A Leesburg, Virginia soda and candy shop overwhelms and entertains its patrons. See 草莓传媒 staffers test some of the unique soda flavors sold at Rocket Fizz.
WASHINGTON 鈥斅燭he first time Carolyn Johnson walked into a Rocket Fizz store was four years ago when she and her husband stumbled upon one while vacationing in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Her reaction, just like many others who walk into the retro candy and soda pop shop, was 鈥淲ow!鈥�
鈥淚 felt like I was stepping back in time when I saw all the older candies and sodas that reminded me of my childhood,鈥� she said.
A few years passed when Johnson had the idea to open up her own Rocket Fizz store in Leesburg, Virginia.
鈥淚 thought it would be a really cool thing to have in Loudoun County, so we decided to try it,鈥� she said.
We had to try some of these flavors for ourselves聽— watch as 草莓传媒鈥檚 Jack Pointer, Reada Kessler, Kristi King, Jack Moore, Jason Fraley and Will Vitka conduct a taste test:
Out of 89 locations in the U.S., Johnson鈥檚 store is the closest one to D.C. The second closest is in Richmond, Virginia.
It鈥檚 been almost a year since the store opened and although most people are excited when they walk in, others get overwhelmed, Johnson said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 just a lot going on; it鈥檚 very stimulating,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ometimes it takes two trips to see everything.鈥�
The store offers more than 400 flavors of soda, from root beers and cream sodas to ginger ale and fruit sodas. They also sell a variety of salt water taffy, vintage candy, gag gifts and tin signs.
But what often catches the attention of people who walk into the store are the unique soda flavors they carry like Barf, Bloody Nose and Martian Poop.
鈥淭he ones that are a little weird 鈥� the Bacon, the Ranch Dressing, the Dirt, even the Buffalo Wing 鈥� the kids will come in on a dare and dare each other to try those. Like if they lose a bet, they have to go out and drink the whole bottle of bacon soda,鈥� Johnson said.
鈥淏ut what鈥檚 funny is that some of the ones that sound bad are really not that bad,鈥� she said.
Birthday Cake is the most popular soda, according to Johnson.
鈥淚t tastes good and it鈥檚 not one of the weird ones like Bacon, Barf or Buffalo Wing. A lot of kids like it just because it鈥檚 sweet and it also makes a good birthday gift,鈥� she said.
Some other sweet soda flavors include: Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter and Jelly, S鈥檓ores and Cotton Candy.
In addition to the weird and sweet flavors, there are also celebrity and politically inspired sodas, such as Kim Jung Un鈥檚 鈥淣uclear Orange Bomb鈥� or Fidel Castro鈥檚 鈥淗avana Banana.鈥�
Rocket Fizz is located at 1604 Village Market Blvd. SE, Suite 122 in Leesburg.
Carolyn Johnson, owner of Rocket Fizz, a soda pop and candy shop in Leesburg, Virginia, said the Dirt soda smells like fungus and moss. “You definitely can taste that dirt flavor.”聽
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
While Johnson has yet to try this flavor, she said it “supposedly tastes like freshly mowed grass.”聽
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
“Butter soda I would say is really close to butter. Some people really like that one. They come back for more. Definitely not like melted butter, per se, because it鈥檚 cold,” Johnson said.
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
Surprisingly, Johnson said Barf doesn’t taste bad. “It kind of tastes like a grapefruit.”
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
Johnson said kids come into the shop and dare each other to try the weird flavors like Ranch Dressing. “Like if they聽lose a bet, they have to go out and drink the whole bottle,” she said.
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
“Bacon tastes like bacon but in liquid form,” Johnson said.
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
Don’t worry, Martian Poop doesn’t taste like poop. It actually tastes like berry, Johnson said.
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
“Pirate Piss tastes like banana, so it’s not that bad,” Johnson said.
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
If you like pickle juice, you may like this one. Johnson said it tastes just like pickle juice but with carbonation.
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
Birthday Cake is one of the most popular flavors, according to Johnson. “It’s very good, very sweet,” she said.
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
Buffalo Wing soda tastes like Buffalo sauce.
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
Bloody Nose tastes like wild cherry, according to Johnson.
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
Although Pimple Pop looks super gross, Johnson said it actually tastes like marshmallow.
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
The shop also carries politically inspired sodas like Kim Jung Un鈥檚 鈥淣uclear Orange Bomb,鈥� Fidel Castro鈥檚 鈥淗avana Banana,鈥� “Stalinade,” and “Seal Ya Later,” named after Osama bin Laden.聽
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
If you have a sweet tooth, Rocket Fizz has聽soda flavors such as Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter and Jelly, S鈥檓ores and Cotton Candy.聽
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
Customers have the option to customize sodas and labels for special occasions, such as birthdays and graduations.
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
They also sell a variety of salt water taffy.聽
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
For adults, walking into the store for the first time is like a walk down memory lane, Johnson said. They’ll find candy from their childhood.
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb
Adults get really excited when they see these candy cigarettes, Johnson said. Most people don’t realize they still exist.
(草莓传媒/Omama Altaleb)
