Coca-Cola is releasing a new flavor, and people are nervous

The flavor hits stores on Feb. 25.
 By 
Jack Morse
 on 
Coca-Cola is releasing a new flavor, and people are nervous
You can practically taste the high fructose corn syrup. Credit: Pornchai Jaito / EyeEm / getty

When you're feeling risky, but not too risky, Coca-Cola's got you covered.

The brilliant minds that brought us New Coke are back at it again with a flavor concoction that is sure to win hearts, minds, tastebuds, dollars, and possibly doctor visits. Say hello to Orange Vanilla, which a press release tells us is the first new iteration on that classic Coke flavor in over a decade.

The flavor blast from your Creamsicle past will be available in the U.S. starting Feb. 25, but that Orange Vanilla is, at this moment, kept out of reach by Time's evil grasp hasn't stopped soda fans from speculating on the sheer possibilities offered by the new flavor.

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

And while some are keeping an open mind, others... well, not so much.

Irrational exuberance aside, one does perhaps wonder why now and why Orange Vanilla? Thankfully, Coca-Cola brand director Kate Carpenter filled us all in.

“We wanted to bring back positive memories of carefree summer days,” she is quoted in the aforementioned press release as explaining. “That’s why we leaned into the orange-vanilla flavor combination – which is reminiscent of the creamy orange popsicles we grew up loving, but in a classically Coke way.”

Ah yes, now does seem like the right time to wax nostalgic about carefree summer days. Coca-Cola, you know us better than we know ourselves. I'm still not drinking this Orange Vanilla nonsense, though.

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Jack Morse

Professionally paranoid. Covering privacy, security, and all things cryptocurrency and blockchain from San Francisco.

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