(SPOT.ph) Coca-cola Philippines has been teasing a secret Creations collaboration with an artist for some time now and the cat's finally out of the bag. On August 7, they revealed the Marshmello x Coke Zero collaboration through their social media platforms—and the drink made with the U.S. producer looks hella' sleek. Wondering what the results of a collab between a soda brand and a music maker would taste like? Check it out below.
Initially slated to be released on August 15, the soda surprised eagle-eyed folks when they saw it in local convenience stores and supermarkets as early as August 7. Naturally, people who saw the news on the web flocked to their nearest stores hoping to try the drink themselves—resulting in a bag of mixed reviews. Some praised it, some dissed it, and others dismissed it as simply another marketing ploy. We at SPOT.ph just had to get to the bottom of it.
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Here's what we think about the Marshmello x Coke Zero Limited Edition flavor:
The Price Point
You don’t have to break the bank to have a taste of this limited-edition beverage. A can of the drink costs P44 in most convenience stores while some posts on social media claim that the drink costs only P34 in supermarkets. It’s not a huge price jump from the OG Coke Zero and other similarly sized Coke products as those are priced in the P30 to P45 range as well in most retailers.
The Look
The Marshmello Limited Edition Coke Zero Flavor comes in Coke's signature slim 320-ml cans. The big difference: they dropped the signature Coke red and went white with Marshmello’s signature headpiece drawn on the can along with the words “The Artist Marshmello’s Limited Edition”. Nothing very special, if you ask us, just different enough that if you’re into collecting these kinds of things, there's no harm in grabbing yourself a can.
Another thing worth noting about the can is a QR code that leads you to the Coke Creations webpage. Once on the site, you can vibe to Marshmello’s latest track "Numb" and watch as your emotions create a shareable form of digital art—kind of like a digital lava lamp that you stitch with music. We have to admit that we were skeptical about this feature at first. It seemed totally unnecessary but around the third or second try, it started being a fun vibe.
The flavor is also mentioned on the can, but more on that later.
The Taste
Ah, yes, the main reason you’re reading this article. Let’s get one thing straight, it’s not marshmallow flavored. In fact, when you look at the can, it immediately tells you what flavor it’s going to be: a mix of watermelon and strawberry. The moment you pop the can open, a saccharine fruity smell begins to waft around. You can immediately tell that this’ll be sweet, a little jarring seeing as this is a Coke Zero. When you pour it into a glass, you’d expect it to be a little red, what with the strawberry and watermelon flavoring but, alas, it’s still the same brown Coke color. Taste-wise it is very fruity; a distinct strawberry flavor overpowers the drink. Definitely sweeter than your average Coke Zero but not on the same level of syrupy Cherry Coke
Cards on the table, we tried it both at room temperature and iced and, it is with 100% confidence that we recommend to please drink this beverage cold. Drinking it at room temperature tastes and feels like drinking cough syrup—no really, we aren’t kidding. The artificial strawberry flavoring does not taste good at room temperature; additionally, the Coke Zero after taste is just extra prominent too. Not only that, but it also lends a type of slimy thicker feel when swallowed. Drinking this at room temperature might be the culprit of all those negative reviews we’ve been seeing about it being too sweet or medicinal in taste.
There is a sudden change though when this drink is consumed cold, especially iced; it tastes like summer in a cup. We could see this drink quenching your thirst, especially on those extra humid days when all the liquid in your body seems to escape in the form of sticky sweat. When cold, the drink has a light fruity taste that mimics summer berry punch. We would even compare it to tasting like cold red Gatorade in that it’s not that overly sweet without losing the strawberry and watermelon flavor. It is still Coke Zero though, so it still has that saccharine aftertaste albeit not as prominent as when consumed in room temperature.
The Final Verdict
While the Marshmello x Coke Zero Limited Edition Flavor is indeed tasty and refreshing, we just don’t see it as being an everyday drink. Sure, we’d drink it again a couple more times but it definitely does not hold a candle against the OG Coke Zero and Coke Regular in terms of being crave-able. It has such a distinct fruity flavor that easily overwhelms. Still, it's not just an empty marketing ploy; Nope, this drink is something new and is worth trying—unless, of course, you're not a fan of berry-flavored drinks in the first place. For just roughly P45, we say give in to the hype.
For more inquiries, visit the Coca-Cola Philippines Facebook Page
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