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There’s no denying that cola aficionados have refined palettes. They can tell a vintage RC Cola just from the nose, and their cellars are stocked full of Shasta, Tab and Pepsi Kona. Needless to say, they weren’t born this way. They’ve spent years cultivating their knowledge base, and getting refills at soda counters. If you’re looking to refine your carbonated smarts, though, mental_floss can help. In honor of Coca-Cola being invented today (way back in 1886!), we’ve decided to clue readers in on the quick tricks of how to spot a Coke from a Pepsi.
Coke vs. Pepsi
The Dilemma: It happens time after time. You’re at a restaurant and you’ve asked specifically for a Coke when you get handed a Pepsi, or vice versa. You tell the waiter what you requested and he gives you the “what’s the difference?” shrug. Perhaps it’s time you laid it on him.
Time: Five minutes should do it.
Supplies: Just this abundance of knowledge.
People You Can Impress: Everyone sitting in earshot.
The Quick Trick: If you drink them side by side, Pepsi is always the sweeter of the two (which is why people tend to prefer Pepsi in the Pepsi Challenge).
The Reason: Although the fantastic ad campaigns run by both companies would have you think otherwise, the soft-drinks’ similarities are pretty striking. Pepsi and Coke were both the brainchildren of Southern pharmacists. In 1893, Caleb Bradham began experimenting with various drink mixtures in New Bern, N.C. His 1898 concoction, then known as “Brad’s Drink,” became an overnight success, and “Doc” Bradham began selling his “Exhilarating, Invigorating, Digestion Aiding” syrup by the gallon (7,968 of it for soda fountains in his first year). In the 1940s, to support America’s war effort, Pepsi began using its now-famous red, white and blue logo.
Coca-Cola was invented by an Atlanta pharmacist, Dr. John Pemberton, in 1886. Yes, there was originally a concentration of cocaine in the soda, but it was reduced to a tiny amount (1/400 grain per ounce) by 1902 and removed altogether by 1930. The company changed hands a few times, and after Prohibition Coca-Cola was sold to the Woodruff family for $25 million. While both drinks contain vanilla, rare oils, carbonated water and kola nut extracts, Coca-Cola maintains a secret ingredient: the mysterious “7X.” The formula for the soft drink (7X included) is kept in a bank vault in Atlanta. Employees who know the secret formula sign non-disclosure agreements before they get to peek at the recipe.
Good to Know: Coca-Cola was forced to abandon the market in India after a law there required that all trade-secret information be disclosed to the government. In 1991, India changed its trademark laws, and today Coke and Pepsi vie heavily for the market.
Comments (32)
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My boyfriend and I are planning a mini-trip to see a close by coca-cola factory… now I can stun him with all these cool facts on the way there(Should be fun!). Thanks! ;)
posted by Stephanie on 5-8-2008 at 1:47 pm
I think Coke contains some kind of spice; it’s most obvious when it’s a little warm. I lean towards cinnamon, but it could be nutmeg or allspice; I’m not that up on spice identification.
Also, the way Coke beats Pepsi on THEIR taste tests is to serve it warm; when Pepsi sponsors the test the drink is cold.
posted by faburobin on 5-8-2008 at 2:18 pm
I think that’s why I choose not to drink Pepsi if I had to choose between the two: too sweet.
Because of the higher concentration of “sweetness” in Pepsi, I think Coke acquires a crisper taste and feeling when drinking it.
Cheers on this post, I had no idea of some of the ingredients such as vanilla in the recipe.
posted by Christopher on 5-8-2008 at 2:25 pm
I remember hearing that the original bottling contract for Coke was sold to the bottler for $1 as an incentive to get the bottler to take the contract. A quick search online didn’t turn up the facts on it, but I vaguely remember hearing about it at the Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta, GA. And yes, the museum is pretty spiffy I have to say :)
posted by mooP on 5-8-2008 at 2:30 pm
I’ve been convinced for years that the secret ingredient in Coke is nutmeg. As faburobin states above, it’s more distinctive when the soda gets warm.
posted by Mohaski on 5-8-2008 at 2:41 pm
My brother and I both prefer Coke, and we decided it was because Coke has a “bite” to it. I guess that fits with the assumption that the secret ingredient is a spice or combination of spices. And although I never thought about it before, the difference IS more apparent at warmer temperatures.
posted by Craig on 5-8-2008 at 3:35 pm
Re: Christopher’s post –
The sweetness factor is exactly why Pepsi almost always ‘won’ the taste tests per their famous ad campaign in the 80’s/90’s. See, when people were asked to take this taste test, it was generally on a nice hot day outside for all to see. The subject (here, we will call “poor sap”) tried both the Coke and Pepsi and almost always decided that the pepsi was the better of the two. This is because the subject (er “poor sap”) was so very thirsty and the much sweeter Pepsi was deemed the better of the two. This ad campaign was a HUGE success and caused one of the biggest knee jerk reactions by Coke that actually backfired (the sweeter and very Pepsi like NEW Coke).
The Pepsi centric taste tests would probably not work in todays world, since most of the public has formed a very strong opinion one way or the other (I, for one, as you may have guessed, am a Coke lover). In any case, in the 80’s, it was brilliant.
posted by Ian on 5-8-2008 at 3:47 pm
I saw somewhere that while people prefer a sip of Pepsi over a sip of Coke, if they have to drink a whole can of the stuff, they prefer Coke. Which is why Pepsi didn’t displace Coke, despite beating them in those blind taste challenges.
I can’t remember the last time I drank an entire can of soda, though.
posted by pc on 5-8-2008 at 4:00 pm
I really hate the taste of all colas. I am huge a Dr. Pepper fan….
posted by Jamie on 5-8-2008 at 4:07 pm
“If you drink them side by side, Pepsi is always the sweeter of the two.”
