It Can Make You Believe Again

In the ages-old war between Coke and Pepsi, I am a Coke man.  Always have been, always will be.  Though, I must admit I am a Coke snob.  Not content to settle for a Caffeine-Free Coke or a Diet Coke or even the holiest of holies, a Coke Zero, I prefer my Cokes Classic.  Heck, I even love when Passover rolls around and they release the Cokes made with real sugar.  That’s the REALLY good stuff.  Recently, I could only enjoy this wonderful stuff overseas.

Who would have thought that Pepsi would have taken the lead on this one with a direct shot at my tastebuds? 

Enter Pepsi Throwback… a limited-time only can of Pepsi made with real sugar.

Now look… like I said, I am a Coke man all the way.  I’ve always found the taste of Pepsi to be a little too much on the chemical side for me.  Coke always just tasted smoother.  But being the fan of real sugar that I am (a loud shout-out to Snapple for figuring out the value of this particular ingredient over corn syrup), I was willing to give this Pepsi Throwback a shot.

The packaging is SOOOO cool.  It’s got the Pepsi look from when I was a kid.  I REALLY like that logo, much more than the more stylized version they have today.  This one is iconic to me, and it’s just so classy.  Like the Coca-Cola logo, I think this one really captures the feel of Pepsi and should be their logo of choice.But let’s cut to the chase.  How does it taste?  It puts modern Pepsi to shame.  Let me rephrase that… Modern Pepsi should just pack its bags and go home.  There is NO contest here.  the real sugar restores to Pepsi the flavor that I think hooked a whole generation.  The flavor is simple yet striking, with no appreciable aftertaste.  You don’t feel it on your teeth afterwards.  It’s smooth and goes down nice.

Honestly, I could see me drinking more of it.  And here’s the thing… due to circumstances of availability, I am not giving this Pepsi an optimum chance.  I good glass/can of soda should be taken cold.  Not exactly ICE cold, but very well chilled.

By the time I got to this can, it had had an opportunity to warm up a bit.  It wasn’t room temperature, but it wasn’t cold either.  But this Throwback took my handicaps with a snicker and said, “I see your hurdles and laugh at them.  I will stand on my own merits.”  And it does.

Now I can’t go out and say it’s a life-changing experience, nor was it religious.  What it is, however, is an eye-opener.  It helps confirm what I have said for the longest time, and that is this; all of the things that we have done to food to make it cheaper, longer-lasting and, in some ways, better for us, ultimately hurt the very flavor that makes us covet the foods in the first place.  All these fancy, long-lettered ingredients create shadows of the foods that we fell in love with, and we choke it all down because it’s the only game in town.

For Pepsi’s sake, I hope they extend this to much more than a limited time deal.  And I hope Coke picks up on that and joins in.  Remember that moderation is more of a key to obesity than imposed dietary restrictions. 

 

The food companies should NOT feel obligated to make healthier foods.  Healthy foods are available if you want them.  If you WANT to eat stuff that’s not as good for you, that’s your choice.  Case closed.

And as for Pepsi Throwback?  It can make you believe that Pepsi CAN be a good substitute for Coke.