There I was in Target, picking up some mundane supplies, when a display on an aisle end cap caught my eye: four-bottle packs of Pepsi Natural. Having ventured out from under my rock every once in a while, I was familiar with regular Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max, and even Crystal Pepsi, but Pepsi Natural was new to my eyes. Curiosity was running through me like so much caffeine. What was this Pepsi Natural? How would it compare to the standard, plebeian product?
In one swift move, I snapped up a four-pack, swung around, and snagged a bottle of regular off of the nearby shelf. It was time for a new Pepsi Challenge, Pepsi on Pepsi.
The first thing I noticed, other than the fact that the “natural” variant was housed in glass bottles while the regular was in plastic, was the price difference. Including the CRV, the traditional Pepsi 2-liter rang up at $1.89, while the four 12 fl oz bottles of Pepsi Natural set me back $4.69. Scale that, and you’ll find that regular runs $3.69 per gallon, while super-ultra-premium-natural goes for an astonishing $12.50 per gallon. $12.50 per gallon! For sugar water! Yes, yes, I realize that bottles might affect the price, but should the glass privilege be worth that much? I mean, that price is in the bottled-beer neighborhood. Perhaps the contents would justify the difference.
Pepsi Natural is billed as being “all natural” and made with “sparkling water, sugar, and kola nut extract.” Indeed, the ingredient list has all that and more. Compared to the normal Pepsi, we find a different sweetener, a different type of fizzy water, an additional color source, different acids, and the addition of the kola nut extract.
Pepsi Natural ingredient list
The most noticable difference is the exclusion of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in favor of sugar alone. Some people have made a ruckus in recent years about the virtues of soft drinks sweetened with sugar instead of HFCS. Most major cola manufacturers made the switch to HFCS in the early 1980s, but some still have small production runs with the old-fashioned sweetener. Supposedly, Mexican Coca-Cola is sweetened that way, as is some Coke imported for Jewish customers. Supposedly, the taste is different (better), and possible health effects from HFCS are avoided (never mind the phosphoric acid). Would the difference be noticable here? Perhaps not, as regular Pepsi includes both regular sugar and HFCS.
One must also be aware that “natural” doesn’t mean “direct from a plant” or even “organic”; rather, for natural flavors, the chemicals were derived from something that was alive at some point rather than a source like petroleum or coal tar, which are “artificial.” Either way, you can bet that they went through a lot of processing and refinement before they met the bottle. Most of the minor ingredients in Pepsi Natural seem to have fairly straightforward routes from plants to bottles, but “natural flavors” remains unappealingly ambiguous.
Enough of that. Time for the taste test.
I let both the regular and natural Pepsi colas chill in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, I brought them out and poured a glass of each. Temperature at consumption: 57° F.
The first difference I noticed was the color. Both were brown, caramel-colored, and clear. However, the natural Pepsi was much lighter than the regular. Presumably, the difference was intentional, as they both contain coloring agents.
Pepsi colors: regular on the left, natural on the right
The next difference was the smell. While the regular cola had a sweet, somewhat acidic scent, the natural version had barely any smell at all. Perhaps that was related to the relative effervescence of the drinks: the regular appeared far fizzier, which might have released more aromatic compounds into the air.
Time for a sip. While the regular version had a biting, acidic feel, the natural felt smoother and more mellow. The regular mouthfeel was inferior, being somewhat astringent. There was a grittiness on my tounge and teeth with the regular version that seemed absent with the other. Overall, the taste profile was very similar. I think that the natural version had hints of cognac, but even in the non-blind test the two drinks were difficult to distinguish. Later, a couple of my friends also used the adjective “smoother” when describing Pepsi Natural versus regular Pepsi.
To take carbonation and the differing acids out of the picture, I added 1.2 g of sodium bicarbonate to 180 ml of each soda. The liquids fizzed madly, then went silent. I tried each of the now-flat drinks, and they tasted virtually identical: two cloyingly sweet, syrupy brown liquids. The underlying chemistry and provenance of the sweeteners are very different, but the tastes are pretty much the same.
Regardless of the form, the drinks contained what seemed to be an unhealthy amount of sugar. Pepsi Natural has slightly less sugar in a 12 fl oz serving, with 38 g versus 42 g for regular, but that’s still nearly a quarter of a cup by volume of crystallized sugar:
Amount of sugar in 12 fl oz of Pepsi (42 g)
Will Pepsi Natural find a permanent home in the market? Hard to say. History is littered with failed soft drink sub-brands. The price differential could be an issue, too: when money is tight, who is going to blow the budget by buying “natural” soda?
Frankly, I find all soft drinks to be far too sweet, and the fizziness is unappealing. I probably consume no more than a quart of soft drinks of any type in a given year. In fact, I could finish neither of the sample glasses, so most of the carmel-colored gold went down the drain.
In this Pepsi challenge, I’ll choose option (c): still water. Tastes better, much healthier, and a lot cheaper. And all natural, too.
Another option is take a little bit of juice and add sparkling water to it too. Gives a little bit of flavor, you dilute the juice so you aren’t drinking as many calories per glass, and the fizziness still gives “feel” of drinking a soda. Works especially well with grape or cranberry juice.
