A new sweet drink craze is sweeping the nation: Heavy soda.
Usually, the soda fountain machine in convenience stores operates by combining pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2), water, and flavored syrup to dispense your favorite carbonated soft drink. Those drink options can include popular sodas like Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, and Mountain Dew.
However, according to many posts on social media including the popular “Soda” Reddit thread, some gas stations are changing their fountain sodas to be heavier on the syrup, resulting in a much sweeter drink.
One post shared in April of a convenience store soda machine serving Pepsi with the label “heavy” on it sparked conversation about the trend. In the comments, many people said that while they’ve heard of heavy soda, it’s only been popular in the Southern region of the U.S.
However, other people said they’ve seen this drink before.
“For everyone asking, Heavy Pepsi is a Missouri thing,” one wrote, while another responded: “I've seen it in Missouri gas stations south of St. Louis. I tried the ‘heavy’ Mountain Dew. It's way better than it should be.”
“I've lived in and been all over the South most of my life, and I have never heard of or seen this anywhere,” a third responded. “This must be some very backwoods rural area place.”
Others claimed the heavy soda was made for specific customers.
“It is for the people who work outside or travel in their car/truck all day,” one wrote. “Normally purchased in the morning, so when the ice melts throughout the day, it dilutes the heavy to make the soda taste normal. If one were to use regular, when the ice melted, the soda would taste watered down.”
“It’s for people who buy a big soda in the morning; as the ice melts all day, heavy ends up tasting normal instead of watery,” another said.
In a TikTok video posted in April, Peter Early, who often posts food reviews on his page, reacted to the trend. He quipped that as gas stations are increasing the ratio of soda syrup in their foundation machines, people could give heavy soda a try if “they’re at no risk of diabetes.”
@earlypete Heavy Soda Explained! #missouri #soda #pop #regionalfood
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However, health experts have a few concerns about the heavy soda trend. Dr. Jeremy Manuele, a Las Vegas orthodontist, told Fox News Digital that while the extra syrup makes the soda feel “like even more of a little treat,” that sugar increases the risk of cavities, gum inflammation, and enamel erosion, which is the breakdown of your teeth’s protective layers.
“Some of the same bacteria linked to gum disease have also been connected to heart disease and other health issues,” he explained. “It seems we are always trying to find new ways to make getting our soda fix exciting. It might appear fun and innocent in the moment, but if it sticks around, it could lead to health issues that people are not thinking about yet.”
The heavy soda trend comes as brands are trying to make soft drinks more fun. In July, McDonald’s began testing out its line of dirty sodas, which is a drink made up of a base soda, usually a popular brand such as Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper, or Sprite, and then spiked with a syrup or a flavored coffee creamer. It’s particularly popular among teens and those who prefer not to drink alcohol.
The flavor lineup includes Toasted Vanilla Frappé, Strawberry Watermelon Refresher, Sprite Lunar Splash, Popping Tropic Refresher, and Creamy Vanilla Cold Brew.
Meanwhile, in select stores in the U.S. and Canada, Crumbl Cookies is also testing out its line of dirty sodas, which are also fountain drinks mixed with flavored syrups, cream, or heavy cream. While there are up to 46 different dirty soda options at select Crumbl stores, customers can opt to create their own.
