Two products worthy of your attention are the new Coca-Cola With Coffee and a fun fusion snack mix, 4505 Cheese-Charrones, chicharrones blended with Whisps cheese crisps.
 
 
1. COCA-COLA WITH COFFEE

Finally, Coca-Cola with Coffee (regular and diet) has come to the U.S.

Available in Japan since 2018 and in 48 other countries, this fusion flavor is welcome.

It’s a true hybrid innovation. If you’re a Coke or Diet Coke drinker who also enjoys coffee, it’s a must-try.

And not just as a pick-me-up drink, although the varieties, made with Brazilian coffee, contain 69 milligrams of caffeine per 12-ounce can.

That’s double the caffeine of a regular Coca-Cola, but about half of the caffeine in a 12-ounce cup of coffee (depending on the brew).

Coca-Cola with Coffee is available nationwide in three flavors (photo #2) plus two sugar-free versions:

 
The company says that the new flavor “Sips like a Coke, finishes like a coffee.”

We tasted two varieties: Dark Blend and Zero Sugar Vanilla.

We don’t regularly drink sugary sodas, but found the Dark Blend to be an interesting flavor, not as sweet as a regular Coke. It’s sweetened with the same HFCS as regular Coke, but perhaps they used less of it.

The Zero Sugar Vanilla may be our new favorite zero-calorie drink (photo #1). It had no diet drink aftertaste; the sugar substitute is a combination of sucralose (the component of Splenda) and acesulfame potassium (Ace-K).

The natural flavors gave Zero Sugar Vanilla a hint of hazelnut; altogether a delicious diet drink. We look forward to trying Zero Sugar Dark Blend.

At cocktail time, we added a shot of vodka to turn it into a Diet Coke Black Russian.

Here’s a store locator.

For more information on the line, visit Coca-ColaCompany.com.
 

2. 4505 CHEESE-CHARRONES SNACK MIX

For those who like chicharrones—fried pork rinds—is there a better option than the basic simple recipe? Yes!

Last month we reported on Pig Wizard flavored pork rinds: a true delight in flavors such as Beer Bacon Caramel PorkCorn, Sweet Heat Caramel PorkCorn and Thai Tea Caramel PorkCorn.

We recently discovered different-flavored chicharrones, from 4505 Meats in San Francisco.

Back in 2009, chef and butcher Ryan Farr started to fry up chicharrones from pork fat, and selling them to local bars for extra cash.

The crunchy, carb-free snacks quickly became famous throughout the city, and were dubbed “crispy clouds of porkaliciousness.”

Made from sustainably, humanely produced pork, they have 7 grams of protein per serving.

He took a different direction in flavoring his pork rinds:

 
Read more about them here.

[1] Our new favorite diet Coke flavor: Coca-Cola With Coffee Zero Sugar Vanilla (photos #1 and #2 © Coca-Cola).

[2] A trio of flavors: Dark, Vanilla and Caramel, the first two also available in Zero Sugar.

[3] Flavored chicharrones (fried pork rinds) from 4505 Meats, plus the new Cheese-Charrones snack mix with Cheese Whisps (photos #4 and #5 © 4505 Meats).

[4] The new Cheese-Charrones are a blend of pork rinds, cracklings, and Whisps cheddar cheese crisps.

The result is crunchy, salty, porkalicious…and cheese-alicious, too.

Check it out on 4505Meats.com.