Food Biz Kids: From Hotlips to Kids' Lips

Devonte Elcock, 7th grade:
What I loved about HotLips soda is that when I saw these bottles my mouth was so wet from my drool that my tongue was out like a dog’s. I loved the aftertaste. When I closed my eyes, I was in soda heaven. Apple is my favorite because I like apples and I also like pear. If you try these, you will be surprised.

Micaela Homer, 7th grade:
The boysenberry soda was not appetizing to me. The packaging immediately indicated that this was a health food or directed to health food people. I was interested in trying it because I hadn’t heard of a boysenberry before, but I was disappointed. It smelled like a homeopathic cough syrup. When I tasted it, it reminded me of medicine. It was not carbonated at all. Perhaps those who like herbal food would enjoy this. Red raspberry was better, but was sort of sour. My favorite of all was pear, because it tastes like the freshest pear you’ve ever had.

Brandon Jackson, 7th grade:These flavors are very delicious and thirst quenching. I must say the carbonation was a disappointment. They mostly tasted like juice – very, very good juice. My personal favorite is red raspberry. I think that vegetarians might like this soda because it is organic. I also think that health conscious people would like this because it does not have any chemicals or additives. I think that HotLips would be a great drink to serve at schools. It would be even greater if the makers of HotLips could put a little more carbonated water in it.Nick Giangreco, 7th grade:The packaging of HotLips is dank, because the bottle is brown and the white paper is dull, and I wouldn’t notice it in the store. I loved almost all of the flavors because they weren’t too bubbly, so you can taste every part of it. You know it’s not artificial when part of the fruit is floating around. The smell is the same as when you open a fresh package of whatever fruit you have. It definitely beats the leading juice brand Izze.Michael Matthew, 7th grade:HotLips is packaged in a very unappealing, dull, brown bottle. It didn’t catch my eye, and doesn’t even look like a soda bottle. The soda itself has a very nice fruity smell and is colorful. The taste isn’t anything special, and basically tastes like a slightly fizzy juice. The soda does come in multiple flavors, which gives it variety. Hot Lips is only OK and is better suited for adults who want a not-too-fizzy and not-too-bland drink. Rohan Murray, 7th grade:My favorite soda flavor was pear. When I smelled the pear HotLips, it made my mouth water. When I swallowed it, I felt that bitter but fruity aftertaste with the mist. It was pretty good to me.Tatyana Young, 7th grade:HotLips apple soda is the best-tasting to me and the most appealing. If I was in the store and had no other HotLips soda to buy but just one, I would buy blackberry soda. HotLips soda is not very good to kids, but adults and adults only would like it. The HotLips sodas are like Izze, but that is better. Nick Pigozzi, 7th grade:The packaging of these drinks is very appealing. It shows a cartoon-like picture of each fruit, and if I saw these bottles at the store, I would probably buy it … well, if I hadn’t tasted it yet! Honestly, the taste would only be appealing to old people; half of the flavors taste the same – pretty much like apple cider. I wouldn’t suggest these to many people.Christian Stankovic, 7th grade:The packaging on the HotLips boysenberry bottle looks a little cheesy, but defies the smell and taste. The smell is incredibly sweet, a little like fruity syrup. It also tastes like it. The aftertaste is a little bitter, but is tingly, which is the usual soda feeling. This would definitely appeal to kids with developing tastebuds.Joe Gonzalez, 7th grade:I think the Boysenberry and Raspberry HotLips are the best tasting ones. All of the other flavors are very tangy and not very delicious. The ones I like are nice and sweet and have good flavor.Bella Castilla, 7th grade:The Apple flavor is the only one that appeals to me. If I was in the store, I would never buy any of the other flavors except maybe Pear. These products, I think would only appeal to adults. The pictures of fruit on the bottle are not appealing, and overall, HotLips soda was not likeable.Marty Leoni, 7th grade:Raspberry smells terrible! It looks good, but it tastes really bad. The packaging is pretty boring; it would only appeal to a major health nut. Pear smells really good. It looks like sparkling cider and tastes like it, too. Although the packaging is boring and would appeal to older people, overall the soda is good. Josh Wilson, 7th grade:HotLips Apple and soda taste like apple juice and flat soda. It could be better, so there is room for improvement.  Pear tastes like, well, pear, so no complaints. All in all, they were semi-sweet and very flat so they could probably make it fizzier. It’s recommended for people who like Izze.Darfol Andrade, 7th grade:I don’t like Black Raspberry because it tastes bad. It tastes like salt and blackberry with some seeds. Pear was okay, kind of like Raspberry soda, but salty. I don’t like Apple because it has a weird taste I never tasted. Raspberry was the best. It tastes good and has the best smell – like gum.