Caramel what now

Product: Salted Caramel Pepsi
Origin: USA

First looks

Katie:
I saw this at our local gas station while searching for the elusive orange flavor Diet Coke. Not much of a scent to it, but caramel never really smells like much to me unless it's in something warm. I'm cautiously optimistic. I do not like normal Pepsi at all but I was a big fan of Diet Pepsi Vanilla years ago and, of course, I absolutely love 1893 and Ginger 1893. Fingers crossed that I'll be giving you a glowing recommendation to go out into the world and put this in your face holes!

Nick:
Salted Caramel... Pepsi. I am very afraid right now. I feel like I need to put my hazmat suit on before trying this. I mean, I guess soda's sweet, and salted caramel is sweet, but salty soda just seems a little weird. I cheated and waited to watch Katie try it, and she's going back for seconds, so I guess it can't be that bad.

Post-sip thoughts

Katie:
Well...uh...hmm.  My mouth is confused. On the one hand, it's kind of good.  On the other hand, it's odd as if the two liquids (regular Pepsi and the salted caramel flavor) aren't really mixed together all the way.  Have you ever been to a restaurant like Johnny Rocket's that lets you order a soda with flavored syrup added?  So you could get a Coke with chocolate syrup in it that winds up tasting like tootsie roll soda? To me, it's good but it tastes like the chocolate part is just sitting on top of the Coke part as opposed to something like Vanilla Coke--as bottled by Coke and not swooshed together by a restaurant--where the two flavors are really melded together. I hope you have or those last two questions won't make any sense.  Anyway, this is...worth a try I think. It's different and definitely is not bad but is a little odd. Maybe it would pair well with something spicy or sour as a way to break up the taste?

Nick:
Uhhhh... this is actually quite tasty. I think the only way this would work is by maximizing the Pepsi or the salted caramel taste, and this is like 99% powerful caramel flavor; the salt and the pepsi are barely noticeable at all, and it turns out caramel soda actually tastes pretty good! I don't know how much of this I'd get, but it's very nice and sweet. Phew! We made it, everyone!