I tried the Coca-Cola Ultimate League of Legends flavor — here's what it tastes like
The Coca-Cola Creations Lab has teamed up with League of Legends to launch a new limited-edition soda that tastes like — wait for it — XP. Yes, as in experience points.
Called Coca-Cola Ultimate, this inventive soda flavor is the first gaming company collaboration to come from the company’s Creations Lab, which has previously launched the space-flavored Coca-Cola Starlight and pixel-flavored Coca-Cola Byte.
With Coca-Cola Ultimate, the two brands are looking to, “celebrate every player’s journey — whether it's their first time on the Rift or on the Finals stage at Worlds in pursuit of the Summoner's Cup.”
As part of the soda’s release, League of Legends players will gain access to new in-game experiences and digital experience, including missions and Instagram filters that will make you look like a League of Legends emote.
Ultimate-themed, in-game emotes can now be unlocked, with the first mission live as of June 7. The Ultimate emotes will be available to earn until July 18, 11:59 p.m. PT, so you only have a few weeks to play.
What does Coca-Cola Ultimate taste like?
Coca-Cola sent me a bottle of the Ultimate soda to try. (Though it’s common knowledge that a soft soda machine and cans are better-tasting than bottles, but I digress.)
So, what does Coca-Cola Ultimate taste like? It’s one of those flavors that might adapt based on what you think it tastes like. At first, I tasted grenadine syrup, as though I was sipping on a Shirley Temple. But as I passed around tasting cups to my colleagues, someone said bubblegum, and then I tasted bubblegum.
Never knowing what flavors comprise bubblegum, I conducted a quick Google search. Did you know that bubblegum is made from multiple artificial fruit flavors? I sure didn’t. But as I listed out possible ingredients and said banana, our group had a “aha” moment. Banana Laffy Taffy, we concluded, is the best way to describe Coca-Cola Ultimate’s taste.
Now, I’m sure others who got their hands on the flavor will have different opinions. Again, it’s one of those amorphous tastes that’s difficult to absolutely define. There’s no answer for what +XP tastes like, after all.
I will say it’s not my favorite Coca-Cola Creations Lab flavor, that would be Starlight. But it’s a fun product for League of Legends fans and players, if not just to have the limited-edition bottle designed after the game.
