News From Outside the Bubble

Global Cola: 10 Pepsi-Cola Flavors That Are Really "Way Out There." (Truly Bizzare).


8. Pepsi Azuki – Japan


What’s an azuki, and why would anyone want to use it to flavor Pepsi? To answer the first part of the question, azuki is a small maroon bean used to add a sweetish taste to traditional Japanese snacks and desserts. As for the second part… lord only knows! Those who were fortunate (or unfortunate, as the case may be) to try Pepsi Azuki reported that it tasted neither like Pepsi nor azuki… maybe because “azuki” was conspicuously missing from the listed ingredients. And maybe it’s just as well.

Pepsi Azuki was introduced to the Japanese market in late October of 2009, and as it was always intended to be a limited release, it’s difficult to judge whether it was a success or a failure. Pepsi Azuki has not been re-released, so perhaps we can assume the latter.