Dr. Pepper Fountain Classics

[viva]

Apparently Dr. Pepper is coming out with a new line of "limited edition Fountain Classics" sodas, of which the first is Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper (both diet & regular). Anyway, even though they are released since last month in the Southwest, I've only seen a couple at the grocery store, usually buried at the bottom of a pile of 12-packs. It was worth digging it out...I managed to get a 12-pack of the diet kind. Nice, but not overwhelming cherry flavor, and it doesn't have that fake sweetener aftertaste.

There's a bevnet.com review here: clickety.

[jhlurie]

If they mean to make this a limited run, I hope they at least contemplate the idea of making it annual. The comparison against the non-limited but failed Pepsi Blue in the review is unfair (especailly since they give the Diet version 4 stars)--really if its any good, it's more like the Mountain Dew expansions.

[Jason Perlow]

Just tried the Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. Its EXCELLENT.

Amazing, considering its Nutrasweet only and it doesnt have Ace-K or Sucralose.

[jhlurie]

I'm going to cheat and ask you a local question... where in the NNJ area did you find it?

[Jason Perlow]

I'm going to cheat and ask you a local question... where in the NNJ area did you find it?

←

Um, its in the cafeteria in the office building I work at in White Plains. Its a government agency. Maybe they are being test marketed.

[jhlurie]

Rats. Buy me a can and save it if you can. Ah, who am I fooling?

I love normal DiDP, so I can imagine this "working". I mean as long as their "idea" of an added vanilla taste isn't like Coca-Cola's.

EDIT - Okay, the Dr. Pepper website now claims this product will "go national" on January 3rd.

Edited December 16, 2004 by jhlurie (log)

[astrayacorazon]

I just saw it at the grocery store (NYC- Murray Hill) and picked up a bottle of the diet.

It's so odd. I can taste the cherry and Dr. Pepper flavor but not the vanilla- it's almost too ambitious. There's too much going on to appreciate it, so in the end the aftertaste is more that of black cherry Dr. Brown's than Dr. Pepper. Not that that's a bad thing. I'd be tickled with either cherry or vanilla but both at once with Dr. Pepper all sort of cancel each other out.

I will concur, though, with the comment that the diet has no fake sweetener aftertaste or anything. Tastes normal sweet.

Anyone know what other soda fountain classics are on their way?

[Fat Guy]

Last week I got two twelve-packs of the diet (they had the regular as well) at ShopRite of Hackensack, NJ. I'm really enjoying the product and am bummed that it won't be permanent. I'd also appreciate it in a caffeine-free diet version (and while they're at it they should make caffeine-free standard-issue diet Dr. Pepper more widely available, because it's damn hard to find).

[Jason Perlow]

Steve, are you sure its only a seasonal flavor? I think that will depend on the response to the product.

[Radio7]

Oh boy oh boy oh boy, I hope this comes to my local store soon!

(soCal)

I'm always excited to try a new diet soda flavour!

[joiei]

We have had this on the market all over town since late summer it seems like. And very prominently displayed. I have not tried it. I love DP, just have trouble working in a vanilla and a cherry to compete with a flavor I already like. Maybe one day.

[lovebenton0]

When I was a kid growing up around the Dallas area we took a school field trip to the DP bottling plant. Free DP for everyone! I've always loved the stuff. People that didn't like it said it tasted like it had prunes in it . . . not so, cherry was the fruit base flavor we were told. I can see the cherry vanilla thing working very nicely as a pre-mix. Didn't know this was on the market. It's probably been at my store and I haven't noticed it -- not shopping much these days. Used to be a common thing to get this mixed at the fountain when we were kids.

[jhlurie]

I've tried this now. My rating? It's good. Very good. The key? It actually TASTES like Dr. Pepper. I'm glad the Vanilla is subtle, because otherwise it wouldn't.

Well done, oh great soda makers from Texas. You hit a bullseye. I've only tried the diet version thus far (my supermarket isn't even stocking the non-diet version of this variety), but like with "regular" Diet Dr. Pepper, you really don't miss the sugar.

Does anyone know the "end" date for it's nationwide distribution? I need to know when to stock up. All of their initial press releases and their website indicate it's temporary, but not HOW temporary.

