Admittedly, I'm the wrong person to take on "creative" flavored classics. While I love to experiment with new recipes and flavors, I maintain that some classics just shouldn't be tampered with. Even so, I had a little bit of a good feeling when I first saw the announcement for Coke flavored Oreos and their counterpart, Oreo flavored Coke. In this case, it's two can't miss classics for me. Perhaps no other cookie is as iconic as an Oreo, and even though I'm of the "Pepsi Generation" I have to admit, Coca Cola is the first thing anyone thinks of when they think of soda (or pop, as it is correctly referred to here in Chicago where Culture Combine's crew calls home)
Still, I grew up on hot dog stands and ice cream places serving things like Chocolate Pepsi, and with that iconic chocolate and vanilla creme combo I thought you couldn't miss.
In the case of Coke Flavored Oreos though, I was dead wrong.
I didn't know too much about the mysterious collaboration before I ran into it at the store. Nevertheless we snatched up a …carton (?) and took it home to sample. These Oreos look pretty cool, with a red "golden" Oreo cookie side and a Coke infused chocolate cookie on the other. Inside, the classic "stuf" has been replaced with "Coca-Cola inspired flavor creme" and popping candy.
When you first open the pack, you'll quickly be met with the classic aroma of syrupy, delicious Coca-Cola. It smells almost identical to opening a can of the fizzy favorite. This gave me false hope as I bit into this weird collab, unfortunately.
While you get a first rush of Coke flavor, the next minute it feels a little like an unholy mix of saccharine sweetness between the Oreo's classic (and perfect) balance of "just sweet enough" and Coca-Cola's "at the tipping point between too sweet and very sweet."
That combination met with the unpleasant addition of crunchiness you'll get chowing down on popping candy begins the downward spiral. Popping candy was actually a favorite of mine growing up, and I often poured packets into my mouth and swished some soda around to really get the party going - but I never claimed it made either taste better. I get why they'd include it - so you get that iconic Coke fizz - but it is not a welcome addition to an Oreo, in my opinion.
Secondly, while the aroma is spot on Coca-Cola and makes you excited for the flavor, the flavor turns out to be rather unpleasant. Oreo's chocolate is of a different variety than standard chocolate syrup or fudge that are used in things like Chocolate Pepsi, and Coke's borderline too -sweet main notes are discordant when paired with Oreo's balanced flavors.
The final nail in the coffin for me is one I find a lot in these weird mashups - an odd aftertaste. While forcefully smelling of Coca-Cola, it doesn't really continue to have that classic taste, and instead just ends up tasting...confusing, if that's even a thing.
I don't know how this didn't hit the mark, to be frank. Eating an Oreo and washing it down with Coke isn't bad, but somehow, infusing Oreos with Coke seems to be.
That's alright, though, cuz there's always Oreo Flavored Coke to hang our hopes on...right?
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