Orbitz: The Lava Lamp-Esque Drink Discontinued After Only A Year
Before bubble tea surged into popularity stateside, consumers craving a little extra texture in their drinks could purchase bottles of Orbitz. The beverage was produced by Clearly Canadian Beverage Corporation, and first released in 1996.
Each bottle featured an uncarbonated, fruity-flavored liquid, with small, vibrantly colored balls of gelatin dispersed throughout. These reportedly had a jelly bean-like texture. The drinks were packaged in oblong plastic bottles, meant to mimic the appearance of a lava lamp.
Unfortunately, consumers weren't totally thrilled about the idea of the drink. Many were put off by the idea of the gelatin balls in the drink, while others weren't fond of the flavor of the drink itself, even comparing it to cough syrup.
Although people may have initially been intrigued to try the strangely textured beverage, the unappealing flavors may have been enough to deter repeat buyers. Ultimately, the drink was discontinued in 1997 due to a lack of customer interest — just a year after its launch. Because of the strange texture and flavor combination, some may say it's a food from the '90s that's better left in the past.
The drinks came in a few strange flavors
Quite a few different flavors were concocted while the drink was in production. Flavor combinations in the first release included raspberry citrus, blueberry melon strawberry, pineapple banana cherry coconut, and vanilla orange. Later, the brand offered black currant berry and Charlie Brown chocolate flavors as well.
Although they've long since expired, unopened bottles of the discontinued beverage can be found and purchased on eBay — they've even become something of a collector's item. A single bottle of orange vanilla sold for just $16.02 at the end of its auction, while a set of eight bottles rang up a hefty price tag of $215.50.
While it's not recommended to drink the nearly 30-year-old beverages, they could work as a display piece, since many of the gelatinous orbs still float in the liquid to this day. One Twitter user wrote, "My mom has a few bottles of Orbitz in her China cabinet to display because they're from the 90s because they're so weird looking."
Some fans still crave Orbitz
Despite the mixed reception of the drink back in the '90s, the beverage has maintained a following throughout the years, and people are still nostalgic for the beverages. "We really need these back," one Twitter user wrote with an image of the drink attached. "The world was not ready for them."
A representative for the company told The News-Press in 2015 that the official customer inbox still sees an influx of requests to revive the beverage. Unfortunately, the company got rid of its production equipment after discontinuing Orbitz, and no longer has the means to produce the drink. The representative did note, however, that the company was "looking into it."
As nostalgic fans continue to crave the return of the drink, perhaps we'll see a resurgence in interest for Orbitz beverages someday. After all, Clearly Canadian's signature drink was discontinued in 2009, only to be revived in 2015. "Orbitz was just too weird for most people," reads one tweet. "Now today in the age of bubble tea it may have fared better."