When Oreo and Coca-Cola announced their temporary best-friendship earlier this month, most people agreed on one thing: “the Coke-flavored Oreo is gonna taste better than the Oreo-flavored Coke.” You can count me among the doubters, too.
I’ve been looking forward to this release for a long time, but that excitement has always had a healthy dose of “…but why?” regarding Oreo-flavored Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. Something about a cookie-flavored cola with no sugar just feels wrong. Still, my job is to try this with an open mind. No matter how bad it is, I’ve definitely had worse (looking at you, Coca-Cola Byte.)
Full transparency: The sample I was provided for this review is from the United Kingdom. (Seriously, Oreo’s PR company flew sample cans across the ocean for their press list? This is an honor and a privilege.) Nothing I can find online suggests the U.K. recipe is any different than what we’ll get here in the States. That said, if my experience with the U.S. release is dramatically different from what I have today, I’ll update this review for posterity. Now let’s get to the bottom of this curious Coca-Cola creation…
New Coke Creations Flavor
- Fizzy Cookie Flavored Coca-Cola Zero Sugar
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Pros: Let’s cut to the chase: It does taste like an Oreo. But what does an Oreo actually taste like? I might be risking my credibility here, but if you really think about it, Oreos aren’t that chocolaty. This drink tastes like what I think of when I think of an Oreo cookie: mostly creme with a light chocolate undertone. It’s very smooth, which also helps sell the creme flavor. I don’t see myself drinking too many more of these, but I liked this way more than I expected to. It might sincerely be my favorite zero sugar Coke flavor to date.
Cons: If you’re hoping for a chocolate cola, you’re going to be disappointed. The primary Oreo flavor that comes through in this new Coke flavor is creme, and that isn’t everyone’s favorite part of the Oreo (for the record, it is mine). Beyond the flavor itself, I’ll echo what plenty of people who haven’t even tried this yet are asking: Why is this only available in zero sugar? I’m confident a full sugar variant would go over even better. Offering Creations flavors in regular and zero sugar is pretty standard for Coke, so this decision is baffling. Somehow, my biggest complaint about this drink is that I can’t try a second version of it. That’s an endorsement in its own right.
Credit: Liv Averett / Coca-Cola
