The worlds of soda and hot drinks have now collided, and it’s all thanks to the crack team at Coca-Cola. This month, the company officially launched its brand new coffee-infused pop in Japan, and fans are already drinking it up. An official press release from last October teased a similar product, which sounded more like an iced coffee, but that aforementioned offering has yet to hit store shelves anywhere as of yet.
The newly released drink, which is called Coca-Cola Coffee Plus, is said to contain less calories than other branded options. Perhaps unsurprisingly, however, the refreshment’s coffee ingredients pack the soda with a ton of caffeine. According to its nutritional facts, the Coffee Plus contains 50 percent more caffeine than regular Coca-Cola, which makes the Plus sound more like an energy drink.
Devoted consumers of Coca-Cola will recall that this product is the company’s second foray into coffee-infused drinks. Back in 2006, the brand introduced Coca-Cola BlāK in Europe and North America to rather lukewarm results. After lacklustre sales, the java-flavoured Coke failed to gain much traction and the experiment was canned just two years after release. Learning from previous mistakes, Coca-Cola seems to have less invested in their latest product. Along with its regional availability, Coffee Plus is currently limited to vending machines across the nation.
So far, the drink has received mixed reactions from buyers. Japanese media outlet, Shin-Shouhin, reported that the powdered coffee extract gives the pop an “odd” and “curious” taste and aroma. If you happen to be in Japan sometime soon, you can grab a can for yourself and see what all the fuss is about. In the meantime, we’ll have to settle for plain old Coca-Cola.
