You may have seen our recent coverage on a so-called ‘secret menu’ at item at McDonald’s involving everyone’s favourite carbonated lemon-lime beverage.
The trick is to order a Sprite with a shot of vanilla syrup, with the resulting potion tasting remarkably similar to candy floss. For a diverting alternative to your usual order, it’s worth a punt.
For those who’ve tried it and marvelled at the portfolio diversification hiding under Coca-Cola’s nose, you might expect this article to be about the drink maker’s decision to formalise things with a bona fide ready-made Sprite: Candy Floss edition.
But alas, we’re not there yet. Instead, this viral trend-inspired Sprite leans closer to the health drink side of things than whatever side of things where you might find fibrous sugar that’s most exclusive to funfairs.
The new addition to the Coca-Cola Company lineup is Sprite + Tea and, as with many weird and wonderful alternative versions of beloved foodstuffs, it seems it’s exclusive to the US for the time being.
It’s also only available for a limited time, so if you’re on that side of the pond then you’d best snap up a bottle before they’re gone.
“The inspiration for Sprite + Tea came from a recent viral social trend — our consumers were steeping tea bags in Sprite bottles to create their own unique Sprite and tea beverage,” Kate Schaufelberger, brand director at Sprite, told Food & Wine.
“Consumers organically showed us this white space, and gave us the launching point to explore how we combine two delicious refreshment solutions and elevate the trend to the next level.”
The unorthodox combo first appeared on TikTok and Reddit in 2022, with the latter seeing a user by the name of CakeIsATotalLie sharing how teabag-steeped Sprite is ‘quite delightful’.
“I have mixed feelings about this LOL,” said one comment. “But it’s new and interesting to see. How’s the taste? Do you notice much of the tea?”
To which the original poster replied: “It was surprisingly present? Some of the few brave enough to try described it as tasting similar to tea with honey? It was odd but in my opinion above the ice tea soft drinks you can buy at the store.”
It’s since taken TikTok by storm, with a video from Malaysia-based TikToker Hisham Raus reaching 17 million views and counting.
The official Sprite + Tea will only be available through summer 2025, with it set to drop out of circulation in October.
“The product is still Sprite at its heart, but we wanted to make sure we paid off consumer expectations of blending with tea flavor,” Schaufelberger told Food & Wine.
“It’s the known lemon-lime citrus and cut-through refreshment of Sprite balanced with classic black iced tea flavor and aroma.”
While it seems like it won’t be crossing the pond just yet, you can always DIY it at home.
Featured Image Credit: SOPA Images / Contributor/Getty Images
Rachael Davis