Pepsi Shiso
Some bright spark came up with the idea of a cola drink flavored with Shiso. Shiso is a herb commonly used in Japanese cuisine. It is a member of the mint family but has a very, very strong flavor. Seeing a bottle of Pepsi Shiso on the shelf in my local Fresco, I was intrigued. How would this strong savory taste combine with the crass sweetness of a Pepsi Cola? The blurb on the bottle claims this new soft drink is “sawayaka” or refreshing. A perfect pick me up for the hot and muggy rainy season perhaps?
Mewby and I gingerly took a sip tonight. Here’s Mewby’s reaction before thrusting her glass of fluorescent green soda away:
“Ya! Pass!”
She also described it variously as “mazui” (nasty), “mecha mazui” (really nasty) and “egui” (acrid). My own reaction? Well, you can certainly taste that shiso! And you can taste the saccharine sweetness too! Do they combine well? No, they do not! On my initial taste I thought it might be almost drinkable. But then the chemical aftertaste flooded back at me from the back of my tongue and I have to admit Pepsi Cola have outdone themselves in creating something borderline disgusting. I’m sticking to ramune in future.
