Product Review: Starry

Pepsi has replaced their lemon lime flavored pop Sierra Mist. The new beverage is called Starry. Clear pop is my drink of choice when I have a carbonated beverage. For some reason I was kind of sad when i heard Sierra Mist was being taken off the market.

Evidently, Sierra Mist was having a difficult time competing with Sprite for market share of lemon/lime flavored pop. Pepsi decided to try and appeal to younger consumers by changing their clear pop formula and changing the marketing. Starry is what they came up with. I tried Starry over the weekend. This is my review of the new product.

My first impression of Starry is that it was flat. After a few more sips it reminded me of sparkling water. Starry is like sparkling water with lemon/lime flavoring and a bit of sugar. Starry is not as syrupy and sugary as Sprite, Sierra Mist and 7 Up. I don’t really like it but younger people may. They seem to be more health conscious than Gen X and Boomers.

I couldn’t tell the difference between Sprite and Sierra Mist in a blind taste test. I wasn’t picky and would drink either depending on availability. But I don’t think I would choose Starry again. I would choose something like orange, strawberry or root beer instead. Starry isn’t terrible once you get use to it but it’s still a downgrade from Sierra Mist.

RIP Sierra Mist 1999-2023