We've talked about the prospect of Pepsi Natural a lot over the years here in the forums. So it's kinda cool to actually see it become reality. (I did have a nice post all figured out with links to all our previous conversations, but the forum gods saw that it went into the BevNET black hole of moderation probably due to the number of links included... )

That said, I thought it might be a good idea to centralize the topic, as it seemed that Natural conversation was getting mixed in rather strongly with Pepsi/Dew Throwback talk.

Anyway, I was able to track Pepsi Natural down at a local Target here in Chicago. It was actually on sale; picked up a 4-Pack for a little over $3. Frankly, I thought it was pretty good, but it's not really Pepsi. It's a different drink entirely, which I'm fine with. Still tasty, though the nutty/licorice scent throws me off quite a bit.

The bottle is a pretty slick design; very smooth, with an embossed Pepsi logo on top. There's also a unique indentation in the lower back portion that I can't figure out. The logos and product information are attached via clear stickers on the front and back.

Overall, I found the flavor very mellow and smooth, not as edgy or rough as regular HFCS Pepsi. The carbonation is dialed down quite a bit, and it did seem less sweet... almost Coke-like.

Anyone else been able to find this/try this yet? What has been your experience?

Here's a look back at previous BevNET forum conversation about Pepsi Raw/Natural:

• First mention of Pepsi Raw (October 2006)
• Pepsi packaging discussion (January 2007)
• Pepsi in glass bottles (March 2007)
• Is Pepsi Natural/Raw still gonna happen? (May 2007)

Wrapping up our Pepsi Natural discussion recap:

• What's the story on Pepsi Natural? (June 2007)
• Pepsi Retro discussion (February 2008)
• Pepsi Raw discussion (February 2008)
• Talk about Pepsi Natural's delays (April 2008)
• Glass bottle of Pepsi Natural spotted (February 2009)

It showed up at the Giant Eagle supermarkets in Frederick, Maryland yesterday. I bought on. It is pretty good. The ingredients on the label don't look to be all natural though.

the packaging is pretty bland. sorta looks like a store brand or something.

haven't tasted it yet (and probably never will), so i can't comment on that.

my prediction is that this will go the same route as other "premium" offerings from coke and pepsi (think "coke blak")... it will probably be discontinued in a year.

Originally Posted by popologist

the packaging is pretty bland. sorta looks like a store brand or something.

haven't tasted it yet (and probably never will), so i can't comment on that.

my prediction is that this will go the same route as other "premium" offerings from coke and pepsi (think "coke blak")... it will probably be discontinued in a year.

I agree 100%.

coke and pepsi should stop teasing us with these "premium sodas" and just give the consumer what they really want... a flagship cola made with sugar cane... at a reasonable price.

all this other stuff just seems like a waste of their time, effort and money.

if they just gave people what they want (instead of giving us what they want), they might actually see an increase in sales.

Originally Posted by popologist

coke and pepsi should stop teasing us with these "premium sodas" and just give the consumer what they really want... a flagship cola made with sugar cane... at a reasonable price.

all this other stuff just seems like a waste of their time, effort and money.

if they just gave people what they want (instead of giving us what they want), they might actually see an increase in sales.

Well said.

Originally Posted by popologist

coke and pepsi should stop teasing us with these "premium sodas" and just give the consumer what they really want... a flagship cola made with sugar cane... at a reasonable price.

all this other stuff just seems like a waste of their time, effort and money.

if they just gave people what they want (instead of giving us what they want), they might actually see an increase in sales.

I have heard the cost differential of using sugar versus HFCS in soda is literally pennies per unit. Does anyone have any hard numbers or facts to back up that statement?

It will be interesting to see if the Pepsi and Mountain Dew Throwbacks will retail at a higher price per unit than the regular HFCS varieties. My guess is they will be the same price seeing how they will be packaged the same as the regular varieties (20 oz PET bottles and 12 pack cans).

As for Pepsi Natural, I agree...It will likely fail miserably and quietly disappear within a year.

Sugar does indeed cost only pennies per unit more, but the real problem is a lot of manufacturing sites are not set up for sugar. I think there are only a dozen or so Pepsi plants in the nation that are producing Throwback. I'm sure it cannot be too difficult to convert, but pennies are pennies. If sugar was indeed the cost effective way to market, it would or will be implemented.

Rumor is Throwback will be line priced with regular HFCS Pepsi/Dew. I could see some markets discounting the stuff, as it is a LTO. Popologist in right in my opinion regarding soda companies screwing around with naturals and LTOs that use cane sugar or beet sugar. Hell, the Pepsi/Dew Throwback campaign is driven more by a "feel good retro nostalgia" message rather than "made with real sugar" message. They just don't get it.