The Fires of Mitdosuji Steel Spicy Cola Challenge

Brand: Ribon

Cost: 108 yen

Found At: Kyoto Daiso

I respect this company’s drive to innovate. I can even see the appeal of spicy cola – it sounds like it could be good. It especially sounds good with a name like “The Fires of Mitdosuji Steel Spicy Cola Challenge.” But something happened between the inspiration stage and research and development stage  – some fundamental miscommunication about what this candy should be. Perhaps they were told to “make a spicy version of coke” but what they heard was “make a candy that tastes like a middle schooler has dumped pepper into a cup full of random sodas.” It almost tastes like coke, but is weirdly too sour, and the spiciness is a strange mixture between red-hots and black pepper. The overall experience is just not good, and while I’m not giving up on spicy cola as a concept, I am definitely giving up on this candy.