7Up seems to be the product that can't catch a break these days. It's dwarfed by Sprite and Sierra Mist in U.S. sales, and seems to undergo a new formulation every other year. We're fans of the current version, which arrived in 2010, and seemingly brought back some of the distinctive flavor that set apart 7Up from the other lemon limes. New line extensions have been added with varying success, such as the decent 7Up Mixed Berry and the atrocious reboot of Cherry 7Up. I'm not not sure who thought it was a good idea to dress the brand up as a freak show with the release of 7Up Retro in cans (thankfully, the bottle was classy). Great taste there, just oddly marketed. With the mixed bag of quality execution, one has to wonder about the fate of 7Up Ten.

Like Sunkist Ten, 7Up Ten borrows from the design cues of Dr Pepper Ten, namely with the use of a grey color on the label. This provides a counterpoint to the expected green 7Up branding, but does a nice job of setting apart the drink from the existing original and diet versions. The addition of the "TEN" label is the same style at Dr Pepper Ten, though it doesn't thematically blend well with the existing 7Up look. As established in the "Ten" lineup, the packaging proclaims that 7Up Ten offers "10 Great Tasting Calories." Remember, this drink is not only sweetened with both aspartame and acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), but also high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), with the thinking that this allows for better, non-diet flavor.

So what about that taste? To better gauge the flavor and offer comparisons, we tasted 7Up Ten side-by-side Diet 7Up. Additionally, since the target audience for 7Up Ten is probably converting folks from full calorie 7Up, we had a bottle of that handy as well. When you pop the tab on 7Up Ten, you are greeted with a very sweet, almost candy-like scent. This differs slightly from Diet 7Up, which tends to smell just like the 7Up you expect. The look and color of the drink is the same no matter what version you choose… it's clear and bubbly.

The flavor itself is much different, however. While Diet 7Up has noticeable medicinal flavoring and obvious artificial sweetener aftertaste, 7Up Ten does a much better job of masking that experience. For one thing, it's a lot more lemony in taste, quite a bit more than even full calorie 7Up. The drink is also quite sweet, considerably more than Diet 7Up. The flavor profile is therefore slightly different than the 2010 reboot of 7Up, but in this case, it works. While you can still taste hints of the artificial sweeteners, it's nowhere near as bad as Diet 7Up. (It should be noted that the sweeteners became easier to pick out the warmer the drink got; we found the best results when cold). In effect, 7Up Ten creates an alternate reality take on a no/low-calorie version of the lemon lime classic. The increase in sweetness and lemon flavor make for an excellent drink!

7Up Ten
Filtered carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, potassium citrate, potassium benzoate (preservative), natural flavors, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor)

A 12 oz can contains 10 calories, 45 mg sodium, and 2 g carbs (2 g sugars). Caffeine free.

For those interested in a comparison…

Diet 7Up
Filtered carbonated water and contains 2% or less of each of the following: natural flavors, citric acid, potassium citrate, potassium benzoate (protects flavor), aspartame, acesulfame potassium, calcium disodium EDTA (protects flavor)

A 12 oz can contains 0 calories, 45 mg sodium, and 0 g carbs (0 g sugars). Caffeine free.

I was skeptical when I saw another rebooted version of 7Up in the pipeline, but 7Up Ten does deliver the goods. If you can afford the 10 calories, it's far superior to Diet 7Up.

I liked Pomegranate 7Up quite a bit, though it never was the success that Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash has become every year. When I first heard that the new flavor would be "Mixed Berry", thoughts immediately went to that amazingly gross experiment from 2004, 7Up Plus Mixed Berry. That was something I didn't want to relive at all! Thankfully, that was not the case.

It appears that this product has the vague inclusion of "Antioxidant", just like what DPSG did when they ruined Cherry 7Up. I'm not sure how adding Vitamin E to a product counterbalances the large infusion of high fructose corn syrup, but hey, marketing folks will try anything to boost a #3 lemon lime brand.

For example, the bottle contains a callout to a website by the name of LetsPlay.com, a "community partnership led by Dr Pepper Snapple Group to get kids and families active nationwide. We believe that the key to healthy living is managing calories in and calories out." There's just something a bit ironic about that (Translation: "Please, say no to soda taxes! So what if a 12 oz serving contains 140 calories!")

