Coca-Cola Gives Coffee-Cola Another Go, And It's 2020, So Why Not?

Amid a lingering downward trend in soda sales and the negative impact of the coronavirus, Coca-Cola is hard at work trying to tweak its portfolio, slashing beverages, and even shuttering low-performing “zombie” brands while introducing new drinks more reflective of current consumer preferences.

Coca-Cola’s latest offering, Coca-Cola Blak, combines Brazillian coffee with their classic soda, with two additional complementary flavors, vanilla, and caramel. The new trio will be available in 12-ounce cans and contains a boost in caffeine, 69mg per serving over the 34mg found in traditional Coca-Cola, and the 46mg in Diet Coke.

The new cans are red with a wavey, energetic pattern in the background that is more energy drink than cola, a circular Coca-Cola mark in the middle-front accompanied by “with coffee” set in a light color and pragmatic typeface. The tops sport a flavored-themed band with a faux paper label more familiar on coffeehouse RTD bottles than soda cans. Overall, it’s a cross-category mixup that might win over coffee, soda, and energy drink diehards with something similar enough to be approachable but different enough to garner interest.

“This is a truly unique hybrid innovation that will pioneer a new category we’re calling refreshment coffee,” said Jaideep Kibe, vice president, Coca-Cola Trademark, Coca-Cola North America, in the same press release announcing the new beverage.

This isn’t Coca-Cola’s first crack at a Cola-Coffee mashup, however, nor is it the first caffeine-boosted cola they’ve introduced in 2020. The iconic brand's previous attempt, also called Blak, was discontinued after only two years. Coca-Cola described the earlier iteration of Blak as having an “adult cola taste.”

Blak is also not the only coffee soda to debut this year. Soda rival Pepsi announced its coffee cola earlier this year as well.