When I first saw this bottle (it’s glass BTW), I thought it was another one of those new-age fusion drinks, like ginseng-vodka, or soy-redbull. Instead, it’s just coke with coffee. (I also thought the overlined letter “a” in Blak would produce an “ah” – as in “blah” – sound, but according to the sexy voiceover on the website it is pronounced “black” – as in coffee. Also, in the interest of saving my typing time, I will omit the overline/diacritic above the letter “a”)

First things first, I love my Coke and I love my coffee but I’ve always enjoyed them separately. Why no one thought of combining two of the most popular caffeine-laden drinks earlier escapes me, so it is with this enthusiasm that I try Coca Cola Blak.

An overpowering sweet smell engulfed me upon opening the bottle – a combination of vanilla candles, root beer and toffee. I poured the liquid into a clear glass. There was something unsettling about it – it looked very much like Coke, just didn’t smell like one. I was apprehensive about the taste, especially when my visual and olfactory centres are getting conflicting messages. It couldn’t be any worse than Vanilla Coke right?

Well, in a way it is not any worse than a Vanilla Coke, as it has the same vanilla tinge taste. Hey, this might just be Vanilla Coke: The Redux. The first sip is really sweet, that is sugary sweet. It’s a bit too sweet for my liking (it has to be noted that my favourite coke is Diet). After a few more sips, my tongue got use to the taste which I can only describe as “fizzy caramel” with zero coffee taste. The blend is really smooth, too smooth in fact, that I’m not really getting the jolt of “coffee essence” that I expected. There however, enough fizz to make an average coke lover happy.

All in all, not a terrible experience, but I wouldn’t want to try it again in the near future. Not unless it’s for free.