Coming Soon --- Sugar Pepsi and Sugar Mountain Dew

Per The Consumerist, Pepsi recently filed trademarks for Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback. Both products, which throw out the new (corn syrup) and bring back the old (sugar) are expected to debut in April.

I can only hope that this will inspire Coke and Dr. Pepper to do the same thing on a national scale.

Good news!

However, I just saw a recent study that says there's no difference on health between high fructose corn syrup and sugar. But I still think the economic effects of switching back to sugar are reason enough to switch. But that's a whole other discussion (rant).

No matter the health benefits, the taste is noticeably different.

Hi,

The timing is fairly close to Passover, when there is the annual production of sugar sweetened sodapop.

It will be interesting to see how it will be priced.

Regards,

Even though Mexican Coke with sugar gets most of the attention here, if you want a Pepsi with sugar the same Mexican Grocery stores that sell Coke with sugar usually sell Pepsi with sugar, too (though why someone would pass up a perfectly good Coke to drink one is beyond me. ).

Hooray! There are not colas that taste like Coke. When I cannot get sugar sweetened Coke I generally go for Coke Zero with Meyer Lemon over Ice.

But regular access to DP with sugar, man that would be a far better treat to me than most grocery-store pastries.

Along with these two sodas, "Pepsi Natural" is also hitting store shelves in Chicago. Reuters describes it as:

"a premium cola made with sugar, natural caramel and kola nut extract, will be sold in glass bottles in the premium or natural food aisles of stores in 10 markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle."

They are apparently already on some shelves.. someone picked up a 4-pack of Pepsi Natural at Target in the bay area last week for $4.69.

That Pepsi Natural info is pretty cool! Some google searching didn't turn up any official info from Pepsico, but I did find a ton of news releases.

It looks like they released a similar product in the UK, which definitely sounds worth trying:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsi_Raw

Thanks for passing the info along - I think I might try to check this stuff out.

Khaopaat wrote:That Pepsi Natural info is pretty cool! Some google searching didn't turn up any official info from Pepsico, but I did find a ton of news releases.

It looks like they released a similar product in the UK, which definitely sounds worth trying:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsi_Raw

Thanks for passing the info along - I think I might try to check this stuff out.

It's not quite the same as Pepsi Raw, because Pepsi Natural is a cola and Pepsi Raw is more of an apple flavored drink. I'm excited to try all three, even though I'm not a big Pepsi fan.

I heard about Pepsi Natural a few days ago...

Panther in the Den wrote:In the Oak Park area...

Passover Coke in 2 liter bottles is available at the Jewel on Lake St in River Forest (aisle one near the front) and at the Jewel on Madison in Oak Park (in the beverage aisle). Look for the yellow cap.

I also checked around for 12 oz cans and didn't spot any. Does it have special labeling?

Also when I was at the Jewel in Oak Park I mentioned Passover Coke to the Pepsi gent that was stocking the shelves and he mentioned that last week they have a new product, Pepsi Natural.



Available (for now) in 4 pack of 12 ox bottles for about $4.50. Sparkling water, sugar and kola bean extract. I picked up a 4 pack today (at Target) and it is chilling to have along with dinner.

Available only at Target.

Correction to availability.

JoelF wrote:

Panther in the Den wrote:Pepsi Natural... Available only at Target.

That's got to be a surprise to the Randhurst Jewel, who had it in stock last time I was in there.

I did sample it tonight and I would prefer more carbonation. Nice soft taste. Worth $1.25+ a bottle? Not to me.

I did find a great review!

Also there is minimal information on the Pepsi Website.

If Pepsi Natural goes well they might be releasing another new product... Sierra Mist Essence

gleam wrote:

Khaopaat wrote:That Pepsi Natural info is pretty cool! Some google searching didn't turn up any official info from Pepsico, but I did find a ton of news releases.

It looks like they released a similar product in the UK, which definitely sounds worth trying:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsi_Raw

Thanks for passing the info along - I think I might try to check this stuff out.

It's not quite the same as Pepsi Raw, because Pepsi Natural is a cola and Pepsi Raw is more of an apple flavored drink. I'm excited to try all three, even though I'm not a big Pepsi fan.

From what I have read Pepsi Raw and Pepsi Natural are supposed to be very similar products. I think the apple is only for coloring. I could be wrong though...

Some release info on Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback. Natural sugar versions.

I found 20oz bottles of Pepsi Throwback at the Walgreens at Franklin & Randolph (across from the now-shuttered Harry's Hot Dogs). They were in the cooler next to the regular Pepsi, and priced the same as regular & diet ($1.59 each). They had 5-6 bottles left in the cooler, but I didn't ask if they would continue restocking them after those were sold.

I looked for Mountain Dew Throwback, but no dice.

