Pepsi Next, The In-Between Soda For Everyone

For its latest product launch — its biggest, and significant in several years, no less — PepsiCo appears to have adpoted a Goldilocks mentality: Aim for the middle.

Pepsi Next, a 60 calories-per-can soda that doesn't taste like diet, is set to debut in stores nationwide by the end of March. And it seems like the perfect compromise, right? Real soda taste, with the low-calorie sensibility of a diet soda. However, as many have been quick to point out, this is not the brand's first dance with the mid-calorie soda category. Remember Pepsi Edge, the company's 2004 attempt at a cola with half the calories of a regular variety? No hard feelings if you don't — the drink was discontinued after two years due to lackluster sales.

So what has Pepsi done differently this time to hopefully avoid striking out again? Apparently, the company spent time reworking the formula to ensure that the taste of Next more closely resembles that of regular Pepsi. As Pepsi spokeswoman, Melisa Tezanos, told the Associated Press, "We wanted to develop a taste curve that gives the full flavor of regular Pepsi."

So there you have it, a Pepsi for the soda drinker who wants it all, just right. What do you think, will you give this gray-area soda a try when it's released?