Coca-Cola Move

Product circa: 2023

One of the weird LTOs that Coke offered in the 2023 era, all of which had concept-y names that had no bearing on the product itself.

This tastes like a fruitier Coke, and I can detect coconut, but no pineapple, as the internet had been saying.  The Zero Sugar version is a damn good approximation of the full sugar.

Coke keeps being restrained with the amount of additional flavoring that they add to the variations, while Pepsi continued to be bold with theirs.  And that's why Pepsi flavored colas are always better.

Mountain Dew Baja Cabo Citrus

 

Product circa: 2025

Note: This is a Presumptive Ephemeral Nom.

Simply put, a flavor that somehow concentrates on citrus flavors within a formula that is already based on citrus.  I get added flavors of orange, lime, and maybe even grapefruit.  But it is missing additional acid - this feels sweeter than it needs to be, and I think the product suffers for it.

Hi-C Ecto Cooler (2017)

 

Product circa: 2017 and intermittently after

Back in the day, Ecto Cooler was one of the coolest things you could have in your school lunchbox… before Capri Sun gained popularity, that is.  I gotta hand it to Coca-Cola for bringing it back for a time, and I'm glad to hear they've done it again since.  Luckily for folks my age, companies are realizing that there is a huge amount of money in fanservice to nostalgia of products like these.

This formula tastes exactly like it did in the 80s/90s, and I have no idea how they do it.  It’s an orange flavored drink unlike anything else that’s been made.  It’s not pure orange juice, it’s clearly mixed with some kind of artificial drink, but it still maintains an acidic bite that a bottled juice drink wouldn’t have.  I think I’m going to start mixing Hi-C Orange and orange juice to see if I can replicate this.

Dr. Pepper Cherry

 

Product circa: 2025

I didn't realize this product was around until a friend gave it to me.  I'm going to assume that it's Ephemeral in the sense that it might be regional, seasonal, or just not available at all times everywhere.

Very tasty!  I wish it were around more, I would probably buy it semi-regularly.  However, that's only because I don't have regular access to Cheerwine, which is basically a better version of this.

The Dr. Pepper Cherry has a cherry-heavy flavor, like Cheerwine, but I feel like the spicy Dr. Pepper base actually minimizes my enjoyment, in this case.

Gatorade Mashups Cool Blue + Fruit Punch

 

Product circa: 2025

Note: This is a Presumptive Ephemeral Nom.

A cool idea.  This sounds delicious, right?  For whatever reason, it's not.  They don't marry at all.  I'd rather have each constituent product individually. 

Gatorade Lightning Blast & Midnight Ice

 

Note: These are Presumptive Ephemeral Noms.

Even though these are touted as "New Flavors", they are almost certainly available only for a limited time.

With names like these and the profuse blending of artificial flavors, it's often tough to discern the flavor components without looking online.  Lightning Blast is very melon-forward for me, with what seems like berry flavors following.  Midnight Ice undoubtedly has grape in it, with tropical flavors surrounding it.  Neither are especially good or interesting. 

Mountain Dew Fruit Quake

 

Product circa: 2022

These are post-hoc thoughts from memory.  Ostensibly a fruitcake-flavored Dew (I love fruitcake), instead this is really perhaps the best fruit punch soda I have ever had, with a heavy concentration on cherry.  Fantastic.  I hope they re-release it with a more welcoming and crowd-pleasing name/branding.

Pepsi Wild Cherry & Cream & Zero Sugar

Product circa: 2025

Note: This is a Presumptive Ephemeral Nom

As many brand competitors (in many industries) tend to release similar products to compete at the same time, this release coincides with Coke's Orange & Cream varietal.

As someone who claims that Pepsi Vanilla is his favorite soda of all time, and who also believes that Pepsi Wild Cherry is truly exceptional, I was very excited for this.  Sadly, while this stuff is taste, I think its probably a worse product than either mentioned above.  It is lesser than the sum of its parts.  I think the flavors just get a bit too jumbled.  It might have been possible to blend this in a way that worked better, but maybe not.  The vanilla tastes odd, and the cherry doesn't taste quite like the flavor in Pepsi Wild Cherry.  The Zero Sugar version isn't bad, but I don't taste vanilla at all.

Dr. Pepper Blackberry

 

Product circa: 2025

I've drunk a whole 12 pack of this stuff and I'm still having trouble assessing it.

There is a subtle blackberry flavor added to the product, of course, and it's not just a "berry" flavor - it's definitely blackberry.  But it's not a blackberry that would fool you into thinking it's natural.

I could say that the added flavor could be stronger, as I often do, but I'm not sure that'd be a great idea here.  In the end, it's just good, not great.  It's about on par with the original.

Gatorade Passionfruit

Product circa: 2023

Note: This is a Presumptive Ephemeral Nom.

A subtle but accurate passionfruit flavor, and a bit of sourness.  Very nice.  I'd love to have access to this regularly. 

