{"id":17291,"date":"2014-07-28T07:00:05","date_gmt":"2014-07-28T17:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/?p=17291"},"modified":"2023-08-12T14:18:04","modified_gmt":"2023-08-13T00:18:04","slug":"review-pepsi-wild-cherry-made-with-real-sugar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2014\/07\/28\/review-pepsi-wild-cherry-made-with-real-sugar\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Pepsi Wild Cherry Made with Real Sugar"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Wild<\/a><\/p>\n

Just like blue whales, the African wild ass<\/a>, and Gary Busey\u2019s sanity, commercial soft drinks made with real sugar seem endangered. Take a look at beverages found in your local convenience store. Most likely they’re sweetened with a processed corn syrup. <\/p>\n

A Google search can reveal a multitude of negative health effects reportedly associated with the consumption of high fructose corn syrup. But a little bad press will never curb my soda consumption. After all, I don\u2019t give a fructose what I put inside my body.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, soft drinks flavored with real sugar are making a comeback. All the cool kids are drinking them now, or at least that’s what the guy who sold me ninety crates of Mexican Coke told me.<\/p>\n

Earlier this summer, beverage behemoth PepsiCo announced it would be manufacturing Pepsi Wild Cherry with real sugar for a limited time. Upon hearing the news, I hightailed it over to the nearest Walmart. I just couldn\u2019t miss out on an opportunity to try Pepsi Wild Cherry, one of my favorite sodas of all time, made with that precious, ecstasy-inducing white substance. (No, not that one. The other white substance.)<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve never had the pleasure of tasting Pepsi Wild Cherry, trust me, it doesn\u2019t taste like cherry cough syrup mixed with soda. Lovers of purple drank<\/a>, look elsewhere. (Sorry, Lil Wayne.) Pepsi Wild Cherry is a simple beverage, offering the same cola taste of regular Pepsi but with a slight cherry zing as the flavor develops on the tongue.<\/p>\n

\"Wild<\/a><\/p>\n

But this isn\u2019t the first time PepsiCo has released a soda sweetened with real sugar. Pepsi Throwback<\/a>, introduced in 2009, contains beet sugar. Though it doesn\u2019t taste like beets, Throwback\u2019s flavor is noticeably different relative to standard Pepsi. Because I tend to prefer Throwback, I wondered whether I would favor Pepsi Wild Cherry Made with Real Sugar over the original.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s packaged in a pink can decked out with a retro Pepsi-Cola logo. In comparison to standard Pepsi Wild Cherry, the real sugar variant contains two grams less of sugar and ten fewer calories. The caffeine content and ingredients lists are identical \u2014 aside from the inclusion of high fructose corn syrup, of course.<\/p>\n

\"Wild<\/a><\/p>\n

Poured into a glass, the sodas appear indistinguishable, sharing the same color, aroma, and amount of fizz. But what about taste? Is Pepsi Wild Cherry Made with Real Sugar preferable to its high fructose counterpart?<\/p>\n

I tasted each soda in a variety of different manners. I tried them in both blind and not-so-blind taste tests, hoping to identify some true difference between the two beverages. I tried the sodas cold and at room temperature from freshly opened cans, and at room temperature served completely flat.<\/p>\n

I wanted the real sugar variant to prove superior, but dagnabbit, these two sodas taste identical. At times, it tasted like one soda might be a hint more cherry-flavored or just a bit more fizzy on the tongue. But I was unable to re-recognize these qualities during a blind taste test. Maybe my cola-tasting palate hasn\u2019t yet reached the level of sophistication needed to distinguish between the two. But I would be lying if I claimed to perceive a difference. If PepsiCo sought to create an exact duplicate of their original Pepsi Wild Cherry, they pulled it off. Both colas possess the same sweet cherry flavor, and both make me gassy beyond belief.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, this means there\u2019s little reason to buy Pepsi Wild Cherry Made with Real Sugar unless you\u2019re looking to avoid high fructose corn syrup. The flavors are identical \u2014 so why should I choose one over the other? I will likely continue drinking beverages sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, even if it cuts a few years off of my life.<\/p>\n

Meh, I review junk food on the Internet. I\u2019ll probably die young anyway.<\/p>\n

(Nutrition Facts – 12 ounces – 150 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 30 milligrams of sodium, 40 grams of total carbohydrates, 40 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.)<\/small><\/p>\n

Item:<\/b> Pepsi Wild Cherry Made with Real Sugar
\nPurchased Price:<\/b> $4.28
\nSize:<\/b> 12 pack\/12 oz. cans
\nPurchased at:<\/b> Walmart
\nRating:<\/b> 7 out of 10
\nPros:<\/b> Tastes identical to regular Pepsi Wild Cherry. Made with real sugar, not HFCS. Not giving a fructose.
\nCons:<\/b> Doesn\u2019t taste better than regular Pepsi Wild Cherry. Gassy food reviewers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just like blue whales, the African wild ass, and Gary Busey\u2019s sanity, commercial soft drinks made with real sugar seem endangered. Take a look at beverages found in your local convenience store. Most likely they’re sweetened with a processed corn syrup. A Google search can reveal a multitude of negative health effects reportedly associated with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1440],"tags":[1500,1488],"class_list":["post-17291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-pepsi","tag-soda"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":17831,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2014\/11\/24\/review-pepsi-true\/","url_meta":{"origin":17291,"position":0},"title":"REVIEW: Pepsi True","author":"Marvo","date":"November 24, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"High fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. To some, they're just ingredients on a label. To others, they're a plague that has destroyed society. To me, they are the sweeteners that'll haunt my liver for the rest of my life. 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Pepsi Next contains a veritable who's who of sweeteners. The latest addition to the Pepsi line includes the high fructose corn syrup in regular Pepsi, the aspartame in Diet Pepsi, the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pepsi Next","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7106\/6864023876_48fa997a13_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6556,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2010\/06\/08\/review-cherry-vanilla-pepsi-and-cherry-vanilla-diet-pepsi\/","url_meta":{"origin":17291,"position":3},"title":"REVIEW: Cherry Vanilla Pepsi & Cherry Vanilla Diet Pepsi","author":"Marvo","date":"June 8, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Whenever I order a Pepsi and the waitress says, \"Is Coke okay, hon?\", I slam my hands on the table, jump up from my chair and say, \"Heeeeeell no, ma'am! Coke is not okay. I'd rather drink the ink from the blue pen you're using to write down our order\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19527,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2016\/01\/12\/fast-food-news-7-eleven-pepsi-cherry-vanilla-slurpee\/","url_meta":{"origin":17291,"position":4},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: 7-Eleven Pepsi Cherry Vanilla Slurpee","author":"Marvo","date":"January 12, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Late last year Pepsi released Pepsi Cherry Vanilla made with Real Sugar. Now there's a Pepsi Cherry Vanilla Slurpee that may or may not be made with real sugar. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's not. Hello, high fructose corn syrup! 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Pumpkin spice and candy corn products show up during fall. Candy cane and egg nog products are around for Christmas. Carrot cake is a spring flavor. 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