REVIEW: Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Cherry Float

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Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Cherry Float bottle

For many years now, Coca-Cola has Oreo-ified its brand model. Releasing countless drops of mystery flavors and odd combinations, utilizing cooling menthol, tropical fruits, and even a collaboration with Oreo itself. Yet the beginning of 2026 sees the company with a return to form of sorts, embracing a new but very familiar pairing for its classic soda with Coca-Cola Cherry Float in both regular and Zero Sugar.

If you have ever walked up to a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine at your favorite movie theater or fast food chain, you may be asking yourself: “Haven’t I had this?” The short answer is, yes. Coca-Cola Cherry Float is a cute name for a drink you’ve likely had before gleefully watching the newest blockbuster at AMC, with the clear distinction of a specific, calculated Coke-approved syrup ratio.

I’m sure you have experienced the varying levels of awesomeness at a soda fountain. Whether that’s at your standard restaurant or a Freestyle machine, sometimes the ratio can taste light, just right, or, less likely, heavy. Which is why McDonald’s fountains have such a stout fanbase — quality control and a unique system that keeps the Coke crispy and consistent. Without the variable of a machine-specific distribution, what does the Coca-Cola company view as the perfect cherry-to-vanilla ratio?

Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Cherry Float poured into glass

At first, I thought that there wasn’t enough cherry, which, as a cherry lover, alarmed me. There’s some initial cherry on the front end that finishes pretty strongly on the artificial vanilla flavor that Coke has used in the past. There’s nothing new or special about the “float” flavor other than it is a bold vanilla paired with the cherry taste you’ve known since its inception in 1985.

Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Cherry Float bottle sitting next to glass

The more I drank the soda, the more the cherry stacked, and by the end of the bottle, an almost even, let’s call it 55/45 split, started to shine. It’s one that should please fans of both cherry and vanilla. I like this better than last year’s Wild Cherry & Cream Pepsi, which is no surprise given my general affinity for one brand over the other (although I am far from a Pepsi hater).

This is another somewhat lazy but comfortable release, akin to last year’s Holiday Creamy Vanilla, but at least it’s a more exciting one since it hasn’t been bottled or canned before. Whereas Holiday Creamy Vanilla desperately lacked some spice or a special element to make it unique, there is nothing inherently disappointing about grabbing a can of pre-mixed half-cherry, half-vanilla Coke from the fridge without having to find a Freestyle Machine. But it also suffers from what I call the “Reese’s Conundrum,” where original Reese’s, much like original Coca Cola (and Cherry Coke), are so good that is this twist really any better than the base beverage itself? And the straightforward answer is simply: no!

Purchased Price: $2.99
Size: 20-ounce bottle
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle, 20 oz) 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 0 grams of total sugars, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Mr Pibb Zero Sugar (2025)

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Mr Pibb Zero Sugar (2025) 20 ounce bottle

Although Mr. Pibb originally debuted in the mid-70s as Coca-Cola’s answer to a Dr Pepper-dominated market, it’s always felt newer than that. As a child growing up in the 90s, I could have sworn it came out during that time, part of the same era as 1997’s now-nostalgia-bait classic Surge. But maybe Coca-Cola just ran really aggressive ads targeting youth at the time that made Pibb seem cool, new, and fresh — like Surge. In any case, it went away in 2001, became Pibb Xtra, and outside of Coca-Cola Freestyle machines, I pretty much never saw it in California, especially the Zero Sugar variety.

Now, at the end of 2025, Coca-Cola is no doubt preying on that millennial nostalgia, bringing Mr. Pibb back into rotation with regular and zero-sugar varieties. The new Pibb is catapulting onto the soda scene with 30% more caffeine and a “bolder, spicy cherry flavor.” I know Coca-Cola has a lot of faith in this comeback because I have never seen Pibb Xtra at my local grocery store, and this popped up within a day of its announcement online, and the nostalgia baiting worked.

I have always loved Dr Pepper, and before the zero-sugar sodas took the crown, Diet Dr Pepper was always one of the most faithful and impressive calorie-free sodas on the market. I was a Dr. Pepper boy but grew up in a Coca-Cola household, so Pibb has a special spot in my heart, even if it was an imitator of something quintessentially Texan dating back to the early 1900s. And I must say, this new Pibb is incredible.

