Dr Pepper's New Chocolate-Flavored Soda Is Triggering Mixed Reactions On Facebook

Since its birth in 1885, Dr Pepper has turned into an epic empire of sugary, soft-beverage goodness and remains "the oldest major manufacturer of soft drink concentrates and syrups in the United States," (via the Dr Pepper Museum). The sweet, bubbly drink is loved for its unique taste (which is really a combination of 23 different flavors) but is also no stranger to presenting fans with new, exciting, and sometimes unusual spins on the classic Dr Pepper flavor, such as cherry and cream soda varieties (via the Dr Pepper website).

Now, Dr Pepper is revealing a brand-new flavor that has some fans scratching their heads in curiosity, some jumping for joy, and others sighing in disappointment. Facebook user Lisa Chism was not pleased, saying of the popular soda brand, "Just no, leave my Dr Pepper alone. It's fine the way it is." "This sounds horrendous," commented another user. Multiple said they just weren't sure how to feel. 

So what's the new flavor, you ask? The brand is calling it "FANtastic Chocolate," targeted towards the upcoming football season and its supposed chocolate-loving fans. Pictured on the new can are little chocolate footballs to really hammer home the point. And, as Best Products points out, the intriguing new flavor isn't here to stay — it's available for a limited time only, so you better get your taste tests done quickly!

With the release of the new and a little unusual flavor, it's no surprise that Dr Pepper supporters (and opposers) jumped right on social media to voice their opinions about this unique combination. User Dayna Spurgeon seemed a little more optimistic than some of the nay-sayers on a recent Facebook post promoting the new drink. "I absolutely dislike Dr Pepper, but this Indeed sounds intriguing, I'm Always up for unique lil twists," they wrote. But Deb Bergman-Kuhfus tagged a friend and seemed to be on Team Excitement for the new Dr Pepper flavor, writing "we need to try!" (via Facebook).

Thankfully, Paste Magazine recently taste-tested the new soda flavor so fans (and us, too) could get a clearer picture of what to expect when snagging up all those limited-time cans. The review describes a strong chocolatey smell at first sniff, but not in a super artificial way like one might expect. The taste, however, is definitely as sweet as you might imagine. Even sweeter and syrup-ier than most soft drinks. The reviewer couldn't help but picture Dr Pepper FANtastic Chocolate as part of a delicious dessert a la vanilla ice cream and ... we're kind of into that idea. Can't knock it until you try it, right?