The best cherry soda for you depends on which of four categories you actually want: cherry cola, black cherry soda, cherry-flavored diet soda, or tart craft cherry soda. They share a name and a color and not much else — the sugar, the source of the cherry flavor, and what’s actually in the can vary a lot from one to the next.
What makes a cherry soda "the best" one
"Best" depends on what you’re optimizing for. If it’s nostalgia, a cherry cola wins. If it’s zero sugar, a diet version wins. If it’s genuine tart cherry flavor and a sugar number you can actually track, that’s a different shelf entirely — and it’s the one Reckon Cherry is built for.
Three things worth checking on any can: whether the cherry flavor is natural or artificial, how much added sugar is in a full can (not a serving fraction), and whether the color comes from a plant source or a synthetic dye like Red 40.
Four types of cherry soda on shelves today
| Type | Flavor source | Sugar per 12oz | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry cola | Cola base + cherry flavoring | ~40g | Nostalgia, fountain-style taste |
| Black cherry soda | Cherry flavoring, sometimes real juice | ~35–45g | Sweet, candy-forward cherry |
| Diet/zero cherry soda | Cherry flavoring + artificial sweetener | 0g | Zero sugar, artificial sweetener trade-off |
| Tart craft cherry soda (Reckon) | Natural tart cherry flavor, colored with black carrot | 15g | Tart cherry flavor, controlled sugar, no artificial dye |
For a closer look at how cherry cola specifically differs from a tart craft version, see tart cherry vs. black cherry vs. cherry cola.
Where Reckon Cherry fits
Reckon Cherry runs on a barley malt base rather than corn syrup, gets its color from black carrot instead of Red 40, and lands at 90 calories and 15 grams of sugar — less than half of a typical cola. It’s caffeine-free and, because it contains wheat (barley malt), not gluten-free. That’s the honest trade: a craft process instead of a diet shortcut.
If tart is new to you, what is tart craft soda is the place to start. If you want to taste it next to Apricot, the variety 12-pack has both, or go straight to the Cherry 12-pack.
Not too sweet. On purpose.
Frequently asked questions
Is Reckon Cherry the same as a black cherry soda?
No. Black cherry soda is usually sweeter and jammier. Reckon Cherry is tart-forward, naturally flavored, and carries about a third of the sugar of most black cherry sodas.
Does Reckon Cherry have artificial dye?
No. Reckon Cherry gets its color from black carrot, a plant-based source, not from Red 40 or another synthetic dye.