Pepsi Natural
By Nick Manteris · 0 Comments · Leave a Comment
Pepsi Natural is a new permanent addition to the PepsiCo line of drinks. It’s made of (only eleven!) “natural” ingredients and has sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. (See my Pepsi Throwback review for more on HFCS and the joys of real sugar sodas.) Kola nut is one of the other ingredients and – mainly because it was a key ingredient used in the past – seems like something that should be in more colas these days.
The price point places Pepsi Natural firmly in a premium soda category (boo!), but the drinks do come in glass bottles. Glass bottles – like soft drinks made with sugar – are one of the good things from the past and I still remember my first plastic bottle of cola becoming too warm to drink in a very short time period. (This is another indication that the soft drink companies care more about their bottom line than the consumers …or even the planet.)
The taste profile is completely different than regular Pepsi and it has a somewhat herbal quality. There is also less carbonation, which means less bite – one of my favorite cola attributes – and, for the most part, just tastes weak and watery. PepsiCo has the right idea with a natural ingredient soda made from sugar instead of HFCS, but the execution is way off. As it is, this product can’t even compete with (what I imagine to be their closest competitor) China Cola, a non-bland, imported cola that has a much more impressive ingredient list and, subsequently, a pronounced herblike taste. (China Cola’s biggest shortcomings are price and availability…if it were cheaper and more readily available, I think Pepsi and Coca-Cola would notice a drop in sales.) Jones Soda has already taken some of the market away from the big two, but their drinks are still more expensive and – like just about all of the sodas on the market today – is too sweet. (Why they don’t make soft drinks with half – or even a quarter! – of the sugar makes absolutely no sense. Barely-sweet is a much better alternative to diet chemicals…at least for me. But, I digress…and I better not get started on my dislike for artificial sweeteners.)
Overall, because of the blandness (and the cost!) Pepsi Natural is disappointing at best. The only thing this drink has going for it is the word “natural” and most consumers will only fall for that once. This “permanent” addition to the Pepsi line of drinks is less desirable than their limited-release Throwback, but it had the potential to be so much more. Maybe you’ll get it right next time, Pepsi.