Mr Pibb Zero Sugar (2025) bubbles

2025’s Mr. Pibb definitely has a sharper cherry flavor than what I remember of the old recipe (and had from the AMC freestyle machine last week), but not as forward as the Cherry Dr Pepper you can get on shelves today. Mr. Pibb is smooth and profoundly sweet with a nice peppery bite in the finish that leaves a pleasant, slight creaminess and invites you to drink more. When it comes to the boosted caffeine, this 20-ounce bottle has 90 milligrams, whereas Coca-Cola has 57, Diet Coke has 78, and the staple champion of high-caffeine sodas, Mountain Dew, has 91. It’s safe to say this reformulated Pibb brings a legitimate extra boost for the caffeine crowd.

Mr Pibb Zero Sugar (2025) in a glass

Caffeine content aside, from a flavor and enjoyment standpoint, it is fantastic. I will go so far as to say this is one of the greatest, most faithful, and refreshing zero-sugar renditions of a soda that has ever been created. It is up there with A&W Zero Sugar Root Beer, Dr. Pepper Zero, and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar for one of the most satisfying calorie-free drinks money can buy, and it might even be my new favorite. I drank three bottles in preparation for this review to make sure I wasn’t drunk on nostalgia, and I can confirm, the new Mr. Pibb delivers resoundingly.

Purchased Price: $2.29
Size: 20 fl oz bottle
Purchased at: Safeway
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle, 20 ounces) 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 60 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 0 grams of total sugars, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Coca-Cola Holiday Creamy Vanilla

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Coca-Cola Holiday Creamy Vanilla Cans

I’m very familiar with regifting.

My son’s Paw Patrol coloring book, which he received from a relative for his birthday, eventually became a birthday gift for his classmate. You might ask, “How dare I take a gift away from my five-year-old child?”

Well, how dare you assume my child actually likes Paw Patrol? He calls it Pawful Patrol because it’s too silly, predictable, there are too many different shows, and the pups are on everything when we go shopping.

Anyway, as someone who regifts, I can see what Coca-Cola is doing with its “new” Holiday Creamy Vanilla flavor. It tastes like Coke is regifting us Vanilla Coke in a fancy holiday wrapper, which is why the quotes are around the word “new” in the previous sentence.

The festive gold and red can states that the cola is “creamy vanilla flavored” and features a swirl that looks like sepia-toned whipped cream, soft serve, or shaving cream. The pretty can also says “Contains No Dairy.” No kidding. It also doesn’t have anything I’d call creamy or holiday-ish.

Coca-Cola Holiday Creamy Vanilla in measuring cup

I thought “creamy” meant it would have a stronger vanilla flavor than Vanilla Coke, but I actually think it has about the same vanilla level as I remember the original Vanilla Coke having, or maybe slightly less. Also, I believed “holiday” meant it would have some different spices or be a slight reformulation of the original Coca-Cola recipe to highlight certain ingredients. But, nope, it tastes pretty much like regular Coca-Cola Vanilla to me.

Now, tasting like Vanilla Coke isn’t a dealbreaker. It’s slightly behind Cherry Coke as my favorite flavored Coca-Cola variation, so I won’t complain about having to drink 12 cans of this regifted Coke flavor that tastes like it. Oh, it’s also available in 20-ounce bottles, and there’s a zero sugar version.

But if I don’t drink all of them, I guess I could give them as gifts and turn them into stocking stuffers.

Purchased Price: $13.99*
Size: 12-pack/12 fl oz cans
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 150 calories, 0 grams of fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 42 grams of carbohydrates, 42 grams of sugar (including 42 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 34 milligrams of caffeine.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

REVIEW: Sprite + Tea

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I gave myself a hard facepalm after learning about Sprite + Tea.

The half-lemonade, half-tea Arnold Palmer has been around for so long that it only makes sense to combine a lemon-lime soda with tea. I’m surprised Sprite, 7UP, or The Soda Formerly Known As Sierra Mist didn’t come up with this idea sooner. To come up with the beverage, Sprite thought outside of the 12-pack box, or watched a lot of TikTok and got the idea from a 2023 TikTok trend that involved putting two Lipton tea bags into a bottle of Sprite.

