeast. I've been waiting for them here so I can try coca cola orange.

[blackdecker]

I hope we get them in WI soon.