CELSIUS Sparkling Cola

Introduction

After the short lived experiment known as Coca-Cola Energy (RIP 2020-2021), the Cola flavored energy drink world has consolidated to a few key players, including Bang Miami Cola, Monster Assault, and now Celsius Sparking Cola.

All I know is when I found out that Celsius, the brand I recognize for fruity, sparkling, caffeinated water, has a Cola drink out, I had to get my hands on it. Shoutout to Amazon and Celsius for the reasonably priced 12-pack that I'm splitting with the rest of the Sharks.

Appearance

The design in between the "Celsius" and "Sparkling Cola" which looks like red, yellow, and pink bubbles is so abstract and dumb that I love it. Other than that, it's the classic Celsius can. Slim white-black-silver color scheme.

Taste

Plagiarizing straight from my Twitter account (@jwat_5) - "I’m impressed @CelsiusOfficial found a way to add their own twist to a century-old soft drink. It’s similar enough to Coke/Pepsi that I could see drinking it at a cookout, baseball game, etc. But also light and refreshing enough I could see drinking it during or after a workout."

If you've had a Celsius before, you'll get what I mean when I say that Celsius Sparkling Cola tastes like like Coke/Pepsi and the idea of Celsius had a baby. If you haven't, then you're probably looking at your computer screen thinking about how much of an idiot I am.

I'm not sure how else to describe it, other than it's a bit more water-y than a typical Cola, but not in a bad way...

Kick

200mg of caffeine for the win. Perfect sweet spot between coffee and a Reign/Bang.

Conclusion

If you like Cola with a kick, I think you'll love Celsius Sparking Cola. It gets bonus points from me for having 200mg of caffeine, tasting distinctly different from Coca-Cola and Pepsi, and continuing the Celsius dynasty of excellent drinks.

Introduction

Celsius Sparkling Cola tastes like a flat Pepsi to me. It is still better than some of the lesser energy drink brands such as Rip It, but it is inferior to pretty much every other Celsius flavor. While it has 200mg of caffeine (16.67mg/floz), it still lacks any sort of initial kick. While the other Sharks enjoy Celsius Sparkling Cola, I personally am not a fan.

Upside

This is a light energy drink, and it has more caffeine than most regular colas. It is easy to sip while preoccupied with other activities, and will deliver a fine midday energy boost. It is not rated lower because colas are still generally appealing, but there is not much more I could say about the upside of Celsius Sparkling Cola.

Downside

It tastes like flat Pepsi. It does not even get a boost to tasting like flat Coke (get bodied Pepsi). Either way, I enjoy this less than typical soft drinks despite it having more caffeine. If you want a cola with more caffeine, this may be your only option, but I do not recommend it as a first choice to anybody.

Upshot

Most energy drinks and soft drinks taste better than Celsius Sparkling Cola. There is nothing too redeeming about this edition, and other Celsius options are far superior. The other Sharks thoroughly enjoyed this beverage, but I do not see the appeal.

Appearance

Sparkling Cola continues CELSIUS' traditional product design scheme. The shades of brown that accent the can tie in with the flavor, but do not strike the eye in a favorable manner. The traditional fruit graphic on the front of the label is replaced by colored dots that represent carbonation bubbles. The graphic looks quite nice, but all brown accent colors are tough to overcome visually.

Taste

The concept of a "sparkling cola" is quite interesting. In this case, it is more of a marketing tactic than anything. Despite any marketing mumbo jumbo, I found Sparkling Cola to be quite similar to other cola flavors, especially Bang Miami Cola. It tastes sweeter than most CELSIUS products, but falls in line with an accurate cola flavor. It has a nice bite to it, which any crisp cola should have. I enjoyed it, though it lacks differentiation from other cola flavors.

Kick

CELSIUS Sparkling Cola has 200mg of caffeine. The caffeine content equates to roughly two cups of coffee.

Overall

Cola flavoring is a departure for CELSIUS, which typically markets fruit-based flavors towards a health focused audience. Clearly they are going after Coca-Cola drinkers, which are now without an option within the brand thanks to Coca-Cola Energy's quick demise. The drink was enjoyable, though uninspiring as this cola flavor did not markedly stand out from other related products. Until I try a unique cola flavor, I imagine that consumers will choose a cola flavored beverage that aligns with their preferred brand of choice.