Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry

 

Product circa: 2024 and later winter seasons

Sprite's Cranberry version from many years ago was very good, and this product has proved successful enough to return at least one year so far for the winter season.

This stuff is really good, but I'm annoyed that I'm having such a hard time discerning its flavors.  Beyond the cranberry, I can't tell what "spices" exists in this formula.  It's possible that there are traditional baking spices in this, like clove or allspice, and they are simply toned down so much that they're barely recognizable.  But by my tongue, I think it's more likely a bit of ginger and juniper that are added, maybe.  Regardless, this is a real treat, and worth picking up a 12-pack each season.

Gatorade All-American Mashups

 

Product circa: July 2026

I bought this fully having no idea what it was.  It turns out that it's a mystery flavor in celebration of the semiquincentennial.

As the internet would suggest, this stuff is a dead ringer for guava.  It feels like it tastes less salty than your average Gatorade, as well.  A really nice change of pace, but nothing too special.

Orange Cream Coca-Cola

 

Product circa: 2025

It is my contention that every product should have an orange vanilla version, period.

Anyway, this stuff is good.  Orange, vanilla, and cola are flavors that have always gone well with each other in any combination.  The flavor is strong enough to be noticed here as well, and I would say they struck a good balance.  However, I might say that the older Orange Coca-Cola product would be my preference.

The zero sugar version is a pale comparison to the original; the flavor balance is off, somehow.  I think that vanilla flavoring might specifically struggle with calorie-free sweetener.

Dr. Pepper Creamy Coconut

 

Product circa: 2024 and 2026

On paper, this feels like an all-time varietal, but in practice, the coconut flavor is quite faint, and I would have preferred it stronger, almost like what you'd from Sonic Drive-In if you ordered a Dr. Pepper with a coconut add-in.  With that said, this stuff is still damn good, and I easily drank a whole 12 pack with time to spare.  And evidently, it was popular enough that it has returned in 2026.

Mountain Dew Frost Bite

 

Product circa: post-2020

I vaguely remember this tasting of melon, but it was mostly forgettable.  Label is cool AF, though.

Dump post: Oreos, Pop-Tarts, Lays, and Mountain Dew Baja Gold

 Just a post dumping old pics that I never posted.  I don't have individualized reviews of these, but I remember especially that the Oreos below were very good overall.

Powerade FIFA World Cup 2026 Trio

Products circa: Summer 2026

Yet another promotion for the 2026 World Cup.

Blood Orange Kick - It took me years to understand the flavor of blood orange.  The way I describe it today is a slightly more savory version of orange, a savoriness that borders on tomato.  Anyway, this has nothing of that.  It tastes mostly like any orange sports drink, but the flavor is slightly worse.

White Grape Wave - They somehow managed to alter the artificial grape flavor to simulate a commendably realistic white grape flavor.  It's not bad, but it's an odd mix with the sports drink base.

Cold Berry Burst - A tart blue raspberry with other generic "berry" thrown in.  Not teeming with flavor, but probably just the right amount of subtlety to make it easy to chug.  However, this stuff has the "cooling" menthol-like ingredients (which the internet doesn't readily identify)

Mountain Dew Dragon Fruit & TicTac Dragon Fruit

 

Product circa: 2026

Dragon fruit/pitaya is having a moment, I guess. In my cynical opinion, it's only popular because of its appearance.  I tried the stuff fresh many many years ago, and it's sweet, but its flavor is so subtle to almost be non-existent.  I think that any processed food product claiming to be flavored with it is being disingenuous.  Further, the color of its flesh is also white/colorless, and so any colorful dragon fruit products are also just doing it for "vibes".

Dew: Anyway, while its safe to say that this Dew doesn't look or taste like a dragon fruit beverage might or should, it caught me off guard on how tasty it is.  Overall, I'm just tasting "tropical", but it works so well, and it very much reminds me of Sprite Tropical Mix.  Call this Dew Tropical Mix.

TicTac: Extremely average.  Generic fruitiness, a touch of floral, but it does end with a nice sourness as it dissolves.  

Dirty Mountain Dew

 

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.

Diet Coke Lime (2025)

 

Product circa: autumn 2025 

Diet Coke with Lime was a fairly short-lived product from 2004, but it gained such a cult following (though not nearly as much as Diet Coke with Lemon from 2001), that I started to get annoyed hearing about it over the decades.

I'm glad that Coke revived it under this slightly different name, though I have a feeling that they would never bring it back permanently, even if the fan response warranted it.

And it's a shame, because this shit is good.  I wasn't a fan of the original in 2004, and it's impossible for me to say how accurate this stuff tastes to the original.  But the lime here (which isn't too unnatural tasting) totally compliments the Diet Coke, in a way that tastes smoother and better than Diet Coke.  If this were a permanent product, I would probably buy it somewhat regularly (and I never buy Diet Coke). 

