The Ultimate Poppi Review: A Healthier Soda

A common New Year’s resolution is the desire to be healthier in one’s daily life. Health trends are very popular on social media as people love sharing and finding little tips and lifestyles that help them to prioritize their health. One of the most popular trends in recent years has been taking foods that a person typically consumes and swapping them out for healthier alternatives that taste similar. From small snacks to full meals, if there’s a food you like, there’s an influencer on social media with a “healthier” version of it. One of the most popular alternatives in recent years has been with soda. Although many well-known soda brands have diet versions of their drinks, many people are still not satisfied with the options presented to them, so they may choose to search for brands that specialize in creating healthier sodas. Poppi is a soda company that creates soda with probiotics and apple cider vinegar. The brand has been on Shark Tank and has been featured by influencers and celebrities, but is it really as good as normal soda? We’re here to find out.

As loyal Whole Foods and Sprouts shoppers, we are no strangers to all sorts of healthy alternatives and probiotic drinks. Seeing the recent rise in Poppi’s popularity, we set out to review these fizzy drinks that promised to be oh-so-good for our gut health. And yes, we looked like maniacs carrying every flavor to the checkout line at the grocery store. It was worth it though, for now we are qualified Poppi experts. However, our stomachs may have actually hurt more than before after drinking this much soda (how ironic!).... Here are our reviews of the fourteen flavors, as well as a review of the “ultimate” Poppi.

Photo provided by authors.

Photo provided by authors.

1. Strawberry Lemon (7.66/10)

This flavor is absolutely delicious. It tastes just like strawberry lemonade with a fizzy twist and does not taste like a health drink at all. We all drank strawberry lemonade as kids, which makes this Poppi perfect to drink if you’re feeling a bit nostalgic for the classic drink. 

2. Orange (7/10)

Orange was good, but didn’t stand out as great. It tastes just like a Fanta with less bubbles and sugar in it. I would rather just drink a Fanta, honestly.

3. Raspberry Rose (9/10)

This flavor is definitely the best. First of all, it’s just so cute– the baby pink, smell of rose, and gentle taste of raspberry. It’s also perfectly romantic and makes one happy to be drinking it. As raspberry enthusiasts, we gladly report that the flavor of raspberry itself is spot on, almost reminiscent of real raspberry.

4. Wild Berry (8/10)

Wild berry is most well-known for being featured in Poppi’s partnership with Post Malone and it is certainly deserving of this spotlight. The only flaw of this drink would be its sweetness, but that also makes it taste more like regular soda. It tastes very similar to a Blue Raspberry Slurpee at the movie theatres; so if you’re one of those people, you should definitely give the probiotic-filled Wild Berry Poppi a taste!

5. Watermelon (7.33/10)

Watermelon was one of the sweetest drinks that we tried. Reminiscent of watermelon flavored Sour Patch Kids, this flavor tasted of completely artificial watermelon. However, as possibly the only watermelon-flavored soda that is easily accessible, it could be good for people who do not want to go through the hassle of purchasing an entire watermelon.

6. Orange Cream (2/10)

This flavor was nasty. Do not go near this creamy and fruity concoction. We beseech you. It may be one of the worst drinks we’ve ever tasted in our lives, right behind the Rootbeer Poppi. It may sound like it’s going to taste like an orange creamsicle, but alas, it tastes like a rotten orange with sugar over it. A sickening and utter disappointment. 

7. Ginger Lime (6.33/10)

Ginger Lime was splendid! It was not only similar to a Sprite but had that satisfying zing of ginger in it too. This is the only Poppi that actually gave the impression of being good for digestion, though not in a negative way. Overall, it was very yummy and refreshing, and we’d definitely recommend it. 

8. Grape (0.9/10)

This flavor received very mixed reviews among our judges, with a 1/10 and 7/10 score. For some, Grape may taste too artificially grape-y but for others, it is perfectly artificial. Afterall, it is a soda, is it not? It tastes just like grape Airheads or gum. Depending on whether you like artificial grape or not, this Poppi may very well be your favorite. 

9. Classic Cola (3/10)

Similarly to Grape, the Classic Cola flavor was another hit or miss. It does not taste like Coca Cola nor Diet Coke, but rather exists in a greyzone between the two– which, for some, is perfect. For die-hard fans of either extreme, though, this flavor might hit just the wrong spot. An additional detail to consider either way is that this version of the classic soda is definitely the most healthy option out there.

