Pepsi IHOP Maple Syrup Cola Review

What is the point here? Maple syrup flavored Pepsi? Who is the target audience, IHOP devotes and employees? In any event, the shrink-wrapped can feels cheap on the palm but at least exploits nature's sweetener well; I especially appreciate the sap dripping onto the brand's logo.

The smell of excessive sweetness billows out from the little opening atop the metal transport, but the first sip is awful. There is far too little carbonation, a glaring mistake that allows the gelatinous flavor of the pancake favorite to crash onto the palate and seize all control. There is absolutely no cola here, no vanilla, citrus or spice, just dumb sugariness to the point of numbing exhaustion. As a fan of grade-A dark amber maple syrup, you know, the real stuff, but this has less to do with nature then any soft drink ever has. I could go on, but I do not get paid by the word, and at this point, I have given this disaster more of my time than it deserves.

With 150 calories and forty one grams of sugar, this is not the product to make the argument that soda in any respect "good for you." Of course nobody says that, but whatever. On the whole, Pepsi IHOP Maple Syrup Cola is a novelty in the worst sense.

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Pepsi Zero Sugar "New and Improved Taste" Soft Drink Review

Pepsi has nicked and tucked their "Max" cola more times than I can count without using my fingers and toes, and yet here we are again. The can claims we have a "new and improved taste," but says who? Visually, it is the same old black background with starkly contrasting text, but done is that aforesaid "Max" branding. That is not all that is gone, but wow I am getting ahead of myself.

The flavor is classic cola taste, heavy on the vanilla and spice, with a gentler citrus exposition. They make for a familiar if derivative time on the tongue, not terribly "good" but not an issue if you are hoping to polish off that twelve pack you bought. Aspartame and ace-k sweeten the pot, so to say, doing a decent job at tasting like sugar without really fooling you into believing we have actual carbohydrates involved. As I did not have a can of their previous version for comparison, nothing here disrupted my memory of what this is supposed to taste like, except for one area: carbonation. It is far less harsh than I can recall, my mouth still flooded with tiny little bubbles but instead punching your palate, they gingerly tap it. A fine but unnecessary remake.

But if there was one area where the brand fails me, it is with the ingredients. The original version(s) had an almost energy drink level of caffeine, with sixty nine milligrams per twelve ounces. Now? We have a pathetic thirty eight, which only dilutes the purpose of this product vs regular Diet Pepsi. What is the point here? A potent potable masquerading as a soda was niche yeah, or at least I assume so, but what reason does this have existing? Overall, Pepsi Zero Sugar "New and Improved Taste" is nothing new and arguably unimproved.

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Pepsi x Peeps Review

What on earth are Peeps doing inside Pepsi? An Easter limited edition collaboration of course! These seven plus ounce cans promise "artificial marshmallow" flavor, but were only available to those lucky enough to win a social media contest. It is an awesome soft drink collectables, even if the label is shrink-wrapped on and only those with deep pockets or Instagram luck can encounter.

Well this is certainly Pepsi, that all-too familiar blend of spicy vanilla with just a touch of vague citrus. But then something happens, your tastebuds tricked into cozy memories of the cola classic only for the brown elixir to do a complete 180. No doubt the alleged marshmallow, the moment it crashes into the scene, things change. This is not your parents Vanilla Pepsi, oh no, and not for the better. Things are not quite right; a harsh alcoholic bite interrupts drinkability, fortunately foiled by the twenty six grams of added sugar. All from high fructose corn syrup, every imbibe is sugary beyond relief, as it commandeers your tongue and wrings out the possibility of nuance. This leaves each sip finishing with only carbohydrates to taste. That is not inherently an issue, but by the time you deplete the petite container, your palate is bewildered; where did the purported "Peeps" flavor go? This unsatisfying climax is a shame, but hey, who cares? It is not like most of the public is ever going to experience this.

This little thing has 100 calories and all the aforementioned ingredients, along with water, flavor, color, acids, and twenty four milligrams of caffeine. In the end, Pepsi x Peeps is a funky little experiment gone awry, but think of the stories I will be able to tell the grandchildren.

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Crystal Pepsi Review

There are too many "throwbacks" this year, whether movies, video games, or food and beverage. Pepsi, no stranger of the "bizarre beverage" market, just dug its arm in its long list of past drinks and resurrected its ill-fated Crystal Pepsi. What is Crystal Pepsi? Well, it is clear cola. Remember TaB by Coke? They combated this competition extension and then the market went the way of the dodo bird. And for good reason.