I happened to be at the Jewel on Madison in Oak Park to grab a few items for dinner and remembered to check the pop aisle for the Pepsi Throwback and they had only 12 oz cans in a 12 pack. Forgot to check for the Mountain Dew Throwback.

Just finished my first can and it did have that smooth real sugar taste. Pretty good.

Sitting in the fridge next to my last 2 - 2 liter bottles of Kosher Coke that I picked up last week at the Jewel on Lake in River Forest when they dumped the remaining bottles into the regular supply shelves from the special passover display.

When asking the supplier about Kosher Coke in cans he mentioned that they have a standing order that does not include the cans. He recommended talking to the store manager to see if they could be included with the order for next year.

I'm over in England, and I came across bottles of Pepsi Raw, which I haven't tried yet (but will), but is marketed as a cola drink. I cannot imagine what genius came up with the name Pepsi Throwback - it is ThrowBACK, isn't it, although Pepsi Raw isn't all that much better. With their names both could be marketed for frat parties.

I was unimpressed with the Mountain Dew throwback. As someone that has always been a fan of Mountain Dew, I have to say I like the "regular" Mountain Dew over the throwback variety. This surprised me as I much prefer Mexican Coke to the regular Coke we are used to.

I couldn't find this using the seach tool, but has anyone tried the Pepsi Max, diet cola for men? I find this incredibly interesting and stupid. According to Wikipedia, the cola is "Ginseng" Infused, and has double the caffeine which we all know is good for you....right. Does anyone know if Pepsi max has HFCS in it? Just interested and can't find anything solid on the net.

Shaggywillis wrote:I couldn't find this using the seach tool, but has anyone tried the Pepsi Max, diet cola for men? I find this incredibly interesting and stupid. According to Wikipedia, the cola is "Ginseng" Infused, and has double the caffeine which we all know is good for you....right. Does anyone know if Pepsi max has HFCS in it? Just interested and can't find anything solid on the net.

Sadly, I drink Pepsi Max all the time. What can I say? I get very sleepy in the afternoon while at work.

Anyway, it is a diet soda, so no HFCS, but plenty of aspartame. It doesn't taste all that different from regular Diet Pepsi to me...maybe very slightly less sweet & with just the tiniest bit of bitterness, likely from the caffeine and/or ginseng.

Shaggywillis wrote:I couldn't find this using the seach tool, but has anyone tried the Pepsi Max, diet cola for men? I find this incredibly interesting and stupid. According to Wikipedia, the cola is "Ginseng" Infused, and has double the caffeine which we all know is good for you....right. Does anyone know if Pepsi max has HFCS in it? Just interested and can't find anything solid on the net.

Ingredients
CARBONATED WATER, CARAMEL COLOR, PHOSPHORIC ACID, ASPARTAME, POTASSIUM BENZOATE (PRESERVES FRESHNESS), CAFFEINE, NATURAL FLAVORS, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, CITRIC ACID, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (TO PROTECT FLAVOR), PANAX GINSENG EXTRACT


http://www.pepsiproductfacts.com/infoby ... =pusa.1067

So it's actually sweetened with both aspartame and ace-k. It also has twice as much caffeine per ounce as regular Pepsi/diet Pepsi. I'll pass.

Costco at Randhurst currently has Pepsi Natural at $9.99/case of 12.

This is the first chance I've had to try it. It doesn't taste much like Pepsi or Coke. The strongest flavor note to me is clove. Like regular Pepsi, it's fairly sweet. it's also missing the phosphoric acid bite.

I also found it to be more viscous than I'd have expected from a sugar-sweetened product. (Besides a cleaner, sharper taste, the principal difference between Passover Coke and HFCS Coke is mouthfeel.) I think that must be from the acacia gum, which is an interesting addition -- as if they wanted it to have characteristics of HFCS Pepsi. Acacia gum (aka gum arabic) is a highly water-soluble emulsifier that helps suspend citrus oil and other oil-based flavorings in liquids, but it also has a thickening quality.

Pepsi Natural ingredients: Sparkling water, sugar, natural apple extract (color), caramel color, citric acid, caffeine, acacia gum, tartaric acid, lactic acid, natural flavor, kola nut extract.

My take: I like it slightly more than regular Pepsi, not as well as regular Coke, and certainly not as well as sugar-sweetened Coke.

I hope that Pepsi's experiments with Pepsi Throwback (which I haven't tried) and Pepsi Natural will inspire Coke to produce a sugared product.

I'm guessing that Coke is holding back due to the economy and caution related to the New Coke debacle and the failure of introductions like Coca-Cola Blak. I do hope, though, they won't do a "Coke Natural" along the lines of this Pepsi product. I want Coca-Cola Premium, identical to the Passover formula.

