What Flavor Is Tamarind Soda? (Mexican Soda by Jarritos )

There are so many different sodas in the beverage market today that it is hard to find something significantly different.

More consumers want a healthier, more holistic approach to beverages in general.

In Mexico, a man who wanted something unique produced a plain club soda or soda that embodies this in his kitchen.

The Jarritos Tamarind soda is so special, and if you’ve never heard of it, you might wonder what flavor Tamarind soda is.

The Tamarind tree responsible for this unique flavor and taste is found in Oaxaca / Wu–haa-kuh/, Mexico.

The seed pods have a tacky, paste-like substance inside, and it’s from this pulp that the Tamarind soda was born – also known as tamarindo in Mexico too.

Adding pure sugar and only using the natural flavorants derived from the fruit or pods, Jarritos is considered one of the healthier soda brands available.

You can find Jarritos Mexican Soda in almost 89% of Mexico.

That’s an extensive footprint for a soda brand. Let us find out more about this exciting soda flavor;

What is the Origin Of Jarritos Flavors?

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In 1950 Don Francisco “El Güero” Hill started working on some drinks in his kitchen.

Using only pure products like coffee beans, seasonal fruit, and natural cane sugar, he developed the first Jarrito soda.

The very first flavor was the Jarritos Coffee soda.

Shortly after, he developed a way to extract the pulp from the Tamarind pods and then developed the Jarritos Tamarindo or Tamarind flavor.

This was the first Tamarind flavored drink available in Mexico and became very popular very fast.

 The Jarritos sodas were made available in large, 400ml glass bottles, giving the consumer more soda of real sugar for their money.

Today it is served in 370ml, 600ml, or 1.5L glass bottles.

Most of the Jarritos sodas are still naturally flavored today and have only slight carbonation, much less than mainstream sodas.

The word Jarritos means “little jugs” and refers to the traditional way of drinking water out of pottery clay jugs.

How To Pronounce Jarritos

The correct way to pronounce the word Jarritos needs to be as authentic as the flavors themselves.

In Spanish, the J sounds like a G or a GH. So to say the word Jarritos correctly, you can say it in the following three ways;

1. GHAR-ri-toes
2. ‘Här-REE`toess’
3. GHA – RHI – TOHS

The correct pronunciation will help you when you order or buy your next bottle or batch of your favorite flavor or when you want to impress somebody with your great taste in beverages and grasp of the Spanish language.

Either way, buying a Tamarind Jarritos will already make a statement on your behalf.

We touched a little on what Tamarind is.

The Tamarindus Indica is indigenous to Africa, in countries like Sudan, Nigeria, and as far as Oman in the coastal regions.

In the 16th century, Tamarind was introduced to South America and Mexico by the colonial Spanish and Portuguese.

The tree is leguminous, meaning it has seed pods that are similar to peas or beans.

Inside the fruit pods, it has a sweet and tangy pulp that is the edible part.

It is brown and mushy and is used in a vast number of food dishes worldwide.

The Tamarind is the only species of its kind, making this monotypic tree a scarce and unique plant.

This fruity pulp inside the pods sets the Tamarind soda flavor apart from any other beverage on the market.

Interesting Fact

The Jarritos range of sodas has grown to 12 unique flavors.

The original is the Jarritos Tamarindo or Tamarind in English.

Jarritos harvests their fruit from these places in Mexico to ensure high quality is maintained;

• Mandarins from the Yucatán.
• Limes from Colima.
• Grapefruits from Veracruz.
• Tamarind from
• Hibiscus from
• Pineapples from Tabasco.
• Guava from
• Mangoes from

Let’s look at the range of all the Best Soda flavors available from Jarritos currently;

1. MXCN Cola – An excellent-tasting cola, the Mexican Cola is one of the staple sodas in the Jarritos range. Outstanding chocolate and cinnamon taste, almost reminiscent of a rootbeer.
2. Jamaica/Hibiscus – Made from the Hibiscus flower’s stamen, this cola has a fruity, flowery taste that can remind you of prunes. It is sweet and bubbly.
3. Tutifruti/Fruit Punch – An ideal sweet mix of various fruits and citric acid. In fruit punch soda, all the flavors blend in well, and not one flavor overpowers the other.
4. Limón/Lime – The lime flavoring is not overpowering at all but lovely and citrusy. This flavor is easy to drink.
5. Fresa/Strawberry – Much darker color than the Hibiscus and Fruit Punch, a sweet and syrupy strawberry flavor that is easy to drink.
6. Mango – Tastes like bottled mango, subtle, sweet, and just the right color and carbonation. This soda is a favorite.
7. Mandarina/Mandarin – A solid, tangy citrus-flavored soda with just the right amount of bite and tang. Great soda.
8. Toronja/Grapefruit – A lovely green soda with a distinctly sweet grapefruit taste. Exact what you would expect.
9. Piña/Pineapple – One of the favorite sodas from Jarritos, the pineapple soda is very fizzy, tangy, and summery.
10. Watermelon – As you would expect, it tastes like fizzy watermelon—ripe, sweet, and full of summer goodness.
11. Guayaba/Guava – Surprisingly great guava taste, not at all like other guava sodas available. Sweet and summery.
12. Tamarindo/Jarritos Tamarind – The fantastic, one-of-a-kind soda flavor is something you need to try. Sweet and sour, tangy and tart with the earthy aftertaste and just the right amount of carbonation. Tamarind is the best soda in the Jarritos stable.

In the beverage industry, sugary drinks are not synonymous with general health or healthy drinks.

Jarritos does not use high fructose corn syrup which is usually processed uring mercury, which is concerning. 

Tamarindo soda is one of the safer beverages or Soft Drinks to drink.

 The tamarind fruit has polyphenols which are anti-inflammatory and said to have antioxidant properties.

Polyphenols are known to help fight against cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

While it helps fight against certain conditions, polyphenols also help lower blood sugar.

The polyphenols in the Tamarind pods may assist in several other issues.

As a soda, Jarritos overall has a safer production method for all their drinks and is considered safe to drink for both adults and children.

 *Always consult your GP regarding any health-related queries.

Is Jarritos A Coke Product?

Jarritos is not affiliated with the Coca-Cola company or Pepsi Co. at all.

Since 1986 a company called Novamex has owned the rights and distribution to Jarritos.

Novamex is an extensive independent bottling group from Guadalajara in Mexico owned by Hill & Co.

The Hill and Fernandez families joined forces to create Novamex and distribute high-quality Latino products throughout Mexico and the USA.

Pepsi distributes Jarritos in some areas of Mexico and the USA.

The Jarritos Tamarind is the original soda made from the tamarind seed-pod pulp.

The genius that was Don Fransisco “El Güero” Hill ensured that the Jarritos Tamarindo would be the benchmark for a great, unique, and standalone soda.

Seventy-one years after the first Jarritos flavor was developed, the Tamarindo soda proves what a phenomenal taste success it has grown to be and stayed a staple in Mexico.

So to conclude the question that brought you here is – what flavor is tamarind Soda?

It’s a hard-to-place yet complex tangy and tart, sweet and sour flavor of Tamarind and is absolutely something you will enjoy and want to buy again.

Go give tamarindo soda a taste test for yourself!