Less Unhealthy Colas: An Unreliable Taste Test
I don't know quite what possessed me -- undoubtedly an unwholesome cocktail of thirst, boredom, and unbridled scientific curiosity. But after first encountering
Coke C2 in the hand of a co-worker, I've been on the lookout for it. But what good would it do to try it in isolaton? No, to truly appreciate whether this sorta-healthy Coke was up to the job, I found it necessary to buy not only a bottle of C2, but also actual Coke, Diet Coke, Diet Vanilla Coke (which I also had some questions about), and Pepsi Edge, which is apparently their answer to C2, or something.
It was just me, so the test was wholly and in all ways unreliable. I could see what I was drinking. I also make no bones about preferring Coke to Pepsi. I am a regular drinker of Diet Coke; I can taste artificial sweetness but it doesn't bother me.
Best: The real Coke. Duh. I think it was even better before the switch away from sugar, but I'm just whining because I can't really drink it anymore and I'd forgotten how much I missed it. I swear, the experiment was not an elaborate justification to sneak a non-diet soda into today's menu.
Second: Pepsi Edge. I know, I couldn't believe it either. If I'd realized in advance that it wasn't going to suck, I would have bought a bottle of Pepsi to compare it to. To the best of my ability to tell, Pepsi Edge takes pretty much exactly like regular Pepsi -- a little more citrusy where Coke is a little more vanilla, but the same kind of sweetness. While I do prefer Coke to Pepsi, I think I can honestly and consistently say that regular Pepsi tastes better than Diet Coke. The only thing I really disliked about Pepsi Edge is that the name is really stupid.
Third: Diet Coke. I have long maintained that Diet Coke tastes more like regular Pepsi than like regular Coke. This experiment reminded me of the truth of that, although to be fair I should remind you that I did not, in fact, have any Pepsi in the house. My commitment to science only goes so far. The bottom line, though, is that it does have a clear artificial-sweetener taste, whereas Pepsi Edge doesn't.
Fourth: Diet Vanilla Coke. Since Diet Coke tastes like regular Pepsi to me, I thought that maybe Diet Vanilla Coke would have a formulation more reminiscent of regular Coke (if I were extremely lucky) or Vanilla Coke (as I expected). Unfortunately, the cure is worse than the disease. It turns out that the more-citrusy taste of Diet Coke has a point, that being to make the artificial taste more integrated into the rest of the soda. It has, to me, kind of a sour-bitter thing going, and with a bit of citrus, it's not so bad. I think the Diet Vanilla Coke flavor (as opposed to the sweetener) is very similar to the regular Vanilla Coke flavor (which is artificial in its own right because of the enhanced vanilla -- I was oddly reminded of movie theater "butter"). But the sweetener stands out more than it does in regular Diet Coke, so it's just a totally chemical party in your mouth. There may be more sweetener in Diet Vanilla Coke in the first place. Note, though, that I'd still drink it, possibly even if I had a choice.
Last: Coke C2. After tasting, my initial reaction was "You're kidding -- doesn't Coke actually taste its products before marketing them?" The sweetening process itself is fine, I think; it didn't have that Diet Coke artificial taste. It's just that, incredibly, they've managed to screw up the flavoring! Coke C2 is
smoky. Yes, really. Like you left your regular Coke in a campfire. I don't object to a smoky flavor a lot of the time; I drink bourbon and Scotch and whatnot. But in a cola? Maybe I'm strange, but no. Unless the whole point, I suppose, is to drink it solely with Jack Daniel's. If only I had some on hand. In any case, I'd never drink this again unless it was a matter of life and death. For someone I'd personally miss.
In summary, Pepsi Edge is surprisingly good, and Coke C2 is worse than regular Diet Coke, for crying out loud. Now I just have to decide whether to keep C2 around until I can go to the liquor store... all in the spirit of inquiry, of course!