Initially, I was surprised that this wasn’t a brand collaboration with Coca-Cola’s Gold Peak Tea. However, after reading the ingredients and discovering that tea wasn’t listed but falls under the “natural flavors” category, I realized it might hurt the tea brand if it didn’t contain actual Gold Peak Tea. But the synergy would have been sweet.

However, it wouldn’t have been as sweet as Sprite + Tea.

To borrow from another tea brand, I must say it’s brisk, baby. It tastes like I’ve made Lipton lemon iced tea with a powder mix, but added a little more water than what the instructions say, resulting in slightly weaker flavors than a tea drink made from a mix. So I guess if you’ve wanted carbonated Lipton Brisk Iced Tea, Sprite + Tea will give you what you want.

But its stronger-than-the-soda tea flavor is probably a problem for those wanting Sprite’s crisp citrus taste. The tea-to-soda ratio leans so heavily toward the former that if it didn’t come in a bottle with Sprite on its label, it would be hard to believe there’s Sprite in it. Maybe it needs to take a Nestea Plunge into a pool of Sprite to balance the flavors better. (What? Going too far back into iced tea commercial history? Kids, ask your parents about the Nestea Plunge. Or, better yet, YouTube.) Or maybe Sprite Lymonade + Tea would’ve highlighted the lemon-lime more prominently.

While I like the Sprite in you, Sprite + Tea, I’d like more of it. However, mainly tasting like lemon iced tea is not a reason to avoid it. It’s tasty, sweet, and refreshing, which is the perfect combination for a summer beverage.

Purchased Price: $2.59
Size: 20 oz bottle (also available in 12 oz cans)
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 230 calories, 0 grams of fat, 95 milligrams of sodium, 61 grams of carbohydrates, 61 grams of sugar (including 61 grams of added sugar), and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Sprite Chill Strawberry Kiwi

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Can we all agree that “strawberry kiwi” has its own distinct flavor? I know that sounds a little weird, like, “Yeah, duh, dude.” But hear me out: some fruits go together, and when you eat a thing containing the pieces, you notice each. When you eat a lemon-blueberry loaf, you go, “Oh, that’s a blueberry,” and then, “Yep, there’s lemon.” Ditto cranberry-orange and, to a lesser extent, strawberry-watermelon. I feel like strawberry kiwi, however— heretofore known as strawi—is most recognizable as a singular entity and less a sum of its individual components.

Or maybe I’m just on one because I’m really digging this new Walmart-exclusive Sprite Chill Strawberry Kiwi.

I’m not an overly regular Sprite consumer. One of the reasons I drink soda is as a caffeine delivery mechanism, and so it has an inherent strike against it. But every once in a while, I’ll see Sprite and think, hey, that looks refreshing. But this new offering moves beyond “refreshing” and goes straight to, “This is the sort of soda that I should totally be drinking poolside on an 85-degree summer day.” (Okay, and I’ll also admit that this is, perhaps, influenced by the fact that it is almost 80-degrees here in the midwest at the end of March— what I believe we call 2nd Fool’s Spring. We’ll have snow once more before Spring is actually official, mark my word.)

Anyway, the strawi is strong here, sweet and crisp at the beginning of the sip, in the middle, and all the way through. It’s a perfect strawi, too, a bit tart, a lot sweet, with that balanced melon-like smoothness emblematic of kiwi. You couldn’t ask for a better representation of the popular multiple-seeded fruit combination. It complements the Sprite perfectly— you never lose sight of the fact that you’re enjoying the lemon-lime soda you know and love. It’s just enhanced. And although this is one of Sprite’s “Chill” varieties, I wouldn’t have known if it wasn’t plastered on the can. There was no mentholated “chilling” effect to the soda, which I wasn’t exactly sad about. That whole random “cooling” gimmick that started up within the past year or so does nothing for me; at its best, it’s unnoticeable, and when it is present, it’s just bad.

My only beef with this product is that there doesn’t appear to be a zero sugar version, and by virtue of that alone, I’d be unlikely to repurchase. Unless, you know, it’s 85 degrees. And I’m at a pool.

Purchased Price: $6.86
Size: 12-pack
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 9 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (12 fl oz.) 140 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 65 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 38 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

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