Coca-Cola Spiced: The Seven Month Wonder
What happens when a company promises permanence but delivers disappointment? Coca-Cola Spiced is another recently discontinued soda. While the flavor, launched in February 2024, was advertised as a permanent offering, it had a surprisingly short run. After only seven months on the market, Coca-Cola decided to cut its losses.
The main issue with Spiced was its misleading name. Instead of a spicy beverage, Spiced combined the classic Coke taste with a raspberry twist. The soda received mixed feedback from consumers, with some enjoying its pronounced raspberry flavor and others comparing it to cough syrup. Retail analysts suggest this name confusion played a major role in its quick demise.
But instead, it kept the ball rolling with the launch of Coca-Cola Spiced in February 2024. Poured into red and pink swirled cans, the fresh flavor was said to mesh together tastes of raspberry and spices with traditional Coke. But, after being on the market for mere months, a spokesperson from the brand told Eat This, Not That! “we’re planning to phase out Coca-Cola Spiced to introduce an exciting new flavor in 2025.” In this same round of soda pop layoffs, Cherry Vanilla Coke and Diet Coke with Splenda also got the boot.
Panera’s Charged Lemonade: A Legal Nightmare Ends
Sometimes beverages vanish for reasons far more serious than poor sales. Panera Bread is eliminating Charged Lemonade from its menu, the caffeinated beverage that has sparked multiple lawsuits and caused a public relations nightmare for the company. This wasn’t just another menu change – it was the end of one of the most controversial drinks in recent memory.
The lawsuits said a 30-ounce Charged Lemonade contained 390 milligrams of caffeine, the equivalent of almost five 8.4-ounce cans of Red Bull. Panera said their decision was part of a “menu transformation,” which would focus on “low sugar and low-caffeine options.”
The beverage’s disappearance came after multiple wrongful death lawsuits. Panera Bread pulled Charged Lemonade, the caffeinated beverage that sparked multiple lawsuits and caused a public relations nightmare for the company, from its menu in May after two years. Industry experts believe this case will reshape how companies market high-caffeine beverages going forward.
Sierra Mist’s Final Fade
It may come as news that Sierra Mist is no longer with us. The lemon-lime soda was discontinued in 2023 after a decades-long uphill battle with competing soda brands. It all started when PepsiCo debuted Sierra Mist in 1999 to compete with 7UP and Sprite, the leaders in the lemon-lime soda game.
You’re probably familiar with the saga of how the sun went down on Sierra Mist in January 2023, so that Starry could rise. After Sierra Mist failed to make headway in the lemon-lime soda category, PepsiCo decided to make drastic changes, pulling it from shelves while simultaneously introducing a brand-new, celestially named recipe.
The brand struggled for more than two decades to gain meaningful market share. Retail analysts note that Sierra Mist never successfully differentiated itself from established competitors, making it vulnerable to corporate reshuffling.
Odwalla’s Quiet Goodbye
Odwalla may not have been as healthy as some folks believed it to be, but the brand almost certainly helped pave the way for the emergence of real fruit juice and smoothie brands in the 21st century. The Coca-Cola-owned beverage first lined store shelves in 1980. Although it was initially an independent company, Odwalla was purchased by Coca-Cola in 2001 for $181 million.
It’s part of a broader culling of its beverage portfolio that started four years ago and meant the end for 200 drinks, including Tab, AHA Sparkling Water and Odwalla The juice brand quietly disappeared as Coca-Cola focused resources on more profitable segments.
The brand’s departure marked the end of an era for fresh juice lovers. Despite its health-focused marketing, Odwalla couldn’t survive in an increasingly competitive wellness beverage market dominated by newer, trendier alternatives.
Pepsi Nitro’s Smooth Exit
Innovation doesn’t always guarantee survival. It was heralded as the first-ever nitrogen-infused cola drink, meaning it was made using nitrogen gas instead of carbon dioxide, giving it smaller bubbles and a smoother texture compared to original Pepsi. Guinness stout beer and certain cold-brew coffees are created using a similar technique. And, like these two beverages, Pepsi Nitro is probably also somewhat of an acquired taste since the company has decided to pull it from production starting in 2025.
Retail analysts explain that Pepsi Nitro represented a bold attempt to capture beer-drinking consumers. The nitrogen infusion created a unique drinking experience, but apparently not unique enough to maintain shelf space in an overcrowded soda market.
When it bubbled up in 2022, after three years of development, Pepsi Nitro was a soda revelation. However, revelations don’t always translate to long-term success in the beverage industry.
Mr. Pibb’s Final Chapter
Though some might have argued Mr. Pibb tasted better than the competition, the soda was discontinued in 2001. While the company later introduced Pibb Xtra (which remains available as of 2024), the new soda used an entirely different recipe in addition to its new moniker – meaning it’s merely related to the original rather than a revival of the classic Mr. Pibb.
The original Mr. Pibb represented Coca-Cola’s attempt to compete with Dr Pepper in the spiced cola category. Despite a loyal following, the brand never achieved widespread market penetration before being reformulated and rebranded.
Industry insiders suggest that maintaining multiple similar products became economically unfeasible. Mr. Pibb’s discontinuation reflected broader consolidation trends within major beverage companies.
Hubba Bubba Soda’s Sweet Farewell
You may not remember Hubba Bubba soda given its short shelf life. After all, this pink beverage (derived from the popular bubblegum) was released in 1988, but was discontinued in less than 5 years.
Back in 1988, Hubba Bubba temporarily veered into the beverage industry, releasing a soda version of its signature pink bubblegum. According to those who had the opportunity to try the soda, it tasted incredibly sweet, like a can of liquid sugar.
The novelty beverage proved that brand extensions don’t always work. While not much is known about why the drink was discontinued, it likely didn’t perform well in sales numbers. We can only imagine that it was an odd experience drinking something bubblegum-flavored instead of chewing it.
Coca-Cola Blak’s Brief Buzz
Yet when Coca-Cola Blak hit stores in 2006, the potential allure of a Coke and coffee mash-up was too good for the soda company to pass on. Given it contained twice the caffeine of a regular Coke, it was expected to be a big hit. However, the beverage failed to jolt Coke’s fanbase, and it disappeared from store shelves in a mere 16 months.
There are several likely reasons why Coca-Cola Blak fizzled out, including its off-brand packaging and niche marketing strategy. The experimental and energizing drink was rumored to have an unusual taste, as well, with a creamy coffee consistency that frothed when poured.
The coffee-cola hybrid was ahead of its time but executed poorly. Retail analysts suggest the beverage suffered from unclear positioning – was it coffee or cola? This confusion likely contributed to its rapid disappearance.
Zima’s Clear Conclusion
Along with sugary drinks, malted beverages were also popular during the ’90s. Created and distributed by Coors in 1993, Zima was cool, citrus-flavored, and contained less than 5% alcohol by volume. It was a part of the “clear craze” from the early part of the decade, which was a popular advertisement fad that marketed “clear” as akin to “pure” – think Crystal Pepsi, transparent Apple desktops, and Clearly Canadian.
Zima embodied the bizarre marketing trends of its era. The clear malt beverage targeted consumers who wanted something different from traditional beer, but its sweet taste and unusual positioning made it vulnerable to changing preferences.
The brand’s disappearance reflected broader shifts in alcohol consumption patterns. As craft beer exploded and hard seltzers emerged, niche products like Zima found themselves squeezed out of an increasingly competitive market.
