We Tried Orange-Flavored Coca-Cola and It's Meh

By Matthew Bossons, February 13, 2019

‘We Try It’ is a regular series where we try the latest off-beat food and beverage offerings.

While hypnotically browsing the online superstore that is JD.com, we recently discovered a newish flavor of Coke: Coca-Cola Orange. We say ‘newish’ because the beverage has existed in various forms since 2007, available at different times in the UK, Japan, Russia, Brazil and Australia, although this is the first time we’ve seen the drink available for sale in China. (New? No. New to China? Yes… we think).

New or not, we had to give it a try and ordered a four-pack of the fruit-inspired soft drink. Upon receiving the drink, a quick scan of the label revealed that the ingredient list lacked the Chinese characters for the word ‘orange,’ which, while not a great sign, is kinda predictable with mass-produced cola. (We presume the pop’s flavor comes from 食用香精, or ‘flavoring essence’ in English, on the ingredient list).

Upon cracking open a bottle of Coca-Cola Orange you’ll notice a subtle sweet-citrusy scent that sets the drink apart from its traditional counterpart. Taste wise, we weren’t too impressed: Coca-Cola Orange offers up only minor hints of orange flavor that only make themselves known once you’ve swallowed. The best way to describe the drink’s taste is normal Coke with an elusive orange creamsicle-like aftertaste.

Would we drink it again? Sure. Would we go out of our way to hunt it down, or purchase it over a standard bottle of Coca-Cola? No, Cherry Coke this is not.

Four-packs of Coca-Cola Orange are available on JD.com for RMB26

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[Cover image via Matt Bossons, Wikimedia; compiled by Felix Chan]