But enough of the ridiculousness of the packaging. You want to know about the taste, right? Well, when you crack open the top, you'll get a very light scent, almost something that would seem to come from a garden. This light purple drink is actually not too bad. It's definitely from that generic "berry" family, but is not too syrupy sweet. It actually reminded me a bit of Jones Soda Sugar Plum Soda or long-forgetten Sprite Remix Berryclear from 2004.

The overall experience is airy and not overpowering. There's a small aftertaste of syrupiness that stays with you, but it's a rather pleasing drink. The non-heavy nature makes in an excellent compliment for food. I still prefer Pomegranate 7Up, but this is a decent runner-up, despite DPSG's continued insistence that it contains "100% natural flavors". Really, do we have to revisit that debate again?

7Up Mixed Berry
Filtered carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, potassium citrate, potassium benzoate (preservative), natural flavors, calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor), D-alpha tocopheryl acetate (Vitamin E), Red 40, Blue 1

A 12 oz serving contains 140 calories, 40 mg sodium, and 39 g carbs (38 g sugars). The drink claims to contain 15% of your recommended daily intake for Vitamin E. Caffeine free.

Here's an excerpt:

Snapple and Grammy award-winning pop-rock band Maroon 5 have partnered to launch 'Tea Will Be Loved' – a delicious blend of healthy green tea and tasty black tea with notes of pomegranate and berries. Tea Will Be Loved will benefit Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger-relief organization, by helping to provide 1,750,000 meals to those in need.

Inspired by the unique personalities of the band members and named for their smash-hit "She Will Be Loved, this limited release Snapple tea will be available at participating retailers nationwide beginning on September 1, 2011.

…Tea Will Be Loved is a five-fruit mash-up of the best stuff on Earth, with each band mate choosing their own flavor to add to the tea: pomegranate, orange, blackberry, raspberry and hibiscus. Tea Will Be Loved features 13 specially marked gold Snapple caps with Real Facts about Maroon 5 and Feeding America, such as Real Fact #682: Maroon 5’s former name was “Kara’s Flowers.” The band also contributed to the graphic design of the packaging for the new tea.

Update 8/15/11: A BevReview reader has spotted Snapple Tea Will Be Loved and shared a cameraphone photo of the packaging:

From this photo, we now know that this flavor is "Pomegranate Berry Flavored Tea With Other Natural Flavors." It's being branded as a "Maroon 5 Fruit Mash-Up" and a "Limited Release" (using phrasing familiar with the music industry, as noted by the inclusion of… a note. A charity element is also at play given that the product lists that it's "In Support of Feeding America."

If you look at that graphical image of fruits in the picture, you'll see the 5 flavors represented: Orange, Raspberry, Blackberry, Hibiscus, and Pomegranate.

Original Story from 8/2/11: We've got confirmation that 7Up Mixed Berry Antioxidant is slated for the holiday season, replacing Pomegranate 7Up, which has been underperforming during its seasonal releases.

Coming Soon: 7Up Mixed Berry

Additionally, a new limited edition Snapple flavor, Snapple Tea Will Be Loved, should be coming this fall. Continuing the moves by Dr Pepper Snapple Group to link to pop culture phenomenon, this beverage plays off the name of the Maroon 5 song "She Will Be Loved," a hit from their 2004 album. The drink itself is slated for feature a combination of 5 flavors.

Discontinued: Pomegranate 7Up

If the 7Up Mixed Berry name sounds familiar, it's because it was used as the launch flavor for 2004's disastrous 7Up Plus line, which included 7Up Plus Mixed Berry, 7Up Plus Island Fruit, and 7Up Plus Cherry. Those drinks attempted to differentiate themselves by featuring real fruit juice, calcium, Vitamin C, and Splenda. It was a gross combination.

Coming Soon: Snapple Tea Will Be Loved

For this new 7Up Mixed Berry attempt, sources indicate that it will borrow a page from the relaunch of Cherry 7Up, i.e. Cherry 7Up Antioxidant, and throw in some vitamins and stuff.

This seasonal 7Up Mixed Berry drink will be available in both regular and diet versions. Here's hoping it tastes better than 7Up Plus!

