Pepsi Azuki

I was at the supermarket today and came across a cooler full of Pepsi Azuki, the new fall flavor sensation from Pepsi Japan unleashed on Japan last week. After my bout with Pepsi Shiso, I had to give this one a go, too.

Azuki are small red beans that are usually sweetened and used in traditional Japanese sweets and other traditional dishes. People have a love hate relationship with azuki, because the sweetness is not a sugary sweet, but more vegetable-like (kinda reminds me of beets, I guess). Also, azuki pastries are usually a pasty substance, which is not generally preferred by the western pallet. I happen to like azuki, in many forms, so I was excited to try out this new Pepsi flavor.

So my thoughts on this Pepsi challenge are... it's a winner. The azuki flavor is quite subtle and matches well in a carbonated beverage. It's a much better taste sensation than shiso in a soft drink. The only caveat is that all your after-burps will be azuki flavored, which is not very nice. If you generally like the taste of azuki, give this one a try.

I bet you take a large glass of Pepsi Azuki and top it off with a scoop of ice cream, you'd have a tasty azuki float, similar to one of my favorite desserts here is called cream anmitsu. Must try!