Update: June, 4 2019 12:53 p.m.
According to CNN, the coffee and Cola drink looks like it might be heading to the States soon.
The original article continues below:
People all around the world are used to starting their day with a cup — or three — of coffee, but folks on the other side of the Pacific Ocean have a new option when it comes to kick-starting breakfast beverage: Coca-Cola and coffee. New Coca-Cola Coffee Plus was exclusively released in vending machines in Japan. And although it comes in a smallish serving — 190 ml, or about 6.5 ounces — it packs a get-up-and-go 34 milligrams of caffeine per can.
Coca-Cola Coffee Plus also only contains 42 calories, achieved using coffee extract powder, which ramps up the caffeine by half while lowering calorie count using sweetener. That's 50 percent more caffeine for 50 percent fewer calories. So what about the taste, despite those fewer calories?
Japanese publication Shin-Shouhin reports that the soft drink does "not [have] a very delicious aroma," not much like coffee or Coca-Cola and that the taste is reminiscent of diet cola with a coffee aftertaste. It seems like Coca-Cola Zero spiked with coffee. Have you ever spiked Coke Zero with the magical morning elixir? Is it necessary to increase the amount of caffeine consumed in a shorter period of time?
America once upon a time saw the release of Coca-Cola BlāK, but it didn't go over too well. The drink only lasted a short time and hasn't seen many calls for its reappearance. This could be a similar experience as the highest praise in Shin-Shouhin's review — "I didn't think it tasted good, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be" — isn't exactly the highest praise, but who knows?
This Coke/coffee concoction isn't set to be released in the United States anytime soon, though only time will tell. The real question here is, will Starbucks beat them to it? Fizzy iced coffee isn't unheard of; after all, the Sparkling Iced Coffee is one of our favorite recipes. With a coffee-like after taste, just add some bubbles.