Thousands of tiny bubbles illuminate your tongue, warming the crowd of taste buds for this familiar flavor. Its vanilla is muted in favor of citrus, a muddled cocktail of acidity with a heavy dosing of cinnamon and licorice- and that is about it. You know Pepsi? You remember the taste? Well, things are not much different here, despite its unique appearance. Sweetness is key here, not nearly as syrupy as sixty nine grams of high fructose corn syrup would have you believe. Things are brisk and unanticipatedly refreshing, revivifying on this hot and humid summer.

Each bottle contains cola ingredients, minus any coloring. 250 calories are here, along with sixty three milligrams of caffeine, which puts it right up on par with its competitors. However, the words "partially produced with genetic engineering" blaze the back of the label in small print but in all caps. With the criticism soda gets, I am sure it will not be long before we see a "Surgeon General's Warning" here. In the end, Crystal Pepsi is inexplicably hyped and disappointing if you jumped on that wagon.

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Pepsi 1893 Citrus Cola Review

Extensions to Pespi's 1893 line include this "Citrus Cola" variety, who's dull orange can stripes the design from some of its sleekness. But it is an impressively clean can, regardless of all the text, who's most striking aspect is its regal text, escalating its look to a level the distracting color does not deserve.

The fragrant ebony elixir is fantastic to the nose, perking your interest and augmenting the excitement the novel notion of a "citrus" cola. The taste is full-blown cola, rich with vanilla and a myriad of spices, but the citrus is present, a beautiful bouquet of grapefruit and lime that highlights the breathtakingly satisfying experience. There is a roasted nutty nuances here, lurking deep in the obsidian broth. Sweetness is achieved via sugar, its grainy texture giving the raven solution a fascinating mouthfeel. It has real weight, an honest heft that perhaps is what differentiates this from the more commercial colas on the shelf.

Each can contains: water, sugar, color, flavor, preservatives, kola nut extract, not in that order. There is also 150 calories, but the flavor here is worth those, and more.

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Pepsi 1893 Original Cola Review

The can of 1893, a sort of nostalgic launch from Pepsi based on the company's initial release. Its black can is svelte, a basic but sleek can with simply but striking text. But the design never explains enough to justify its rather pricey near two buck price tag, or at least to your average consumer.

Imbibes are heavy, coated in a thick but curt sweetness that has none of the syrupy attributes of most commercial colas. There is the flavor cinnamon and nutmeg, with a slight nuance of anise and licorice, a lovely blend of spicy nuttiness and familiar cola tastes. There is a slight bitterness to things, cut by the thirty nine grams of sugar, but giving each sip an earthy edge that balances out the saccharinity. The effervescence is coarse, with the can claiming it is "sparkling," and each sip confirms that claim. It is a fun experience, and quite a flavorful one, one that would certainly win if they company ever brought back the Pepsi Challenge.

Each can contains: water, sugar, coloring, acid, sodium citrate, flavor, preservative, caffeine, gum arabic, and kola nut extract, with 150 calories. Overall, Pepsi's 1893 Original Cola is a successful one, but never escapes being a niche beverage.

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Pepsi Next Review

Pepsi Next was released earlier this year to little fanfare, debuting disappointing numbers and birthing flashbacks to Pepsi Edge and Coca-Cola C2. Its boring bottle could be to blame, at least partially, with only a white swoosh against a blue gradient. It is not cluttered like the company's myriad of Mtn Dews tend to be, but it can only confuse customers while chilling next to Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max, Pepsi Throwback and Pepsi One; not to mention the dozen flavored aberrations of the aforementioned.

Fifteen grams of sugar for every twelve ounces, Pepsi Next tastes surprisingly similar to any other diet drink, with a bit more depth to its sweetness and more satisfying body. Vanilla and vague citruses play with impressively little medicinal influence and interruption, a soda spiced liberally with cloves and cinnamon, a bite that benefits both from a pinch of nutmeg and its potent phosphoric and citric acid acidity. But its Frankenstein's Monster syndrome of a sweetener system, with HFCS, aspartame, sucralose, and ace-K at work in any given sip, but the latter three of the tetralogy provides an unflattering artificial aftertaste comparable to any diet cola available. But while the black sap treads your palate, the sweetness is authentic and akin to your fatty's full calorie cola. Overall, Pepsi Next is an unflattering hybrid who tastes confused and will likely just confuse its audience.

