• by Danielle Oster , February 9, 2024

Coca-Cola is spicing up its roster of core flavors with its first new permanent addition in over three years.

This week, Coca-Cola announced the upcoming introduction of Coca-Cola Spiced and Coca-Cola Spiced Zero Sugar.

Despite the name, those sensitive to spicy foods need not be intimidated by the new flavor. In a fact sheet, the brand makes clear that “Coca-Cola Spiced is not spicy,” while simultaneously describing it as “Coke’s boldest tasting brand innovation yet.” Rather than a capsaicin-heavy assault on taste buds, the new addition seems to be a blend of the novel and familiar. The company describes the Spiced flavor as blending “the iconic taste of Coca-Cola with a burst of refreshing notes from raspberry and spiced flavors.”

According to the company, Coca-Cola Spiced and Spiced Zero Sugar will be available in most national retail stores starting Feb. 19 – across a variety of  sizes and packaging formats, including 12 ounce cans, ten-packs of mini cans, and two-liter bottles.

The branding and packaging for Coca-Cola Spiced was designed to be in line with the Coca-Cola master brand’s visual identity, while adding a “swirl made up of raspberry-inspired colors”) to the trademark red color long associated with the soda. “Coca-Cola” is prominently featured in bold font on both varieties, in white for Coca-Cola Spiced, and black for Coca-Cola Spiced Zero Sugar.

Coca-Cola developed the new flavor based on insights on evolving consumer preferences. According to the company, there has been a 124% increase among consumers in willingness to incorporate spice in beverages since 2019, as well as a 25% increased interest in raspberry soft drinks over the course of the last four years. The company also cited “over 5 million” raspberry servings poured from its Coca-Cola Freestyle machines just in 2022.

While there will presumably be a campaign introducing Coca-Cola Spiced, the company did not respond to questions about its marketing strategy for the new release.