Imagine getting stoned on 50 Cent’s sorely missed Vitaminwater
I mourn the disappearance of Formula 50. For those who missed the short halcyon era when hip-hop embraced everything purple, from drinks to minks, the sorely missed beverage was 50 Cent’s flavor of Vitaminwater, the sale of which earned the rap mogul a reported hundred-mill (or perhaps more fittingly, two-hundred million half-dollars).
Like some other Vitaminwaters, I assume that Formula 50 caught on because it struck a balance—between the shameless artificial grapeness of a can of Welch’s soda, and the refreshing subtleness of, well, an actual grape. It’s unclear what happened to this magic liquid which was discontinued under Coca-Cola’s ownership of Vitaminwater parent Glaceau, but that doesn’t mean people like me ever stopped searching for replacements.
To date, I’ve mostly only found strangely expensive foreign gum and candy that echo the pleasantly pungent pucker of Formula 50. Monster’s Ultra Violet Zero Sugar Grape Energy (there is so much writing on the can that it’s impossible to pinpoint the name of the actual product) comes close, but I’m not always looking to get wired and go skateboarding. Sometimes I just want to get stoned and mash out to old G-Unit records, and that’s where the new grape soda gummies from Buzzy are handy.
We have come to expect nothing short of taste bud entertainment from the North Shore manufacturer. Novel Beverage’s Buzzy sodas are profoundly delicious, quality enough to rival or even best similar selections from mass market brands—infused, alcoholic, or virgin alike. So it’s no surprise that Novel’s entry into gummies follows the same pattern, or that the makers of award-winning sips like Pine + Star blueberry lemonade scored a second-place medal for its newest SKU in the most recent NECANN Cup in Boston.
While there are some more natural tasting gummies on the market that you can spread on your toast like preserves, as well as gummier gelatin-based offerings that some people prefer, I would argue that the new chews by Buzzy hit right in the happy middle. With the texture of a fresh gumdrop and taste that explodes between your tongue and the roof of your mouth, both the grape as well as its sister styles, orange soda and root beer, are what many everyday 5mg gummy seekers are looking for—flavor as promised on the package, ingredients that don’t jam your intestines, and a clean enduring buzz.
And yes, they really taste like grape (or orange) soda. Right down to the light effervescence; somehow, the sugar coating even makes for bubbles.
