The zero-sugar cola appears to have arrived without any prior announcement, first spotted at a 7-Eleven in Thailand
Pepsi has released a Dubai Chocolate-flavored cola in Thailand, extending a food trend that has already moved through candy bars, pancakes, and ice cream into carbonated beverages. The flavor is zero sugar and is currently available only in Thailand.
A Reddit $RDDT user first brought the product to wider attention by sharing an image of a can they had picked up at a 7-Eleven. Shortly after, a second Reddit thread surfaced featuring the beverage in bottle form, indicating that production is substantial enough to support multiple packaging options, according to Sporked.
No advance notice preceded the release. Reaction online skewed skeptical, with a notable portion of commenters signaling they had grown weary of Dubai chocolate as a food trend. "This is getting out of hand with the Dubai chocolate," one commenter wrote. Some respondents raised doubts about the pairing of chocolate and soda more broadly, contending that the combination reliably produces a lifeless, synthetic result.
Tasters were split: the drink drew criticism — one person described it as "too sweet and tastes like mud," — though a portion of reviewers felt the soda successfully translated the chocolate, pistachio, and kataifi combination into drinkable form. "That actually tastes like kunafa and pistachio," one reviewer said, though that reviewer added the flavor was not for them. Others were more positive: "It is actually really good," another commenter said.
At the heart of the Dubai chocolate trend is a pairing of milk chocolate with pistachio cream and shredded kataifi pastry. Major chains and confectioners moved quickly to claim their share of it, with Lindt, Shake Shack, Crumbl, IHOP, and Ghirardelli all putting out products tied to the format.
Whether Pepsi's soda will reach the U.S. is unclear. International-only Pepsi releases that never cross into the U.S. are not uncommon for the brand.
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