Diet soda drinkers are not exactly a fickle lot. Some people swear by Diet Pepsi without aspartame. Others with aspartame. Tab people are still kicking it like it’s 1985 and any true Texan wouldn’t be caught dead with a Mr. Pibb Zero over Diet Dr Pepper.
Which is all to say that Coke’s decision to launch a new flavored Diet Coke line is a bit of a head-scratcher.
As a diet soda drinker myself, I can understand the dividing lines of low-calorie beverages. We’re creatures of habit; obsessive compulsives; generally curmudgeonly and resistant to change. Also, we’re all going to get cancer and metabolic disorder and blah blah blah BUT STILL we’re willing to at least try a new diet soda, especially with the help of some (relatively) exotic names.
I love most orange-flavored things. However, unlike my childhood hero Kel Mitchell, I’m not crazy about the taste of orange soda, which lacks the body of a cola. Diet Coke Zesty Blood Orange cures all that; the orange flavor is robust but not bitter, lingering on as a component of the aftertaste but not stripping the soda of its cola roots. Why it took Coke this long to use orange as a flavor in a bottled or canned soda, I have no idea. But I’m happy it’s finally here.
I don’t know what twisted is supposed to convey as an adjective. Perverse? Physically contorted? Changed ever-so-slightly from the original intent that the word is basically meaningless? The last one seems to be the case when it comes to the taste of Twisted Mango. Meaningless adjectives aside, this is a good soda. Crisp, fruity but not overly tropical, with a sweeter finish than traditional Diet Coke, it just works. I can see Diet Coke with Lemon fans liking this one, which has a good mix of conservative Diet Coke appeal and unique flavor.
Moving right along, Feisty Cherry seems like a weird name for a soda. A 90s pop-rock artist or Kentucky Derby horse? Okay, I can see that. But a soda? Not really. In any event, the flavor comes across as a slightly muted black cherry, but it never really overcomes the carbonation. Where there was a distinct sweetness with Zesty Blood Orange, Feisty Cherry has a more traditional Diet Coke aftertaste, which I guess can be either a good or and thing depending on your preferences. Personally, I found it a less suitable imitator to Diet Cherry Dr Pepper, which I’m allowed to say because of the two years I lived in Texas.
Ginger Lime should have been the most exotic tasting flavor, but instead of some piquant and spicy flavor, it tastes like Diet Coke watered down with a generic (read: not Canada Dry) ginger ale. Not that I’m complaining, but the lack of ginger ale crossover makes this a disappointment.
Diet soda drinkers are not exactly a fickle lot, and because of that, I’m not sure how well received the new Diet Coke flavors will be, especially when Feisty Cherry and Ginger Lime fail to deliver on their aggressive names.
However, maybe that’s the point.
Since Diet Coke drinkers default back to the standby of Diet Coke, the generally non-offensive flavors probably won’t turn anyone off. That said, at least with the exception of Blood Orange, I doubt they’ll turn anyone on.
(Nutrition Facts – 12 oz – 0 calories, 0 calories from fat, 0 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 5 milligrams of sodium, 160 milligrams of potassium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, 13 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.)
Purchased Price: $3.68
Size: 12-pack (12 oz. cans)
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10 (Blood Orange)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Ginger Lime)
Rating: 5 out of 10 (Feisty Cherry)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Twisted Mango)
Pros: Blood Orange has a crisp, sweet finish that tastes like a natural addition to traditional Diet Coke. Twisted Mango brings a tropical flavor to cola without overdoing it. Varied spectrum of flavors for those who don’t have access to a Coke Freestyle machine.
Cons: Aside from Blood Orange, flavors don’t necessarily wow you. Feisty Cherry tastes mostly like Diet Coke with Cherry. Ginger Lime fails to deliver the long-expected ginger ale-cola hybrid. Curmudgeonly Diet Coke drinkers.
Cane Sugar versions of these same flavors in the same cans would be nice. #nostevia
Fiesty cherry is so weird….when I first tasted it i had to google some reviews of it because I wasn’t sure why my throat was burning. At least some people reported a peppery sensation, which i’m assuming must be the reason it’s “feisty”. But very strange. Almost caustic
I haven’t tried the Feisty Cherry, but I had the same thing happen with the Blood Orange. It burned my throat too, and it was really unpleasant; it felt like acid reflux! I didn’t have it happen with the Ginger Lime.
YES! ME TOO! I’m allergic to strawberry and the burning feeling was exactly how it feels when I drink something that has natural strawberry in it. I had to look it up too.
Diet Coke Cherry is available on the West Coast and is AMAZING. This is just abrasive.
the exact same thing happened to me! i couldn’t figure out why my throat was on fire. this is the nastiest beverage i have ever consumed. i wasted money on 1 case of this nasty stuff and will never touch it again. it’s like drinking battery acid.
Do you know what the word “fickle” means, because you used it incorrectly twice.
The Blood Orange is my favorite, and the Mango is my least favorite.
The Mango one to me just tastes like Diet Coke and they put a few tablespoons of Mango Nectar in each can, the back end is just sickly sweet with that mango taste.
I really wish the Feisty Cherry was more in your face with the Cherry flavor, like Cheerwine is.
I am not fickle. Already miss my Diet Coke with Lime!!
My wife does too. The Ginger Lime is BAD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think you meant to say they ARE a fickle lot…
All 4 were pretty underwhelming.
I enjoy drinking Diet Coke Orange from the Coke Freestyle machine! I had high hopes for the Blood Orange Diet Coke but I didn’t enjoy it at all ! It had a almost bitter aftertaste . The orange flavor was a bit week. Glad I was able to buy it by the can. I would of thrown out the other cans if I had bought it by the 4 pack. The only Free style machine close to me is at the movie theater . So if I mix Diet Fanta Orange soda and Diet Coke I get the flavor I like.
I couldn’t stand the blood orange, neither could my husband. I loved the Cherry with the bit of peppery aftertaste. Though the mango was the best in my opinion.
For me the blood orange had an aftertaste that was somewhere between perfume and colon prep. Just awful.
Bring back Diet Cherry Coke. This “New” feisty Cherry Coke rates right up there with “NEW COKE” and you know where that ended up!
The new Ginger Lime SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
came across at end of beverage rack , pick up small 8 pack to give feisty cherry at try!would have to say came up short of cherry taste with burning after taste . Will this go back to bring real cherry/diet back to market. better to leave the great alone. time for real made USA style with green/cane sugar real IN ICE COLD BOTTLE AMERICAN COKE FOR THE PEOPLE
Ginger Lime is my favorite of the ones I’ve tried so far, still haven’t tried the mango one yet.
I like the Ginger Lime too. When I burp, I swear it tastes like ginger. Gross, but true!
I loved Regular Coke with Lime… Today I see it switched to Ginger Lime… so I tried it. Now it tastes like Diet Coke which I hate because it tastes carcinogenic…
And it would be nice to find cans of Regular Coke with Lime available for sale at the store…