Product circa: spring 2026
Following the dirty soda trend, Pepsico decided to create its own bottled version.
I wish they hadn't. Mimicking soda and cream was never going to work in a non-dairy shelf-stable version. They simply added vanilla "cream soda" flavoring to their Dew, and they added too much. In the end, the vanilla overpowers the rest of the product, and ultimately this tastes like cream soda, but more tangy and bitter.
Ironically, the zero sugar seems to have less vanilla, and veers further toward balance. But the sweetener completely ruins the attempt.
Interesting review! PepsiCo trying to bottle the dirty soda trend was always going to be tricky — the fresh cream really is what makes it work at the shops. I've been comparing the bottled and shop versions and found current Swig menu prices at https://swigmenu.net/ helpful for seeing what the real dirty sodas cost. The zero sugar version sounding more balanced makes sense since the vanilla doesn't have to fight the sugar. Thanks for the honest take!
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