1. Pepsi Ice Cucumber
Back in 2007, Pepsi Japan decided to roll out a soda that baffled almost everyone: Pepsi Ice Cucumber. Despite the name, it didn’t actually have any real cucumber juice in it, but it was meant to taste like a refreshing, cool summer drink. Instead, most people said it tasted like a mix of bubblegum and cucumber-scented lotion. It was released only for a short time, but its neon green color and bizarre concept made it unforgettable.
The idea was to market something crisp and refreshing for the hot Japanese summers, but it turned into more of a novelty than a hit. Some adventurous drinkers actually liked it, claiming it was oddly thirst-quenching once you got past the initial shock. Still, it disappeared after that one summer, becoming a collector’s item for soda fanatics who loved the “weird Pepsi” era.
2. Coca-Cola BlāK
In 2006, Coca-Cola thought they’d revolutionize the soda aisle with Coca-Cola BlāK, a coffee-flavored cola. It came in a sleek little bottle and was advertised as sophisticated, a drink for adults who wanted the kick of caffeine without just another can of Coke. Unfortunately, the flavor combination was… confusing. It wasn’t quite coffee, and it wasn’t quite cola.
Some people said it tasted like a sweetened espresso gone wrong, while others thought it reminded them of cough syrup. Despite its strong launch, it barely lasted two years before being discontinued in the U.S. Fans of weird sodas still remember it fondly as one of Coca-Cola’s boldest experiments, even though it never found a steady audience.
3. Orbitz
If you walked into a store in the mid-’90s and spotted Orbitz, you probably thought it was a lava lamp in a bottle. The clear soda came with floating, colorful gelatin balls suspended inside, making it look more like a science project than a drink. It was supposed to be “a drink with texture,” but the texture turned most people off immediately.
The little balls didn’t really have much flavor, and the soda itself was a bit bland, so it didn’t stick around long. Still, kids begged their parents for it, mostly because it looked so strange on the shelves. Orbitz is now a nostalgic relic of ’90s food weirdness, remembered more for its appearance than its taste.
4. Jones Turkey & Gravy Soda
Every holiday season, Jones Soda rolled out a limited-edition pack of bizarre flavors, but none got as much attention as Turkey & Gravy. Imagine opening a cold bottle of soda and taking a sip that tastes eerily like Thanksgiving dinner. That’s what this one offered, and people either laughed it off or dared their friends to try it.
It wasn’t meant to be delicious, but more of a gag gift or collectible. Still, some brave tasters reported that it really did taste like savory gravy with a hint of sweetness. It’s one of those sodas that lives on in legend, a reminder of when soda companies weren’t afraid to get downright strange.
5. Pepsi Blue
Released in 2002, Pepsi Blue was Pepsi’s attempt to capture the early 2000s with a neon-blue berry-flavored cola. The taste was somewhere between cotton candy and mouthwash, depending on who you asked. The electric blue color alone was enough to make people curious, but it never really caught on as a regular drink.
Some fans loved the sweet, almost bubblegum-like flavor, and it developed a cult following after being discontinued just two years later. Interestingly, it briefly resurfaced in 2021, much to the excitement of nostalgic fans. Still, its short lifespan proved that maybe berry cola wasn’t what people really wanted.
6. Hubba Bubba Soda
If you ever wished your soda tasted exactly like bubblegum, Hubba Bubba Soda from the ’80s was your dream come true. Marketed under the popular chewing gum brand, it promised a fizzy, candy-like drink for kids. The problem? Once the novelty wore off, people realized bubblegum isn’t exactly the most refreshing flavor for a beverage.
It came in neon pink bottles and was often sold at movie theaters or convenience stores, making it a hit with kids who just wanted sugar overload. But adults avoided it, and it faded out fairly quickly. Today, it’s remembered as one of the ultimate “why did they think this would work?” sodas.
7. Dr Pepper Berries & Cream
In 2006, Dr Pepper released a short-lived flavor called Berries & Cream, and it quickly divided fans. On one hand, people loved the sweet, dessert-like twist on the classic soda. On the other, critics complained that it tasted like medicine mixed with artificial berry flavoring.
The ads were just as strange as the soda, with a campy “Little Sweet” character singing about berries and cream. That alone made it memorable, but the flavor itself never caught on. Dr Pepper has toyed with limited-edition flavors since, but Berries & Cream remains one of its strangest and most talked-about experiments.
8. Crystal Pepsi
Crystal Pepsi first hit shelves in the early ’90s and immediately stood out because it was clear. The whole gimmick was that it looked like water but tasted like Pepsi. The advertising pushed it as “pure” and “clean,” but in reality, it just confused people.
The flavor was a bit lighter than regular Pepsi, but not different enough to justify the clear look. It flopped quickly, but nostalgia brought it back briefly in 2016. Even though it wasn’t a success, Crystal Pepsi remains one of the most iconic “weird sodas” in history, if only because of how much hype it got.
9. Mountain Dew Pitch Black
Originally released in 2004 as a Halloween tie-in, Mountain Dew Pitch Black had a bold grape flavor that looked almost like liquid ink. The deep purple soda was marketed as edgy and spooky, and fans loved how different it was from the usual citrusy Dew. But once the limited-time run ended, it disappeared from shelves.
It was brought back a couple of times for fan contests, proving it had a loyal cult following. Still, grape soda and Mountain Dew turned out to be an unusual pairing, and it never stayed around long-term. Fans still reminisce about its hauntingly unique flavor and hope for another comeback.
10. 7UP Gold
In 1988, 7UP tried to reinvent itself with 7UP Gold, a spiced soda that tasted closer to ginger ale or root beer than the classic lemon-lime. It was darker in color and had a little bit of cinnamon spice, which left longtime 7UP drinkers confused. Many people thought it was trying too hard to compete with colas instead of sticking to what made 7UP famous.
The backlash was swift, and it was discontinued within a year. Still, some people actually enjoyed its bold flavor, and it has since become one of those “lost sodas” people remember fondly. If nothing else, 7UP Gold is a lesson in not straying too far from your brand’s identity.
11. Coca-Cola Cinnamon
Coca-Cola has released plenty of limited-time flavors, but Cinnamon Coke might have been one of the strangest. It came out as a holiday special in 2019, aiming to capture the warm, spicy feeling of the season. But many people said it tasted more like a Red Hot candy than a festive treat.
The cinnamon flavor overpowered the classic Coke taste, leaving it too spicy for some and oddly sweet for others. While it wasn’t as infamous as some other odd sodas, it didn’t last past the holiday season. It’s now remembered as one of Coca-Cola’s stranger attempts at keeping things fresh.
12. Faygo Cotton Candy
Faygo, the soda brand known for wild flavors, took things to the next level with Cotton Candy soda. Imagine cracking open a bottle and sipping on pure liquid carnival sugar—that’s what this one delivered. For kids, it was like drinking magic. For adults, it was a sugar overload that became almost impossible to finish.
It came in a bright blue bottle that matched its candy-like flavor. While Faygo is famous for pushing boundaries with flavors like Redpop and Rock & Rye, Cotton Candy still stands out as one of their strangest. Even though it’s still around in some regions, most people who tried it once probably never picked it up again.