Coming Soon: 7Up with new "crisper" formula
May 27th, 2010 by Steve
It wasn't that long ago that we were writing about a new "natural" formula for 7Up. It was 2006, in fact. At the time, the folks behind the drink were excited to be "the first mainstream carbonated soft drink brand to address consumer demand for a great tasting lemon-lime soft drink made from 100 percent natural ingredients." Thus, a new version of 7Up was born.
And we hated it.
In our May 2006 review, we noted the following:
Upon opening the new formula, it smelled like good ole 7Up. However, the taste was different. It still was the traditionally "clean" taste associated with this brand, but something else was there as well. I couldn't quite place it, but it had similarities to Sierra Mist, which in my opinion, was not a good thing. I'm not a big fan of Mist. The aftertaste is different, but I think I liked the older version of 7Up better.The problem with 7Up was not the formula. The problem was marketing and support from its owners, Cadbury Schweppes [later renamed Dr Pepper Snapple Group]. Hopefully they put some promotional muscle behind this and its sister brand, Dr. Pepper.
We still stand behind those comments. Around the time, 7Up Plus appeared with its horrid flavor extensions (Mixed Berry, Island Fruit, and Cherry). The flavor wasn't broken. Distribution was lacking, promotion was lacking, "buzz" was lacking. But the flavor was still good.
2006: "Now 100% Natural" vs. 2007: "100% Natural Flavors"
Ironically, the "natural" claims of the 2006 reboot of 7Up got Cadbury Schweppes into trouble with the Center for Science in the Public Interest which threatened to sue the company because the "natural" drink still used high fructose corn syrup. 7Up eventually backpedaled on their claims, changing "100% Natural" to "100% Natural Flavors". They continued this new claim on Pomegranate 7Up and Cherry 7Up Antioxidant.
In any case, it looks like the formula for 7Up is back on the drawing board again. This from The Wall Street Journal:
Dr. Pepper Snapple To Reformulate 7UP; Ad Campaign Planned
May 24, 2010NEW YORK (Dow Jones)–Dr. Pepper Snapple (DPS) is reformulating its 7UP brand, adding new graphics to its packaging and launching new advertising around the brand in a move that could help boost volumes of the drink in the fourth quarter.
In an interview, the company's chief marketing officer, Jim Trebilcock, said the newly "restaged" 7Up will hit U.S. stores in September and that the company is using technology to give the drink a "crisper" lemon and lime taste. Trebilcock said the relaunch could help raise the brand's volumes as soon as the fourth quarter.
7Up is a key brand for Dr. Pepper in the U.S. and is the company's second largest carbonated drink after its namesake Dr. Pepper. "We grew 7Up last year. We wanted to see if we could accelerate it," said Trebilcock.
So, it looks like we're getting a "crisp" flavor back to 7Up. Of course, if they just made it with real sugar, that would go pretty far in differentiating this lemon lime from the likes of Pepsi's Sierra Mist and Coke's Sprite. It's not like the idea hasn't been floated by their competitors (um, Sierra Mist Natural?) Plus, given how 7Up's market share was about 1% in 2009 vs. Sprite's dominant 5.5% (per Beverage Digest), it could use a little love.
In any case, it looks like we may see the new 7Up in the fall. I know we're not alone in curiosity wondering about the new taste!
[...] Coming Soon: 7Up with new "crisper" formula [...]
I definitely agree with the sugar suggestion. I recently found some Mexican 7-Up and it was so much better.
I think the taste should be closer to those Italian-syle lemon sodas. Not as cloying as it currently is.
I think the taste should be closer to those Italian-syle lemon sodas. Not as cloying as it currently is.
can't they just bring back the original formula? while they are at it, they should start manufacturing the ORIGINAL Cherry 7-UP. I miss it.
I tried some the other day, not knowing the recipe had changed. I knew as soon as i put in in my mouth something was different. It tasted sweeter, less crisp and more like sierra mist or sprite. Then i looked on the label…new formula…bla. Considering that 7up is something most people don't care much about anymore(unlike coke) I guess i can kiss this one goodbye…sucks too, cause i really liked it the way it was.
My Dad used to work for 7UP way back when it was a good soda.
They used real sugar and it had a good taste. I grew up only drinking 7UP. Sprite was too sweet and the lemon/lime taste was weak compared to 7UP
But then in 2006- they RUINED the taste of 7UP when the formula was changed. YUCK !! What a disappointment. I turned to Sprite and drink it to this day. I hate Sierra Mist.
It is a no brainer- GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL 7UP FORMULA !!!
Didn't the beverage industry learn from "New Coke". I'll taste test the new formula. I may switch to Sprite. NEVER Serria Mist. I can't stand that one.
[...] 20th, 2010 by Steve Back in May we noted that 7Up was once again planning on changing their formula, shifting to something that tasted "crisper." Really? Crisper? How about "less crappy"? Because it [...]
Anyone who ever made an ice cream float with 7up should be extremely pissed about the ruination of the most refreshing soda ever made.
I will never buy another can/bottle of it, even if they return to the "original" formula, because even if they did, they will not use real sugar, and it sure as hell will not contain Lithium.
It ought to be illegal to ruin an American icon – I still remember part of an old slogan, "7up and baseball-they go together like …..", may have been ice cream and apple pie?
At any rate, 7up is gone forever – and that just sucks!
I gave up colas in 1980, and 7up was already my beverage of choice. Sprite has an extra preservative and Sierra Mist is nothing short of vile.
New 7up SUCKS! My wife and I have been buying up all of the old stuff wherever we can (not too much of a difference from pre-2006 but the new stuff? Yuck!) and when it's gone, we're gone.
This seems to be a money-based decision. The new formula includes an extra preservative, no doubt designed to extend shelf life for those all-important vending machines, but apparently it makes for a nasty bitterness. Hence the marketing bit about a "new crisp" taste. Sorry, it's still vile (and a lot like Sierra Mist).
Those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it. (Hello "New" Coke!) Once my bottles are empty, no more 7up for me.
I think the new formula is terrible. It reminds me of the change Coke made years ago. When something has been working for years, leave it alone. The "new" taste is metalic, very tinny. I will never buy it again.
new 7 up sucks. why do they have to keep changing things. if they wanted a new flavor, make a new soda with a new name.
7-Up as a child was good when it was made with sugar. It was also more sour.
Then it got too sweet at some point – maybe in the 1980s? – and I avoided it. In the 2006 change they slightly dialed back the sweetness, which was an improvement and I started getting it occasionally. But not too often – the corn syrup was still a problem. I hadn't gotten it in a while and got some recently. It tasted different and then I noticed the label. It is less fizzy and doesn't have the bite it did before, the subtle astringency in the afterbite.
I agree with the comments that it should be more like Italian soda. I once had a 7UP in europe that was made with a completely different formula and was very fizzy, used sugar but not too much, and had lemon and lime juice, and maybe even a bit of salt. it was pretty awesome.
The current formula does taste a bit like Sierra Mist, but is less fizzy and doesn't have sugar, which Sierra mist has recently switched to.