Welcome Back to the 90s: I Tried the Revamped Snapple Elements

Blast from the Past

Of all the tea brands in the world, there is only one that my middle school heart fell in love with: Snapple. Raspberry Snapple has been a guilty pleasure of mine for a long time, and having followed Snapple’s career with a close eye, I’m thrilled to see that the company has revived its Elements line.

Presenting, Snapple Elements 2022: A lighter, version of classic Snapple, offering refreshing flavors, 45% less sugar, and no artificial sweeteners. With Air, Fire, Rain, and Earth at my disposal, I took a look at which ones are worth the money.

Prices and availability are subject to change.

The Old Snapple Elements

You may recall the wonderful year of 1999 — right before all of our computers were due to explode and destroy the universe — when Snapple Elements hit the market. Look at that font. Look at those colors. This is a 90s time capsule, baby. And as you know, “Diet Air” is what they call me on the basketball court.

Unfortunately, Snapple was outdone by its own talent. While the classic Snapple flavors remained strong, sales plummeted for the Elements line, leading to its discontinuation in 2005.

1. Agave Cactus (Snapple Elements Rain)

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According to the label, this is made mostly with pear juice. To me, it tastes like white grape juice. There’s something familiar in there though, and while this description would never win me any food-writing awards, all I can say is that it tastes like the 90s.

dragon fruit fire snapple elements — Wilder Shaw / Cheapism

2. Dragon Fruit (Snapple Elements Fire)

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The biggest issue with this drink is that the label really throws me off. It’s sort of a gradient color scheme of purple; at first glance, the whole thing looks like salad dressing that’s been sitting so long the oil has separated. Fortunately, it is not that. If you’re a big grape-head, you’ll be into this because it’s essentially a mix of pear and grape juice. I’d pour this over crushed ice and demolish it in seconds.

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peach prickly pear snapple elements air — Wilder Shaw / Cheapism

3. Prickly Pear & Peach White Tea (Snapple Elements Air)

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Peach has to be in the conversation for the most classic, beloved Snapple flavor. If the whole point here is to recreate Snapple in a lighter, less sugary way, they’ve done it. This peach “tea” is exactly that. As with the Fire bottle, I take issue with the multicolored translucence of the label, but I can move past it. Big on flavor — my taste buds were tingling with joy — Snapple is making this white tea with acerola fruit, and that “light and refreshing” promise that’s slapped on the label actually keeps its word.

snapple elements black tea earth — Wilder Shaw / Cheapism

4. Cherry & Fig Black Tea (Snapple Elements Earth)

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I assume if you’ve ever eaten a Fig Newton and enjoyed that experience, you’re gonna like Earth. This is a blast of dark fruit and I’m really not a fig guy, so it’s not exactly for me.

One final, incredibly weird thing to mention: All of these Snapple bottles are 15.9 ounces. 15.9. Not 16. Hey, Snapple. What’s the deal with that?

Snapple Logo by Consumerist Dot Com (CC BY)

Snapple Elements: Frequently Asked Questions

What are Snapple Elements?

Snapple first debuted its Elements beverage line in 1999. But six years after Elements' launch, Snapple axed the entire lineup, including its tea and energy drink spinoffs.

Why were Snapple Elements discontinued?

Tasting Table attributes Snapple Elements 2005 discontinuation to a drop in sales. But the brand began reintroducing part of the lineup in 2022, including Elements Rain, Fire, Air, and Earth.