The Coca-Cola and Pepsi feud never seems to stop. Pepsi launched its version of the popular lemon-lime soft drink, Sprite. Sprite has been the de facto king of the lemon-lime subsection of soda. But, Starry has upped the game recently by unveiling its cranberry flavor for the upcoming holiday season. This was controversial to the public because it has usually been Sprite with the cranberry flavor. But, I’m here to get into the science of why Sprite is better.
Starry has a more watered-down, Mountain Dew taste, while Sprite seems to have its original recipe. Sprite also has a better variety of flavors, while Starry only has its seasonal cranberry flavor.
For me, Starry is not my first choice regarding the Pepsi line of products. I am more of a Dr. Pepper guy, but I usually pick Sprite if the event or recreation area only serves Coke products. Sprite just has a better overall taste and feel in my opinion. However, I will give Starry credit for making the soda caffeine-free.
Some parents do not let their kids drink caffeinated drinks until they turn a certain age, and that may be why I like Sprite so much. My parents would only let me drink Sprite until I turned seven or so. But, before I go into why Sprite is truly a better alternative, look at the history of both products.
Sprite was created in 1955, originally as a strawberry or orange-flavored drink in West Germany. It was not until 1959 that the lemon-lime flavor was developed. Coca-Cola gained the rights to the drink in 1960 and made the lemon-lime flavor the primary drink. Sprite gained traction in the 1980s and has gained popularity ever since then with figures like NBA player Lebron James and rappers like Lil Yachty and Nas.
Starry started as a replacement for the soft drink Sierra Mist. The drink has gained popularity through advertising to Generation Z and could be taking 5-10% of Sprite’s total market share. Starry has also gone the Sprite route of partnering with NBA players and popular rappers. Female rapper Ice Spice appears in a commercial for the brand in which she implies that she is breaking up with Sprite and is now dating Starry. Starry has even fazed out Mountain Dew’s usual NBA advertising by replacing the “Dew Zone” at the NBA All-Star Games.
However, the difference between the drinks could not be less other than the taste, as Starry has taken what Sprite has done and copied it to a T. However, Sprite beats Starry on the sales front. Starry reportedly had about $500,000 in sales for its first year on the market, and Sprite helped Coke with a $1 billion profit. Coca-Cola also helps Sprite with continuing to grow in market shares and it also helps that Pepsi has been on the decline since around 2022.
To test the flavor of both drinks, I drank Sprite one night and Starry the other night. The reason for my taste testing on different nights is that I did not want one drink to influence my taste of the other. Sprite has more of a zesty and lemon-lime taste. I will reaffirm my opinion that Starry feels more like a watered-down version of Mountain Dew. Of course, this is just my opinion, but I like Sprite more than I like Starry.
