The Flavor Of Big Red Soda Is Not At All What We Were Guessing

Big Red soda is unforgettable upon the first incredibly sweet sip. Once you're done surfing that sugary wave, though, how would you define the flavor of Big Red? When the soft drink was first introduced in 1937, it was known as Sun Tang Red Cream Soda — but Big Red tastes like no other cream soda on the market. The addition of lemon and orange oils to the traditional vanilla flavor of cream soda gives Big Red its unique profile.

Big Red itself has been coy about what it's supposed to taste like since shortening its name in the 1960s. Currently, its official website encourages visitors to "try all of our deliciously different flavors," including its sibling Big Blue, but doesn't elaborate on what those taste like. Communications are outsourced to Keurig Dr. Pepper, which has a minority stake in Big Red. Dr. Pepper and Big Red have a lot in common: both sodas originated in Waco, TX, and Dr. Pepper's actual flavor is a mystery, too.

Big Red's citrus taste is confusing because, well, Big Red is red. Drinkers typically have built-in expectations of flavor based on the soda's color. Red drinks are usually reminiscent of berries or cherries, but in Big Red's case, its shocking ruby shade comes entirely from food coloring. Additionally, the brand updated its name to Big Red not to emphasize any traditionally red flavor, but because the then-president of Sun Tang's San Antonio bottling plant caught on to the slang of golf caddies calling it "big red" instead. 

Studies have shown that people's correlations of colors to food flavors are so strong that test participants get their signals crossed if a familiar food shows up in an untraditional shade. Think of all the intrigue that surrounded Airheads' white mystery flavor, for example. So, if one drinks a red Big Red and tastes orange and lemon, it may not immediately compute. Red colored foods are also typically associated with sweetness. That perception often leads to people choosing red or pink-colored sweets as their favorite flavors, a notion savvy manufacturers have leaned into by introducing products like Starburst FaveREDs. Could it be that Big Red isn't called Big Orange because the brand is playing on consumers' natural affinity for red drinks? We may never know; Big Red never responded to this writer's request for comment.