Coca-Cola is the most consumed sodas worldwide, with over 1.7 billion servings being consumed each day. But what if Coke decided to move to another market- the ever-growing coffee industry?
On Jan. 25, Coca-Cola with Coffee officially made its debut in the U.S following a success in Japan in 2018. Although many customers were surprised – or more so disgusted – by the new drink combination. It had many positive reviews.
According to the Coca-Cola Company, 80% of consumers said that they would buy Coca-Cola with Coffee during the preliminary consumer testing. Alongside of these results, its official Amazon page has almost 100 reviews, with an average score of four out of five stars.
A verified purchase on Amazon gave the product five stars with the following review:
I maintain a pretty high intake of both energy drinks and coffee. I love both. I’m a coffee snob and prefer home roasts. I’m also a cola snob but I’ve managed to grow to love Coke Zero Sugar. This concoction is the best of both worlds. I’m fully addicted and I’ve been recommending it to my fellow caffeine addicts. Lord help me, if they ever discontinue this stuff I might just go into severe withdrawals.
By contrast, a two star reviewer provided this comment:
For the same price, you can get good coffee and coke. They would have better taste, either you mix them or drink separately
The shelf-stable drink comes in three flavors: Vanilla, Caramel, and Dark Blend. It also comes in a sugar-free variant, only in the flavors Vanilla and Dark Blend.
Each 12 oz. can has only 69 mg of caffeine, a staggering 67 mg less than an average 12 oz. cup of coffee.
Although the popularity of this drink is soaring, Coke is not the first company to think of this combo. Back in 2012, a coffee shop called ‘Matchless Coffee Soda’ started the trend of making carbonated coffee, which lead to the creation of Coffee Soda.
Here at The Warrior Word, we wanted to put these flavors to the test and decided to review the drinks on primarily taste and the caffeine boost. Being an avid coffee drinker, I was 100% up for the challenge.
I decided I would taste the main three flavors, disregarding the zero-sugar counterparts.
Vanilla Coca-Cola w/ Coffee
Going into this tasting blind, I decided that the Vanilla Coke would be a good place to start as it is the most popular flavor.
The one thing I noticed is that the coffee is not very apparent in this. Although the consumer is still getting the caffeine kick, I was not tasting much coffee.
It was very sugary as well, tasting very much like a standard Vanilla Coke. Each sip tasted like Vanilla Coke with a slight after taste of coffee for a split second.
Based on the flavor alone, I would have to give it 4.5/5 stars. It tastes amazing, but I wasn’t getting much of the promised coffee.
Dark Blend Coca-Cola w/ Coffee
When I first heard about “Coke Coffee”, this is exactly what I had imagined.
The coffee to Coke ratio is perfect, with the flavors working together surprisingly well.
When taking a sip, the coffee and Coke flavors come out at the same time, with no after taste unlike the previous Vanilla Coke fiasco.
Not going to lie, I was a little nervous going into this taste test. A heavy, strong coffee taste is not my cup of tea.
But just with the flavor combination alone, it is a solid 5/5 stars.
Caramel Coca-Cola w/ Coffee
This was the last flavor I tried and was the hardest to obtain. Most stores sold the individual Vanilla and Dark Blend cans, but not the Caramel.
The lack of representation on the shelves might be a good thing, because this one was defiantly my least favorite out of the three.
It was extremely sugary, tasting like an amped up Coca-Cola. It definitely had the promised caramel flavor in there, but was extremely lacking on the coffee taste.
MassLive compared it to “the soda equivalent of a caramel macchiato” and I 100% agree. If coffee isn’t your thing but you want a caffeine boost, I recommend to the fullest extent.
Because of the lack of coffee flavor that is promised, I am giving it a 3.5/5 stars.
Overall Take
Overall, Coca-Cola with Coffee exceeded my expectations. I wasn’t planning on actually enjoying the beverage, but nonetheless, I absolutely loved it. It is an amazing way to get your cup of coffee in the morning without actually drinking all of that caffeine. Although almost half of the normal dose, I feel just as energized when I drink Coca-Cola with Coffee rather than a standard 12 oz. cup of coffee.
I also decided to get an opinion from the Warrior Word’s project manager, Ava Lees, to see what she thought after drinking all three flavors of Coca-Cola with Coffee.
It’s a really weird taste. I thought I would hate it and was caught off guard when I first tried it because its tasted like coke. Then it gets a really sudden aftertaste of coffee and makes you wonder, “Do I hate it?” But you don’t because it actually amazing.
Ava Lees, Project Manager of The Warrior Word
With all of the hype around the beverage, I would have to say that Coca-Cola with Coffee is a complete hit. The overall taste and the energy gained from the coffee is 100% worth the $1.88.
If you want to see us try and review more, read some of our other articles!
THE WARRIOR WORD 