I must admit that I am often intrigued by new products, and succumb to the impulse to try out wacky new things. A few weeks ago, I was in our favorite Shaws (on Western Ave.) and saw this unusual-looking new beverage called Blak, produced by our friends at the Coca-Cola company ( press release ). At that point in time, I was intrigued, but able to resist. A few weeks later, however, as I was strolling through LaVerdes at MIT during my lunch break, I gave in to temptation.
Let me summarize the experience by saying that Blak is one of the grimmest beverages ever invented. Here’s how they must make it at the factory: start with an empty can; add one half of the can’s volume of coca-cola that is slightly flat from a 2-liter bottle that’s been opened up for a while; fill the rest of the can up with a mug of slightly burnt and strong coffee that’s been sitting in the coffee maker for about two days and is room temperature; add approximately 4 packets of sweet-n-low; mix. It boggles the mind how anyone thought this drink was a good idea. It’s not that I don’t like coffee or coffee drinks in general. I enjoy the Starbucks bottled coffee-flavored beverages very much. Anyway, is there anyone out there who actually has tried Blak and has not found it to be completely repulsive?
Supposedly, the roll-out started in France. One student said, probably in a typically French snooty accent: (quoted from this article) “I don’t think it’s a good idea. We are artisans in France, we are used to things like good coffee and fine wines, not things like this.”
Into The Weeds 