Starry soda review: I compared the Sierra Mist replacement to Sprite, 7-Up so you don’t have to

Starry is the soda equivalent of that kid in high school who never really stood out and decided one day to give themselves a nickname and make a big splash with a new look. Just like that kid wearing collared shirts and at least three bracelets every day, nothing really changed.

This drink tasted like a standard lemon-lime soda back when it was called Sierra Mist. It tastes like a standard lemon-lime soda now that PespiCo’s marketing people tried to go all galaxy-brain by rebranding their soda that was apparently getting whomped by Sprite in sales.

I’m sure a lot of thought went into it. But here’s where the rebranding has gotten us: We now have another clear lemon-lime soda on the market with a green bottle whose name is a six-letter S-word. This isn’t even counting 7-Up, which would be a clear lemon-lime soda whose name is seven-letter S-word if you spelled it out.

But here’s where Starry stands out. The company spells it “STARRY” in all caps in their press release, despite using normal letters on the actual label.

PepsiCo is going to absolutely crush it in the “accidentally grabbed the wrong bottle” demographic.

Starry soda (previously Sierra Mist)

So what’s the difference between Sierra Mist and Starry?

The emphasis seems to be on leaning more into the lemon-lime citrus flavor and balancing that out against the sweetness.

That’s my interpretation. It can be hard figuring out what the actual plan was by PepsiCo here. Their press release states that their “best-in-class product innovation team” created a soda that is “optimally sweet, and delivers both an exceptional taste and flavor experience.”

They make it sound like they’re releasing a $50,000 sportscar and not a soda I grabbed for $2.59 at Stop & Shop.

So what does it taste like? How does it compare to Sprite and 7-Up?

Starry is a solid lemon-lime soda. You get a decent pop of that green-tinted citrus flavor. It’s a satisfying buzz of the familiar lemon-lime notes and doesn’t overpower you with the sweetness.

I performed a blind taste test using Starry, Sprite and 7-Up and came up with the three following conclusions:

1. Starry and Sprite are pretty similar, but you can tell the difference if you’re really paying attention.
2. Apparently, 7-Up is way worse than I remember.

Starry is a bit heavier on the citrus flavor. It gives you a broader fruity drag that has a big sweeping green glow that straddles the line between lemon and lime

Sprite starts out a bit cleaner and lighter before condensing into a sweeter final point that’s less fruity.

Meanwhile, it was during this taste test that I realized that I apparently don’t think 7-Up is any good at all. It tastes weaker and watered-down in comparison to the other two. Yet it still tastes syrupy. It’s like a heavy seltzer with less flavor and all the sugar of normal soda.

Is it any good? Is it better than Sprite and 7-Up?

Yeah, as far as super-sweet lemon-lime sodas go, Starry is solid. It’s pretty interchangeable with Sprite. Starry is a bit more citrus-y while Sprite is a little cleaner. It’s a matter of preference, though I’d probably go for Starry myself.

The important lesson here is that 7-Up is bad.

The final word

Ultimately, there’s very little difference between any of these sodas. They all have way too much sugar and are terrible for you.

Most people won’t care about the difference. But those that do care will be really passionate about it.

It’s like the way people rally around their local grocery store of choice. Try going to a loyal Market Basket shopper in Massachusetts and saying that Stop & Shop is better. It’s a good way to have a half-emptied large iced coffee thrown in your face on a 25-degree day.

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“I ate it so you don’t have to” is a regular food column looking at off-beat eats, both good and bad. It runs every other Thursday-ish at noon-ish.

You can send any praise/food suggestions to nomalley@masslive.com. Please send all criticisms and questions about the photo below to tmatthews@masslive.com. You can check out the rest of the series here.