Pepsi Ice Cucumber - the verdict

When I first heard about Pepsi's new flavour - Ice Cucumber on An Englishman in Osaka, I believed it for a moment and then assumed it was a joke. I mean this is a country that has wasabi ice cream and pumpkin flavoured KitKats, so an cucumber flavoured soft drink didn't sound too far-fetched, it was the comment about Coca Cola Broccoli that turned me into a disbeliever.

It was on Mike's Blender and I realised that it was in fact, real. I had to try some. I love cucumber juice in hot weather, and so now in Japan is the time.

The search began. I went first to my local supermarket and they had already sold out. I had to go home and do some things, so Wayne offered to go out on a "hunt" for me. Ahhh.. we're a real hunting-gathering couple - he hunts for strange flavoured drinks while I work on gathering vintage kimono fabrics. Luckily, he didn't have to hunt for long. He found a bottle in the first of many convenience stores near out apartment. A single bottle only - it was the last one left!

I excitedly pounced on it when he arrived home. With almost the same anticipation as one would have uncorking a vintage wine, I unscrewed the plastic top. With the sound of the fizz, wafted out the scent of sickly sweet fruit. A hint of cucumber maybe, bit it was certainly only a hint.

On the first sip I had the impression of drinking an overly sweet apple juice drink after having brushed my tongue and the roof of my mouth with toothpaste. Mmmm.. not so good. I was hoping maybe the taste would mature. Well it did, but it matured from a five year old's birthday party drink to a sixteen-year old's my-parents-are-out-of-town-for-the-weekend-so-lets-raid-their-liquor-cabinet type drink. It was reminiscent of a cocktail mixed with Blue Vok, Midori and sprite, minus the alcohol, with added caffeine. Over the course of the evening, I went back to the drink every half hour or so hoping it would redeem itself. It didn't. It stayed with me though. Stayed with me, coating my tongue and my palate like the scum around a bathtub after you've used cheap bath oils. Brushing my teeth was a relief leaving only the after effect of the caffeine.

Mmmm... I won't be buying that one again. But hey - if anyone wants some pumpkin flavoured KitKats, I still have some in my freezer since last Halloween.