Limited Edition Pepsi Lime
(I actually started writing this weeks ago and never edited the photos. Oops. Here's a summer post before Spooky season takes over.)
Summer is for the sodas, at least, it is so far. We've got all kinds of new flavors coming our way. Dr. Pepper has Creamy Coconut, Coke has their new Spiced, MTN Dew has so many new flavors I can't keep track, and Pepsi is coming out with limited runs of lime and peach flavored sodas.
Of the two, I was really looking forward to the peach, but I haven't been able to find it yet. Just lime. After falling in love with Dr. Pepper Creamy Coconut I ran out and bought 3 cases, let's see if Pepsi is also stash-worthy.
Opened, it smells a bit like lime Skittles mixed with Pepsi. Which I find very appealing but also, interesting. I got a Soda Stream machine a few years ago (second hand on Facebook Marketplace) and I normally use it to make seltzer and add a splash of lime juice or a wedge of lemon. But when my little cousins were sleeping over we decided to give soda syrups a try. Since I'm a Pepsi girl I bought the official Pepsi Soda Stream concentrate and it was awful. The way this Lime flavored Pepsi smells, reminds me of that Soda Stream Pepsi syrup, and it's making me nervous.
Official Soda Stream Pepsi syrup tastes like lime Skittles and fake sweetener (sucralose). Not Pepsi. Which is so strange. I made another tiny batch of soda stream Pepsi to compare the two.
Bottled Lime Pepsi: Taking a sip, it's similar in flavor to the concentrate, but thankfully it's more corn syrup-y. Which I can vibe with. I'm happy that it's more Pepsi-like than the concentrate I bought, but I'm also disappointed with how mild the lime flavoring is. I expected it to be a bit zestier and more lime-forward. Especially with the soda's carbonation. But this is a sweet, almost creamy, lime. Kind of like a hint of lime sorbet mixed with Pepsi. I like it, but I don't love it. In my opinion, the lime should be bolder to make this feel like a more unique experience than normal Pepsi. Right now it's barely there.
Soda Stream Pepsi Concentrate: My body doesn't like to process artificial sweeteners. I don't understand the science part of it all, but if I have more than just a few sips, I experience vertigo that will not stop until I take medication. (I found that out through a very not fun trip to the ER after it not passing for multiple days.) It's only reoccurred twice since my ER visit, because I am very careful to avoid diet and fake sugars, but (sadly) most of the flavored stuff for drink mixes and soda-machines use it. So I made a baby batch for this and I probably won't even finish the whole glass. Taking a sip, it's even worse than I remember. It reminds me of the Sweet-n-Low my grandpa used to take with his coffee, lime skittles, and the cheapest knock-off cola brand you can imagine. I hate it.
The bottled Lime Pepsi is vastly superior. Mainly because it tastes like normal cola, and not sucralose, but it's limey-ness leaves a lot to be desired.
I feel like Pepsi fumbled both of these products. Which is especially noticeable when Dr. Pepper is hitting it out of the park. If you're looking for zesty summer sipping, it's probably better to add some lime juice to your normal Pepsi and call it a day. (And never buy the Soda Stream concentrates. They're expensive and they're trash.)
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