Dr Pepper Just Released a Controversial New Flavor

When it comes to spice, we think it’s pretty darn nice. Who doesn’t love spicy margaritas or Buffalo chicken wings? But when that kick comes in a soda, we can’t help but grow curious.

This type of soda flavor combination isn’t anything new. Soda brands are spicing things up with various flavors, including Coca-Cola's Raspberry Spice and Buffalo Pepsi. Now, Dr Pepper is adding a unique flavor to the lineup that will totally heat up your tastebuds. 

Dr Pepper’s New Hot Take Flavor

Dr Pepper is open to adding new flavors to its roster. It paired up with Blue Bell for its Dr Pepper Float flavor, which had us daydreaming about nostalgic ice cream floats. It gave us Dr Pepper Strawberries & Cream, which we love using in our chocolate dump cake. 

While those flavors were sweeter, Dr Pepper now offers something with a little more heat. The company recently launched its brand new flavor, Dr Pepper Hot Take, available exclusively to Pepper Perks members.

Now, members can enjoy a spicy version of the soda’s original 23 flavors for a limited time to celebrate the “hot takes” (or predictions) for the 2023 college football season.

What are Dr Pepper’s 23 flavors anyway? No one knows since the company has stayed tight-lipped, but that doesn’t stop online sleuths from attempting to crack the code. Many believe the flavors include almond, blackberry, black licorice, ginger, clove, and cherry, to name only a few. This latest version takes all these flavors and adds a layer of spicy peppers to the mix.

How to Get the New Dr Pepper Hot Take

If you’re not a Pepper Perks member yet, you can go to the company’s website and enroll in the rewards program. Once you’re a member, you can log into your account to play a scratch-and-win game to nab the new Dr Pepper Hot Take and other prizes and offers. Members also have the option to try the new flavor after redeeming 3,000 points by simply scanning their receipts for any Dr Pepper purchase and uploading them to their Pepper Perks account.

Is Dr Pepper Hot Take Any Good?

Dr Pepper Hot Take is already getting lots of buzz online. The Instagram user Candy Hunting said the soda is “very spicy." Commenters chimed in with “wowzers” and “so cool!” 

Not everyone is on board with spicing up the original flavor. Instagram’s Taste of Home recently posted about Hot Take and received many responses about the spiciness. One user said, “Noooo…Leave my Dr Pepper alone,” while someone else asked if this was an “April fool’s joke.” 

Regardless of the mixed reactions, trying something new is always fun; if you’re a spicy fan, you may want to give it a go. If nothing else, you can always add it to a cocktail to turn up the heat.