AJ Stephans Sarsaparilla

AJ Stephans Sarsaparilla

Website: http://www.ajstephans.com/AJStephans/pages/flavors.htm

Sweetener: Cane Sugar

Bottled at: Fall River, Massachusetts

Purchase Location: Galco’s Soda Pop Stop

AJ Stephens Sarsaparilla is the first AJ Stephans beverage I have had the opportunity to review. This Massachussetts drink, around since the prohibition days of 1926, advertises itself as “New England’s Best Tonic.” Does that mean this sarsaparilla has medicinal properties? Will it give you restored strength and increased vigor? Medical study results are inconclusive.

We can report conclusively on whether AJ Stephens Sarsaparilla is an upper echelon root soda. For starters, AJ Stephens has very nice carbonation. It has a moderate level of carbonation, but its extremely small bubbles make the drinking experience a smooth one. As for its flavor, it has a light malt and sassafras flavor. For me, AJ Stephens Sarsaparilla was slightly too malty. I would have liked this soda to include another layer of complexity and display a few more flavors. In the end, only malty sassafras is identifiable. That is enough to classify AJ Stephens Sarsaparilla as an okay soda.