Coca-Cola Brings Back Beloved Flavor That Was Discontinued 5 Years Ago—With a Catch

Coke fans are preparing to take a sip of nostalgia.

As they’ve done in the past—often to much fanfare—Coca-Cola is getting ready to resurrect one of its most popular flavors, which hasn’t been seen (or tasted) in five years. The New York Post reports that soda sippers are already getting excited about the announced return of Diet Cherry Coke, a fan-favorite flavor that has been missing from the soft drink manufacturer’s official lineup since 2020, when it was discontinued.

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The snack-loving folks at Snackolator posted the news to their Instagram account earlier this week, sharing what information they currently have. Here’s what we do know: Diet Cherry Coke—which is different from the Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Cherry that you can find just about anywhere—will arrive in retro packaging that will have consumers thinking of the good ol’ days, but it will only be around for a limited time this summer.

Coca-Cola itself has not yet shared any details about their plans for the beverage, but the New York Post says the drink will make its triumphant return in July and will be available at Kroger grocery stores nationwide. (The chain currently operates in 35 states.) 

A Snackolator follower seemed to confirm this bit of information when they replied to the initial post that, “I work at a Kroger chain, we [already] have shipments for it, just gotta wait for release.”

The Snackolator account itself, however, seems to believe the drink will appear in more places than just Kroger. “This does not appear to be an exclusive release, but I'll update as it arrives on store shelves,” they wrote.

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While it seemed to long be a popular choice, Diet Cherry Coke—which was first introduced in 1985—was discontinued in 2020 along with a handful of other Coke flavors for reasons unknown. While Coca-Cola Cherry Vanilla remained on shelves, that too was discontinued in September.

While the beloved beverage has yet to even return, some fans are already putting up a stink that it won’t hold a permanent spot on Coke’s flavor lineup.

“Why limited,” wondered one Instagram commenter. “Just bring it back for good.”

“Make it permanent,” demanded another fan.

To be continued.