Pepsi Twist

**Current Status:** | Germany: Permanent Flavor

**Pepsi Twist** was a Pepsi cola flavor first released in 2000, and a couple of years after, it got discontinued in 2006. Two years later, in Summer 2008, it was re-released and re-named as Pepsi NFL Kickoff in the United States for a limited time and then became discontinued once again. It is still available in Europe and parts of Asia.

## **Description**

Pepsi Twist was a Lemon Cola flavor of Pepsi. It's similar to another Cola flavor, which has a similar shade of lemon flavor, Coca-Cola Lemon.

While in some international countries, its flavor is a lime flavor, while very few countries have another flavor, such as ginger sporting the same Pepsi Twist name.

## **History**

### **United States**

At the end of 1999/start of 2000, PepsiCo conducted a test phase period where Pepsi Twist got tested in certain areas. One of which is malls of some kind, where lucky people got asked to do a survey. The survey given to people was to test a 6-pack of Pepsi Twist and give their review.

After the testing survey period, Pepsi Twist got released in 2000 permanently. Its popularity remained stable enough, but it fell out in summer 2006, where it got discontinued due to potentially low sales.

Two years later, Pepsi Twist got re-named as Pepsi NFL Kickoff, re-released in summer 2008 for a limited time for a "Double your Pepsi Points" promotion on the Pepsi Stuff website back then. Since then, there wasn't any re-release of any kind.

### **Canada**

In 2001, following the American release of Pepsi Twist in 2000, Pepsi Twist was getting sold in Canada. It later got discontinued shortly after due to potentially low sales.

In Summer 2017, Pepsi Twist got re-released for a limited time until late 2017 where it got discontinued.

### **Japan**

At the end of 2001, Pepsi Twist got released alongside a diet variation in Japan in vending machines, and it remained in production until sometime in the early-2010s. During production, a transformers toy related to Pepsi Twist got released as the "Pepsi Convoy."

### **Thailand**

In 2002, Pepsi Twist was getting sold in Thailand up until 2009, where it got presumably discontinued. Not much information got known about this international release.

### **Belgium**

In 2002, Pepsi Twist got sold in Belgium up until the mid-2000s. In 2003, its design got updated to promote Lord of the Rings, a movie. It later got replaced with a lemon and lime flavor of Pepsi Max Twist, where that variation of Pepsi Max got discontinued shortly after.

### **Germany**

In 2002, Pepsi Twist got released in Germany as a permanent flavor. Since then, and as of February 2022, it is still available for German customers to enjoy ongoing 20 years in 2022.

### Bosnia and Herzegovina

in late 2006, Pepsi twist was released in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a permanent flavor. It is wildly popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Pepsi Twist outselling regular Pepsi. It is still available today for Bosnian customers to enjoy.

### Pakistan

Pepsi Twist was also released in Pakistan in 2006. The product failed to capture the market, but it is still available in some supermarkets.

### The Philippines

In the Philippines, Pepsi Twist was released in 2002, and was an instant hit among teenagers, but failed to capture the market.

### Czech Republic and Slovakia

In the Czech Republic and Slovakia (both countries being the former Czechoslovakia), Pepsi Twist was introduced in 2002, its diet counterpart Pepsi Twist Light was introduced in January 2003. As of October 2023, both version are still being sold in the region over 20 years after their respective introduction dates.

### Romania

Pepsi Twist is marketed in Romania under the name Pepsi Twist Lemon. It was sold under the name of Pepsi Twist until recently, and its diet counterpart, Pepsi Twist Light Lemon.

### Poland

Pepsi Twist was introduced in Poland in summer 2002. It is still a fairly popular drink in Poland. In 2012, Pepsi Twist Light was introduced in Poland.

### Brazil

Pepsi Twist was released in Brazil (with lime instead of lemon), where a limited-edition version was also sold, the Pepsi Twistão, with an even stronger lime flavor.