Showing posts with label cola. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cola. Show all posts

Sunday, April 23, 2023

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.

company site

Sunday, March 12, 2023

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.

company site

Sunday, June 27, 2021

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.

official site

Sunday, April 23, 2017

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.

official site

Sunday, October 16, 2016

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.

official site

Monday, August 15, 2016

Coca-Cola Life Review

Coca-Cola Life brings the fabulousness of true sugar with the grossness of Stevia, an all-natural diet sweetener more infamous for its bitterness than famous for its sugariness. But let us keep an unbiased mind and treat our eyes to the Pakistan green label, branded with uninteresting font chosen for elegance. Too many words are packed onto the tiny real-estate of the moss colored packaging.

A potent effervescence wakes up your palate, an unanticipated punch that is too sparkling for the drink's delicate insubstantialness. Life itself is considerably more intricate than this suggests, a tenuous body with insignificant innuendos of spices, only the dubious debuts of some canceled cinnamon and nullified nutmeg. The feisty carbonation demands more byzantine piquancy than the unsatisfying seltzer we sit sipping, instead left for dead with the deadened flavors of orange and vanilla. It is an unenthusiastic braiding, tastes holding hands but without motivation. With Coke using organic sweeteners, neither the citrus nor the vanilla are as complex as they should be. The bottle reads "natural flavors," but my tongue is not tasting them. All trepidation from Stevia's usual iniquity should be abated: every sip is painless and almost like its full-calorie cousin. It is not the obvious ersatz elixir expected when the argentate cap cracked open, but lacks the weight of a true sugared soda. It does not disappoint, but fails to ever wow.

Each bottle contains: water, forty grams of sugar, color, flavors, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, forty seven milligrams of caffeine, and Stevia. It hits almost a sweet spot between full and zero calories with its 160 per twenty ounces, but other than the natural sweetener its ingredient cocktail is pedestrian. As is everything else about.

official site

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Sam's Cola Zero Calorie Review

Probably different from their Diet Cola offering, Sam's Cola Zero Calorie is blatantly lifts its name and colour scheme from Coke Zero; more of a copy than an innocent homage. But it does not look all that bad, though it does scream generic, and this "Sam" does not own any other of their available sodas, making his identity a mystery to those bored enough.

Sam's Cola Zero Calorie is generally an insipid mocking of a rather pleasant if misunderstood drink. There is a sharp acidity that burns the mouth, giving each sip an impressive bite as it washes away what it follows. The taste unimpressive, though, denoting nothing that any self respecting cola should: diminutively spiced with pedestrian vanillin flavouring. There is only minor mention of any citruses, an apathetic amalgam that does little to stimulate either the experience or the drinker. There is thankfully an effective sweetness, obviously artificial but never overt, and the carbonation is equally efficacious, emboldening the aforementioned piquancy that is particularly potent as things die down. It is not a bad experience, however, and is adequate as a generic soda, and actually better than some name brands.

There is nothing in each two liter than has not ever been bottled before, with flavourings, acids, caffeine, fake sugars, and preservatives diluting the purity of the carbonated water. Overall, Sam's Cola Zero Calorie is a generic variety of Coke Zero, and it will suffice with those expectations.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Rainforest Cola Review

Resembling the tourist favourite "the Rainforest Cafe," Rainforest Cola's sexy black background really allows the red text to seductively bounce into focus. The green frog should feel out of place, though it doesn't, as it prefers to complete the design rather than distract from it. Everything doesn't complement the package, however, and the main offender is the ascending sentence that buoys above the logo. The uninspired font clashes with the stylized nature of the nether, and it never really feels much like a selling point or point of distinction.

Rainforest Cola isn't for the mainstream diet Coke junkie. It lacks the famous bite commonly associated with the flavour genre, and it instead directs the attention to a braid of tamarind and acai. They both pleasure the others' company, and although the two are tasted distinctly from the other, they're together stitched into one of saccharine lace. As the flavour profile progress, it begins to mimic something of a coffee. It's entirely faint but remains wholly noticeable, and it dually complicates everything further as well as diverts the concentration. The prior has a certain creaminess to it that's tinted deeply of vanilla, however one does wish it was more cynosure. Citrus oils play a part in opening the experience for the former, an antipasto if you will. Lime is definitely detected and the transition into the initially discussed is seamless and preformed organically. During the movement, tangerine becomes an evident flavour, and it briefly rivals the lime for dominance before the main course dictates. It should be mentioned that the experience is sweetened by both real sugar and Stevia, and the combination isn't quite balanced. It feels dully sacchariferous and unsatisfying, but thankfully there isn't much in the way of the generally, though pitifully, accepted aftertaste. In the end, Rainforest Cola tries too hard to do too much, and it never really succeeds in any.

Well, doesn't this template look familiar? Anyway, there are thirty five calories and seven grams of sugar, which like previously stated, isn't enough. Green tea, and surprisingly the kola nut, appear, which is likely to of been involved in the creation of the confused flavour. Overall, Rainforest Cola's fifty cent cost at Job Lots doesn't quite excuse the cluttered execution.

official site