EDIT - Bevnet's page on this soda is a bit confusing. They say:

Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper is the first member of Dr Pepper's "Fountain Classics" line of beverages. Recognizing that line extensions generally don't create lasting sales, this new line will feature limited run flavor extensions to the Dr Pepper brand. Also, Dr Pepper recognizes that Diet Dr Pepper is the strongest member of its brand -- so Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper will lead the way. As for the rollout, these two flavors will launch in the Dr Pepper "Heartland" on October 15, 2004. The diet variety will go national on January 15, 2005 while the regular variety will have a limited 75 day run outside of the Heartland.

If I'm understanding this... the NON-Diet Cherry Vanilla has a limited national rollout, but the Diet version does NOT. I think.

Edited December 30, 2004 by jhlurie (log)

[Fat Guy]

I tried to query the delivery guy -- he was restocking the shelves when I bought the stuff -- about the status of the beverage, and he indicated that "It's all so fucked up, pardon my French, nobody knows what the hell is going on. One day we got it, one day we don't." I think beverage distribution is like that when you get to the street level.

[viva]

I buy it whenever I see it. All of it.

[rhiannonstone]

I just spoke to a nice man at Dr Pepper (called the number on the back of the can) who said that the national rollout on January 3 was for both diet and non-diet versions of Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper, and that the rollout was somewhat slow going, but those of us in the non-Heartland part of the country should see the Cherry Vanilla flavor start appearing in stores this week and next. My quest begins!

[rhiannonstone]

Well I've finally gotten a chance to try the diet version, and it's surprisingly good. I normally can't stand diet drinks, not even Diet Dr Pepper (although it is the least horrible of the bunch), but the cherry and vanilla flavors in Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr Pepper do a good job of masking the diet-y taste for a bit. This is not to say that the flavors are overwhelming--unlike the vanilla- and fruit-flavored Cokes and Pepsis, they actually work pretty well with the drink, and don't have a strong, syrupy, artificial taste (well, no more so than any other HFCS-containing cola).

I keep searching for non-diet, but despite the fact that the Dr Pepper rep I spoke to a couple weeks ago said I should be seeing it in my area now, I'm not--the few places I've been able to find the new drink (7-11 and some random little corner store here in Berkeley), it's been diet only. Oh well. It's not like I haven't already been making my own flavored Dr P here at home for years.

[Toliver]

Well, I am a little ticked off because it still isn't available in our area. I was sure they would have had it stocked in time for the Super Bowl but that was a bust.

[jhlurie]

These stocking problems are ridiculous (how does the soda biz STAY in business with inconsistent practices like this?). Most of my local stores seem to have been "Fountain Classic Free" since the first big delivery of them in late December.

[viva]

Anyone tried the new Berries and Cream variety of the Fountain Classics? Haven't seen it in the store, but my office cafeteria managed to snag some bottles. I've tried the diet version, which is pleasantly non-diety-tasting.

[moosnsqrl]

We went through a chocolate Dr. Pepper phase in late elementary grades. Anyone know if that is on-tap for future release (or were we the only weirdos who ordered it that way? I've asked people about it before and they act like I'm making it up).

[Ktepi]

I like the Berries and Cream -- people have complained that it's not different enough from Cherry Vanilla, but to my palate it's more like a raspberry cream soda with muted Dr Pepper taste (the difference between BC and CV kind of reminds me of the "reverse cocktails" thread). While that's not going to replace Dr Pepper in my fridge any time soon -- something Red Fusion was on the verge of doing before they cancelled it -- it's a nice change.

Honestly, though, as long as they're limited editions, I'd like to see something more adventurous. I like Kettle Chips' approach, trying Dirty Martini and Spicy Bloody Mary potato chips in small batches -- probably just smaller than the number of units that would sell based on novelty alone. Surely enough people would buy Ginger Peach Dr Pepper or Peppercorn Lime Dr Pepper or A Flavor Without Any Fruit At All Dr Pepper to sustain the product for a couple months.

[Jason Perlow]

Anyone tried the new Berries and Cream variety of the Fountain Classics?  Haven't seen it in the store, but my office cafeteria managed to snag some bottles.  I've tried the diet version, which is pleasantly non-diety-tasting.

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I tried it when I was in Texas and I really liked it. I havent seen any in NJ yet, though.

[s9498]

Is there a diet berries and cream version too? I love the diet cherry vanilla d.p. and look forward to this new flavor.

[viva]

There is indeed. It's nice.