Idaho’s Favorite Pop (Not Soda!) is a Guess at Best

First, it’s called pop. Soda is a New York City thing and is invading the western states like a lice epidemic. In parts of Massachusetts, it’s called tonic. An uncle drank something by that name, but what he mixed wasn’t a soft drink. In parts of the Deep South, all pop is known as Coke.

Credit Bill Colley.

Which happens to be among the most popular brands in Idaho. A Google search also included Dr Pepper. Dr Pepper Creamy Coconut got a nod, but that’s more of a specialty thing.

People Have Their Favorites and Won't Switch

A coworker gifted a case of Coca-Cola to the communal refrigerator. She told me it was because she’s a Pepsi drinker.

Some parts of the country have regional favorites, but most of those have been absorbed by the big players. Some specialty brands are popular in the Treasure Valley, but there isn’t much reach beyond the region.

My favorite is the One on Sale

If I drink pop, I don’t have one particular brand or flavor that I always buy. Dr Pepper varieties are my favorite, but I’ll look for what’s on sale. I like root beer, lime, grape, and you name it. When I was a kid I liked orange pop and probably drank far too much during summers. However, by August I was at two-a-day football workouts and sweated off all the fat.

I’m told Americans prefer healthier alternatives and that pop sales aren’t what they were a generation ago, but I beg to differ from anecdotal evidence. I shopping carts filled with the stuff when I’m at the grocery store. A friend from Buhl has a taste for Pepsi, and he’ll travel quite some distance when he can pick up several cases at a time on sale.