UCC Full Throttle Sparkling Caffeine

Posted on July 13, 2014 | Last updated February 21, 2025

UCC Full Throttle Sparkling Caffeine
UCC released this carbonated coffee as part of the energy drink boom. It’s a so-called "unpalatable" type of product.

UCC Full Throttle Sparkling Caffeine

Manufacturer	UCC
Country of Origin	Japan
Price	200 JPY
Flavor	Coffee
Total rating	★☆☆☆☆

Author information Author: Energy Drink-kun

In 2001, while living in the United States, I encountered energy drinks through the dance scene and was deeply impressed. After returning to Japan, I found that energy drinks were considered novelty beverages, so I established a comprehensive website in 2013 to share the true appeal of energy drinks. As an energy drink enthusiast, I began drinking them seriously again, collecting over 7,000 varieties of energy drinks from various countries. I am also active as a critic and expert, receiving media interviews.

Keeping in Mind That It's Sparkling Caffeine

I thought UCC was entering the energy drink market, but instead, they released a product in the carbonated coffee category under the name "Sparkling Caffeine." This product is not an energy drink, but rather, it maintains the stance that it’s not meant to be one. It aims to bring out the refreshing carbonation and the deliciousness of coffee with a clean finish.

Since it's not classified as an energy drink, there's technically no need for a review. However, I received a request to review it, so I decided to include it on the site as a pseudo-energy drink.

I feel a bit bad for UCC, as it’s not actually an energy drink (；´∀｀). In fact, any place that features UCC Full Throttle as an energy drink is misclassifying it. This is a carbonated coffee.

UCC Full Throttle Taste

Now, onto the taste and ingredient review.
The aroma is just like regular coffee, and the color is normal as well.
The taste is like a sweet black canned coffee with carbonation added. Due to the carbonation, the sweetness and bitterness are experienced at odd moments.

The carbonation bubbles make the sweetness and coffee bitterness feel separated. It might be due to the color, but it initially has a cola-like sweetness, followed by bitterness, and then the sweetness returns... it’s a repeating cycle. This flavor definitely has mixed reactions (；´∀｀). It’s hard to define the taste.

UCC Full Throttle Ingredients

UCC Full Throttle Sparkling Caffeine
Since it's sparkling coffee, there are no specific energy ingredients in it. The caffeine content is said to be twice as much as UCC's regular products, with 120mg per can, which is quite a bit.

The concept seems to combine the sharpness of coffee, the refreshing feel of carbonation, and the awakening effects of the higher caffeine content. While the concept is interesting, the inclusion of carbonation makes it a product whose drinkability could vary greatly depending on personal taste. Personally, I couldn’t drink the full 190ml (ヽ´ω`).

When you consider the release of Powered Coffee as an energy coffee with a normal coffee taste that was actually delicious, this one feels a bit of a missed opportunity. It was marketed as part of the energy drink wave before release, which I think may have been counterproductive.

After receiving this review request, I went to 8 different convenience stores before finally finding it. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s not selling well or just that it wasn’t stocked at the other stores...