The situation somewhat echoes what happened in the ’80s, when Coca-Cola introduced a new version of its iconic sip, only to face enormous consumer backlash. That led the company to bring back the old version, dubbed Coca-Cola Classic, which was sold alongside the new Coke. Eventually, the classic Coke won out and new Coke was discontinued.

American cane-sweetened Cokes are on the way, risking a boost in demand for a type of sugar US farmers can’t fully supply and is critically vulnerable to Trump-era tariffs.

For the first time in over 40 years, Coca‑Cola is bringing back a cane sugar–sweetened version of its iconic soda to the U.S. this fall. The move marks a nostalgic shift for the beverage giant, which famously replaced real sugar with high‑fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in the early 1980s due to rising costs.