File. Coca-Cola bottles at a supermarket in Latham, New York, US, on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. Coca-Cola Co. is scheduled to release earnings figures on February 13.
As it turns out, a couple of Coca-Cola flavors didn’t have as much staying power as some fans hoped.
After a dose of online speculation, the company confirmed to TODAY.com on Sept. 24 that it would be discontinuing Coca-Cola Spiced — the flavor that made its debut earlier this year. The soda, which combined raspberry and a “blend of warm spiced flavors,” is one of a few on the brand’s slate that folks online have seen disappear from store shelves.
“We’re always looking at what our consumers like and adjusting our range of products,” a spokesperson from The Coca-Cola Company tells TODAY.com over email. “As part of this strategy, we’re planning to phase out Coca-Cola Spiced to introduce an exciting new flavor in 2025.”
Spiced was first introduced in February and, in a March press release, was dubbed “a permanent addition to the lineup in North America.” Now, seven months later, the flavor is being retired — but it’s not the only one.
Coca-Cola Cherry Vanilla was also discontinued late last year. The company confirmed the flavor’s demise back in March with a post on X that said it had been discontinued and was only available while supplies last.
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“I think @CocaCola discontinued cherry Vanilla Coke in the bottle,” wrote a different X user on Sept. 1, tagging the company. “I haven’t seen it in months.”
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“We decided to discontinue Coca-Cola Cherry Vanilla due to consumers’ taste preferences and lifestyles constantly changing,” the brand wrote on X on Sept. 4. “As a Total Beverage Company, we are always searching for ways to evolve our product portfolio to bring consumers the beverages they want.”
Though some social media users missed the initial announcement by a few months, it doesn’t compare to the folks still asking if Diet Coke with Splenda is still around, even though it was discontinued years ago and is marked as out of stock on sites like Walmart.
“@CocaCola do you all have Diet Coke with Splenda still?” asked one X user on Sept. 4. “I’m allergic to aspartame 🥺.”
“Unfortunately, Diet Coke with Splenda has been discontinued,” Coca-Cola replied. “We’re sorry for any disappointment.”
As expected, people online were unhappy to learn these flavors have metaphorically gone flat.
“this is a national tragedy are you proud of yourself,” wrote one X user.
“Congrats on making me switch to pepsi,” said another. “This was a huge fail on your part @CocaCola.”
One more even called it a “Massive L.”
But not everyone was so choked up by the discontinuations. One not-so-sad redditor wrote “Bye, Felicia!” when they heard about the Spice supply drying up. Another chimed in to say, “Yeah people didn’t really like it.” Plenty of other redditors suggested reviving other flavors in its place.
Coca-Cola has been busy these past few years releasing a slew of unique and limited-time flavors.
In 2022, these included Dreamworld, a soda meant to evoke “technicolor tastes and surrealism of the subconscious,” and the gaming-inspired Byte, “inspired by the playfulness of pixels.” In 2023, the brand released Coca-Cola Move with Rosalía which was “transformation flavored.”
This past August, the brand partnered with Oreo to release two items: The Oreo Coca-Cola Sandwich Cookie, which is red and black and contains Coca-Cola syrup, as well as the limited-edition Coca-Cola Oreo Zero Sugar drink, which features “flavorful hints” inspired by the chocolate and creme of an Oreo cookie.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
