'I Tried the Gut Healthy Soda Celebs Are Obsessed With and I'm Breaking Up With Diet Coke for Good'

Jessica Wrubel

March 3, 2023 at 7:20 AM·8 min read

Raise a glass with Billie Eilish and Kylie Jenner in a Gen Z-led functional beverage revolution.

We all know someone with an affinity (OK, obsession) with soda—whether it’s a sweet little can at the office for their 3 p.m. sugar fix or a fix-it for an unplanned hangover. But what if we told you that there’s something better out there that’s not artificial, has only 25 calories and is good for your gut as well? Enter Poppi, the peppy, prebiotic soda that’s all over TikTok.

Poppi IS the moment—and for good reason. These cheerful cans pack way less sugar and calories than your typical soda, have good-for-you ingredients, come in a wide range of fun flavors and will help you kick your diet soda habit for good.

So, without further ado, here's my honest review of Poppi soda.

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What is Poppi and what can it do for your gut?

The name “Poppi” is a play on “soda pop.” The ingredients are fairly simple–sparkling water, fruit juices, apple cider vinegar and organic cane sugar are the basics, with ingredients varying slightly depending on the flavor (Poppi currently has nine flavors). You won’t find any high fructose corn syrup anywhere near these cans. The soda touts prebiotics from the ACV and the organic agave inulin (found in some of the flavors). The benefits of ACV are numerous, including helping with blood sugar control and a (possibly) modest effect on weight loss. Prebiotics (not to be confused with probiotics) have been known to promote gut health which can, in turn, increase your immunity and help with digestion, skin clarity and pH balance. Quite the opposite of what your standard Mountain Dew would do.

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You may have seen the husband and wife duo pitching their company on Shark Tank in 2018 (with founder Allison Ellsworth going into the tank nine months pregnant nonetheless #queen). The two launched Poppi after Allison began having health problems and started Googling remedies. She stumbled across the benefits of apple cider vinegar (or ACV as it’s sometimes referred to) and never looked back. She and her husband, Stephen, worked to create a soda that not only tasted great but provided health benefits as well.

After selling out at their local farmer’s market in Dallas, they were approached by a buyer from Whole Foods and needed an investment in order to keep the momentum going (and scored a sweet deal with shark Rohan Oza). Within hours of the show airing, as with most Shark Tank products, they completely sold out of the product.

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Poppi’s rebrand since being featured on Shark Tank is bright, cheery and colorful—and it has Gen Z written all over it. Their social media presence is fun, and in-your-face while being informative, so it's no wonder it's been spied in the hands of celebs like Mila Kunis, Billie Eilish, Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber and Olivia Munn.

It was also featured in January’s Super Bowl commercial “Snackin’ With the Stars” with Ashton Kutcher. It is, as of January, Amazon’s number one best seller in the soda and soft drink category, surpassing big-name brands like Pepsi and Dr Pepper.

Is Poppi good for you?

As far as sodas go, Poppi surpasses your standard soda just on stats alone. A can of Coke has a whopping 39 grams of sugar (almost 10 teaspoons) and 140 calories. Poppi’s dupe, “Classic Cola,” has 5 grams of sugar and 25 calories, plus the benefits of the apple cider vinegar (Poppi says there is one serving, or one tablespoon, in each can). If you’re not worried about the modest amount of sugar in each can and while there are some artificial sweetener risks, if you’re not sensitive to stevia or inulin and still want this type of bev, drink away! People have been using the cans as a base for mocktails and cocktails too, so there are numerous ways to get creative with all the different flavors.

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Can you drink Poppi every day?

According to the company, it’s safe to have a couple of them every day. If you’re watching your sugar intake, be aware that one can has the equivalent of about one teaspoon of sugar due to the fruit juices and cane sugar added to offset the unpleasant taste of the ACV. Personally, I love adding ACV to my daily diet and I'm a sucker for a fun, functional beverage too, but the only reason I wouldn't drink Poppi every day is the price, which can run over $2.50 per can.

How much caffeine is in Poppi?

Only two of the nine flavors of Poppi have caffeine—the Classic Cola and the Doc Pop (their version of Dr Pepper) and even then, it’s only 32mg (to put this in perspective, a grande dark roast at Starbucks has about 260mg). The caffeine in these Poppi flavors is due to these flavors having the addition of green tea.

What does Poppi taste like?

Believe it or not, there is little to no ACV taste in a can of Poppi. And if you’ve ever taken a shot of the stuff, you know it is gnarly. I think Poppi has done an excellent job of giving you the tablespoon of ACV you want for health benefits while also masking the taste with fruit juices and a bit of sugar. Right now, Poppi has nine flavors on the market (and only two, the Doc Pop and Classic Cola, have caffeine)

Doc Pop: While not a total flavor bomb like Dr Pepper's signature 23 flavors, Poppi's Doc Pop is a lighter dupe for the classic Dr P with a hint of that recognizable licorice black cherry flavor. It's a lot lighter in color than I expected (but it doesn't have artificial food coloring either).

Classic Cola: Another great dupe for big soda, this one tasted like the healthy version of Coca-Cola without the high fructose corn syrup ruining your mood or your waistline. And when comparing it side to side with Diet Coke, I was 100% turned off by the aspartame taste in the Diet Coke vs. the lighter, cleaner taste of the Classic Cola.

Raspberry Rose: Sweet and tart, I thought this one had a wonderful balance of floral and fruity notes and wasn't at all in the danger zone of tasting like a bar of soap, which is something rose-flavored foods and drinks can sometimes fall into the trap of.

Watermelon: This one was juicy and sweet, almost like watermelon Sour Patch candy. Definitely the summer winner for the best hot day-on-the-beach-with-your-toes-in-the-sand drinking.

Cherry Limeade: If you love Sonic's Cherry Limeade, you'll appreciate the classic maraschino flavor in this flavor of Poppi. While definitely not as syrupy-sweet as the drive-in staple, you can absolutely detect the sweet cherry flavor mixed with the sour tang of lime.

Root Beer: This one was my least favorite of the Poppi flavors but only because it had more of a sour aftertaste (maybe I was detecting the ACV in this one?) than the other flavors. I would have loved a bit more vanilla flavor too but it was unmistakable that it was root beer due to the strong and sassy sarsaparilla notes.

Ginger Lime: The Ginger Lime hits with a nice spicy citrus zip that would be delicious as the star of the show in a ginger-lime mule, or alternatively when your stomach is feeling a little less than.

Strawberry Lemon: When I was in middle school, I was never without my Pink Lemonade Lip Smackers and this flavor of Poppi takes me straight back to band rehearsal. The sweet, juicy strawberry mixed with a pucker of lemon was absolutely delish.

Orange: A bit fresher tasting than your can of Fanta or Crush, and not nearly as sweet, this one is simple and citrusy, reminiscent of a freshly squeezed OJ mixed with a La Croix.

Overall, I definitely didn't think the flavors tasted artificial in any way or left a bad aftertaste in my mouth (as some functional beverages tend to do). I thought it was well-carbonated but not overly bubbly, so it was easy on my stomach, with a medium-sized bubble factor going on (if you're a seltzer connoisseur like I am, you know what I mean). Even though the sodas contain stevia (which I personally cannot stand the taste of), I couldn't detect it in Poppi's flavors the way I've tasted it upfront in other functional beverages. As a bonus, I also liked that their cans are BPA-free.