I'm a cola nerd. I don't drink much of it anymore because I'm old enough where I can actually feel how bad it is for me. As long as I can remember I've collected soft drink advertising going back several decades. The reason soft drink advertising intrigues me so much because it seems to encapsulate marketing lies...and it's comforting to know they lied to my grandparents every bit as much as they did me.
People have been up-in-arms about what serves for sweetener in these modern soft drinks and while I don't think I have anything in particular against High Fructose Corn Syrup, I can say that it seems to have ruined the taste that I remember as a kid.
So out comes Pepsi Natural. The label very plainly describes its main ingredients:
Sparkling water, sugar, kola nut extract
I looked for it in stores and I missed it several times. Pepsi seems to have labeled the product as if to hide it on the shelves. If you're not deliberately looking for it you're likely to pass it over. And if you're me you might still anyway.
 | So what does it taste like? Does it taste like the Pepsi I loved so much as a child? In a word, no. But I'm willing to bet it tastes like the Pepsi my grandparents enjoyed. The kola nut extract provides a hint of a bitter, almost medicinal taste that is strangely likeable. This flavor combination is pretty close to the drug store fountain cola of days gone by. Sadly, you'll have to add your own cocaine to get the more authentic experience. I prefer to drink out of glass or metal. I have never liked drinking out of plastic, so the glass bottle is a nice touch. I bought a 4-pack and it was more expensive than regular old Pepsi which I'm sure is attributed to the smaller supply they produce in manufacturing. So here is what I'm able to add up from the Pepsi Natural experience: |
- It costs more
- It contains real sugar
- It comes in a glass bottle
- It is backed by a passive marketing strategy (especially by Pepsi standards)
- It does not have an instantly desirable taste
And to summarize:
Pepsi Natural probably won't be around much longer. Naturally.
9 comments:
You forget the best part! Pepsi has an awesome new logo that is so cool!
"Despite the name, the primary flavoring ingredients in a cola drink are sugar, citrus oils (orange, lime, or lemon fruit peel), cinnamon, vanilla, and an acidic flavorant[2]. Manufacturers of cola drinks add other trace ingredients to the drink in addition to these flavorings in order to create distinctively different tastes for each brand. Trace flavorings may include nutmeg, lavender, and a wide variety of ingredients, but the base flavorings that most people identify with a cola taste remain vanilla and cinnamon. Kola nuts, which have a bitter taste, although giving their name to the product, contribute little or no flavor to most cola recipes."
from wiki
Gino-
...and don't forget the cocaine
That sounds like I would actually enjoy it. I'll have to look for it.
The only thing I have against corn syrup is that every time I eat/drink something containing it I end up sick for one to two days. Not fun. Oh, and it's way too sweet.
The new Pepsi logo blows
Anon is right and as usual Mr. Evil is wrong. The new Pepsi logo is ridiculous.
I am never ever wrong. Don't you forget it.
I mainlined Pepsi all day and never got a buzz. Why didn't you tell me sooner that there's no cocaine in it?
I think the new Pepsi logo sucks. It looks like it should be the logo of an evil pharma company out of a crappy sci-fi show or something.
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