All the caffeine I could want

Coffee is a taste I've never acquired, at least as a hot drink. Whenever someone offers me a cup of coffee, my standard response is "I take my caffeine cold." (Why is it they usually don't turn around and offer me a soda?) Perhaps it's coffee's bitterness or perhaps it's the lack of sweetness, but I prefer hot chocolate as a tummy warmer.

Oddly enough, I do like coffee-flavored ice cream and candy and, more recently, coffee-flavored cold drinks. So, given my long-standing love affair with Coca-Cola, with no hesitation I purchased a bottle of Coke Blak when I saw it on the store shelf.

Unlike in my last review of a Coke product, I think Coke has a winner here. There's a bit more of a coffee taste than I would like (its slogan is "Coke effervescence with coffee essence") and a bit less carbonation than other Coke products, but nothing to put me off. It's likely that I will be drinking Coke Blak a couple times a week in addition to my regular Coke habit.

It's probably smart of Coke to package Coke Blak in an 8-ounce bottle, given its potency, and the accompanying bump in price ($1.69–1.99 a bottle) should ensure some hefty profits for Coca-Cola. (Coke Blak is also available in a 4-pack.) If you're counting, a single serving has 45 calories—a small price for one of life's pleasures.

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