Dr Pepper Blackberry Is a Worthy Addition to the Line-Up

As we’ve discussed previously, Dr Pepper makes pretty interesting choices when they add a 24th flavor to the mix. With flavors from chocolate to bourbon being well-received, it seems like Dr Pepper lends itself to flavors slightly beyond the norm—especially compared to the pedestrian “oranges and cream” and “cherries and cream” their distinguished competition are currently releasing. Case in point, today we’ve got our hands on the newest innovation from Waco’s pride and joy: Dr Pepper Blackberry, in full and zero sugar.

New Dr Pepper Flavor!

Dr Pepper Blackberry

Walmart

Pros: More than most soda companies, I have confidence in Dr Pepper to deliver a solid variant. So it should come as no surprise that this is very good. The addition of blackberry doesn’t outshine the original Dr Pepper base, while softening the harsher “pepper” aspects of the pepper soda we know and love. While this may not beat the classic original, I’ll put this above many other “soda plus fruit” variants we’ve seen from any soda manufacturer. (Dr Pepper Strawberries & Cream is better, though.)

Cons: I’ll be honest, when I first heard the rumblings about this new flavor from Tyler, I was really hoping it was a stealth revival of Dr Pepper Dark Berry. That flavor, which gets trotted out every few years in collaboration with a big expensive movie, has a special place in my heart. While I do like this Dr Pepper variant, it isn’t exactly what I was hoping for. (I acknowledge my hopes were far-fetched.)

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

New Dr Pepper Zero Sugar!

Dr Pepper Blackberry Zero Sugar

Walmart

Pros: The blackberry flavoring is a little more prevalent here, so if you’re really seeking out that aspect of this new release, you might want to pick up a Dr Pepper Blackberry Zero Sugar first. The Dr Pepper diehards in my life all agreed that this is as good as any Diet or Zero Sugar Dr Pepper out there—a damning compliment.

Cons: Yes, the blackberry flavor is a little stronger here than in the full sugar version, but it comes at the expense of also tasting more like fake sweetener. As our own Jordan Myrick said in a video review, this is “the same but worse.”

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

6.5/10

Sporks

Where can I find this new Dr Pepper flavor for myself?

As of the first week of February, Dr Pepper Blackberry should be rolling out wherever Dr Pepper is sold nationwide in 12-packs and bottles. While it has been reported that the Zero Sugar version is available in 20oz bottles, I’ve had no luck finding it myself—and believe me, I’ve been looking. With the pricing on 12-packs these days, I definitely prefer to try something for the first time in the single-bottle format.

Don’t worry about this being a limited-time release. Dr Pepper Blackberry is a permanent innovation, meaning it’ll be on shelves as long as it sells well enough. I don’t see this one going anywhere for a while. (This hubris will sting extra badly when I have to write the “Dr Pepper Blackberry is Discontinued” article a year from now.)