Shop 'n' Save at Golf Mill had 4-packs of Pepsi Natural at 69 cents.
You read that right. 69 cents for four bottles.
While supplies last... and the supplies were pretty high Sunday around noon.

postscript: This stuff tastes like @$$.
There's a strong herby/anisey flavor that just doesn't belong in my soft drink. It's eerily similar to the Red Bull Cola, including the high-foaming head.
Do not want. I'd bring the other three bottles to the picnic if it weren't for the no-glass rule.

The Throwback twins will return in late December:

http://www.pepsithrowbackhub.com/

spinynorman99 wrote:The Throwback twins will return in late December:

http://www.pepsithrowbackhub.com/

Just had a chance to try the Pepsi Throwback.

Plus: It does have the cleaner taste and mouthfeel of sugared sodas.

Con: It still tastes like Pepsi. Bleh.

The CVS on Chicago west of Western has 12 packs of throwback Mountain Dew on sale, 3 x 12 packs of cans for $10. The aluminum cans (how retro) have the old logo of the hillbilly shooting a hole through his hat with a cork from a jug of shine (Ya-Hooo! Mountain Dew). Surprisingly the top 3 ingredients are water, sugar and orange juice. It is pretty tasty, not quite as sweet tasting as HFCS Mountain Dew, which is surprising since each can of throwback Dew contains a whopping 44 grams of sugar (which brings to mind Dom's infamous LTH Mythbusters post re: coca cola and phosphoric acid). It does seem to have a sweeter aftertaste than the regular stuff. Nowhere do they say that the "real sugar" they use is CANE sugar. It could be anything.

The Throwback Pepsi cans also have the retro Pepsi label. Cute, and tastier than the HFCS variety.

also seen dr. pepper in throw back

philw wrote:also seen dr. pepper in throw back

I think it is being called Heritage Dr Pepper

d4v3 wrote:The CVS on Chicago west of Western has 12 packs of throwback Mountain Dew on sale, 3 x 12 packs of cans for $10. The aluminum cans (how retro) have the old logo of the hillbilly shooting a hole through his hat with a cork from a jug of shine (Ya-Hooo! Mountain Dew). Surprisingly the top 3 ingredients are water, sugar and orange juice. It is pretty tasty, not quite as sweet tasting as HFCS Mountain Dew, which is surprising since each can of throwback Dew contains a whopping 44 grams of sugar (which brings to mind Dom's infamous LTH Mythbusters post re: coca cola and phosphoric acid). It does seem to have a sweeter aftertaste than the regular stuff. Nowhere do they say that the "real sugar" they use is CANE sugar. It could be anything.

I picked up some at the CVS at Roosevelt and Oak Park Ave. They also had the Pepsi Throwback with the retro label on sale.



The retro can sure brought back memories!

i haven't had any pepsi or mtn dew throwback this time around (although it is widely available), but I'm so, so, so glad they went with the retro logos this time. The logos last time were so boring, and didn't really say "throwback" in their design. I think the new design gives it a much better chance of performing well in the marketplace and thus a better chance of becoming a permanent item on store shelves.

Of course, Pepsi could just go the McRib route and bring it back every 6 months for 6 weeks at a time..

d4v3 wrote:Nowhere do they say that the "real sugar" they use is CANE sugar. It could be anything.

Isn't it most likely beet sugar? If so, I'd be surprised if there were a difference in taste from a recipe using cane sugar. Chemically, they are virtually identical (supposedly 99.5%). Some people say they've noticed differences in taste when baking certain things, but with all the other flavors dumped into pop, I can't imagine the taste would be noticeably different.

MarlaCollins'Husband wrote:

d4v3 wrote:Nowhere do they say that the "real sugar" they use is CANE sugar. It could be anything.

Isn't it most likely beet sugar? If so, I'd be surprised if there were a difference in taste from a recipe using cane sugar. Chemically, they are virtually identical (supposedly 99.5%). Some people say they've noticed differences in taste when baking certain things, but with all the other flavors dumped into pop, I can't imagine the taste would be noticeably different.

I believe you are right and it is beet sugar. The cane sugar tarriffs make it much too expensive. Besides, if they did use cane sugar, they would say so, just like Goose Island or Jones. The cost would also be $3.50 a 4pk,like GI soda, rather than $3.50 a 12 pk. To me, sucrose is sucrose, but some people swear they can taste the difference because of trace compounds and minerals present in cane sugar. I figure most of that stuff is refined out of it. I wonder if the original Mountain Dew was made with cane sugar?

As to the graphics, (like gleam) I thought they did a pretty good job of making a 21st century aluminum pop-top can look retro. I could have done without the word "throwback" in 24 point red letters. The Hillbilly logo and green and white motif alone says "throwback" to me.

My nephew, a Mountain Dew gaming addict, pronounced it delicious and proceeded to drink two 12 packs in 3 days (I am sure the 44 grams of sugar per can has a lot to do with it). I am just glad his grandmother covers the dental bills. Time to hit up the CVS and stock up. Has anyone seen it elsewhwere on sale?