Coca-Cola releasing a new drink always had a sense of occasion to it. We love Mtn Dew and Pepsi here at the Soda Blog, but they pump out the new flavors and wild ideas like crazy. The new Coke idea that’s come with the 2021 calendar flip has already captivated our imagination, and we’re ready to dig in.
Coca-Cola with Coffee has released with 3 flavors of Dark Blend, Caramel, and Vanilla, with at least two of them offering a zero sugar option as well. Let’s be clear, this is NOT the Coca-Cola energy drink we reviewed previously, but the cans appear to be very similar. Anyway, the calorie count is a slim 70 with a caffeine content of 69mg…not really that much when compared against the Red Bulls of the world, but maybe just enough for a afternoon boost. I started with the Dark Blend as a morning coffee replacement over the weekend, drinking it straight out of the can.
Right from the first pull of the tab I noticed something very significant about the smell. Honest to god, it smells like cat piss. Like, damn, I was convinced that I dropped the can in something horrible at first. Fortunately it also tastes like cat piss has a much smoother taste than I would have expected. The carbonation is light, around the same level of the energy drink, but without any over sweet edge. I really did enjoy it, as did my wife, but I can’t help but think that I was drinking coke out of a poorly cleaned coffee cup. The flavors blend but not as much as I would have thought. The caramel options adds a bit of complexity, but doesn’t really change the game compared to the dark blend. It bears repeating however, that even with the caramel can, the sweetness is never overbearing. Unfortunately my local grocery store didn’t have the vanilla flavor, but thanks to corporate synergy, editor Ben was able to track some down…
Ben here. Out of all the available options in my neck of the woods, I decided to only try the Vanilla version of Coca Cola and Coffee. That name is kinda dumb, like Comedians in Cars Getting Coca Cola and Coffee kinda dumb. But I digress, since we are here to review taste and not marketing. I let mine cool off in the fridge a few days before I actually tried it, since I was focused on more depressing news in the soda community. Did you know there’s a worldwide shortage of Mello Yello? I didn’t either.
Anyways, when I opened the can and took a deep inhale, and it smelled like what I think coffee based chocolate covered cherries would smell like (which is a purely hypothetical comparison, of course). Now, when you go to physically drink this, it’s somehow ends up being even less appealing than the smell. Initially, it tastes like normal Coke and your brain goes “awwww yeah winner of the cola wars, baby!” and then finishes with a really weird coffee with too much creamer flavor and your brain goes “are you drinking random cups of liquid after a party, dude?” The entire experience is just too jarring to enjoy, as every sip puts your brain through this revolving door of flavors that violently clash each and every single time. I really enjoy Coca Cola ENERGY, but this weird abomination is a no go for me. I never asked for a carbonated Frappachino, and I’m cool with only drinking one over the course of my lifetime. 0/10
I’m a hopeless dependent to caffeine, and 69 mg probably isn’t going to do the job long term, but a little pop perhaps in the afternoon could suit me well. What did you think of Coca-Cola with Coffee, and do you think they should pursue any more favors? Hit us up on Twitter and give us something to talk about as we grind out these last few weeks of winter.
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