Red Bull Coconut Edition/Summer Edition 2018

 

Product circa: 2018 and intermittent since

This has had permutations throughout the years.  It was called Summer Edition in 2018, and since has been called Coconut Edition.

Ostensibly a coconut berry flavor, what I get is the expected Red Bull taste with a sour berry added in, and a hint of coconut.  I wish it had more coconut.

Pepsi Salted Caramel

 

Product circa: 2017

I had high hopes for this one, but it falls flat a bit.  Your typical Pepsi with some added burnt sugar flavoring, the kind that would be added with any cheap “salted caramel” flavored product. (And there’s no additional salt in this stuff.)  I applaud Pepsi, as usual, for having such a creative variation, but sadly, this doesn’t stack up to their usual successes.

7-Up Shirley Temple

 

Note: This is a Presumptive Ephemeral Nom.

Product circa: New Year 2025

A novel and quaint idea, this stuff is very scant on flavor.  It's sweeter than 7-Up, and the color is cute, but I'm not getting any flavor that's easily identifiable.  I could be convinced easiest of cherry, and there is some generic berry flavor that might be trying to simulate pomegranate.  I've read excited and nuanced reviews of this stuff online, and my opinion is that they are getting caught up in the marketing.  This is a fun product, but in the end, it's a sweet "pink" lemon-lime drink.

Gatorade Electric Flash

 

Product circa: 2025

With no description of what it tastes like, the internet says that Gatorade Electric Flash tastes like the orange and lemon lime flavors combined.  They are right.  And it's delicious.  That's about it.

Powerade Sour

 

Note: This is a Presumptive Ephemeral Nom.

Product circa: 2024+

These were a lot of fun.  They tasted great, and the sourness is a great addition to the sports drink genre.  I would buy these regularly if I see them regularly

Mountain Dew Baja Punch & Baja Flash

 

Product circa: summer 2021

As part of the 100 Days of Baja promotion, these 2 products were released alongside Baja Blast's 2021 summer release.

Baja Punch: Very light, and not syrupy.  Interestingly, I don't get the Dew base at all.  There's a tropical melon here, almost like a watermelon agua fresca.  A bit of Sweetart to prevent it from tasting too natural.  There's cherries on the label, but I don't get that at all.

Baja Flash: One of the greatest Dews I've ever tasted - in the Top 3.  A perfect pineapple coconut flavor that I'm not sure I could clock as a Dew.  As of this 2025 writing, I still have a few cans left, which I will cherish.

Froot Loops Icee

 

Product circa: 2024

I'll usually bypass even the most esoteric of slushy products, but I had to try this one out at Target.

Unfortunately, it doesn't have the signature bergamot flavor of Froot Loops at all, and instead it tastes precisely like a melted assortment of Skittles candies.

Pepsi Peach

 

Product circa: 2024

I've long contended that Pepsi is way better at making flavored colas than Coke, and at this point, one could argue that they are more prolific as well.  While Coke has been making more and more "odd" colas, they have often involved various levels of exclusivity, with some being harder to find than others.  Pepsi has continued to issue colas over the past few years, and their availability has mostly been wide and long in duration, and as always, they taste better.

Pepsi Peach is perfect for what it is trying to be.  Artificial peach flavoring is ubiquitous, being mostly employed in candy, but beverages as well.  The flavoring is extremely strong and can be overpowering and artificial-tasting.  In this product, it is not.  They used the perfect amount to pair with the Pepsi flavoring, and while it doesn't exactly taste like you're biting into a juicy peach, this stuff is perfect, and I wish they made it year-round.

Mountain Dew VooDOO 2024

 

Product circa: autumn 2024

The yearly tradition returns.  Evidently this is known as "VooDEW 6.0".

Anyway, the flavor of this stuff hasn't been announced yet, but people online have been saying it continues the "Halloween candy" tradition by being flavored like a strawberry candy of some sort - some are staying strawberry Nerds, strawberry Starbursts, and even others.

I'm pretty underwhelmed with this one.  It definitely has a candy-like flavor that approaches cotton candy/candy floss.  When I push myself, I can understand the strawberry Nerds comparison.  I'll update this post when I learn of the reveal.

Fanta Haunted Apple

 

Product circa: late Summer 2024, promoting the film Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice

I've been thoroughly enjoying the horrible reviews of this stuff that I've been seeing online, and so I was excited to find a bottle and waste my money on it.

Damn, I'm disappointed, because it's really not that bad.  Self-described as a spiced apple soda, the spice is clear on the nose, and the apple taste is somewhere between green apple and red apple.  The spice also makes itself known on the tongue, and it probably contains more than just cinnamon, but it's hard to tell what.  The flavors combine with a bitterness at the end that prevents this from being cloying.  Honestly, it's really not that bad.  I've tasted so many things that were worse.