If you, like many in the Gen Z population, are a fan of Poppi, you probably have your favorite (and least-favorite) flavors memorized. Look, they can’t all be your No. 1 pick, right? Well, for a long time, there’s been one flavor that’s sat pretty low on many fans’ lists: the root beer. For whatever reason, many fans just couldn’t get behind the taste of Poppi’s take on the classic drink. However, the soda brand hopes to change that. On June 3, the soda brand took to Instagram to reveal a “new and improved” version of its not-so-fan-favorite bev. So, what does Poppi’s new root beer taste like?
Poppi’s Instagram announcement of the new drink says, “We heard you loud and clear 🗣️🗣️🗣️ you wanted us to level up our Root Beer, so that’s exactly what we did 😏😋 allow us to reintroduce you to our brand ✨ new and improved ✨ Root Beer! we gave it a fresh new look and a bold new flavor and we can’t WAIT to hear what you think! 😍 if you’ve tried it yet, did we totally nail it or what??”
While the caption is full of hype for the new root beer, it’s not super clear on how, exactly, the drink was changed. That’s where TikTok comes in. Fans who have already gotten their hands on the new root beer have been taking to TikTok to share their thoughts on the updated flavor. And the verdict? They like it!
“As an avid hater of the Poppi root beer flavor, I feel very qualified to speak on their new flavor … because I have very high standards for this,” creator Alexa Field shared in a June 3 video. After she took her first sip, she went on to say, “I’m not going to lie, I’m impressed. This tastes way better. That’s actually, dare I say, a new favorite.”
Creator Mary Micayla Wood had a similar response, calling the original root beer “the most hated flavor of Poppi” before taking a sip of the new version. “It’s better than it used to be,” she said. “It’s actually not bad. I kind of like that.” (To be fair, her partner in the video wasn’t a fan, though he didn’t have much to say about why.)
Many other TikTok reviews of the new Poppi are similar, with the creators discussing how they’re not fans of the OG root beer, but having positive things to say about the new stuff.
This all sounds like great news for the prebiotic soda community. But what about those in the minority who actually liked the original root beer? Are they going to be let down by the revamp? Creator Grace Secrist is one of those in the minority who did enjoy the original flavor, but she shared on TikTok that the new iteration is “honestly a lot better.” Phew!