popular thinking

Finally saw the Jazz Diet Pepsi bottles in Boston the other day. The first time I saw them in my local grocery store (the photo below comes from Foodie's -- and if you look closely, you can see me sneak into the shot), I did a double-take. Does that bottle really say Jazz on it? Why yes, yes it does. Is this some sort of a trick? Well...




The BevNet team gave the new soda pop beverages (it comes in Black Cherry & French Vanilla or Strawberries & Cream) OK marks. Not great, but OK. I didn't want to buy a 2-liter bottle of the cherry/vanilla, so I found a 20-ouncer of strawberries and cream to make up my own mind. And methinks this must be a trick. Either that, or PepsiCo must really hate jazz. Or, failing that, the PepsiCo vision of jazz includes Jazzercise with jazz hands and all that jazz, defiling the musical art form of Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk and other true greats. Maybe it's part of their "jazz for a new generation" hidden motto? Regardless, the first sip produces a strong kick of strawberries and cream, as if Pepsi really wants you to know they weren't kidding about the flavor. But that sensation lasts less than a second, when a wave of slightly off-kilter diet cola aftertaste comes crashing onto your taste buds. The collision produces a lingering taste that makes you want for Robitussin. And not just because you have a desire for a coughing fit. Is that harsh? I could've just said, "Not a fan." But I jazzed up my review. Went a little improv. A little off beat. How do you like that?