You'll note that the bottom of the bottle has more of a "grip" element in play, while the top features a narrow "label band" for the branding of the drink. Per the article, "the new Legacy bottle will be used for many of DPSG's flavor brands, including 7Up, Sunkist soda, Canada Dry, Sun Drop, Squirt and other soft drinks in the company's portfolio that do not have their own brand-specific bottle designs." You'll note that Dr Pepper is left off that list, as it has its own unique shape.

It's definitely a unique look that breaks from the feel you get with Coke's "Contour" bottle and whatever Pepsi uses. DPSG is obviously looking to stand out from the other Big 2 with this change.

However, I have to wonder about the branding issues on the "label band" now that it's so much smaller. For some brands with more horizontally-oriented logos, it works pretty well (such as we've illustrated with 7Up and Squirt).

On the bright side, it might make Squirt's ugly new design look a lot better!

Unfortunately, I've also seen this type of bottle used for RC Cola, which has a prominently vertical design, and logo is just shrunk to the point of being visually useless.

It's definitely going to be a packaging designer's challenge to make the Legacy bottle work!

What do you think of this new bottle type?

The folks at Dr Pepper Snapple Group have tested the waters in recent years as well, with limited rollouts of Heritage Dr Pepper (bottled by Pepsi) and Dr Pepper with Real Sugar (bottled by Coke). But we got pretty excited when news leaked in March that we'd see 7Up Retro arrive… and in surprising packaging, at that!

7Up Retro is the largest rollout of a nostalgic "real sugar" product from DPSG. In fact, it was used as one of the campaigns featured on NBC's reality show, The Celebrity Apprentice. Last year the company released Diet Snapple Trop-a-Rocka Tea and Snapple Compassionberry Tea via this same show, and earlier this year Dr Pepper Snapple Group teamed up with CBS' The Amazing Race to release Snapple Papaya Mango Tea. It would seem that DPSG likes the results they are getting with extensive reality show product placement.

Like other throwback-type products, the "real sugar" used in 7Up Retro is a combination of both cane and beet sugar, per the folks at Dr Pepper Snapple. While cane has a reputation for being more expensive and "elite" when it comes to gourmet sodas, beet sugar is a cheaper alternative. With this move into a real sugar lemon lime, 7Up Retro finds itself being compared to the recent shift of Sierra Mist to Sierra Mist Natural, which based on the comments we've seen here on BevReview, sparks a love/hate reaction regarding the sweetener use. Some love the crisp new flavor, others say that the use of real sugar makes it taste more like a diet beverage. So where does that put 7Up Retro?

Before we get into the taste, let's take a look at how this product is being packaged. In an odd choice, 7Up Retro is only available in 12 oz cans as part of 24-packs, or via a special glass 12 oz bottle in 6-packs. A 20 oz PET bottle option is not available.

The traditional retro option is the 6-pack of glass bottles. These are designed to look as 7Up looked "back then," whenever that is supposed to be. Frankly, this is our favorite of the retro releases, namely because it actually feels vintage.

Glass bottles with an old-style logo on them (granted, applied as a sticker), and interestingly no mention of the name "7Up Retro." It's great to see mentions of "The Uncola" again as well. These green glass bottles are worthy of keeping around as a decorative item, if you are into such "soda decor."

Now let's talk about the 12 oz cans. The design decisions are… interesting to say the least. If you are a purist, you probably aren't going to be a fan of the two styles used here, one to represent culture of the 1970s, while the other reflects the 1980s.

Granted, these cans aren't styled like 7Up cans from those eras, but rather design trends instead. Both of these designs came as a result of involvement on The Celebrity Apprentice.

The 1970s option was spearheaded by Marlee Marlin, "an Oscar-winning actress and decorated spokesperson for the hearing impaired." The campaign behind this drink features "a flashy disco-ball can design, a TV spot with a cameo from 1970s 7UP ad icon, Geoffrey Holder, and a launch event with an exciting performance by the Harlem Globetrotters."

Lots of white and silver are found in this look, breaking from the traditional feel of 7Up. "The Uncola" and "Refreshingly Natural Flavors" are taglines used on the packaging, along with the callout of being "Made with Real Sugar". It is nice to see the old "red box" 7Up logo appear in a small location on the can. You'll also find a garish looking plea to "Feel the Love" on the back of the can, along with The Celebrity Apprentice.

