For decades Japan has had fleeting affairs with concoctions known as “White Cola” which is meant to be a twist on the age old formula that brings us the brown colas we all know and love. Now, it’s back again to celebrate the Sochi Olympics. From 4 February you can purchase a bottle of Pokka Sapporo White Cola for 147 yen (US$1.45).

White Cola is a bit of a misnomer, aside from being caffeinated and carbonated it doesn’t seem to share a whole lot with the junk food beverage king. Then again, I could be wrong. Perhaps it does taste just like cola and the white hue is warping my taste perspective.

It’s a hard taste to peg actually. Entabe sampled a bottle and reported that it was like a carbonated whey drink. I could best compare it to a piña colada or Crystal Pepsi. There seemed to be a coconut essence somewhere in the mix. Any way you want to describe it, the drink has just a little of the sharp taste of a regular cola but is overall much milder.

Like all white colas in Japan, Pokka Sapporo White Cola is on sale for a limited time. Also, the bottles are reportedly labelled with the image of a penguin participating in a Winter Olympic sport. Entabe got a penguin ski-jumping but our penguin just seems to be drinking. Either we got hosed or chugging has been added as a demonstration sport this year.

Source: Entabe

▼ White Cola was indeed white, but when pitted against a black cup it failed terribly.

▼ Family Mart is also selling Gachapin nikuman this month. I got some Mukku-man to go with the White Cola.