Manhattan Special Expresso Coffee Soda
Two years ago I reviewed Coca-Cola Blak and while I did not find the beverage objectionable, I predicted it would likely be off the market in a year or two. According to Wikipedia, Coca-Cola announced the end of Coca-Cola Blak in the United States on August 31, 2007. This was just over a year after my prediction. Julie picked me up a coffee flavoured soda when she visited New Jersey last week. I enjoyed the Manhattan Special Expresso Coffee Soda as much if not a little more than Coca-Cola Blak.
If the ingredients listed are accurate, which I think they have to be, this coffee soda was flavoured with sugar instead of the high fructose corn syrup that was in the Coca-Cola Blak. This makes sense since they claim to have made this recipe since 1895. The first thing I noticed when I opened the bottle was a strong coffee scent. If I was not overly excited about trying this soda at first, upon smelling a pleasant coffee scent erupt from the bottle I became more interested.
My initial taste immediately reminded me of Coca-Cola Blak, but there was a difference. This soda was less sweet and had a more pronounced coffee taste. The aroma did not lie, this soda was more like drinking a sweetened and carbonated coffee rather than an artificially flavoured coffee soda.
I would definitely drink this soda again and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys coffee beverages as much as I do. Certainly anyone that actually misses Coca-Cola Blak would find Manhattan Special's recipe a much better drink in my opinion.