In contrast, the 1980s option was anchored by John Rice, "award-winning singer, songwriter and producer." His design features "eye-popping packaging with bold zebra stripes, a unique 30 second commercial featuring Dee Snider from Twisted Sister and a 1980s-themed launch event with a special performance by Def Leppard."

Black and white are the prime colors found on this can, along with the more traditional greens of the 7Up logo, including the red "Spot." The word "Retro" is spelled out in an amazingly hard-to-read font that doesn't really feel in place.

Like the 1970s version, "The Uncola" and "Made with Real Sugar" make an appearance in text form. The zebra stripes are the primary differentiator with this design, but you'll also find a red logo for The Celebrity Apprentice on the back.

The beverage enthusiast in me is saying "what the heck?" with these designs. However, I can also understand the reasoning, and c'mon, we're talking about 7Up here… it needs all the attention it can get. After all, it's a distant #3 in the lemon-lime category behind Coke's Sprite and Pepsi's Sierra Mist. Here is an obvious marketing decision to draw attention to the brand via the TV show connection and hope that drives sales. In this case, I agree with the move… though am thankful that we also have the glass bottle version. In this case, I think everyone wins.

Let's get to the flavor, shall we? Given the nature of this product, we decided to test it side-by-side against high fructose corn syrup-sweetened 7Up, which was recently rebooted in late 2010. We actually liked the current version of 7Up, noting that it tasted less like a Sierra Mist clone and more like 7Up should taste. Our review noted that "the parent company has for too long ignored this drink and given it lackluster promotion, design, and positioning." Hopefully the limited-run introduction of 7Up Retro has a positive effect on standard 7Up sales as well.

Regular HFCS-sweetened 7Up didn't have as much of a lemon-lime scent when compared to 7Up Retro. Retro's aroma is far more obvious. When poured into glasses, as we found with Sierra Mist Natural and Kosher Coke, the real sugar sweetened drink has smaller, more compact bubbles, while the HFCS version has large, irregularly shaped globes.

Retro 7Up has a very crisp taste, as expected with a sugar-sweetened drink. Instead of being "syrupy sweet" like HFCS 7Up, it's just plain "sweet." It's also a tad less carbonated than regular 7Up, meaning there is a lower "belch factor."

Probably the largest differentiator between the two drinks is in the aftertaste. Oddly enough, we found that Retro 7Up shared a flavor characteristic with Sierra Mist Natural in that it left a peculiar aftertaste that some might improperly associate with an artificially-sweetened beverage. Whereas HFCS 7Up leaves a lemony, syrupy residue on the backside of your tongue, Retro 7Up doesn't cling as strongly. Instead, there's an unexpected finish there that doesn't seem like it should be associated with what you would expect from 7Up.

Given that this concern was raised with Sierra Mist Natural as well, I just wonder if this what to expect from sugar-sweetened lemon lime drinks… and we're just not used to it given conditioning to HFCS. That said, there are plenty of sugar-sweetened lemon-limes out there that don't seem to share this characteristic, such as Bubble Up. The taste isn't a home run, but your opinion may vary. (Hint: Share your thoughts in the comments!)

Ingredients:

Retro 7Up
Filtered carbonated water, sugar, citric acid, potassium citrate, natural flavors, calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor)

A 12 oz bottle or can contains 150 calories, 45 mg sodium, 39 g carbs, and 37.5 g sugars. This drink is caffeine free.

Say what you will about Donald Trump… at least he gave us 7Up with sugar! 7Up Retro is a refreshing addition to the lemon-lime battles, and in some cases, we really want to root for the underdog here. The drink is very clean and lacks any negative syrupy finish, but some might not like the type of aftertaste that it brings. Still, it's worthy of picking up during this limited time window… so go try it!

Learn more about 7Up Retro!

Yes, you read that correctly, this is a review for 7Up Pound Cake. While technically not a beverage it is a rather odd brand extension for one of the Dr Pepper Snapple Groups famed drinks so BevReview asked me to give it a taste. Sodas in food form are not unheard of: Dr Pepper bubble gum, A&W Root Beer jelly beans, and even Diet Cherry Pepsi toaster strudels (I made that last one up.) Heck, there is even a recipe for Coca-Cola cake on the Coke website, so why not 7Up pound cake? I'll tell you why not…

Before we get to the taste let's go over the ingredients. I won't list them all but it does have actual sugar (no HFCS here!), flour, eggs, and butter. Of course it also has Propylene Glycol Mono & Diesters of Fatty Acids, Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate, and good old Guar Gum. Sadly, no essence of tree resin or even lemons or limes.