10. Cherry Limeade (4.33/10)

Cherry limeade was just okay. Can anyone really say that the cherry lime flavor of anything is the best? Probably not. For this reason, Cherry Limeade just never had the potential to be a favorite, but rather the soda you pick after everyone else has taken up the good flavors. Nothing to write home about!

11. Doc Pop (6.66/10)

Doc Pop is meant to mimic the flavor of the classic Dr. Pepper soda and it did taste like a classic soda. It did feel as though there was not really a distinct flavor for this soda as it did not truly have that Dr. Pepper taste, but if you do not compare it to the flavor it is trying to mimic, it is a good drink on its own.

12. Root Beer (0/10)

Absolutely foul. The worst thing you could ever drink. It felt like drinking sewage water after someone dumps a can of real root beer into it. This drink did not have a single redeeming quality as it left a terrible taste in our mouths that lingered through the rest of our taste tests.

13. Lemon Lime (3/10)

Lemon lime was very bland and not memorable. Likely created to mimic the flavors of Sprite, the name left us wanting more. It felt like drinking LaCroix or plain sparkling water where that only has a slight hint of the flavor they are advertising. If you’re looking for a soda with a stronger lemon taste, Ginger Lemon is definitely a better choice. 

14. Cherry Cola (1.2/10)

This was the most disappointing flavor of the taste trial. It tasted very similar to the Doc Pop flavor and barely had any cherry flavor. Overall, it was very forgettable and did not live up to its name.

15. Ultimate (5/10)

We are well aware that no one in their right minds has or will ever try an ultimate Poppi except for us, but we decided to mix all of the flavors into one concoction anyway for kicks. Disappointingly, the mixture tasted like no flavor in particular, but rather a nondescript combination of fruit flavors and sugar galore. However, the only truly gross part was the aftertaste, which was dominated by the taste of Root Beer Poppi, arguably the worst drink known to man. Anyway, take this as an example to not mix all the flavors of any drink brand together, because, like when you mixed all of the colors of the rainbow together in art class as a kid, you’ll only end up with something you don’t want to touch (or drink!).

This concludes our review. But wait– we didn’t just want to tell you what we thought of the flavors, so we set out to interview (totally random) bystanders on their thoughts of Poppi as well:

Random Bystander 1 (with an incredible likeness to Eva Brebenel): “I was first introduced to Poppi by the dearest authors of this article. I had a sip of Anna’s Raspberry Rose drink one random weekday during lunch. The sweet yet tart taste of the raspberry combined with the floral rose flavor, along with the fizzyness of the carbonated drink changed my world. I’ll say, that Raspberry Rose Poppi made me see ‘la vie en rose’.  I was ecstatic when Abigail and Anna invited me to sample all the Poppi flavors with them. I was introduced to many other delicious flavors including Wild Berry and Watermelon. However, I unfortunately tried sodas that I could have stayed curious about: Root Beer and Orange Creamsicle. These flavors did not tickle my taste buds. Instead, they were rather nauseating. But my love for Raspberry Rose overpowers my distaste for the Root Beer and Orange Creamsicle. I’d recommend the Raspberry Rose, but I can’t guarantee there will be any left because Anna, Abigail, and I may buy all of them off the shelves before anyone else can take them.”

Random Bystander 2 (with an uncanny resemblance to Mitchell Stewart): “I was walking down the isles of Ralph’s with my sister looking for a drink to quench my thirst when we both stumbled upon Poppi. A drink that was sweet tasting yet contained no little to no sugar. It was amazing. The next week when we went back to Ralph’s again, we decided to explore the wide variety of flavors Poppi had to offer. We tried delicious flavors including Raspberry Rose and Strawberry Lemon, that we continued to buy week after week. But as we kept on trying flavors, we ran into flavors that tasted terrible, such as Root Beer and Orange Creamsicle.”

After hard work and careful deliberation, all in all, two Poppis stand out as clear favorites: Strawberry Lemon and Raspberry Rose.

Images via Poppi.

Not only are they scrumptious and refreshing but healthy too. We know we’ll be drinking plenty more of those. Now, go pick yourself up a Poppi at any big chain grocery store, crack open a can, and taste the bubbly treat for yourself!