High Maintenance
Canada High Ginger Ale
Foggy’s Take:
Canada High Ginger Soda
HIGH MAINTENANCE
Introduction
This is a new brand to Ontario that quietly slipped under the radar. I had to do a little more digging, because I had never heard of High Maintenance before, but this ginger ale is their first release here with two upcoming flower releases scheduled to drop soon. Although new to Ontario, I’m learning we aren’t the first to the party, with a Grape-flavoured sku available in British Columbia. This drink is produced by Embark Delta, the same LP behind Keef, Green Monke, and Vicious Citrus - all brands that have earned themselves a special place in my heart. Is there enough room for High Maintenance on that list as well? Let’s find out.
Review
Packaging 3.5 / 5
As far as drinks go, there’s only really a couple ways to package them, and their use of a tall 355ml can was pretty standard. The can was sort of similar to the colour to the drink itself. I rather like the logo, and its hippie-themed font too. It came with a black child-resistant seal around the top of the can, which I have an easier time with opening than the other-styled white seals, so that was appreciated.
Texture 5 / 5
This was great! There was well carbonated and there was no strange residue or film left behind in my mouth from any cannabis.
Visual 4 / 5
This was probably one of the darker ginger ales I’ve seen, almost bordering on a ginger beer colour and was very foggy. I had an urge to stir it to see if the colour cleared up, but for the sake of keeping it carbonated, I didn’t bother.
Taste 5 / 5
After seeing how dark the colour was after pouring it into a glass, I was concerned it was going to have the same kind of spice as a ginger beer, but it didn’t. It was a very strong flavoured ginger ale, but without any level of spice or harshness to it. I was really surprised, but I absolutely loved the bold flavour. I don’t particularly like sparkling waters or anything light on flavour. I couldn’t identify any taste of cannabis in this what so ever.
Effects 3 / 5
It’s still just 10mg. For the high tolerance or every day consumer, I can’t say this is anything greater than average.
Overall 20.5 / 25 (82%)
High Maintenance really hit this one out of the park and absolutely joins the list of other solid Embark beverages, and in my opinion, this ginger ale might be one of the tastier ones on the market (thus far). At my store, this currently retails for $6.95 compared to $8.75 for the Sweet Justice OG Ginger Ale - a pretty significant price savings for an equally great product. Health-conscious consumers beware, this can does come with a pretty substantial sugar content, but that being said, a can of Canada Dry comes in at 36g of sugar, so if we’re comparing apples to apples here, this wasn’t really a big deal.
This is a definite repurchase for me.