Pepsi Cola

Long overdue, I'd been putting off this post just because I know the drinks that have been around longer have more history to cover, not out of any sort of preference. In fact, I sit firmly on the fence between Coca-Cola and Pepsi. A lot of people have hard stances one way or the other, but I find them equally enjoyable as regular colas. I have stronger opinions though when comparing Diet Coke to Diet Pepsi, or Caffeine Free Diet Coke to Diet Caffeine Free Pepsi. 

I've discussed in the past that the birth place of many sodas were in local drugstores, and Pepsi is right in there too. Caleb Bradham, of New Bern, North Carolina, was creating his own cola concoction at the end of the 1800's. In 1893 it was first known as "Brad's Drink". Did he think "Bradham's Drink" was too much of a mouthful? The name changed five years later, when in 1898 it became known as Pepsi-Cola. The popularity of the drink grew, but Pepsi-Cola fell on hard times after World War I due to the cost of sugar. The brand would trade hands to Charles Guth in 1931. Guth hired someone to improve the recipe, and as it so happened was the president of the Loft, Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of candy in the 1920's. Loft had a chain of Happiness Candy retail stores with soda fountains in them. Guth used his new Pepsi-Cola acquisition to replace Coca-Cola in the candy stores. In 1941, the previously separate Pepsi-Cola Company, merged with Loft under the Pepsi-Cola Company name. The current landscape of food and beverage might look very different had Coca-Cola purchased Pepsi-Cola on one of the many occasions they reportedly had to do so in the 1920's and 30's. 

In 1961, the name of the drink was shortened to simply, Pepsi, and then the Pepsi-Cola Company merged with snack maker Frito-Lay in 1965 to become just PepsiCo. Pepsi would go on to create a number of unique ad campaigns, most-notably they kicked of the Cola Wars of the 1980's with the Pepsi Challenge, a guerilla marketing effort based on blind taste tests showing people preferred Pepsi to Coke and later leading to the debacle of New Coke from Coca-Cola. Today Pepsi's beverages place second in market share to Coca-Cola, combining for 30% of soft drinks globally. 

It's fairly difficult to find Pepsi in a glass bottle. As you should know by know I prefer soda in a bottle if possible. Unfortunately, the particular curves of this bottle needs a cloth to pick up the drips like you'd use on a wine bottle. This particular bottle tastes of a little more cinnamon than you normally expect from a new can of Pepsi. Otherwise, I think everyone knows what Pepsi tastes like so I'll skip over other details. 

Diet Coke Feisty Cherry

 

The last flavor I have from this series from Diet Coke is this can of Feisty Cherry. 

Now, I like the deep black cherry aroma from opening this can. It's much nicer than the smell from the others in this series. I had high hopes from the smell, but it's another fail for me. Weak on the cherry flavoring, and the artificial sweetener leaves a bitter flavor. Similar to the Zesty Mango, there's a spice that brings up the rear. Not a fan of this one or the others in this series. 

Diet Coke Ginger Lime

 

Another selection from this series from Diet Coke is this Ginger Lime flavor. Based on the last couple posts, I'm expecting a sharp lime taste with a trailing heat of ginger following. 

The can offers tiny whiff of lime, but very little scent otherwise. Now, I'm surprise by how weak the flavor actually is. This takes a departure from the last two flavors I've tasted in this series. There's a very weak cola flavor, like that of a coke that was finished and all the ice in the glass melted... but with the hint of a slice of lime in the glass. I find it underwhelming. Overall, this series of drinks seems more like Diet Coke trying to offer a competitor for all the flavored seltzer waters on the market. But I find them lacking. 

Coca-Cola Dreamworld

 

I found this yesterday at the grocery store. My first impression when walking by was that it was just another limited edition bottle design, but then I noticed it says "Dream Flavored". I have no idea if that's some stupid marketing thing or if they've actually done anything to the flavor so of course I had to pick up a bottle. 

Right off the bat I could smell something different. Taking in a big whiff, at first I though bubble gum, but no, it's more like melon. Now I'm not a big melon eater so I'm not exactly sure what melon this is I'm tasting... cantaloupe maybe, or perhaps honeydew? It's not a bad flavor combination to be honest. I think it would have been better released during the summer, perfect to drink at the State Fair. As it is September now, most of the State Fairs have ended and this flavor profile doesn't conjure autumn in my mind. Nevertheless, I'd recommend giving this a try. 