Fake-baked goodness!

The nutritional facts include a Serving Size of 1 slice. You'll also find 280 calories, 11 g of fat, 4 g saturated fat, and 0 g trans fat. So all-in-all you could do worse.

On to the taste! When I opened the package I was pleasantly greeted with an almost "fizzy" scent of lemon-lime. The smell really does have a faint "7Upiness" to it – albeit a chemically created one. Even sitting 2 feet away from it I still get wafts of it every so often and it reminds me of my childhood working at Camp Soda on the limon farm in Soda Springs, just outside of Zzyzx, California.

Maybe it needs a straw

When I sliced the cake in half I was hoping for some fizzy effervescence, alas there was none. Maybe they should partner with Pop Rocks to add some shazaam to it. You will see that is has a nice dark brown baked exterior (fake-baked?) that gives it the look of your grandmother's traditional 7-Up pound cake. (Fun Fact: 7Up was originally called "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda" when it was created in 1929. Surprisingly enough, that name did not catch on. Although I bet when grandma made this desert she did call it Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Pound Cake.)

The texture is spongy and exactly how you imagine the mouthfeel to be: just like all processed chemically mass-produced pre-packaged cake items that you find in convenience stores. The real surprise is the flavor. Not to be snarky but it tastes more like burnt Sierra Mist than 7Up. It definitely has a strong lemon-lime flavor but it's very fake tasting. My first few bites I thought "this is not bad." My third bite was "this is just okay, I should stop eating it." And by the end, as I finished the entire piece, I decided I didn't really care for it. It has an odd aftertaste of very fake citrus that lingers on the back of my tongue almost like if you chug a can of 7Up, only less hiccuping.

Do you really want to know what's inside?

I found this interesting product at my local Walgreens. It has also been spotted at 7-11 by a fellow BevReview.com reader who saw it alongside an Orange Crush Pound Cake… which if I can find it, I will review it.

So, overall it's not entirely unpleasant, but it is entirely unnecessary.

What beverage/food extensions would you like to see? Dr Pepper Twinkie? Cream Soda ice cream? Red Bull bacon? (Maybe not that last one.)

Update 5/16/11: As debuted on the 5/15 episode of NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice show, and later illustrated on 7Up.com, here's a look at the packaging for 7Up Retro:

(Source: 7Up.com)

Official description for the bottles above reads: "Introducing 7Up Retro. Made with real sugar for an UNdeniably crisp, clean taste and available in glass bottles for a limited time."

(Source: 7Up.com)

Official description for the 2 can designs above reads: "Introducing two retro-inspired takes on 7Up, from The Celebrity Apprentice Finalists A and B. Made with Real Sugar for an UNdeniably crisp, clean taste and only available for a limited time."

The first option reflects the 1970s, while the second is situated in the 1980s, as denoted by this poll on NBC's official website for the show:

(Source: NBC.com)

7Up's Facebook page also looks at the different decades and how they relate to package design:

(Source: facebook.com/7UP)

Ingredients are as follows: Filtered carbonated water, sugar, citric acid, potassium citrate, natural flavors, calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor). Contains no juice.

A 12 oz bottle or can contains 150 calories, 45 mg sodium, 39 g carbs, and 37.5 g sugars.

Also, here are a few screencaptures of 7Up Retro packaging concepts from the same episode of The Celebrity Apprentice. Watch via Hulu.com

(Source: NBC)

(Source: NBC)

(Source: NBC)

(Source: NBC)

Availability is slated to be at least through the end of June.

Original Story from 3/14/11: As hinted at via our tweet on February 28, we've got confirmation that 7Up Retro will be arriving in May.

(Source: Flickr, used via CC BY-NC 2.0 license)

The launch will be tied to a promotion done in conjunction with NBC's Celebrity Apprentice reality show. You may recall that last year, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, the parent of 7Up, used the same show to launch limited runs of Diet Snapple Trop-a-Rocka Tea and Snapple Compassionberry Tea. Apparently the folks at DPSG found that platform successful enough to continue with rollouts.

