Pepsi's New Nitro Cola Tastes Like A Creamy Root Beer Float

There's a new soda on the market and, while this may seem strange, it has no carbonation whatsoever. Instead, it's nitrogenated. Just as we've seen with beer and more recently with coffee, Pepsi has begun infusing nitrogen into its cola. The result? A smooth, velvety drink with way smaller bubbles and a large frothy head. A freshly poured glass has a cascading texture almost identical to that of a Guinness.

The Most Popular Soda From the Year You Were Born

The Daily Meal was invited to the PepsiCo Design Center, where we were able to sample a prototype of the beverage. We were a little skeptical at first because what's a soda without fizz? But even though there were no blatant bubbles, it didn't taste flat. The texture was delightfully creamy, the flavor was fantastic and the froth was fun.

The experience is comparable to that of enjoying a root beer float, in which the ice cream dilutes the bubbles. The cola flavor was more present too, because carbonation gives beverages a bitter taste. Without it, the drink seems sweeter, but not overwhelmingly at all, and there's no need to worry about excessive burping because there's no CO2!

Since this product is just taking off, consumers probably won't see it on store shelves for a while. Pepsi's vice president of marketing, Todd Kaplan, told The Daily Meal it'd first be served in restaurants and sampled at events — starting with Super Bowl VIII — where people could order it on draught to get the full cascading effect.

Eventually, if all goes swimmingly, people will find it at retailers in something similar to the Guinness can with a ball in the bottom that's filled with pressurized nitrogen. When you pop the top of the can, the widget releases the nitrogen into the drink, creating a burst of bubbles and a frothy head, just like you'd get from the tap.  

Right now, Nitro Pepsi comes in classic cola and vanilla flavors. But beware, non-soda drinkers, this could potentially be dangerous for your diet. Our taste-tester drinks soda very rarely (and if she does, it's always ginger ale because that's technically a medicine, right Mom?), but she really, really enjoyed Nitro Pepsi and is now questioning her whole existence. To the soda drinkers: Give it a chance. Bubbles aren't always better. Is diet soda better, though? These 18 facts might make deter you from drinking it.