REVIEW: Sprite Chill

Have you ever enjoyed a nice cold soda and thought to yourself, “Wow, this is great, but if only there was a way to make it seem ever so slightly cooler?” I haven’t, or if I have, I probably just reached for some ice. If you lack access to anything frozen and are still searching for something to give you a cold boost, perhaps Sprite Chill is for you.

Billing itself as the “coldest-est” yet, this Cherry-Lime spin on Sprite claims to be the first soft drink to utilize a cooling sensation without also having a mint flavor (I guess this means Coca-Cola Starlight’s cooling trick used mint?) and the feeling is meant to intensify as you continue to drink it. The idea of a mint-less cooling effect sounds neat, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t love a good food gimmick, but I was even more interested in the Cherry-Lime flavor. With visions of icy cool cherry limeade in mind, I dove into my fridge-cold bottle.

To fit the chill theme, the drink itself has been given a frosty appearance. More opaque than a typical Sprite, it looks the part of something glacial. The cherry is noticeable in the first sniff and sip, but it’s certainly subtle. I’m relieved not to get a medicinal vibe, but I wish there was more oomph. Sprite already starts with a lemon-lime flavor, so I expected the cherry-lime would boost the lime and also bring a stronger cherry taste. The cooling sensation wasn’t immediately obvious to me, and instead of being extra refreshing, I felt like I was drinking a somewhat muted Sprite with a few cherries sitting in it for a while. You would think that whatever provides the cooling sensation would be more immediately refreshing, but I think this rendition almost lacks some of the crispness of original Sprite.

No longer married to gum and toothpaste, this “cooling” has recently shown up in several products and the consensus seems to be that it isn’t a very strong effect. I can notice it in Sprite Chill, but much like the cherry flavor, it’s subtle. If the press release is to be believed, the sensation should build as I keep drinking, but I don’t think it ever truly reaches a level beyond “I guess this is kind of tingly.” There’s a bit of that feeling you’d get from a menthol cough drop, minus the taste, but I don’t know if I’d even have this observation if I wasn’t actively looking for it. I like this soda, but I find it so unremarkable that I’m not sure why anyone bothered to make it. There isn’t enough cherry or lime to really make it stand out, and the chilling gimmick it relies on isn’t especially detectable. This Sprite isn’t bad, but it just doesn’t thrill or really chill me.

Purchased Price: $2.00
Size: 20 fl oz
Purchased at: Jewel-Osco
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle regular) 240 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 105 milligrams of sodium, 64 grams of total carbs, 64 grams of total sugars (incl. 64 grams of added sugars), and 0 grams of protein.