This new Pepsi Max flavor completely flew under my radar until I saw it today while on a review hunt at Target. (I told you guys I look for stuff everywhere and always!) It might also be because I tend to be more on the lookout for new Coke products. I have to give Pepsi their due, however: as much as I may prefer Coke Zero over all else, when it comes to flavored colas (vanilla, lime, lemon etc) I have to hand it to Pepsi. In those cases I think they do the job far better job than the other guys. (I still love you, Coke Zero.)
Pepsi Max Cease Fire is a calorie free, lime flavored cola. (Pepsi in fact already makes a lime flavored version of the regular Diet Pepsi that is quite good.) The hook to this product is that not only is it the first of the flavored entry in the Max line, but if the Pepsi website and the package blurb are to be believed, it is supposed to be able to extinguish even the hottest of spices that can be eaten along with it.
Uh-huh! I will be the judge of that one.
First, the soda on its own:
It smells pretty much like regular Pepsi Max, but with the tiniest bit of lime. It tastes pretty much like standard issue Pepsi Max, too. The lime is subdued and comes mostly as an aftertaste -- an effect that, in some cases, can work quite well. (For example, DRY Sodas -- see my reviews here, here, and here.) What wasn't working for me was that instead of having a sharp citrus zing or bite, the lime aftertaste reminded me of cheap lime flavored lollipops. It's not bad, but if I want a really good lime cola I'll stay with the regular Diet Pepsi with lime. I am not sure why they went with such a sweet, artificial-tasting version of lime over something a little more authentic. I can see where people who like a sweeter taste would prefer this version, though.
The carbonation is on the low side, even for a Pepsi product. It's not a deal breaker for me, but I do like my soda to either be completely flat or at least as bubbly as a normal Pepsi.
So let's talk about the claim that the soda can ease the burn of hot (spicy) foods...
I may just be -- depending on your point of view -- either the best person or the worst person on the planet to tackle this. As is well documented on this blog, I looooo-o-o-ove spicy hot food. I love hot sauce. I have yet to find anything that has been hot enough to make me cry for water. (And yes, I can even eat Dave's Insanity sauce by itself by the spoonful.)
Looking around my house, I tried to find something up to the challenge. To keep it in the Pepsi family, I decided on testing this on a packet of Taco Bell FIRE sauce (which, for the record, I personally do not find to be very hot, but I know a lot of people do). This may be why I am also the worst person to try this test -- I have a really high tolerance for what I consider spicy, so maybe read my results with that kept in mind.
I just squeezed the contents of the packet directly onto my tongue and held it there for about 20 seconds prior to swallowing the sauce. We did attempt photos of this event, but there was just no way to do it with out it looking like something from the world's most messed up porno, so you will just have to use your imaginations. (Y'know, that thing we played with before we had cool stuff to play with...?)
So did it cool my mouth? Honestly...since on my personal scale of hotness I consider Taco Bell FIRE sauce to be mild, no, I didn't notice a cooling effect. What I did notice is that the lime flavor seems to become more pronounced, and it did seem less sweet than it had before the hot sauce.
It's a neat idea and it's not a bad soda. I just don't think it was nearly as good as it could have been. The lime is just too sweet -- which I don't understand, because the lime in the Diet Pepsi is so good. It also just seems under-carbonated. If anyone with less of a tolerance for heat/spice tries this experiment, I would love to hear your comments.
PURCHASED FROM:
Target
PRICE:
$1.69
CALORIES:
0
ADDITIONAL INFO:
Phenylketonurics: Contains phenylalanine. Sugar free.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
pepsi.com
I got a 20oz of the cease fire and went to Buffalo Wild Wings where I got some wings with the Mango Habanero sauce. I have always loved the sauce, and I love hot, spicy foods. But that Mango Habanero always made me sweat and made it hard to enjoy the flavor because after about 2 seconds the burn was got intense. Well, the cease fire works! It didn't get rid of all the burn, just enough to where it made eating the wings enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteNext time, I plan to get the Blazin' sauce, which they claim to be their hottest. We shall see.
I had no luck finding the "Burn" flavored doritos, unfortunately.
B:
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting us how the cooling effect worked for you.
Like I said in the review I have a really high tolerance for heat and I found it interesting to see what someone else has felt after drinking it.
I am also on the lookout for the Doritos "Burn" line but have not had any luck either.
i actually found out about the pepsi by buying the doritos, and their was an ad for the pepsi that i noticed when i got home, wich i would have liked to know about while i was at the store to try and look for the pepsi, i am also a person who loves spicy foods and thought the chips were spicy but not overwhelming, but the clerk did warn me about how spicy they were i dont think they needed a warning, they were good and i typed into yahoo to look for the pepsi and this was the first site that came up and i have to say i enjoyed it and will save some chips for when i find the soda and write back, im not a person who normally does this type of thing and you can probelly tell with my bad spelling but i wanted to share that i found the chips and not the soda so ill kepp looking
ReplyDeleteno need to post this...I just wanted to share that I found the burn doritos at an AM/PM gas station store.
ReplyDeleteim writing back cause i went back out yesterday and had found the soda and had some doritos saved and i tried it to see if it really did extinguish the heat. i had the chips, the pepsi, and a cup of regular coke and tried them both, well i do have to say the pepsi alone did not taste that great, i did not really notice "lime" but just a verry light hint of citrus, and i probally wouldnt drink it alone as far as making the heat go away i think that it did work to a degree but also the regular coke also worked to take away the heat i think the same amount or maybe better cause it taste better i am a coke person and i hate pepsi to begin with but i will buy it in cans when on sale and will drink it but thats about it, and this cease fire has to be probally the worst pepsi i hav ever had they really need to bring back crystal clear, pepsi kona, and pepsi blue PLEASE!! CLEAR!!!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried the pepsi max cease fire, but i did hear that they are having another contest thing for a new mr dew and one of them is clear, so maybe that could be interesting... As for the fire doritos the jalapeño ones are fricken amazing, I wanna try the buffalo ones now!
ReplyDelete