Coca-Cola axes ‘permanent’ new flavour months after its launch

The popular fizzy drink has announced it is discontinuing a “permanent” new flavour – just months after it hit shelves in the US.

Coke is discontinuing its newest “permanent” flavour – just months after the soft drink hit shelves.

Coca-Cola Spiced, a blend of the classic Coke taste with raspberry notes, was the first new addition to US line-up in three years.

The iconic beverage brand introduced the new fizzy drink to Americans with a huge ad campaign, stating it was designed to appeal to Gen Z drinkers who have a “thirst for punchier flavours”.

But it seems the new beverage has failed to hit the mark, as just seven months after hitting shelves the retailer has confirmed the end of its production.

The company said that after assessing “what our customers like” it has “adjusted its strategy” and as a result Coca-Cola Spiced would be “phased-out” to make way for an “exciting new flavour in 2025”, according to CNN.

Coca-Cola has announced it is axing its ‘permanent’ new flavour – just months after its launch in the US. Picture: TikTok

The Spiced variety left some ‘confused’ as its blend of the classic Coke taste with an ‘aromatic raspberry’ flavour wasn’t spicy. Picture: Reddit

News of the brand-new flavour’s demise, which is currently not sold in Australia, has been described as “not-so-shocking” by experts who said the brand’s attempt to tap into the youth consumers was a “flop”.

But many consumers were “confused” by the flavour Coke Spiced, which was billed as having an “aromatic raspberry-flavour” that wasn’t actually spicy, LinkedIn News reported.

While the drink delivered “no heat”, it was designed to capitalise on the “swicy” food trend – — a combination of sweet and spicy — after 53 per cent of Gen Z consumers said they enjoy the taste, according to a recent flavour survey.

Consumer reaction to the drink was mixed from the moment it launched in February, with many who tasted the drink describing it as “hard to decipher”.

The brand said it was making way for new flavours in 2025. Picture: Reddit

“Spiced Coke is terrible. It smells and tastes like a Christmas air freshener,” one claimed on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Thought I grabbed a Coke Zero, but turns out it was the Spiced one. What a ghastly creation,” another mused.

As one simply said: “Never liked it, it’s gross.”

However there were just as many fans of the drink who expressed disappointment at Coca-Cola axing the “best ever” flavour.

“Spiced Coke was so good, please don’t discontinue it,” pleaded one.

“Coca-Cola just pulled the plug on the Spiced raspberry Coke, it’s the BEST flavour,” complained another.

The brand has been trying to appeal to younger consumers with a variety of new flavours in recent months – including the limited-edition Oreo Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. Picture: Reddit

It also launched the limited-edition K-Wave drink earlier this year. Picture: Reddit

Coke has been vying for younger customers in recent months, most notably with the brand’s Coca-Cola Creations campaign, that has seen a string of limited-edition flavours launch globally since it first began in 2022.

The most recent drink, launched September 9 in Australia, was the Coca-Cola Oreo Zero Sugar, a collaboration with the popular biscuit company.

Coca-Cola K-Wave Zero Sugar, which launched earlier this year, was a soft drink that took inspiration from K-Pop music with Coke describing it as featuring a “burst of fruity-flavoured K-Pop magic”.

Originally published as Coca-Cola axes ‘permanent’ new flavour months after its launch