We've also heard that Snapple's sponsorship of one of BevReview's favorite reality shows, The Amazing Race, will be used to introduce new flavors Papaya Mango Tea and Diet Papaya Mango Tea later this month.

The introduction of a limited time lemon-lime product that uses "real sugar" should provide a nice comparison product to Pepsi's Sierra Mist Natural. While we like the sugar Sierra Mist, we do agree that something in the taste just seems a bit… off.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group experimented with the current limited release "real sugar" trend in soft drinks via Heritage Dr Pepper (bottled by Pepsi) and Dr Pepper with Real Sugar (bottled by Coke). Of course what got this whole thing started was the rollout of PepsiCo's Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback, which after 4 limited edition rereleases, are now permanent parts of the Pepsi lineup. With the recent reboot of 7Up's normal formula, we're looking forward to tasting this sugar-infused version.

We couldn't turn up any trademark filings or early packaging art on 7Up Retro, but keep your eyes open! Remember we're just an e-mail, tweet, or Facebook post away!

7Up with new "crisp, clean" formula in 2010

Go ahead and hit our May 2010 story for the recent history on all of 7Up's changes, including the 2007's ridiculous move to "100% Natural Flavors" (previously known as 2006's "Now 100% Natural").

As we noted in our Sierra Mist Natural review, all the big players seem to be giving their lemon lime offerings a reboot. PepsiCo just added real sugar to Sierra Mist, Coke is going to be rolling out a big ad campaign for Sprite (per Advertising Age), and apparently, that leaves 7Up with getting "crisper."

Logo Comparison: 2006, 2007, 2010

Taking a look at the packaging, you can instantly see that the 7Up logo got a little refreshing compared to the previous iterations in 2006 and 2007. The underscore ribbon of "100% Natural Flavors" is now gone, with emphasis again placed on the images of lemons and limes. The main distinctive callout can be found on the upper left side of the logo, where the phrase "New crisp-clean taste" resides above a subdued mention of "100% natural flavors".

The rest of the packaging remains pretty much the same… except when you get to the ingredients. No, 7Up hasn't gone the sugar route. It's still playing the high fructose corn syrup game (which I really hope we don't have to start calling "corn sugar"). However, we see a change in the lineup. Let's compare:

7Up (2007)
Filtered carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, natural citric acid, natural flavors, natural potassium citrate

7Up (2010)
Filtered carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup and less than 2% of natural flavors, citric acid, potassium citrate, calcium disodium EDTA (to protect flavor)

Aside from the removal of the "natural" marketing spin from the 2007 version, we now see the addition of calcium disodium EDTA. This is used in many beverages, but would probably also indicate a change in taste.

Upon opening the bottle, you are greeted with a very lemony scent, nothing out of the ordinary for 7Up. As for that first sip… yes, it's different. While the rebooted 2006 formula tasted quite syrupy and in the same vein as Sierra Mist, the 2010 "cripsy" 7Up actually seems like a throwback to an older version. It no longer is seemingly trying to assimilate the flavor profile of either Sierra Mist or Sprite. Instead, it tastes, well, blander. But that's a good thing in this case. It's a cleaner-tasting drink now (just imagine if it had sugar in it!) We applaud this change, as it tastes like something closer to what you should be expecting from 7Up. The aftertaste doesn't even stink anymore. It's just there.

Now, how do you market that type of flavor? We'll let the advertising folks contracted by Dr Pepper Snapple Group figure that out as the months go by. But overall, it's a step in the right direction. The parent company has for too long ignored this drink and given it lackluster promotion, design, and positioning. I'm not really impressed with the new label look, as it doesn't seem progressive enough to help the brand gain some ground. I mean, take a look at the look of the drink in Canada (as noted by the folks in the BevNet forums). Granted, different organizations are responsible for the drink up there, but there could be some more innovative thinking going on regarding the look/feel.

That said, this new "crisp-clean" version of 7Up seemingly undoes the damage that was thrown its way during the 2006 "natural" shift. It positions the drink as more middle of the road, away from Sprite's distinctively boring lemon-lime and Sierra Mist's new sugar-sweetened take.

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, 2010

NEW 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!