Was Sierra Mist changed? Sure! The acquainted lemon-lime flavored soda you’ve sipped since 1999 has been supplanted by a brand new lemon-lime soda referred to as Starry in 2023.

Once I first stumbled throughout Starry at my Walmart, I believed it was a type of fancy new probiotic sodas my spouse loves. Nope! It’s PepsiCo’s newest mass produced soda that’s obtainable in all places from comfort shops to fountain drink machines proper now.

Why did Pepsi determine to discontinue Sierra Mist after a 20+ yr run? The catalyst for the rebrand seems to be poor gross sales. In keeping with experiences in Newsweek, the competitor Sprite is incomes 5 instances the gross sales quantity of Sierra Mist. PepsiCo determined it was time to make a roster change on this necessary beverage class that’s been rising since 2019.

Starry is out there anyplace soda is bought.

Starry is a caffeine-free beverage. There are two choices for Starry: unique and 0 sugar.

Does Starry Truly Style Totally different?

A spokesperson from PepsiCo acknowledged Starry has extra citrus flavors and has a extra balanced and cleaner end than Sierra Mist. I picked up a 2 liter at my native Walmart to search out out if these claims had been appropriate.

My findings? Personally, it was laborious to inform the distinction in taste between Starry and its predecessor. One distinction is has Sierra Mist at all times tasted a little bit bit flat to me. Starry appears to have been capable of take away this after-taste and supplies drinker with one thing a little bit extra punch in a great way.

Total, I feel you’ll like this new lemon-lime soda and it’s price giving Starry a attempt. I even added some ice and a lemon-lime wedge to additional fancy with it as you’ll be able to see beneath.

Starry with lemon lime wedges. Fancy!

The flavour enhancement isn’t all advertising and marketing hype although. There are literally some key differentiates within the product that transcend a brand new label and into the soda.

Starry VS Sierra Mist: Totally different Components 

The first distinction within the substances between the 2 sodas is the kind of sweetener used. Sierra Mist was made with cane sugar, whereas Starry makes use of excessive fructose corn syrup. Sierra Mist was the one mass produced lemon lime soda on the that that used cane sugar.

Some shoppers understand cane sugar as a extra pure and more healthy sweetener in comparison with excessive fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Additionally, some shoppers favor the style of can sugar over corn syrup. I assume you’ll be able to’t make everybody pleased on a regular basis.

Moreover, PepsiCo added a barely increased amount of citric acid in Starry, which doubtless contributes to its crisper, extra citrus-forward style.

You too can choose up a Starry with zero sugar.

How a lot does Starry value? 

Starry prices about the identical as another soda from PepsiCo and competitor Coca-Cola. Right here’s the breakdown at my native Walmart:

• 20 oz. bottle: $2.28 ($0.114/ouncescost)
• 2 liter bottle (67.628 oz.): $1.98 ($0.0293/ouncescost)
• 12 pack of 12 oz. cans: $5.98 ($0.0415/oz)

Surprisingly, the 2-liter bottle at $0.0293 per ounce is the most affordable possibility and due to this fact the perfect deal among the many three choices. If you wish to maximize your soda funding, go together with the two liter.

If you’d like a beverage that’s chilly, you’ll must seize the 20 oz. bottle out of the fridge and think about the upper worth a comfort cost.

12-packs of Starry cans.

Can You Nonetheless Discover Sierra Mist Anyplace? 

For those who love Sierra Mist, you’ve nonetheless received time to search out the soda, however the clock is ticking. As talked about earlier, PepsiCo has formally discontinued manufacturing of this beverage, however you would possibly nonetheless be capable of discover some so you’ll be able to replenish earlier than it’s gone perpetually.

At this level, I’m now not seeing Sierra Mist in my native grocery shops or at Walmart. The stock has already been witched over to Starry. However don’t lose hope! You might be able to discover it at a reduction retailer like The Greenback Tree that focuses on promoting discontinued merchandise.

You too can head to a web site like eBay the place you order quite a lot of 6-packs and 2o ouncesbottles and two liters. I’m seeing a 6-pack go for $29.99 and a pair of 16.9 ouncesbottles go for $22.00. Additionally, all of the listings are past the official expiration date at this level.

If you wish to take pleasure in one final sip of Sierra Mist, it seems to be such as you’ll be paying a premium for it. However the longer you wait the tougher will probably be to search out. Do you suppose the additional value is price it?

Will Starry Be In a position to Lure Drinkers from Sprite?

It’s unclear if Starry will be capable of take market-share from established lemon-lime drinks like Sprite and 7up.  In keeping with Statista, 47% of all soda drinkers take pleasure in Sprite. A staggering 94% of america inhabitants is conscious of the model. Even when Starry was capable of declare just a few percentages of the drink-share it might doubtless be seen as a hit by PepsiCo executives.

Why do you soda-drinkers like Sprite a lot? The style in fact. Sprite is understood for its crisp, clear, and refreshing lemon-lime taste, which many individuals discover pleasing and refreshing. Sprite was launched to the general public in 1961 to compete with 7up.

12 pack of Starry.

Through the years Sprite has been capable of maintain drinkers passionate about their a lot lauded advertising and marketing campaigns that frequently characteristic hip-hop artists and athletes. For instance earlier this summer time Nas, Rakim, Latato and GloRilla starred in contemporary Sprite inventive paying tribute to the previous, current and way forward for hip-hop. A remix of The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” – the first-ever hip-hop tune to hit the Billboard High 40 – is infused with memorable bars from the forged of old-schoolers and up to date artists and anchors the marketing campaign with a rapping, time-traveling love letter to the music that has formed widespread tradition over the past 5 many years.

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A.P. Chaney, Inventive Director for Sprite North America, mentioned the model’s longstanding hip-hop credentials are unmatched. “Our resume speaks for itself,” Chaney mentioned. “Sprite took an opportunity on hip-hop earlier than it was cool, and has at all times been of the tradition, not just for the tradition. We’ve proven up for each moments massive and small, amplifying the limitless prospects of the now-omnipresent hip-hop way of life and its profound affect on music, sports activities and style. So, it’s solely becoming that we pay homage to all hip-hop has been, is and will probably be.”

Let me know when you’ll be swapping out your Sprite for a Starry anytime quickly.