Ring in the holidays with Coca-Cola Holiday Creamy Vanilla

Over here at Snackology, there are two things I love: Coke Zero and Christmas variants of my favorite drinks and food. (Well, I love a lot of things, but these are two of my favorites.) So you know I had my radar for new items on its highest setting when I learned that Coca-Cola Holiday Creamy Vanilla — thankfully available in Coke Zero style too — was on the way.

Coca-Cola notes that Holiday Creamy Vanilla is the first new holiday variety of the classic soda in five years (I guess they’ve had the creative team focused on flavors like Starlight and Oreo Coke Zero), promising that it will deliver the “delicious taste of Coca-Cola infused with smooth, creamy vanilla flavor that captures the joy of the holidays.”

Now, if you’re like me, you’re probably asking, What makes Coca-Cola Holiday Creamy Vanilla different from regular versions of Vanilla Coke? That’s an excellent question. Coca-Cola highlights that Holiday Creamy Vanilla “captures the joys of the holidays.” How do you add the joys of the holidays to soda? Did they add cinnamon? Cranberry? Tiny bits of Grinch?

What it costs

I bought the Coke Zero version Holiday Creamy Vanilla from Harris Teeter, with a 12-pack going for $11.49. The non-diet version costs the same.

My thoughts

As I pondered the mystery of what would make this version of a vanilla-flavored Coke Zero different from the standard Vanilla Coke Zero, my first thought after cracking open a can was that maybe this was Coke’s sneaky way of introducing Cream Soda Coke Zero, a favorite of mine from Coke Freestyle machines, into can and bottles. Is that what Coke was teasing my saying that this was “creamy vanilla flavored” on the box?

I broke out my vintage Magic Hat #9 pint glass for my first taste of Coke Zero Holiday Creamy Vanilla. (I would use this moment to go on a rant about the death of Magic Hat, but I’ll leave that to my friend Will Cleveland over at The Cleveland Prost.)

So …

For the life of me, I can’t figure out what makes Coke Zero Holiday Creamy Vanilla different from Vanilla Coke Zero. This soda is an excellent take on a vanilla-flavored Coke Zero, but I’m not sure what makes it seasonal. Maybe it’s the cozy warmth of vanilla?

For the record, I can tell the difference between various takes on vanilla-flavored takes on Coke Zero. Oreo Coke Zero was incredibly reminiscent of Vanilla Coke Zero, but it still had notes of Oreo cookie. (I say that as a good thing. I miss Oreo Coke Zero.) But when it comes to Holiday Creamy Vanilla, I can’t figure it out.

While I normally skip the classic style of Coca-Cola, I gave the can of Coca-Cola Holiday Creamy Vanilla I had a try. I’ve been drinking the zero-sugar version of Coke for so long, it’s all my palette knows, but its full-sugar counterpart was good too, while the vanilla flavor seemed to be stronger in the Coke Zero version.

Snack score

🍪🍪🍪🍪 (4 out of 5 cookies)

Coca-Cola hopes that “with the help of a little holiday magic, this Coke captures all of [our favorite holiday memories] in every refreshing sip.”

If you’re looking to solve the mystery of Coke Zero Holiday Creamy Vanilla, you’re gonna be out of luck on this one. But if you’re a fan of Vanilla Coke Zero and also enjoy stocking some cans with a “seasonal twist” to share with your friends and family during the holidays, you won’t be disappointed with this flavor.

Cans of Coca-Cola Holiday Creamy Vanilla and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Holiday Creamy Vanilla were provided to Snackology for this independent review. A 12-pack of the Coke Zero version was also purchased in store.