I’ve been a fan of the vitamin C-infused Coca-Cola Plus for some time now, but that’s probably because it seems so tame compared to its beverage brethren these days.
Typically it isn’t Coca-Cola straying from their undeniably solid brand image, but Pepsi seems to have no problem playing around with colors, themes, and all kinds of flavor innovations on an regular basis. We all remember Crystal Pepsi many years ago, but recent years have brought us Cucumber, Blue Hawaii, Yogurt, and various other combinations of Coke’s ambitious rival.
On the end of the image above are two latest cola variations in Japan: The upcoming Shiso-flavored Pepsi and the just-released Coca-Cola Plus with Green Tea flavor. The latter we had today, and it’s hard to tell the difference much since Coca-Cola isn’t going to go too crazy, but the shiso will surely be an interesting trial when it comes out in the next weeks.
Of course, it’s not just in the cola world where odd beverages pop up left and right, and there’s a method to the madness that ties into innovation, core-brand boosting, and creative destruction. It’s a wild and wonderful world when the drink choices change all the time, and disappointing when one of them gets you hooked and then vanishes without a trace!
Michael is the Editor of JapanTrends.com and Director of the 
Hey mike, will these drinks be available all over the country? They look interesting
what about cola flavored tea? my friend is hooked on coca-cola but needs to ween onto something healthier. if there was a tea flavored like coke i’m sure she’d drink it. comments?