I enjoy your scientific approach to this challenge. I do, however, wonder if your ‘hint of cognac’ comes from the glass, but I’m guessing you have different glasses for that.
You’re such a geek. But I dig it. And I’m with you – I’m still voting for water.
The review was okay until the end where you promote water in an attempt to be witty, saying it too is all natural and tell how you don’t even like soda in the first place. No one cares how little soda you drink and that you find it “unappealing”.
i think that a new pepsi product that is made with more natural products is a good thing no matter what any one does the fact remains that we will still drink colas. from the sounds of it this one is a tad bit better for your body. so if i was to pick between a slightly more healthly one to a highly artifical one i would pick the natural one. although i agree about liking water better. nothing beats that.
Sodas sweetened with sugar instead of HFCS are common in Europe too. I don’t drink much but (now that I live in Holland instead of Texas) when I do, it tastes better & doesn’t leave that gross, filmy feeling on my teeth.
I have found that adding a little bit of fresh lemon or lime juice to regular water satisfies my desire for added flavor in a beverage over just plain old water. It’s much cheaper than buying soda and much healthier.
Someone who doesn’t even like soda isn’t the ideal person to be reviewing a new one.
That package design is one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. I don’t think you’re the right person to be reviewing this though. I’d be happy to do a taste test, but I’d have to convince Pepsi to send that stuff to Canada first.
Good review until the last two paragraphs.
“Supposedly, Mexican Coca-Cola is sweetened that way, as is some Coke imported for Jewish customers. ”
No. Not supposedly. It is sweetened that way. As are most sodas made in Canada. HFCS is used in the US because real sugar is too expensive (hence the huge cost difference for the Pepsi product) thanks to corn subsidies.
As to the Coke and Pepsi available during Passover as far as I know it’s not imported. The cost is the same as the “regular” stuff. For those looking for it the cans of Coke are marked with the Chicago Rabbinical Council (CRC) label and the 2-liter bottles have different color caps (same with Pepsi).
Your color observations switch from statement: “However, the natural Pepsi was much darker than the regular” to image+caption.
Incidentally…Mexican Coke comes in the same 16-oz bottle people in the US knew and loved up until the late 80s.
Boy I miss the days of Coke with sugar in the 16oz bottles……nothing like it on a hot summer day.
i hate pepsi, regardless.
Havana Cola is my favorite “natural” soda. All-natural with a splash of lime.
I’m interested to try this.
Coke Blak was the best though.
i say they should scrap the new designs they conceived and use this design with clear plastic bottles…
im in love with the design of the bottle i could care less about the contents, lol
Congrats on being featured in Kottke.
I have to say that the wine terms are a bit silly when used in the context of lowly Pepsi.
Hmm…this article just points out the amount of useless information on the internet. Here we have someone who doesn’t drink Pepsi (or soda in general) reviewing its tastes.
I paid less than $2 for my 4-pack.
It tastes like Red Bull Cola.
I for one miss the Pepsi of the 80’s. It hasnt tasted the same since it went to plastic. I want the pepsi back that made your nose fizz and the glass bottle that you can freeze until it gets slushy…..mmmmmm
Natural Pepsi tastes nothing like Regular Pepsi. It tastes like Coca Cola.
It is not Pepsi. It is carbonated molasses. And it’s not just me that thought so, my wife and friends all had the same reaction.
We were so surprised to find Pepsi Natural at our grocer & picked a 4-pack up today. We have started a natural diet recently and were really missing getting to have a cola with our popcorn. This is such a treat and it tastes pretty darn good. I’m thankful Pepsi came out with it and I hope it does well. We’ll keep buying it … it’s worth it, it tastes good and it’s not full of artificial crap! Sometimes, water or juice doesn’t hit the spot like a nice icey cold Pepsi does.
Coke lovers,
I loved this natural stuff and hope Coke launches one soon also. It taste like I remember Pepsi tasting when I was a kid. Finally a Pepsi product this Coke and Dr Pepper guy can stomach!
Just an FYI I emailed Pepsi on this one and its not a permanent soda. Its a temporary KOSHER version offered right now during Passover. I was disappointed because I too like it and would like to continue purchasing it. So if you like stock up now.
@ Jason Kratz:
In Canada, soda/pop (along with everything else) IS made with HFCS, except it’s labeled as “glucose/fructose” here.
Man I love it wish it a around for along time. It’s great
I’ve been buying up the Pepsi natural since spotting it a couple weeks ago – it tastes a lot different – better, fresher, not so sweet. And I avoid anything with HFCS usually, but have stopped buying soda because it’s too sweet and I don’t like drinking out of plastic (acidic soda in plastic doesn’t sound like a good combination – what’s leaching out of the bottle?) anyway, I think it tastes great and I hope they keep it!
“Sparkling water” and “carbonated water” are the same thing. I think using the word “Sparkling” is just a fancy way to say “carbonated” and makes you think its something different.
I do know that you will spend more money for better or healthier foods. The artificial subs the real thing to keep down the cost for the manufacturers to make the foods, or an item. We have shortage in real food supplies, in some cases. Never know what chemical reacts in you.
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog.
Cheers! Sandra. R.
I love the people who recommend drinking sparkling water with some juice. As a coke lover, i can tell you that there is no comparison. Its like asking a wine lover to drink Welches grape juice.