{"id":26197,"date":"2017-12-11T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-11T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/?p=26197"},"modified":"2021-01-13T20:46:57","modified_gmt":"2021-01-14T06:46:57","slug":"review-coke-freestyle-2017-holiday-mixes-north-pole-magic-and-arctic-chill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2017\/12\/11\/review-coke-freestyle-2017-holiday-mixes-north-pole-magic-and-arctic-chill\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Coke Freestyle 2017 Holiday Mixes (North Pole Magic and Arctic Chill)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Coke<\/p>\n

One of the more understated junk food rites of the holiday season has to be Coca-Cola\u2019s seasonal Freestyle mixes. Since they\u2019re not ubiquitously marketed like everything else Coke does, they always seem to sneak up on you as quaint, L-T-O surprises at the local cineplex or friendly neighborhood Burger King.<\/p>\n

Well, if you fancied previous seasonal flavors like Secret Santa and Mistletoe Flow, you\u2019ll probably get a yuletide kick out of the latest additions to the Coke Freestyle family – the aptly named North Pole Magic and Arctic Chill.<\/p>\n

Aesthetically, there isn\u2019t much to say about either beverage. They both have a pleasant, reddish brown hue, with the Arctic Chill variation looking lighter than North Pole Magic. In terms of scent, they smell practically identical – as soon as your olfactory glands whiff the drinks, the aroma is unmistakable. You\u2019ve got orange, you\u2019ve got vanilla and you\u2019ve got something else that you can\u2019t quite put your finger on for the initial sniff. But that becomes very apparent once the drinks start tangoing with your taste buds. <\/p>\n

\"Coke<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll start with North Pole Magic (NPM) because it\u2019s the stronger of the two (both in terms of figurative quality and literal flavor). The beverage tastes pretty much the same way it smells. I\u2019ve read some Internet posts that say NPM is one part vanilla, one part cherry, and one part root beer, but I beg to differ. To these tastebuds, anyway, NPM is one part Coca-Cola, one part orange creme and one part vanilla – in short, sherbet-flavored Coke. <\/p>\n

In all my years I\u2019ve never once imagined what a Yabba Dabba Do Orange Flinstones Push Up-flavored Coca-Cola variation would taste like, but I\u2019ll be tickled pink if NPM isn\u2019t one of the most delicious Coke permutations I\u2019ve tasted in quite some time. This stuff is too yummy to be relegated to those bright red touchscreen terminals – Coke definitely<\/em> needs to put this in bottle and can form come next Christmas.<\/p>\n

\"Coke<\/p>\n

Arctic Chill (AC) – which is fighting under the less calorie-dense Coca-Cola Zero umbrella – is pretty much the same thing as NPM, except…well, not as flavorful. <\/p>\n

I hate to use the term \u201cwatered down,\u201d but that\u2019s precisely<\/em> what AC tastes like compared to NPM. It\u2019s still pretty good, but the Coke Zero taste completely overwhelms the sherbet flavor. In fact, you only get the sherbet flavor as a ghostly aftertaste – almost as if you were drinking a Coke Zero in a cup somebody momentarily used as a holster for a creamsicle for about five seconds. Again, it\u2019s not a bad soda by any stretch, it\u2019s just that compared to NPM it feels like a mild imitation.<\/p>\n

Regardless, you really can\u2019t go wrong with either flavor. And Coke definitely needs to be commended for thinking outside the box for these holiday mixes – thank goodness they eschewed the all too predictable gingerbread and <\/a>candy cane flavors in favor of one that\u2019s great, no matter the time of year.<\/p>\n

(Nutrition Facts – Not available.)<\/small><\/p>\n

Purchased Price:<\/b> $1.69
\nSize:<\/b> 20 oz. cup
\nPurchased at:<\/b> Target
\nRating:<\/b> 8 out of 10 (North Pole Magic)
\nRating:<\/b> 7 out of 10 (Arctic Chill)
\nPros:<\/b> A robust, creamsicle flavor. You\u2019ve got options if you\u2019re trying to count calories. The theoretical ability to combine each flavor with Diet Dr. Pepper and<\/em> peach Sprite, because Y.O.L.O.
\nCons:<\/b> Arctic Chill tastes pretty watered down compared to North Pole Magic. Only being able to drink the sodas at the movies or while you\u2019re shopping at the grocery store. Wondering how much it would cost to bribe the store to look the other way while you fill up a water cooler jug.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the more understated junk food rites of the holiday season has to be Coca-Cola\u2019s seasonal Freestyle mixes. Since they\u2019re not ubiquitously marketed like everything else Coke does, they always seem to sneak up on you as quaint, L-T-O surprises at the local cineplex or friendly neighborhood Burger King. Well, if you fancied previous […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1440],"tags":[1545,1492,1645,1494,1488],"class_list":["post-26197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-beverage","tag-coke","tag-coke-freestyle","tag-diet-coke","tag-soda"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":25874,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2017\/11\/16\/fast-food-news-coke-freestyle-2017-holiday-mixes-north-pole-magic-and-arctic-chill\/","url_meta":{"origin":26197,"position":0},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: Coke Freestyle 2017 Holiday Mixes (North Pole Magic and Arctic Chill)","author":"Marvo","date":"November 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Update: We reviewed them! Click here to read our review. Tis' the season for new Coke Freestyle Holiday Mixes! Impulsive Buy reader Ryan K sent in this photo from a Coke Freestyle Machine at a Wawa. It features two Holiday Mixes -- North Pole Magic and Arctic Chill. According to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fast Food News"","block_context":{"text":"Fast Food News","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/fast-food-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/IMG_4837.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":32783,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2018\/11\/06\/fast-food-news-coke-freestyle-2018-holiday-mixes\/","url_meta":{"origin":26197,"position":1},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: Coke Freestyle 2018 Holiday Mixes","author":"Marvo","date":"November 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Coke Freestyle Machines will be getting new Holiday Mixes. 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(Spotted by @ReneBarba89 at McDonald's. They were also spotted by James D at Framingham State University, so they don't seem to be exclusive flavors.) Thank you to all the photo\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Spotted on Shelves"","block_context":{"text":"Spotted on Shelves","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/spotted-on-shelves\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Coke-Freestyle-2019-Holiday-Flavors.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Coke-Freestyle-2019-Holiday-Flavors.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Coke-Freestyle-2019-Holiday-Flavors.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Coke-Freestyle-2019-Holiday-Flavors.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Coke-Freestyle-2019-Holiday-Flavors.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33154,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2018\/11\/20\/fast-food-news-coke-freestyle-fanta-winter-wonder-lime\/","url_meta":{"origin":26197,"position":3},"title":"FAST FOOD NEWS: Coke Freestyle Fanta Winter Wonder Lime","author":"Marvo","date":"November 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Coca-Cola is sharing holiday cheer with its Freestyle machines. 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