Fanta Chucky's Punch

 

Product circa: autumn 2025

Released as part of a group of horror-themed sodas in preparation for Halloween 2025, I believe this one was the only brand-new flavor among them.

This stuff is good, and I'll tell you why.  Fruit punch sodas often miss the mark.  I would say most often they are simply too sweet, with not enough acid.  After that, they often have very little flavor.  This one bucks both trends with a restrained sweetness and flavor on the level of any proper fruit punch beverage.  Major kudos to Coca-Cola for producing this - too bad something like this isn't available permanently.

Arizona Frost ChillZicle

 

Product circa: 2025

Supposedly a juice cocktail meant to taste like an American "rocket pop", I would say that this doesn't hit the mark of that aim.  It has darker berry flavors that border on grape, and otherwise doesn't remind me of a rocket pop at all.

However, it's delicious.  Specifically, the style of this drink is not too sweet, in a way that reminds me heavily of some of the more well-balanced Snapples or even old-school juice box drinks.  The overall feel of this stuff is very nostalgic.  I will make it a point to try more of Arizona's juice cocktails!

Gatorade Citrus Cooler

 

Product circa: autumn 2025 

 Evidently a re-release of a vintage favorite from 1987.  I wonder if Gatorade still used glass bottles in that year... I'm too lazy to look it up.  Anyway, this is a product promoting the final season on Stranger Things.

 I can see why it was a favorite. To me, this tastes like a more subtle and natural orange flavor... it's almost as if I can taste the pulp in my mouth.  It's more like an orangeade than a orange sports drink.  I'm not sure I'm tasting any additional citrus in here... but if you told me it was part of the formula, I'd believe you.  If this flavor were available permanently, I probably would never reach for any other flavor.

New Coke Re-release 2019

 

Mountain Dew Game Fuel 2014

 

Product circa: 2014

Commemorating the release of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

This stuff is pretty simple, it's like a half-and-half mix of original Dew and lemonade... really low quality lemonade. 

Sprite Tropical Mix

Product circa: Intermittent

Some folks may not realize this, but this is basically a reincarnation of Sprite’s Tropical Remix from the early 2000s.  There were 2 Tropical Remixes and, frankly, this Tropical Mix might be a mixture of the 2.

The copy says pineapple and strawberry are the main flavors, here.  I would say... pineapple, definitely; mango, probably; orange, probably.  The strawberry brings up the rear and is subtle.

This stuff is great.  It's a satisfying spiritual successor to the Tropical Remixes.  It's fantastic that Coke has made this available, and seemingly it is now a semi-permanent product.  Color this reviewer happy.

Mountain Dew VooDEW 2021

Product circa: 2021

Supposedly this was flavored like "fruit candy chews".

Ends up tasting like some sort of berry lemonade, like many other Dews have in the past.  I can taste lemon Starbursts if I try hard enough.  With that said, it’s well balanced and delicious.

Diet Coke Flavors 2018

Products circa: 2018

In 2018, Coke released a bevy of flavors for their Diet Coke line.  Definitely an odd choice, as Coke Zero (Sugar) had been out for a long time by then, and I'm pretty sure it was the more popular 0-calorie product.  But with that said, some 20 years ago Coke experimented with both Lemon and Lime variations of Diet Coke, and I've heard die-hards talk about both of them ever since; they should really re-release those to see how they perform.

Twisted Mango - A very light mango taste added to the original, whose mild tartness somehow makes the mix taste less sweet than the original.  Refreshing, even.  Nice.

Feisty Cherry - A cherry flavor that is dry and not overly sweet.  Bordering on peppery, like a black cherry.  Interesting, but not my cup of tea.

Ginger Lime - Dry ginger, like a ginger ale, and a dry tart lime.  Refreshing, like the mango above.

Zesty Blood Orange - Light tart orange, and it really goes great with the Diet Coke formula.  Definitely the best of the bunch. 

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with the lot, mainly because they seemed to realize that the sweetness needed to be restrained.  Impressive!  But we'll definitely never see these again.

Pepsi X (ULTRA THROWBACK)

 

Product circa: 2012

You may or may not know that dragonfruit, despite its striking appearance, is mostly flavorless.  Regardless, Pepsi followed a trend and made this product.

This stuff is like Pepsi with a shot of B12.  The dragonfruit adds a subtle and generic fruitiness, but in a way that makes it lighter, and tastier, than the original.  Very well done... one that I remember from time to time over the years.

 

Gatorade Fierce Green Apple

 

Product circa: 2018 and intermittently after

I’m shocked.

I literally winced as I took my first sip of this, knowing how green apple flavoring is treated in the junk food industry.  But I was blown away.  Gatorade has kept the level of flavoring to a minimum, and the sweetness is incredibly restrained.  In the end, it’s refreshing, delicious…  I can’t believe they’ve done it.  This might be the first green apple product that has ever been properly good.