A Nice Cuppa Review: Coca-Cola Blak
???Coke effervescence with coffee essence??? is the tag line being used by soda company Coca Cola as they rolled out their latest entry into the carbonated beverage market April 3rd. As we first talked about here on A Nice Cuppa a few weeks back, Coca-Cola Blak seems to be an attempt by Coke to tap into an energy and coffee speciality drink market dominated by the likes of Starbucks and Red Bull.
So, how does Coca-Cola Blak look, taste and all that stuff? A short search in my local Safeway turned up a lonely looking case in the front of the store which had the Coca-Cola Blak label on the side and a few dozen eight ounce bottles on ice. I grabbed two bottles to bring home and throw in my refrigerator over night so they could chill for a taste test. I wondered though - would anyone know this was a new drink in this store based on the way the product was displayed?
The bottle: As you can see from the picture below, Coke took the course of putting their latest drink into an eight ounce glass bottle, which looks to be a play on the original bottle design many of us still love and miss (unless of course you hit a Mexican grocer and find the glass bottles imported from our neighbor to the south or happen to stumble across Coke’s limited run of eight ounce glass bottles in your local market).
The labeling on Coca-Cola Blak (as does its Flash heavy marketing Web site) looks to convey a drink which is cool and sexy. It is alas, not etched in like the labeling of old, but instead a tightly adhesived paper. Pulling back this paper reveals the naked Coke bottle in all its glory (minus the plastic bottle cap), with liquid inside which looks no different then any other Coke product.
The pour: A twist of the Coca-Cola Blak lid gives a slight popping/fizzing sound, much like its brethren. The carbonation rise is slightly less however, though one does get that slight puff of fizz which looks like steam rising. An initial sniff of the liquid contents gives off a somewhat sweet odor ??? like that of caramel. Also vaguely present is a hint of coffee. As the drink is poured into the test glass, it produces that soda froth we are all so accustomed to, nearly at the same quick rate of rise which normally overfills a glass if one pours too eagerly.
The taste: With the Coca-Cola Blak now in the glass, what do the taste buds say as it goes down the throat? Yum! A nice initial taste ??? reminiscent a little of iced coffee. Somewhat muted however, meaning that it???s not an explosive coffee blast in your mouth (if you like that). Strangely enough, it feels slightly heavier than normal Coke in my mouth as I swish and swallow. I do notice afterwards a little bit of an aftertaste ??? a touch of bitterness (coffee like one could say) lingers in my mouth.
The verdict: Coca-Cola Blak ??? what can I say about you? You teased me during the Red Carpet pre-show at the 78th Annual Academy Awards. Your name spoke to me of something exotic. And after I tasted you I came away not rushing back to the store to fill my shelves. You are a curiosity to me ??? a foreign taste tied to a name I???ve long associated with something else. Your essence in my mouth leaves me wanting in one moment and waning in the next. Are you love at first sight? Alas, no. I shall stick with my Stumptown Coffee and Mexican Coke chaser instead.
See what others around the Internet had to say about Coca-Cola Blak:
Sounds like it’s going by the way of the New Coke from years back…