Diet Coke Zesty Blood Orange

Next, in this series of flavors from Diet Coke is this Zesty Blood Orange. I've liked a number of Blood Orange sodas over the years, though I'm not sure I've ever had one blended with cola. 

Unlike the Twisted Mango, this can presents a sharp orange scent. There's really no cola flavor present as it's overwhelmingly orange in flavor, though somehow thinner than traditional orange soda. I wasn't sure what they meant by "zesty" but trailing the aftertaste you do pick up a little spice in the back of the throat. It's not heat, but more like a tingle you might get from trying an exotic pastry.

Diet Coke Twisted Mango

 

Diet Coke has experimented with a few flavors over the last few years and I've gathered some interesting offerings to try, starting with Twisted Mango.

This has a strange flavor to it and very little scent at all. I was expecting something closer to a melon-like taste, but it's like tasting a carbonated vegetable. The flavor is almost like that of green stalks than that of a sweet fruit. I don't find this pleasant. 

Fest Pecan Root Beer

I don't recall where I picked up this bottle from Fest. They are supposedly a company out of New Orleans, but their domain (festcola.com) seems to be vacant at the present time, so I'm not sure if they are still bottling or not. Their Instagram and Twitter accounts are still up, but as of today, neither has had any new posts since 2019, so that does not bode well. Unfortunately, that means I may never get to taste some of their other flavors such as Peach Ginger Ale or Almond Cola. What drew me to this bottle was the styling. The font and swooping parallel lines give me a 1970's aesthetic. 

The soda has a rich golden brown color, not as dark as a typical root beer. It's smell is not just nutty, but earthy, almost smoky. The flavor is complex, almost bourbon-like with the slightest hint of caramel. It has a decent amount of carbonation, but I think it's right. Too much carbonation can sometimes make a soda a bit sharp and distract from the flavor. I can appreciate the use of cane sugar as well, which as I've mention in previous posts provides a softer, more "round" sweetness than corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. Just half way through this bottle and it's won me over and makes me a bit disheartened about the possibility of not being able to try their other flavors. Kudos to the folks that created this recipe. 

Dry Vanilla Bean

I've featured some other flavors from Dry Soda on this blog before, such as their Juniper flavor here. 

A crisp hiss of pressure when twisting the cap releases a bright smell of vanilla. While this has a wisp of vanilla on the front end of a sip, it's followed by a more chemical taste like a seltzer that I don't particularly find enjoyable. This is a noticeable trend to me among the Dry Sodas in that they are not exactly in the realm of other sodas, but very specialized to a niche drinker or someone looking to use them for meal preparation purposes. I've got another flavor from Dry to review soon, but expecting I'll probably feel the same way.

Mountain Dew White Label

Mountain Dew continues its exploration of flavors with this White Label flavor blended with a citrus flavor. This flavor was released in the same time period as their Black Label and Green Label. History on the original Mountain Dew can be found in this previous post. 

It has a grapefruit-like aroma when opening. The flavor is like that of a blend of Fresca and Squirt, not unpleasant to me at all, albeit with more caffeine. Interestingly it lists white grape juice high on the list of ingredients. I think the carbonation level is just right. One of the thinks that strikes me though about this drink is the beauty of the matte white can.

Jones Soda Turkey & Gravy Soda

Here's another soda from Jones. I've talked about their sodas before and mentioned that they've had several "unique" flavor releases in the past. Years ago they had a pack of different holiday themed flavors for Thanksgiving. I hadn't heard much of those in some time but picked this bottle up at the local grocery store the other day as soon as I saw it. 

First thing's first... these are clearly sold for the sheer novelty and curiosity. No one would want to drink this for it's great taste or to quench their thirst. Carbonation levels are just average, but let's get to brass tacks. Taking a big sniff of this stuff after cracking it open reminds me of the smell of Armor All cleaning and protectant for automobiles. As for the taste, it is strongly reminiscent of the fatty oils left in the pan after roasting a turkey sometimes used to make gravy. One swig is enough to want to forget you tried it.