Aside from the aforesaid hokey honeys, there is also: water, color, flavoring, acids, caffeine, and preservatives. Nothing special here, aside from its four-part saccharinity. On the whole, Pepsi Next is not bad for what it is, but it is just another two liters of water in an already flooded market.

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Pepsi One Soda Review

Pepsi One's origins do at least make some sense, but it's now rendered completely pointless with the addition of Diet Pepsi Max. Normally though, one should criticize the latter and hail it as redundant, but since the company advertises the newborn far more than the former, it gives the impression that its predecessor is forgotten. And to strengthen my argument, it seems Pepsi One is so disremembered that it wasn't even given the latest redesign. The packaging it does sport is okay though nothing particularly special, with its surprisingly clean and almost formal look. The naming makes sense, at least initially, but they can legally claim that this is calorie free, as anything containing less than five can, so it actually ends up being more confusing than it should or than it's worth.

Neither Coke or Pepsi ever really excited me, but when ever there is a gun to my head and I am forced to pick between the two I always opt for the latter, and the same goes for their respected diet brethren. Pepsi One though, despite using my favourite sweetener paring of sucralose and ace-k, fails to honestly improve upon the general failure of either the sugared or the traditional aspartame containing beverage. The fault is found in the actual cola taste, which here is just as boring as one sadly expects, but it does at least taste better than Diet Coke, as if that's a compliment. Everything is ferally influenced by a chemical characteristic, as for instance while cinnamon is present, it isn't properly functioning in the sense that you only get the vague taste of the spice rather than the kick of the spice. Vanilla also makes an anticipated appearance, and though it doesn't exactly scream loudly with authenticity, it does advertises some appreciated though faint creaminess towards its stern. An orange peel flavour with an edge of lime is noticed and the rearmost certainly adds pleasant depth to the initial, but the two citruses were not designed with the typical sour or tartness and instead are involved solely for increased intricacy. Regrettably though, nothing tastes as pronounced it should, as the previously mentioned idiosyncrasy censors much of the believability and creditability of everything. The sugariness is false and glaringly so, but it doesn't taste as shallow as one may expect, and it doesn't yield an unpleasant aftertaste and your palate is actually fairly clean afterward, which is faint and sadly its only praise.

Fifty four milligrams of caffeine and the usual suspects can be found in each can, though this is one of the few diet sodas that does explicitly contain calories, albeit an obvious one. In the end, Pepsi One is a stupefyingly inessential extension of the line, though that isn't to say that the quality of the trademark product is much better.

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Diet Pepsi Vanilla vs. Coca-Cola Vanilla Zero

Both of the two prolific beverage companies almost always release their variety of the others' extension, whether it's an orange soda, caffeinated citrus energy soda, or flavoured cola. Some succeed and are remembered, but most are oft forgotten and replaced by some other similar tasting drink. And today we're going to compare the two big wigs vanilla based aberrations of their most known product.

Coca-Cola Vanilla Zero's can is wholly different from Diet Pepsi Vanilla's, almost as if they're trying to be opposite. One's white, the other is black, and the actual graphical characteristics conflict. Coke's cluttered design reminds me much of Moxie's modern insignia, which isn't exactly a compliment despite my enjoyment of the bitter Maine favourite. Pepsi's visual appearance takes a more modern approach then does Coke's, with sleek images of vanilla orchids and it's largely barren environment. The personally preferred can is obviously then of latter, even if neither can does much to excite me, and actually, the real kicker is the smoother name "Diet Pepsi Vanilla," opposed to the stumbling "Coca-Cola Vanilla Zero."

Diet Vanilla Coke, as it should be called, tastes of a poorly balanced vanilla injection into the classic cola flavour. There's no sense of creaminess as it battles across the tongue, only a harshly carbonated and improperly sweetened vanillin tinted fluid. It doesn't display any sort of depth, and instead of complementing the expected cola flavour it vapors over and chokes it from becoming actually detected. The Diet Pepsi Vanilla, on the other hand, goes for a cream soda inspired experience that's well crafted, especially compared to the former. The milkiness is thick and is initially just safe from being too rich, and the sweetness is defined and appropriately strong. The deeper flavour profile makes it far more pleasurable than it's counterpart, but both end up being quite a chore to fully finish, albeit for different reasons. Coke's chemical vanilla flavour is exceptionally unsavory, where as Pepsi's buttery mouth feel soon becomes too much. Overall, Pepsi clearly offers the better vanilla cola of the two, but you're better off choosing something else to drink.

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