pepsi next

Pepsi Next, the line of Pepsi sodas with 60 percent less sugar than standard cans, has released two new limited-edition flavors for Summer: Paradise Mango and Cherry Vanilla. Considering our generally unfavorable opinion of the new wave of "semidiet" sodas, we were skeptical, but wanted to give the flavors a fair try.

It wasn't easy. We weren't that impressed with Pepsi Next when we taste tested the soda a few months back. To make matters worse, when the new flavors were shipped to us via a sand-filled plastic box, one of the cans exploded inside the box during transit. The YumSugar team shrieked upon realization that the sandbox was seeping, and soda was inches away from our precious laptops. We made a sincere, three-person effort to carry the soaked sandbox to the trashcan without leaving a Pepsi trail.

Despite it all, we cracked the cans anyway and entered into taste-test mode with willing palates and open minds. Find out if the sodas were a hit or a total letdown by reading the taste-test results.

Pepsi Next, which rolled out nationally March 26, is the newest addition to the Pepsi family. The so-called "midcalorie soda" is targeted toward drinkers who are cutting back on sugar, a dietary trend that's been holding steady in recent years. It's made with a combination of high-fructose corn syrup, aspartame, and sucralose, and has 60 percent less sugar than regular Pepsi.

As someone who's always chosen Pepsi over Coke, I pounced at the chance to try the newest addition to the Pepsi family. I grabbed a couple of office mates and every Pepsi product that I could find within a one block radius (Pepsi, Pepsi Max, and Diet Pepsi) for a casual taste test and comparison. Find out what we thought when you keep reading.