Japan is no stranger when it comes to limited-edition versions of soft drinks. American soft drink companies are often willing to experiment and introduce different flavors of well-known classics outside of the States, and it's rare for these releases to make it to American soil. Any search of an American soft drink's Wikipedia page will sometimes have a section on the different flavor variations, most of which are limited to international markets. The last such drink to make some noise online was Pepsi Pink, a milky strawberry cola released in 2011 and was a bit of an attention grabber when it was rereleased in Winter 2014/2015. Pepsi White Cola, released for the Winter 2015/2016 season was slept on. However, it's Pepsi's latest Japan-only offering, Pepsi Sakura, that left the Internet abuzz when it was announced in early February for the Spring 2016 season.
As someone who works for a Japanese company, I have a coworker who claims that sakura flowers do not taste like anything and that sakura snacks and drinks are all sugar. Further research turned out to validate her claim. However, here in the United States, it seems that sakura related things are pretty popular the way green tea/matcha flavored things are, such as the infamous Japan-only Green Tea Kit Kats. It makes sense seeing as how the sakura (cherry blossom) is very closely associated with Japanese culture.
So, does Pepsi Sakura live up to the hype?
First off, I wanted to compare Pepsi Sakura to the previously mentioned Pepsi Pink, and Sakura Gabunomi (Gabunomi being a Japanese cream-flavored soda brand). Pepsi Pink tasted very much like a milky-strawberry cola similar to Strawberry Calpico. On the other hand, Sakura Gabunomi disappointed and tasted like strawberry cream soda more than anything. In my mind, Pepsi Sakura had some lofty expectations to live up to.
Left: Pepsi Sakura, 2016 Right: Pepsi Pink, 2015
Appearance-wise, the drinks were pretty similar in color. Pepsi Pink had a much more basic pink label and was a brighter pink, whereas Pepsi Sakura's label was primarily black with a sakura motif and a slightly more muted pink appearance. It's clear why I thought it the two drinks were going to be similar.
I could not be anymore wrong in any assumption I made. Unlike its strawberry-flavored lookalike, Pepsi Sakura tasted more similar to a cherry flavored cola than anything. It had a slightly floral smell, and the drink itself was not overwhelmingly sweet, as tends to be the case with sakura-flavored drinks, candy, etc. It even had a slightly floral aftertaste to pair with theIn contrast to the very bubbly, highly carbonated American soft drinks (Pepsi in this case), Pepsi Sakura had much less carbonation. Pepsi Sakura was not flat by any means, rather it still had a fizz that wasn't overwhelmingly in-your-face, and the drink wasn't half foam when poured into a glass.
While it goes for around 140 yen / $1.20 in Japan, it's a lot more pricey over here in the United States. You can get it at JBox for $3.50 plus shipping for a 490ml / 16.6 fl oz bottle, or you might want to try your luck at a local Japanese market. I picked mine up at Marukai Market in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles for $2.48. I'd assume that their other locations should be carrying it as well, while I'm not too sure about other Southern California Japanese market chains such as Mitsuwa and Nijiya are carrying it as of this writing, I have heard that Japanese markets in Northern California are carrying it. I'd honestly classify it as more of a novelty drink as a result of its high price, due to the costs in importing the drink.
The verdict? Pepsi Sakura was nothing like I was expecting and true to its namesake. Not too sweet, not too bubbly/fizzy, and definitely not a disappointment the way Sakura Gabunomi was. It succeeded expectations and was good, but its price Stateside might turn off some that aren't completely sold on a strange pink drink with the Pepsi logo slapped on.
Rating: 4 / 5, would recommend.
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