You may have seen these new sodas in stores. Olipop and Poppi are prebiotic sodas that were both released in 2018. They both have familiar flavors in 11 varieties, all low in sugar. There are even other brands of healthy sodas popping up like, Better Goods Soda, and Culture Pop. I have been very skeptical, while a friend of mine loves them. Seeing that Fareway was carrying both varieties I decided to give them a try. I first tried Olipop Cherry Cola. I am a huge Cherry Coke fan, but knew it would not taste the same. The first thing I noticed with the soda, was its carbonation. It was extremely low carbonation and tasted flat. That is not a deal breaker for me since I am not a huge fan of highly carbonated sodas and waters. It did have a distinct cherry cola flavor, but I could only drink half the can. One of the benefits of Olipop is its high fiber content. Its fiber is taken from many natural roots like kudzu and marshmallow. Next I tired the grape flavor Olipop. This was much tastier, but tasted like a flat diet grape soda. I grabbed a cherry limeade Poppi soda for my third try, and loved it! Poppi also has a low carbonation which i prefer, the cherry limeade flavor is very well balanced tart and sweet, even my husband was a fan. While Poppi is currently in some hot water by customers complaining that the fiber content is not high enough for it’s healthy claims. Different from Olipop, Poppi does include apple cider vinegar in it’s soda. In my opinion, the flavor in Poppi is much better than Olipop. While other consumers have noted that Olipop is a better prebiotic soda and prefer it to Poppi.
For me, it’s a nice replacement soda treat. Much better for my stomach issues(that come with age) but when I am craving a cherry cola, I still grab a Cherry Coke from time to time. It’s nice to have a healthier alternative in the mix.
Have you tried any of these new “healthy sodas”? What did you think? What is your favorite brand or flavor?
