Fast forward to summer already

Hot take alert: Pepsi is better than Coke.

At least, in my opinion. In fact, the amount of Pepsi, Original or Wild Cherry, I consume in the office has become somewhat of a joke.

I will, however, give Coke credit for their best flavor, vanilla. It is the best Coke by far and is my guilty pleasure of a soda. It is the best part of the cola partnered with the best part of most root beers.

So, over the course of the last couple weeks, all of the Coke commercials have been pushing the same thing, Orange Vanilla Coke. I am not sure what the marketing budget was for the new flavor, but I would be surprised if it wasn’t to the same scale as Mike Trout’s new contract, which, to those that don’t follow baseball, is nearly half a billion dollars.

With that said, I finally caved and bought a bottle of the stuff. To be frank, I was pretty firm in my expectations before drinking it. If it was going to be anything other than a Coke with a melted Dreamsicle in it, I would be disappointed.

Congratulations, Coke. You hit my expectations. That was pretty much exactly how it tastes.

The worry heading into the test was if the orange was going to be too overpowering. An orange flavored Coke doesn’t sound pleasing, so striking a balance was key.

In reality, the orange flavor sits in the background, where it belongs. You have to really search for the orange in order to isolate it. The small hint helps bring forward the vanilla flavoring.

Beyond the taste, opening the bottle releases the nice aromas that complement the taste. It is almost a nostalgia kick, taking you back to a nice summer day eating a Dreamsicle with the fluffy white clouds floating overhead.

One quick look outside is kind of depressing after that though. So right now, Orange Vanilla Coke does not get a recommendation. Give it about two months, and it might have to be the go-to soda.

And at that point, sitting down in the grass on a nice summer day with an Orange Vanilla Coke in hand, you can think to yourself, “Orange you glad you picked this Orange Vanilla Coke?”

Author’s note: that final pun gets credited to Co-News Editor Ryan Nix. Coke, feel free to use that as your next slogan.