REVIEW: Coca-Cola Orange Cream

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I have to admit, I was a big fan of the Coca-Cola Orange Vanilla (and that hilarious car chase commercial) from a few years back. So when I heard the company was dropping a new Orange Cream flavor, I was pretty excited.

I mean, like, stalking and refreshing the Walmart app, waiting for it to show up within a 50-mile radius of me excited.

At last, after a few false alarms and failed attempts, it’s mine. All mine.

If I were to arrange the words “Orange Cream Coke” by the strength of the flavors in this beverage, they’d be in the reverse order: “Coke Cream Orange.”

The Coke flavor, that familiar kind of spicy, kind of earthy taste, is first and foremost as it should be. The cream flavor comes next, but it’s a bit tangy and has an almost yogurt-like taste, although not too strong. Then comes the orange at the end, even fainter in its flavor. The aftertaste is also orange-y, but in an even more mild way. What’s missing is that sweet vanilla-y, almost cream soda flavor the previous incarnation from 2019 had.

The orange has that artificial citrus quality, kind of like orange gummies or Kool-aid do, but in a pleasantly mild, background note kind of way.

This soda isn’t bad, but it’s not great, either. As a fan of the aforementioned Coca-Cola Orange Vanilla, I have to say I’m a bit disappointed. It’s not as well-rounded or boldly flavored as its predecessor. But if you’re looking for a soft drink to fill the void that the other one left in its wake, it’s not a bad option.

Purchased Price: $2.38
Size: 20 fl oz bottle
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 240 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 55 milligrams of sodium, 65 grams of total carbs, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 65 grams of total sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Oreo Coca-Cola Zero Sugar

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Like a wide-eyed kid away at college, far from home for the first time in their life, Coca-Cola is going through a bit of an experimental phase. Over the past year or so, it mixed its classic carbonation with DJs and conceptual artists, with abstract ideas and intangible tastes like “space.” But like that same aforementioned college kid, things have mostly returned to normal. Well, except first they wanna try one last thing, okay?

Partnering with Oreo for a collaboration that—ahem—swings both ways, the bold and daring can now get Oreo cookies that taste like Coke and Coke that tastes like Oreo cookies. I love flavored Coca-Cola—even when they’re bad, they’re at least fun—so I was eager to drink the cookie.

Cracking open a mini can, I was assaulted by the aroma of, well, Oreo. I took a tiny sip, and yep, there it was: I was totally drinking the famous creme-filled chocolate wafer cookie. As the artificial chocolate flavor coated the inside of my mouth like some greasy sugar juice, I got the tiniest hint of good old-fashioned Coca-Cola, then a crashing wave of aspartame and acesulfame potassium.

The artificial sweetener in this hits HARD. I’m a regular Coke Zero drinker, so it’s not that I’m not used to it; something about the balance in the Oreo Coke, though, is different. I’ve had the same thing happen in some of the other limited edition Coke Zero Sugar flavors, and honestly, it makes it too much. It reminds me of being a kid and accidentally being given a Diet Coke at a fast food place. When I was young and unaccustomed to the artificial tang, that first sip was like getting slapped in the mouth.

And unfortunately, I felt it really hindered my enjoyment of this otherwise fun flavor.

Oreo Coca-Cola Zero Sugar is a fun idea and nothing more. If you’re a Coke completist or someone who likes trying new and unusual things, and you see a bottle, grab it. It’s worth a couple of bucks, and who knows, it may be your new favorite thing. (A lot of chatter I’ve read online so far seems to really put me in the minority, so, as the adage goes, your mileage may be different than mine.)

Purchased Price: $5.98
Size: 10-pack mini cans
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 45 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 0 grams of sugar, and less than 0 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Limited Edition Coca-Cola Oreo Cookies

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It’s the brand crossover we didn’t even know we were waiting for. America’s #1 cookie and America’s #1 soda brand* have combined forces to create not only a new cola but arguably the most intriguing Oreo flavor to date.

*According to America’s #1 search engine, the A.I. cluttered and less reliable by the day, Google!

I’ve been starting to get a little bored with Oreo flavor trends. Sure, I just reviewed its Sour Patch collab, but outside of that, I’ve felt like its creative ideas were starting to lose their luster, and each new flavor just ended up tasting like one it had previously made. A shot in the arm was needed.

Enter Coca-Cola Oreo – a jab everyone should agree on. … Let’s move on.

Upon popping the tab on the bag, I was smacked with an amazing scent. This is probably the best-smelling snack I’ve had in a long time. They instantly smell like Coca-Cola but also don’t lose the “baked good” scent of the cookie. It’s a perfect mix. I want this as a candle.

The great start only got better when I saw the dual-colored wafers, with the red side having three distinct Coke-branded designs. The attention to detail is unrivaled by any Oreo in the past.

My nose liked ’em, my eyes liked ’em, but what about my big fat mouth?

Oh yeah, my mouth liked ’em. These are great. I expected them to be, and they met my expectations. They taste like Coca-Cola. Simple as that. Job well done.

Actually, I think they taste like a Coke float, which is arguably even better.

If I had to be specific beyond, “it tastes like Coke,” these remind me of Cherry Vanilla Coke. The crème, which is speckled with popping candies, gives it that vanilla/ice cream/almost marshmallow-like addition, and there is a distinct cherry hint within the Coca-Cola flavoring itself.

