If you’re a fan of carbonated drinks, then you probably know that brands like Pepsi are continuously trying to come up with new flavours. But if you head to Japan, that ‘ingenuity’ goes a lot further than just your ‘zero sugar’ variety.
Soda drink makers in Japan continually roll out a new variety of tastes – sometimes really crazy ones – in hopes of grabbing that ‘trend’. Here are some of the weird (and limited release) Pepsi Japan creations you can try to snag:
- Pepsi Christmas Cola (Nov 21, 2017)
This is supposed to taste like ‘Christmas cake’ – in Japan, it’s a sponge cake topped with whipped cream and filled with strawberries. This white cola will have a taste of tart strawberry and cream.
- Pepsi Halloween (Sep 2017)
Released this year for Halloween, this pink drink has a cherry flavour, with a strong and overly sweet taste of bubblegum.
- Pepsi Pink (2011 & 2014)
It tastes as you would imagine: a sweet strawberry milk flavour.
- Pepsi Special (2012)
This Pepsi actually contains a dietary fibre supplement that makes it difficult for the body to absorb fat while eating! Unsurprisingly, this popular line is still on sale.
- Pepsi Salty Watermelon (2012)
The Japanese actually put salt on their watermelon to bring out the flavour, so this drink evokes that ‘taste of summer’.
- Pepsi White (2008 & 2012)
The flavour can be described as Pepsi and yogurt (yakult?).
- Pepsi Dry (2011)
Finally, they had a Pepsi that didn’t taste sweet.
- Pepsi Baobab (2010)
No idea what a baobab tree tastes like, but apparently it had a taste of ginger ale.
- Pepsi Strong Shot (2010)
This is Pepsi’s idea of ‘energy drink’. The can has a warning label recommending that drinkers wait 15 seconds after opening the can to take a sip. This is now replaced with Pepsi Strong, Pepsi Strong Zero, and now Pepsi Strong 5.0 GV, a soda so carbonated that a new bottle had to be designed to contain it.
- Pepsi Mont Blanc (2010)
This drink is supposed to taste like the creamy French chestnut dessert that the Japanese love.
- Pepsi Azuki (2009)
The Japanese love their red bean (azuki), so it’s only natural their soda tastes like it.
- Pepsi Shiso (2009)
Shiso is a popular Japanese herb (the one they serve a lot of raw seafood on), and tastes minty – like this soda.
- Pepsi Blue Hawaii (2008)
Inspired by Hawaii, this blue fizzy drink tastes like pineapple and lemon.
- Pepsi Ice Cucumber (2007)
Funky green and apparently didn’t taste like cucumbers.
- Pepsi Red (2006)
It has a “spicy” taste soda which was, er, red.
