Sierra Mist: May 7, 1999 - January 9, 2023
Sierra Mist is being discontinued. PepsiCo has announced that the lemon-lime soft drink, once known as Teem, Slice, and at one point "Mist Twist," will be no more. In its place will be Starry, a new caffeine-free soda with the tag line "Starry Hits Different," which is allegedly appealing to millennials and Gen Z. This new beverage will be "easy-to-drink" and "optimally sweet."
You can read more about all the news here.
This all comes from the press release sent out by Pepsi:
"With STARRY, we were able to create a game-changing recipe with the perfect balance of lemon lime flavor and sweetness compared to the competition. At PepsiCo, we are hyper-focused on consumer-centric innovation, and we know there’s a strong demand for lemon-lime-flavored soda with the category continuing to accelerate. With one product dominating the category, consumers deserve another option… one that hits different. Starry is bright, optimistic and rooted in culture and fun."
But what about our old dear pal, Sierra Mist? The second option at every pizza party at an ice skating rink from your youth, the only working section on the machine at that Taco Bell, and the wrong thing purchased by your mom when she went grocery shopping; Sierra Mist was truly always a bridesmaid and never a bride.
Well, I'd write a real eulogy here, but good riddance! It wasn't even as good as 7-Up, and nowhere near Sprite, so we can live without it. Goodbye Sierra Mist, whose name might suggest it was a Mountain Dew clone but in fact, wasn't. Nobody really loved you and despite the bad name on Starry, it's cool design and promising upgrade in taste makes you a relic of the past.
Like Surge. Or Four Loko.
Sierra Mist was almost 24-years-old at the time of its passing, and is survived by Starry and the PepsiCo corporation.
RIP
P.S. I tried Starry shortly after writing this article, and it's......................perfectly cromulent.
The verdict on Starry is… pic.twitter.com/ZEqstRM4W2
— Jared Russo (@jaredrusso) January 18, 2023
