We Tried Coca-Cola's New Orange Cream Flavor—Here Are Our Unfiltered Thoughts
Drinking soda is an inherently nostalgic experience. Most legacy brands have been around for generations, which means your first soda experience dates back to childhood. Classic flavors are iconic enough in their own right, but that doesn’t stop brands from infusing even more familiar flavors.
Just this year, Pepsi dropped a Shirley Temple-esque Cherries and Cream cola. Dr Pepper released a Blackberry version that evokes the blue raspberry flavor of our childhoods. And now Coca-Cola is throwing their hat in the ring with a super nostalgic spin on their classic recipe: Orange Cream.
The ice cream truck-inspired flavor combo experienced a bit of a renaissance last year. So it’s no surprise that Coca-Cola hopped on the bandwagon, with a flavor they describe as having “refreshing orange and smooth, creamy vanilla flavors.”
We love Coca-Cola and we love Orange Creamsicles, but do we love them together? Our team tasted the brand new soda to share our unfiltered thoughts with you. So if you’re curious about how Orange Cream Coca-Cola tastes, read on.
One sniff of this flavor brings a massive wave of orange aroma. But when you take a sip, the citrus flavor falls a little flat. “I’m smelling way more orange than I’m actually tasting,” says Food Editor Taylor Ann Spencer. “I’m not sure if I’m disappointed or fine with that.”
The orange that is present definitely plays a supporting role, imparting a slight tinge of candy-esque sweetness. Don’t expect a zesty or fresh flavor here—the orange tastes pretty far removed from the actual fruit, just like it is with the ice cream truck treat.
The creamy vanilla, however, is far more prominent and adds an extra layer of decadence to the original recipe. It tastes more like a cream soda with a whisper of citrus than an actual Orange Creamsicle. We definitely don't hate it, but its lack of resemblance to the inspiration is just a little disappointing.
That being said, it’s also worth noting that Orange Cream Coca-Cola tastes sweeter than the classic version. The sweetness was enough to deter some of our editors from committing to an entire can. But if you already gravitate towards cream soda-style flavors, you’d probably feel differently.
Orange Cream Coca-Cola definitely doesn't hold a candle to the original recipe, but it's a fun spin on an iconic soda and it's worth trying at least once. Also available in a zero sugar version, the new flavor is officially hitting shelves starting today at most national retailers in U.S. and Canada, as well as online at coca-cola.com.
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