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Is Sprite Carbonated Water Only? [Strongest Soda]

is sprite just carbonated water

For years, people around the world have enjoyed Sprite for its wonderful and refreshing flavor or natural flavor.

Its classic lemon-and-lime flavor is universally enjoyed by many, and there is no doubting the soda’s cultural impact.

Initially created in Germany, the soda came to the U.S. in 1961 and has been beloved ever since.

For as great as it is, Sprite seems as if it’s a very simple soda, and in many ways, it is. But, many firmly believe that Sprite is just carbonated water. These lime juices and Sprite soda is not Coca-Cola product.

So the questions remains;

Is sprite sparkling water only?

The fact is, not isn’t.  Sprite certainly does consist of a lot of strong carbonation, but there are other substances in it that make it more than just carbonated water. So no, Sprite is not only just carbonated water.

Within it, Sprite contains various ingredients that give it its famous sweet citrus flavor.

Funny enough, Sprite can actually have more water in it depending on where in the world you purchased it.

Some countries use more of the same ingredients than others, giving it a different water content.

Everyone knows how carbonated Sprite is, but do they know why it’s so carbonated?

For such a simple soda with citric acid, there can certainly be a lot of questions raised about it …

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What is Sprite?

is sprite a soda

Sprite is a soft drink with flavors of lime and lemon.

It originally appeared on store shelves in 1961 and is now offered in more than 190 nations.

The Coca-Cola Company’s clear, lemon, and lime-flavored soft drink brand Sprite is American-owned.

Sprite is available in several flavors. Sprite was developed largely to compete with 7 Up from Keurig Dr. Pepper.

Each 12-ounce can of Sprite contains 23 grams of sugar. On the other hand, a 12-ounce can of 7Up, a lemon-lime-flavored beverage, has 38 grams of sugar.

This indicates that 7Up contains more sugar than Sprite by a factor of more than 1.65. Sprite is a great option if you want to reduce your sugar intake.

How Much Water Is In Sprite?

is sprite a sparkling water

One of the ingredients in Sprite with the highest content next to the carbonated water would be the sugar included in the drink or flavored soda water.

Following this, it would be the additives and flavoring that give Sprite its lemon and lime flavoring.

As mentioned just before, depending on where you are in the world, the Sprite you purchase may have more or less sugar in it compared to high-fructose corn syrup drinks.

If you happen to be in the U.S, the Sprite you will purchase will have a higher sugar content than most other places in the world.

For example, let’s compare Sprite in the U.S vs Sprite in Europe;

  • Sprite in the United States: 12 grams of Sugar per 100 mL
  • Sprite in Europe: 4 grams of Sugar per 100 mL

After taking in the differences in sugar content of Sprites produced in Europe vs Sprite produced in the U.S, and after additives and flavoring are included, it would be found that

In Europe, and other parts of the world, countries face sugar taxes that make them reform popular products to be able to be sold within the country.

In order to save on costs, less sugar must be included. On the other hand, some parts of the world include more sugar in their drinks than the U.S., such as Sprite in countries like Thailand or India.

So, as you can see, depending on where in the world you are purchasing your Sprite beverage, it will have more or less carbonated water content compared to others.

Nevertheless, they will always contain at least 85-88% carbonated water.

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Why Is Sprite So Carbonated?

If you’ve ever tasted flat soda, you easily know the difference in taste between that and freshly carbonated soda.

Why Is Sprite So Carbonated

The reason for the difference in taste in flat soda is because of the lack of carbonic acid that gives soda, and especially Sprite, its tasteful POP!

Once soda becomes flat, it has lost the carbon dioxide that was pumped into it at certain pounds per square inch, in order to create the fizziness and carbonation people all around the world love.

Once you open up that can or bottle of Sprite, carbon dioxide molecules break free, and you can see the formation of an abundance of bubbles forming right before your eyes, this is what contributes to a flat soda.

Sprite is able to be so carbonated because it does not contain as much fructose corn syrup material as other sodas or carbonated drinks, so customers are able to pleasantly drink the beverage or flavored soda water without worries about getting an upset stomach.

Upset stomachs can often be caused by a combination of carbonation and high syrup content.

Simply put, Sprite is able to be so carbonated because the creators just got the formula down right.

They’ve found one that customers all around the world love and consume without complaint. Although, fruit juice is a healthy alternative to soda or sugary drinks.

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Is Sprite The Most Carbonated Soda?

Sprite, just like many other sodas, has a high amount of carbonation or sodium citrate in it, which helps to give it its desired flavor.

Despite its high carbonation content, Sprite is not the most carbonated soda.

It would appear as if Pepsi has the most carbonation in it compared to other sodas.

Back in 2016, Pepsi had deliberately created a soda that had 5x the carbonation content than regular Pepsi.

Considering this, and the nutritional facts you can find online, it can be determined that Sprite has less carbonation in it compared to Pepsi.

Even 7-Up, a similar-tasting soda to Sprite, has a higher carbonation content than Sprite.

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What Does McDonald’s Put In Their Sprite?

 

is sprite considered a soda

Mcdonald’s notably has some very tasty Sprite. So much so, that it’s often heralded as the best Sprite you can get anywhere.

The truth is, it actually is different than normal, over-the-counter Sprite!

There are a few things that McDonald’s does to their Sprite that make it a bit different from the rest.

The Concentrate

In order to give the Sprite coming out of their machines more flavor, they add a higher amount of syrup concentrate. As a result, the sugar content and blood sugar levels also go up, which could either be good or bad, depending on how you look at it …

The Temperature

In an effort to keep the products fresh and better tasting, Mcdonald’s implements this trick where they keep both the syrup and the water chilled at all times. This helps the ice within the cup melt at just the right rate for the water-to-syrup ratio.

The Water

Any cup of water would be better for you if it were filtered twice rather than once, right?

Well, that’s exactly what Mcdonald’s does with the water they use for their Sprite.

Since better water can mean better Sprite, Mcdonald’s makes the effort to filter the water they use twice to give it as good of a taste as possible.

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Is Sprite a Carbonated Drink Only?

Who knew that Sprite could be so involved?
For such a simple drink, it raises a lot of questions, like how much-carbonated water is in it, how much sugar is in it, etc.

As mentioned, the answers to these questions mainly depend on where in the world you purchase the drink.

So overall, no, Sprite is not only carbonated water, seeing that it contains other ingredients and additives that give it its wonderful and desired flavor!