You Know When You've Been Banquoed...I Mean Tangoed! (Tango Orange)

Member Name: mattygroves10

Product:	Tango Orange
Date:	29/07/05 (1125 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funky can design . Not as bad as I thought it would be.

Disadvantages: Not as nice as I hoped it would be . Saccharin aftertaste .

Here in front of me is a can of TANGO - and 'you know when you've been Banquoed' - oops, I meant 'Tangoed'. (Joke - when I was studying Macbeth in university, second time around, I was discussing the play with a friend, and we were talking about Banquo's ghost...and my friend came up with that line. We were in stitches. But, I digress).

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Appearance - Packaging and Details
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Here, on my desk is a 330ml can of Tango (you can also get it in multi-packs, 2 litre bottles - the usual sizes). Tango is clearly a drink aimed at a youngish market - the advertising, website and packaging bear this out. The can is actually quite funky looking. It's black, and on the front is an illustration of a smushed orange (as in the 'you've been Tangoed' ads). Superimposed on the smushed orange are the words (no surprise here) Tango Orange. This motif appears twice.

Shoved between the smushed oranges are the nutritional information, ingredients, bar code, contact information (you can check out www.tango.com, if you want).

Fear not, I won't make you read the tedious list of ingredients, except to mention it contains 8% fruit juice (wooey), and has both sugar and sweeteners (aspartame and saccharin - how sweet is this drink going to BE??).

I paid 36p for the can in Asda - Sainsbury's sell the two litre bottles at £1.18, and six packs of the cans for £1.96.

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Appearance - The Drink
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Right. I've opened the can, and despite the fact I'm not pouring the drink into a glass, I can see the electric orange colour. It really is very orange. I can tell it's fizzy, since I got the trademark 'open fizzy drink' sound upon opening, and that little wisp of 'smoke'.

OK, OK, I hear you say - but what does it TASTE like? Just a minute - I need to steel myself up for this...

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The Smell
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I haven't even picked up the can, and already I can smell the tangy orangey smell. Does it smell like fresh oranges? No, not really. It smells like orange flavouring - like orange soda or orange sweets. Now THERE'S a surprise!

BUT TELL ME HOW IT TASTES, I hear you all shout...OK, OK...

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The Taste
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Mmmm...swirl...sip...gulp. Hey - it's not that bad! It tastes a bit of real orange...just a bit, but more than I was expecting. It's sweet, but not as sweet as I thought it would be.

Sadly, it does have a slight saccharine aftertaste...although I'm not 100% certain I'm not slightly imagining it, since I have read the ingredients. Having said that, I find most fizzy drinks have a slight aftertaste of one kind or another (anyone remember Tab? Now THAT had an aftertaste).

Another sip...yes, definite orange flavour - not quite fake, but not like drinking fresh orange juice. But then, I never expected it to taste of fresh orange juice.

It is quite fizzy, as you'd expect from a fizzy drink (doh!).

I have to say, in all fairness, my can is not as cold as it should be...which may well enhance the fruit flavours, and indeed, the aftertaste.

Like many fizzy drinks, it's not as thirst quenching as you'd hope. Odd, that is, but I find fizzy drinks can make you reach for more fizzy drink...which makes you reach for more...in other words, if you're REALLY thirsty, drink water.

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The Verdict
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I didn't expect to like this. I have nasty memories of orange soda. But hey, it's OK. For general consumption, I'll stick to my Diet Coke (I know, I know, if you want to talk aftertaste...but I'm used to it).

But I won't be pouring the rest of the can in the sink. I'll probably finish it. Which is better than I'd hoped.

Will I buy it again? Probably not in a hurry. Would I drink it if you gave me one? Absolutely. Do I recommend it? That's a toughy - I'll tick the 'yes' box - on the condition you like orange soda. Who can say?

Summary: Fizzy. Electric Orange. Drinkable