Review: 7Up's New Lime Lemon Soda Offers A Familiar Flavor With A Zesty Edge

7Up is one of those pops that has seemingly always been around (it did initially launch in 1929, for those curious), offering up a distinct citrusy soda option instead of the typical cola-leaning one. Steadfast in its branding and flavor profile, 7Up (which at one point had a much more complicated name) is somewhat notorious for being a lemon-lime soda, but thanks to a brand new reformulation, that's all changing — or at least sort of changing.

Effective August 10, 7Up is no longer a lemon-lime soda but instead a lime-lemon one, meaning that a slightly more zesty, lime-centric flavor profile is going to take center stage. And no, this isn't a limited-edition product but rather an entire reformulation on 7Up's end, and one that will affect classic 7Up, 7Up Zero Sugar, Cherry 7Up, and Cherry 7Up Zero Sugar.

7Up sent me the brand new lime-lemon formula to try out for myself, which also boasts an updated vertical design on the can. Of course, in this review, I'm more interested in determining just how tasty this new lime-forward formula is, if it does indeed boast a stronger, zestier lime flavor, and how it ultimately stacks up to the old lemon-lime formula.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

7Up sent me two cans of the new lime-lemon formula, so I opted to try one cold and one at room temperature to see if I'd be able to better pinpoint any flavor differences. Otherwise, tasting the lime-lemon version simply came down to sipping and seeing which flavors (if any) stood out or left a lasting impression. I went into this review already knowing I at least enjoy lemon-lime 7Up; it's not my favorite pop out there, but I'll reach for it on occasion. However, I am also someone who tends to favor lime over lemon. So I was particularly curious to see if this new formula really would live up to a supposed lime-forward profile.

Of course, it'd be hard to know just how much this new formula compares to the old lemon-lime soda without directly comparing the two. To mitigate this issue, I grabbed a can of the old formula 7Up and tasted it side-by-side with the new formula, directly comparing the two and noting any nuances or differences in flavor. 

My first impression of 7Up's new lime-lemon formula was that it surely looked and smelled like the 7Up I remember. Upon first sip, I was met with a pleasant-tasting pop, no doubt, one with that distinct sweetness and slightly citrusy edge. I wouldn't necessarily say that anything about the citrus notes particularly stood out to me at first, or that I was able to pinpoint how the flavor might be different from past iterations of 7Up, but I figured that'd be easier to distinguish once I directly compared new and old formulas.

Overall, 7Up Lime Lemon definitely tasted good, with those familiar citrusy notes balanced nicely with bubbles and plenty of sweetness. I'm not sure that I'd say this soda tasted particularly limey, nor would I say that it tasted particularly lemony. It all sort of blended together into one general citrus note, but a tasty one, no doubt. If I didn't know any better when sampling this soda, I wouldn't know if I was tasting the new or old formula, and this distinction really didn't become clear until I tried the two side-by-side.

While I no doubt enjoyed sipping on 7Up Lime Lemon, it was difficult to note how it was different from the old formula. So, naturally, the best way to compare the two was to get a can of the old stuff and try them side-by-side. And, although subtle, it became much clearer where that lime-forward influence came into play.

The best way I can describe the new lime-lemon formula after trying it directly after the old formula is zesty. The difference between the two sodas is very, very slim, but the new one does have a slightly robust tanginess that the old formula lacks. Also, there was a difference in aftertaste between the two, with the old formula leaving a sweeter note on the palate, and the new one offering a little more zest. Both sodas did ultimately boast identical levels of sweetness and bubbles, so that slightly tangy edge is truly what set the new formula apart. And after sipping on both, I found myself gravitating towards the new formula as it offered up something slightly more interesting, even if it was only a subtly tangy difference.

After trying 7Up's new lime-lemon formula — and comparing it to the old one — I was initially a little let down by the very subtle difference in flavor between the two. However, after thinking about it a bit more, I realized that the subtlety works to the soda's advantage. 

If 7Up is your absolute favorite soda out there, or you just generally love all sorts of popular lemon-lime sodas, then you won't be shocked or disgusted by this new formula, and you may not even notice a difference unless you compare them side-by-side as I did. If 7Up isn't typically your thing, I can't say that this new formula will make you a convert, but you may very well appreciate the slightly more zesty, robust profile that it has to offer. Either way, 7Up Lime Lemon is a tasty soda that offers up those familiar sweet citrus notes, so I'd say that the reformulation is a step in the right direction.

Although there isn't an exact or specific date that you might officially find 7Up Lime Lemon in stores, it's set to release mid-August. Price will vary depending on where you live and where you do your shopping, but if you're already a 7Up drinker on the regular, then this new formula shouldn't change the price you're already paying.

A 12-pack of old-formula 7Up is just over $8 at my nearest Target in Chicago, so once the new formula rolls out, it should fall into that general arena of pricing as well. And of course, the price will vary depending on whether you purchase a 12-pack, 2-liter bottle, and so forth.