Diet Coke’s surprising new flavors are here to zest up your life

For a brand that’s been around since the 1800s, Coca-Cola has changed surprisingly little. Sure, everyone’s fave Cherry Coke has been on shelves for decades now, but in general, Coca-Cola knows the rules: don’t mess with a classic. Things started to change in 2018, though, when Diet Coke introduced four new flavors, Ginger Lime, Feisty Cherry, Zesty Blood Orange, and Twisted Mango. And now, Diet Coke seems to be making this an annual thing: Last week, two new flavors of Diet Coke hit the U.S. market, Strawberry Guava, and Blueberry Açai.

On the tropical side of things and not exactly flavors you’d think to pair with a cola, these flavors confused us a little at first—we think of açai as a breakfast staple. But Cherry Coke is delish, so strawberry, blueberry, and other fruit flavors should go well with Coke too, right?

Well, a couple of HG’s editors did give the new cans a try, and we found them tastier than we expected.

I found the scent of the Strawberry Guava to be a little strong when I popped open the can, but it wasn’t overwhelmingly fruity to drink—not like the Diet Coke/fruit punch combo I was expecting from the smell, more like cola with a little La Croix inspiration. It did dry out my mouth and I could taste the artificial sweetener, which I didn’t love. The Blueberry Açai was a little more enjoyable for me—less artificial sweetener aftertaste and better marriage between the fruit flavors and the classic cola.

Our deputy editor, Emily Popp, also had a strong reaction to the smell of the Strawberry Guava and said, “Something that smells like that shouldn’t be that brown color. It should be pink!” But she did find the flavor pleasantly fruity. She preferred the Blueberry Açai, saying it was closer to a traditional Diet Coke and tasted exactly the way you’d think blueberry, açai, and Coca-Cola would taste together, but not too sweet. “But,” she said, “I’d rather just stick with the classic.”

As far as delivering on a flavor promise, Diet Coke definitely came through. These bevvies taste exactly as you’d expect Diet Coke mixed with strawberry, guava, blueberry, and açai—without a hint of pulp in sight.

Planning to give the new flavors a try? Diet Coke will be sampling them in 15 cities across the country and on some college campuses until August, and you can pick them up in stores now.