REELS
Barebells Protein Soda Adds Classic Cola to the Lineup
Barebells Protein Soda Classic Cola brings the brand's 10g clear whey protein and 200mg caffeine formula to a cola flavor, rounding out the Protein Soda lineup.
Barebells has added Barebells Protein Soda Classic Cola to its Protein Soda lineup, filling in the one flavor slot the brand arguably had to nail eventually. Classic Cola joins Pineapple Sunrise, Sweet Cherry, and Wild Strawberry in a lineup built around a simple premise: 10g of clear whey protein isolate and 200mg of caffeine in a sugar-free sparkling can that actually drinks like a soda.
If you haven't seen the full breakdown on what Barebells built here, our Barebells Protein Soda explainer covers the formula in depth. The short version: clear whey isolate keeps the texture crisp and non-chalky, 200mg caffeine puts this firmly in energy drink territory, and the macro profile holds at 50 calories and 1g of carbs per 355mL can.
Classic Cola: The Hard One to Get Right
Cola is the flavor that exposes everything. It's the one most people have calibrated from thousands of cans, so any deviation reads immediately. Barebells knows that, and the formula shows it -- the Classic Cola label reads "naturally and artificially flavored," a notable departure from the rest of the Protein Soda lineup, which uses only natural flavors. Getting cola right apparently required reaching for both.
By the account of our above review, the result is as close to Coca-Cola as most grocery store colas manage to get -- with a caveat. Adding protein to a flavor you've had hundreds of times means you'll notice something is different, even if you can't always place it. Our review called it genuinely impressive given what it is. That's a fair benchmark for a 10g-protein sparkling can with 200mg caffeine.
Visually, the can leans into the classic cola aesthetic: metallic copper-brown with red accent bands, white lettering, and condensation droplets on a clean studio-style product shot. It reads immediately as a cola. That's the intent.
The product is available in a 12-pack of 12fl oz cans through Amazon and direct via the Barebells shop. Barebells recommends a maximum of two cans per day and notes it's not for children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, or people sensitive to caffeine.
Quick Formula Check
Classic Cola appears to run the same core formula as the rest of the Protein Soda lineup -- the full ingredient breakdown and science behind each active are in the Bevlab Protein Soda explainer. Here's the label read for this flavor:
- Clear Whey Protein Isolate (10g) - the primary functional ingredient. WPI is processed to strip fat and lactose, which is what keeps this can clear and crisp instead of milky. A complete protein with all nine essential amino acids.
- Caffeine (200mg) - blocks the tiredness signal in your brain. At 200mg, this hits the well-researched range for alertness and sustained attention. One reviewer put it plainly: this drinks more like an energy drink than a soda, and that's accurate.
- Vitamins and minerals - niacinamide (10mg, 60% DV), pyridoxine hydrochloride as B6 (0.85mg, 50% DV), vitamin B12 (1.2mcg, 50% DV), and biotin (15mcg, 50% DV). Standard B-vitamin support for energy metabolism.
- Other ingredients - carbonated water as the base, natural and artificial flavors (the "artificial" addition is specific to this flavor, and presumably what gets the cola profile this close), citric acid for tartness, sucralose to keep it sugar-free, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate as preservatives, and color added. Contains milk from the whey protein.
One note: the can lists sodium at 20mg per 355mL -- slightly higher than some earlier figures circulating for the lineup, but the label is the authority here.
Where It Fits in the Lineup
Classic Cola is the fourth Protein Soda flavor and the only one that goes after a direct comparison flavor. The other three -- Pineapple Sunrise, Sweet Cherry, Wild Strawberry -- have more interpretive latitude. Cola doesn't. See the current full lineup below.
- Classic Cola (12 Cans: $35.99)
- Pineapple Sunrise (12 Cans: $34.99)
- Sweet Cherry (12 Cans: $35.99)
- Wild Strawberry (12 Cans: $34.99)
Where to Get It
Classic Cola is available now on Amazon in a 12-pack of 12fl oz (355mL) cans and directly through the Barebells shop. Check the links below for current availability and pricing, and read more in our Barebells Protein Soda article.
This one is for the person who's been reaching for an energy drink and wishing it had protein, or the person eating a protein bar alongside their afternoon soda and wondering if there's a cleaner way to handle that. If you've liked the other Protein Soda flavors and have been waiting on a cola, Barebells has answered that one.
