Pepsi Azuki: Dared, we give our taste test

There is something incongruous in having that blue-and-white Pepsi logo on top of pseudo-Japanese packaging.

In the film "So I Married an Axe Murderer," Mike Myers' character proclaimed, "Most Scottish cuisine is based on a dare."

Suntory, with its new Pepsi Azuki seasonal flavor, appears to be adopting a similar marketing strategy. With lots of competition and stingy consumers, beverage companies have to work hard to weird out Snack Nation (aka Japan) or otherwise no one will be bothered to try these short-lived combini-friendly flavors. Pepsi this time dug into the vat of crazy ideas and pulled out 'red beans.'

The strategy clearly works though, as I found myself at 9:30am buying a PET bottle of Pepsi Azuki at the local 7-11.

The verdict? Meh.

The color is a nice pinkish red, but a shade that seems more fitting for a diet strawberry soda. Real azuki would have a bit more brown thrown in the mix, but who in the world would want to drink a brown-colored soda? Besides Coke and Pepsi, I mean.

The soda itself is barely carbonated and essentially flavorless upon hitting the tongue. There is a light sensation of generic sweetness, but no tang at all. The entire extent of azuki-ness exists only in the aftertaste. Otherwise, it's just like a slightly flat, flavorless Pepsi with negligible levels of pizazz.

So thanks to Pepsi Azuki, Pepsi has managed to market an unremarkable tepid soda that simulates the exact sensation of just having eaten anko -- followed by a jolt of caffeine. It's like sampling treats on a shitamachi shotengai stroll and then suddenly getting punched in the back of the head.

I don't see a long lifespan for Pepsi Azuki -- even in the blogosphere. We now have to wait six months for Pepsi's shocking spring flavor. My money is on Pepsi Shikwasa.