The Coke website claims the brown cookie is made with Coca-Cola syrup, while the red cookie is just a dyed Golden Oreo. I separated the two, and that checks out. There’s also definitely some Coke essence within the crème.

Speaking of the crème, my only complaint is that I wish the popping candy… well, popped off more. It’s a fun addition and a great way to ape the effervescence of a refreshing soda into the cookie, but the crackling is few and far between. Also, just to nitpick, I wish they were red and speckled the crème better than the moldy off-white bits they are now, if only for aesthetics.

Cola is not a flavor we really get much outside of the drink itself, so it was cool to have that profile in something edible. The only other things I could really think of were random candies like Bottle Caps or my dearly departed Betty Crocker Soda-licious Fruit Snacks. For the love of all things holy, please bring those back.

So yeah, Coca-Cola Oreo Cookies are a hit. One more tiny knock I’ll give is something about the cola flavor sweetness overload gets a little cloying after a few cookies. I was missing that crisp, bubbly taste of an actual Coke. Also, I won’t step on the review of the corresponding Oreo Coca-Cola, but I definitely liked these more. That said, they’re both a must try.

Purchased Price: $4.88
Size: 10.68 oz package
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2 Cookies) 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, 0 gram of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 85 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and less than 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Coca-Cola Limited Edition Y3000

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According to Coca-Cola, its Limited Edition Y3000 Cola is “Futuristic Flavored” and was partially developed using Artificial Intelligence. But should we trust AI to come up with new flavors? I don’t even trust it to write a paragraph about the limited edition cola.

But I did anyway.

Here’s what it came up with after I asked it to compose something about Y3000: “Coca-Cola has recently introduced a new limited edition flavor that has fans buzzing with excitement. The new flavor, called Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Orange Vanilla, is a refreshing twist on the classic soft drink that has quickly become a fan favorite.”

So, um, yeah.

While it’s “Futuristic Flavored,” it smells like a beverage I’ve had before. Despite putting my nose on the top of this bottle for the same amount of time my dog’s nose is under a fire hydrant, I can’t definitely place where I’ve smelled it before. With its berry-ish aroma, I want to say Pepsi Blue, but that would be weird because my fellow reviewer said this other Coca-Cola Creations cola smells like Pepsi Blue.

But the way it tastes confuses me even more. There’s a tasty berry vanilla flavor at first, but the aftertaste sometimes reminds me of buttered popcorn jelly beans. That aftertaste was more noticeable after using Y3000 to soothe my mouth after eating some Takis. But other times, that aftertaste wasn’t buttery and leaned heavily towards vanilla-y. I think I also picked up on some artificial banana flavoring. But that buttered popcorn vibe caused a cola that started off good to fall a bit off at the end. Let me know in the comments if any of you also noticed that artificial buttered popcorn flavor.

So, um, yeah. Thank you, Artificial Intelligence. Thank you for making what started out as possibly one of the better tasting Coca-Cola Creations flavors and then making it perhaps the one with the weirdest aftertaste. Now I’m curious about how the Zero Sugar version tastes.

Although, to be fair, according to Coca-Cola, the soda was developed by AI AND humans, so maybe it was human error that caused the back end of this soda to taste like a Jelly Belly?

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 20 oz bottle (also available in 7.5 oz cans)
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 240 calories, 0 grams of fat, 50 milligrams of sodium, 65 grams of carbohydrates, 65 grams of sugar (including 65 grams of added sugar), and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Fanta What the Fanta Mystery Flavor 2023

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Fanta’s 2023 version of its What the Fanta Mystery Flavor has two mysteries attached to it. Of course, the first one is its flavor. And the second one is: Why don’t the cans glow in the dark?

The light green colored graphics over a black background make me think they’re glow-in-the-dark, but they’re not, despite my attempts to charge the possible glowy parts by putting a can next to a window for a time much longer than it would take for me to just Google the answer. While the cans don’t glow, the soda makes your tongue turn black or dark purple, especially in a dark room.

It smells orangey or citrusy, but it’s dark purple in color. With the first few sips, my guesses switched between grape and orange. But I think its color confused my head because there’s no way this is grape-flavored, right? There’s no mystery there. That would be like Sherlock Holmes in a mystery called “The Case of the Murderer Who Instantly Admitted It and There Are Dozens of Witnesses, Plus There’s Video Evidence From Every Angle Taken By Those Dozens of Witnesses.” It’s not that simple, right?

So my guess is orange, which sounds so basic that it’s got to be some kind of unique orange or orange-flavored product. The artificial sweetener aftertaste kind of hits me the same way as fruity, chalky candy does. So maybe it’s orange Smarties or Sweetarts? Or perhaps it’s Orange Fanta with a lot of Red 40 and Blue 1 food coloring. If that’s the case, WTF, Fanta?

A QR code on the side of the can leads to a website, but I didn’t visit it because I didn’t want to take the chance that it would give away the answer. I’ll just wait until it’s officially announced.

But is this orange candy-flavored soda good? It’s okay. Usually, I don’t mind zero sugar sodas, but there’s something about this one that makes it less appealing. It could be the artificial sweetener aftertaste I mentioned earlier that leads to a chalky candy-like sensation. Or maybe I taste the disappointment of the cans not glowing in the dark.

Purchased Price: More than one should pay on eBay
Size: 7.5 oz cans (also available in 20 oz bottles)
Purchased at: eBay
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 can) 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 40 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.

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