There’s a new Coffee Mate creamer—and it’s not made for coffee. Meet Coffee Mate’s new Dirty Soda creamer, created specifically to be mixed with Dr Pepper rather than coffee. And, of course, we tried it—in soda and in coffee, because it is still coffee creamer, after all.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of dirty sodas, here’s the deal: Essentially, it’s a soda (like Diet Coke or Sprite) mixed with cream and flavored syrups. The trend started in Utah in the mid-2010s (yes, it’s kind of a Mormon thing), but, thanks in part to TikTok, it’s now gone national. People are making their own dirty soda concoctions and dirty soda shops are opening up across the country.
According to Eater, the original dirty soda consisted of Diet Coke, lime juice, coconut syrup, and half-and-half (or coffee creamer). And those are the flavors Coffee Mate is tapping into with their new Dirty Soda creamer—except they partnered with Dr Pepper instead of Coca-Cola. The idea is, you provide the soda (again, they recommend Dr Pepper, it’s right there on the label) and Coffee Mate will handle everything else. They mixed the lime, coconut, and creamer together in one bottle. Is it any good? We made our own dirty Dr Pepper with it to find out.
New Coffee Mate Creamer!
Coffee Mate Dirty Soda Coconut LimeHere’s the TL;DR: If you’re curious at all and you see this in your local grocery store, I’d say it’s worth a buy. It’s niche, for sure, but it serves a purpose and it serves it well.
Pros: It’s very, very creamy, which plays so well with a super-bubbly Dr Pepper. If you enjoy an egg cream or an ice cream float, then you’ll love that part of it. The sweet coconut flavor complements the slightly medicinal flavor of the soda in a really interesting way. It’s a delightful sweet treat. Sporked writer Ariana Losch said that she would actually prefer drinking a dirty soda made with this creamer to a traditional mocktail. Another plus? It really does make life easier. Dirty sodas require syrups and squeezing limes and multiple bottles of things. This creamer will save you time and effort. If you like dirty sodas or you are interested in trying one but don’t want to put in the work, this is definitely worth the $3 it costs at the grocery store. And, even though it’s not made to be used in coffee, it’s not bad in coffee! Yes, it makes coffee taste a little like tom yum soup, but I like tom yum soup!
Cons: It does taste a little bit like sunscreen thanks to the somewhat artificial coconut flavor. And it’s very, very, very sweet. My main quibble is that there’s not quite enough lime in the mix. I wish there was a touch more tartness to balance out that sweetness.
Credit: Liv Averett / Coffee Mate
8.5/10
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