All the Culture Pop Flavors, Ranked

You’ve probably seen Culture Pop at the grocery store—the colorful cans are certainly eye-catching—and if you’re into the whole prebiotic/probiotic soda trend, maybe you’ve given a couple of flavors a shot. But what’s the best Culture Pop flavor? We picked up the eight flavors we could find (there are actually nine in total, but we couldn’t seem to hunt down Grapefruit & Ginger at any grocery stores near us), and tasted them all side by side to find out which one tastes best. But before we get ahead of ourselves…

What is Culture Pop, anyway?

In short, Culture Pop is a sparkling bev that’s low sugar, low cal, and enriched with live probiotics. Notice I said probiotics—that’s what makes Culture Pop different from similar sodas on the market, like Poppi and Olipop, both of which are enriched with prebiotics rather than probiotics. What’s the diff? Well, you can read our detailed explainer on the subject, but my one-sentence explanation is that probiotics are microorganisms like bacteria and yeast that can promote gut health and prebiotics are what feed the good gut bacteria. Is one better than the other when it comes to the sodasphere? Couldn’t tell ya! But I can tell you that we all really appreciated that Culture Pop doesn’t contain alternative or artificial sweeteners—just fruit juice!—so it tastes fresher and less saccharine than some of its prebiotic counterparts. 

Anyway, we’re not here to tell you about the health benefits of prebiotic or probiotic soda (we will say that Poppi got sued for, allegedly, making positive health claims they couldn’t back up), but we can tell you which Culture Pop soda flavors taste the best. Before we get into it, we should discuss expectations, too: Because Culture Pop is low sugar (between 8 and 10 grams a can) by virtue of being sweetened with fruit juice, it’s much less sweet than soda. It’s kind of like a soda-sparkling water hybrid. Do not expect to be punched in the face with flavor; there are like 400 varieties of Mountain Dew for that.  

Here are eight Culture Pop flavors, ranked from worst to best.

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Culture Pop!

Culture Pop Lemon Lime

Instacart

This was the only Culture Pop flavor that was a real letdown. It’s simultaneously too tart and not citrusy or zingy enough; in fact, it doesn’t even contain lemon juice. It just doesn’t scratch that lemon lime soda itch. (We do like Lemon Lime Olipop, though.)

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

5/10

Sporks

Culture Pop!

Culture Pop Ginger Lemon & Turmeric

Instacart

This Culture Pop flavor is a real nostril tickler. I took a big whiff and almost sneezed. It’s definitely punchier than the lemon lime, but it’s still just a bit like lemonade you’d make yourself with soda water and lemon slices at a restaurant because your parents wouldn’t let you order drinks that cost money and/or didn’t come with free refills. (I did not come from a family like this; we didn’t have a lot of money, but dining out was sacred and you ordered what you wanted.) At least this one actually has lemon juice in the mix.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

6/10

Sporks

Culture Pop!

Culture Pop Black Cherry

Instacart

This has the pleasing flavor of a black cherry soda, but it’s VERY tart. It’s sweetened with grape and tart cherry juice, and even without any citrus in the mix, it’s very tangy. Almost make-you-thirsty tangy, which doesn’t seem ideal for a beverage. I would certainly drink this Culture Pop flavor (I loooove black cherry soda), but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it. 

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Culture Pop!

Orange Mango & Lime

Instacart

This leans more mango than orange, and if you like that slightly funky flavor, you’ll probably like this Culture Pop flavor. It contains chili powder but it isn’t really spicy at all. It’s not very citrusy either. But it’s summery and refreshing and reminds me a lot of a mango White Claw, which isn’t a bad thing. (It’s our favorite White Claw flavor!)

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Culture Pop!

Culture Pop Watermelon & Lime

Instacart

I thought I tasted mint in this, which gave me Mojito vibes (it does not, in fact, contain mint, but the vibes persist). It’s definitely more limey than it is watermelon-y. I don’t really taste watermelon at all, which is a shame. And while it doesn’t contain mint, it does contain rosemary, and I like that it adds a little complexity to the flavor profile. It’s not the best Culture Pop flavor, but if it was in the cooler at a backyard BBQ, I wouldn’t turn up my nose at it either.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Culture Pop!

Culture Pop Grape

Instacart

Grape Culture Pop has a nice concord grape juice flavor, minus all of the sugar that’s in a typical concord grape juice. It’s lightly fizzy and the addition of elderflower makes it more interesting than other brands of grape soda. Real talk: This would probably let down anyone who was in the mood for a bold, sugary grape soda like Crush or Fanta. Almost all of these have hidden botanical ingredients, and they really class up the joint!

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Culture Pop!

Culture Pop Strawberry & Rhubarb

Instacart

This tastes almost like a strawberry vanilla soda (I’m thinking Olipop), but it’s less cloying. It tastes like fresh strawberry juice with just a touch of rhubarb sweetness. It’s really mellow and just a little bit sweet. It’s as lovely as it sounds.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Culture Pop Flavor

Culture Pop Wild Berries & Lime

Instacart

I almost never gravitate toward mixed berry drinks or snacks, but this Culture Pop flavor is so good! It has a mellow, ripe blueberry flavor and it’s not as tart as some of the others, almost all of which also have lime juice in the mix. It’s much more mellow here. The best part is that this probiotic soda has pink peppercorn and basil, and you really taste some subtle peppery flavor from both. It’s delicious. We all agreed this is the best Culture Pop flavor to use as a mixer with some gin or vodka or whiskey—although, I imagine alcohol might murder the probiotics—and the best Culture Pop flavor, period.  

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

10/10

Sporks