• by Danielle Oster , September 25, 2024

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It didn’t take long for Coca-Cola’s new Spice flavor to fade.

Around seven months after launching Coca-Cola Spiced and Coca-Cola Spiced Zero Sugar as a “permanent flavor,” the company is discontinuing it.

“We're always looking at what our consumers like and adjusting our range of products,” Coca-Cola said in a statement. “As part of this strategy, we're planning to phase out Coca-Cola Spiced to introduce an exciting new flavor in 2025.”

The company announced the new flavor -- which was not spicy, but rather a blend of raspberry and “spiced” flavors -- back in February, with the beverage appearing in stores later that month. At the time, it was hailed as the first “permanent” addition to Coca-Cola’s flavor roster in over three years.

This isn't the first time a Coca-Cola release hasn’t gone as planned. In 1985, the company rolled out a reformulated version of its flagship cola, unofficially dubbed “New Coke,” in response to what it saw as evolving consumer preferences. New Coke was initially intended to permanently replace its original formula product, but faced swift consumer backlash. In response, Coca-Cola reintroduced the original as “Coca-Cola Classic” some 79 days later. While New Coke remained on the market for years (rebranded as Coke II in 1990), it comprised a small fraction of the brand’s sales before its eventual discontinuation in 2002.

Back in February, Coca-Cola characterized the new flavor as an attempt to reach younger consumers, guided by data on consumer preferences. At the time, the company noted a 124% increase among consumers in willingness to incorporate spice in beverages since 2019, a 25% increased interest in raspberry soft drinks over the previous four years, and “over 5 million” raspberry servings poured from its Coca-Cola Freestyle machines in 2022 alone.

In recent months, Coca-Cola has been emphasizing its limited-time flavor offerings. Most recently, it teamed up with Mondelez sandwich cookie brand Oreo for a “Besties” collaborative release. That iteration followed the release of Wozzaah Zero Sugar in May, and a K-Pop-themed flavor released earlier in the year.