A New Generation: Pepsi Offers Clear Choices

Expect plenty of hoopla for two new products you can see right through - Crystal Pepsi and Diet Crystal Pepsi.

After 15 months of laboratory research and development involving more than 3,000 formulations and six months of test marketing, the clear colas are in local stores. Viewers of the Super Bowl Jan. 31 will face off to commercials featuring the theme "You've never seen a taste like this" with music by rocker Van Halen.

"I assumed they would taste like regular Pepsi without the color when I first heard about it, but they're a lighter version, with no preservatives or caffeine," says Scott Hickey, general manager of the Seattle-based Alpac Corporation, Western Washington Pepsi bottler.

"Crystal Pepsi has 130 calories, compared to 150 calories for regular Pepsi."

Soft-drink companies have been keeping a close watch in recent years on the popularity of the so-called "New Age" drinks, mainly the unflavored bottled waters and the fruit-flavored carbonated waters.

Pepsi officials say theirs are not "New Age" products, but they bring "New Age" appeal.

Hickey says the clear Pepsis reinforce feelings consumers have about lightness and purity.

Martin Friedman, editor of New Product News, a trade publication, says "Clear is in these days." The proliferation of detergents, deodorants and now soft drinks, capitalize on the warm and fuzzy feelings associated with water, he says, adding that the Coca-Cola Co., which already has revived its Fresca brand, is expected to introduce a clear version of Tab.

Perhaps the soft-drink manufacturers harbor the hopes consumers will drink more because it resembles water.

We did a taste test in The Times Kitchen involving the two new products plus regular Pepsi and regular Diet Pepsi. One of our goals was to determine if the color, or lack of it, would be a factor.

A dozen testers were told they would rate eight soft drinks. For the first four they closed their eyes and kept them closed while drinking from a paper cup handed to them. After each drink they made comments and rated them on a scale of 0 to 5. For the remainder, also served in numbered paper cups, they used their eyes as well as their taste buds. The testers were not told they were sampling the same four Pepsi products twice, but in different orders.

The results confirmed what food scientists have been telling us - the senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing all affect our reactions to food.

When the scores were totaled, tasters had given higher marks to Crystal Pepsi when their eyes were closed, and slightly higher marks to Diet Crystal Pepsi when their eyes were open. They liked regular Pepsi and regular Diet Pepsi more with their eyes open.

Comments about Crystal Pepsi included: "Refreshing," "Lively," "Reminds me of a mild ginger ale," "Too sweet," "Too much like Alka-Seltzer," "Tastes weak."

Comments about Diet Crystal Pepsi included: "Too sweet," "Nice and light - not too sweet," "Fruity," "Too artificial."

Hickey expects teenagers and young professionals to be most enthusiastic about the new clear drinks, and that the drinks will have crossover appeal with both traditional cola and non-cola drinkers.

Crystal Pepsi was introduced in Rhode Island, Colorado and Dallas in April. The diet version was introduced four months ago in test markets. Producers project that Crystal Pepsi will capture more than 2 percent of the carbonated soft drink business within the first year of national distribution. That represents about $1 billion in retail sales in the $48-billion soft drink industry.

The goal for the Western Washington market is one million cases in the first year.

Last month Crystal Pepsi was named "Best New Product of the Year" in a consumer survey of grocery products conducted by Doug Hall, developer of AcuPOLL.

Crystal Pepsi is made of carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sugar, phosphoric acid, citric acid, natural flavorings and modified food starch. Diet Crystal Pepsi contains carbonated water, NutraSweet brand of aspartame, phosphoric acid, dipotassium phosphate, natural flavors, citric acid and gum arabic. --------------------------------------------------------------- SCORE TOTALS FOR THE FOUR PRODUCTS IN THE TIMES KITCHEN (60 points possible)

Eyes Closed Eyes Open. Pepsi 43 44.5. Crystal Pepsi 35 29.5. Diet Pepsi 33.5 40.5. Diet Crystal Pepsi 27 28.5.