An admitted sucker for advertising, the new Coke Blak bottles have me itching to find it somewhere. I’m sorry, I just love new ideas and catchy marketing gimmicks. I’ll try it just to eventually find a product that actually lives up to it’s own hype.

Oh, what is it you ask? Coke Blak is a new type of effervescent Coke and coffee drink. Evidently, it was initially launched in April 2004 (Europe) and contains less sugar and carbs than regular soda.

I stopped at a Mobil station here in Madison who has almost every treat manufactured - they have the Blak, but can’t put it on sale yet, and can only sell it in 4-packs. I’m betting places will have a hard time keeping it in stock right away.

Anyway, I’ll review it as soon as I suck some down (hopefully this week). I need a fix.

=================

Coke Blak Review
So I finally found this mysterious beverage at my local Kelly Williamson Mobil. $1.79 for a single bottle wasn’t bad, since I heard that a 4-pack was going for $6. A .30 premium I can deal with.

At first glance, the bottle is obviously beautiful - a small 8oz glass bottle with a full printed plastic wrapper that makes it look like the drink inside is rich and creamy.

A quick twist of the wrist and the sound of opening a flatter-than-normal Coke bottle is heard. This is fine, because the aroma of something good is coming out… coffee? Coke? Chocolate even? I don’t know, but it sounds like I want to put some in my mouth.

The first sip, I’m not sure if I taste Coke or coffee first, but Coke Blak is definitely a smooth mixture of the two. A hint of chocolate can be tasted, but is possibly just a product of the Coke/coffee blend.

A few sips later, I can taste more Coke than coffee at the beginning of the sip, but savoring the liquid for a moment brings out it’s coffee undertones. The next sip though seems to be stronger in coffee taste… hmmm… this is great - you never know what you’re gonna get!

I’m about half way done with the bottle after these testing sips, and I’m loving the texture and flavor of Coke Blak. I’d say that if you’re not a Coke fan to begin with, this will not change your mind, as it’s definitely heavy on the Coke flavor. It truly is Coke mixed with some coffee. Makes me wonder if I could mix this myself…. ?? Probably not.

Now, is Coke Blak an energy drink or a coffee drink? Well, it’s obviously a coffee drink since it has coffee in it - but I found it next to the energy drinks. And, though I don’t react to caffine typically, I find myself more awake on a Wednesday morning than I think I typically would be. I like it.

All-in-all, I think you have to at least go out and try one Coke Blak to see what you think for yourself. The mix of Coke, coffee, and kick - with the added bonus of a sexy bottle - make this a “Sure Thing” - wait, that’s Pepsi I think… well, let’s use one of Coke’s slogans from 1934… “When it’s hard to get started, Start with a Coca-Cola…” Blak.