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Ask a millennial to name an iconic drink from our generation, and you’re bound to hear Capri Sun in the mix. Despite the fact that the brand was invented in the 1960s, the drink became ubiquitous in the late ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s. Its iconic pouches seemed to slither right from their disembodied commercial depiction as quicksilver into the pantries and fridges of every home. What wasn’t as universally agreed upon, however, was which flavor of Capri Sun was the tastiest. It’s hard to be decisive when you’re young.
They say that with age comes wisdom, and so at Tasting Table, we decided to flex our more fully-formed analytical minds to answer the childhood debate over which Capri Sun flavor is the best. Coincidentally enough, in our ranking of 10 Capri Sun flavors, it was the simplest one: Capri Sun Lemonade. For our taste tester, it came down to being the pouch that was most true to its label. While the flavors of Strawberry Kiwi or Roarin’ Waters Grape felt a little muddled for the adult palate, lemonade Capri Sun was straightforward, sweet, and exactly what it purported to be — lemonade.
For many millennials (and really, Capri Sun enthusiasts of all ages), lemonade might seem a blasphemous choice to label as the best Capri Sun flavor. Over fruit punch? However, this particular pouch actually has history on its side. Of the first two Capri Sun flavors ever sold in a store, lemon was one! The other? A refreshing orange flavor.
Despite being the best, Capri Sun Lemonade didn’t make the cut as a bottle
Capri Sun made fresh waves at the beginning of 2025, when its parent company, Kraft Heinz Foods, announced that the nostalgic product would be expanding beyond pouches to become available in ready-to-drink (RTD) bottles. The move was also based in past experience. Twenty years ago, Capri Sun was also available in a bottled style, albeit in a different format. This 2025 addition to convenient store shelves is smaller and more readily available to the every day Capri Sun fan.
Rather than requiring consumers to perform minor beverage surgery by gouging a thin yellow straw through a small pouch hole, in February 2025, Kraft Heinz released a single-serve, 12-ounce bottle that can be re-sealed with the twist of a cap. Boring! The flavors of Pacific Cooler, Strawberry Kiwi, and Fruit Punch have been made available, but our chosen favorite, Lemonade, is conspicuously missing. It’s unclear why such a common (and well regarded) flavor didn’t make the cut, but we can take some guesses.
Lemonade is a competitive segment of the ready-to-drink market. According to GlobalNewswire, the RTD lemonade industry churns to the tune of more than $9 billion a year in revenue. Consumer tastes are trending toward refreshing, natural, and low-sugar options — which Capri Sun is not. Coming in at 11 grams of sugar per 6-ounces, our favorite flavor doesn’t necessarily fit into what consumers are craving in their bottled lemonade. For now, we’ll stick to poking pouches. If you want, you can use this simple two-step method to turn your Capri Sun into a boozy drink.
