It’s really hard to be that objective about Pepsi, as far as I’m concerned. Why? It’s rather like comparing a Honda cruiser to a Harley-Davidson. Or, like pitting a Fiat Spyder against a Ferrari. The folks over at PepsiCo Inc. might not want to admit it, but Pepsi was manufactured in an attempt to challenge Coca-Cola in the cola market. Coke came first, and Pepsi was formulated to taste kind of like Coke with few unique flavors to offer.
Coca-Cola, after all, was developed in 1886 in an Atlanta pharmacy, while Pepsi came along in 1898 in New Bern, N.C. Coca-Cola was put in mass distribution well before Pepsi, which started marketing the drink after observing the popularity of Coke.
Simple enough, but is Pepsi any good? Well, it’s not bad, but it still tastes like the result of a blatant attempt to copy Coca-Cola. You get the cola taste, sure enough, but there are a couple of differences -- Pepsi is a bit sweeter and has some citrus notes lurking in the background as opposed to Coke’s slight vanilla taste.
So, it all boils down to what you want -- a sweeter cola that has some citrus flavoring, or one that’s a touch heavier and has a vanilla taste to it. I prefer Coca-Cola, but that may be a function of my environment -- here in the former Confederacy, Coca-Cola is the drink of choice. Oh, sure, you’ve got some Pepsi-dominated spots such as Taco Bell and Kentucky Fried Chicken pushing Pepsi, but the majority of restaurants carry Coca-Cola around these parts.
One thing infuriating about the Pepsi commercials is that they leave the impression that folks under the age of 30 prefer that stuff to coke. Where that leaves the people over 30 isn’t clear from the Pepsi ads, but using folks like Britney Spears to push that beverage isn’t going to impress many adults. Strange marketing, that, but I guess it works on some levels.
And, I always think of that Suicidal Tendencies song in which the fellow keeps complaining about his mom bugging him and he starts screaming, ’’All I wanted was a Pepsi, and she wouldn’t give it to me!’’ That’s a different story, though.
If you’re looking for a real thirst-quencher, Pepsi is like Coca-Cola in that it’s just too heavy and full of syrup to eliminate that ’’dry mouth’’ that comes with heavy work or exercise. This stuff was meant to be sipped during times of leisure.
All in all, Pepsi isn’t a bad substitute for Coca-Cola at one of those crud diners that refuse to carry the finest cola on the market. Still, it’s hard to deny that Pepsi attempts to offer the same dark, syrupy flavor as Coke, but doesn’t want to go so far that it tramples on any copyrights.