I totally disagree with that — in fact, it’s flat-out wrong, at least to my taste buds. Coke tastes super-extra-sugary to me, very, very sugar-sweet. Pepsi tastes more…. well, cola-ish. Like the distilled flavor essence that makes up cola, whatever mix of spices and whatnot creates “cola” flavor. That’s Pepsi.
I can tell them apart easily, but in totally the opposite way that you’re describing — and in fact, it gets easier if you compare diet or diet caffeine free, because Coke loses the sugary-ness and so becomes more tasteless as you move down the scale, while Pepsi still retains most of its cola-ish-ness.
posted by MH on 5-8-2008 at 4:10 pm
I agree completely with MH. To me, Coke tastes much sweeter than Pepsi. I have heard that the recipe for Coke varies regionally (supposedly Coke in the South is sweeter, in certain regions it’s more carbonated, etc.). So I wonder if that has something to do with why Coke tastes sweeter than Pepsi here in the midwest (St. Louis). Or maybe it’s just my tastebuds.
posted by DC on 5-8-2008 at 4:23 pm
I read somewhere that Coke has more bubbles than Pepsi when it’s poured. So when you drink it immediately after pouring for a taste test, Pepsi will have more flavor. (Coke=more bubbles=more air=less taste. That would explain pc’s post on a sip of Pepsi being better than a n entire can.
posted by crovenpaver on 5-8-2008 at 4:34 pm
Pepsi is, of course, the sweeter of the two. Coke has the “burn” when you drink it cold that Pepsi can’t offer. RC is SWILL! The most obvious flavor in a Coke is LEMON! A can of Pepsi tastes like metal, while a can of Coke tastes great. Dr. Pepper tastes like carbonated cherry cough syrup. Mountain Dew is WAY too sweet. A&W is far and away the best root beer. I will drink water before ANY DIET beverage.
posted by Robert Frapples on 5-8-2008 at 4:35 pm
I’m a Diet Coke gal… My best friend (whose husband works for Pepsi) once had her husband go to the local market under cover of darkness for a “Coke run.” He did … but I insisted on opening the bottle myself!
posted by Heidi Hess Saxton on 5-8-2008 at 5:32 pm
According to my memory, Pepsi’s logo does NOT date from the 1940s.
According to the US Patent and Trademark office, the ribbed Pepsi bottle was first used in commerce on June 19, 1955. Before that, the bottles had a rectangular “label” painted on them, with Pepsi-Cola in their unique script as their logo. (They’ve had a script-name logo trademarked since February 15, 1896, but the current script was trademarked April 13, 1937.)
The tricolor circle was first used in commerce on September 3, 1963, and was trademarked both with and without the word PEPSI in the white band.
They later turned that circle into a rectangle by adding a red background on the left and a baby-blue background on the right. The oldest registration for this type of a design says it was first used in commerce in September 1970.
posted by Harl Delos on 5-8-2008 at 7:29 pm
Dr Pepper tastes more like carbonated prune juice to me…
posted by Michelle on 5-8-2008 at 7:33 pm
Interesting facts. They probably won’t help you convince a waiter he messed up, though, as most restaurants have only one or the other. They should ask you if the drink you didn’t ask for is ok, though.
posted by Emily on 5-8-2008 at 9:56 pm
Here in Japan, Coke is made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup. It tastes crisper and cleaner, and a little sweeter, than American Coke. I never drink Coke in the States — the combination of corn syrup and caffeine gives me a headache — but I LOVE the Japanese version. Plus a lot of restaurants sell it in glass bottles … I always think Coke tastes better when it comes from a glass bottle!
posted by Karen on 5-9-2008 at 4:23 am
Try a Coke from Mexico, also made with cane sugar, and found in many small Hispanic groceries.
posted by JDL on 5-9-2008 at 6:06 am
I don’t now why, but I can’t stand either of them! If I had to drink a soda, which I rarely do, I go for root beer (Barq’s or A&W) or for Dr Pepper. My husband loves Coke from Mexico! We used to go to a sub shop in Tucson that sold it and he thinks it tastes fantastic.
posted by Tricia on 5-9-2008 at 7:52 am
refined palates, but not refined spellers.
posted by John on 5-9-2008 at 7:57 am
I second what JDL said regarding Coke. My husband and I used to be able to get 16 oz ‘long necks’20 some years ago and they ALWAYS tasted better than canned Coke. Sadly, they disappeared but we then found ‘em in the ethnic food aisle as Coke from Mexico. My husband found out that the difference was the cane sugar versus the high-fructose corn syrup used in the US (in cans). Nothing like an ice cold Coke from a GLASS bottle made with cane sugar. MMMMMM!
posted by Bethy on 5-9-2008 at 8:37 am
I’m Coke all the way- Pepsi tastes too sweet and fake. I don’t like Coke Zero though. I drink a lot of Diet Coke, and now Coke regular (or any soda regular) is too heavy… but my friend taught me a trick- mix half diet, half regular. Less aspertane (sp?), more flavor, but not too heavy. I loved it!
Also, those of you going to the Coke place in ATL… it’s so fun! The wall of sodas from around the world are so interesting… don’t try the Beverly though. It made 3 people in my group puke. There’s a reason there are big trash cans in that room…
posted by Kelly J on 5-9-2008 at 8:46 am
I actually agree that I think Coke tastes the sweeter of the two. To me (and we seem to be in the minority), Pepsi tastes like watered down Coke.
I absolutely love Coke Zero because it tastes like regular Coke. I won’t drink anything else now unless I have to pick up a Diet Coke.
Funny actually, every Coke lover I know will not drink Pepsi, but those that prefer Pepsi don’t really care.
posted by CK on 5-9-2008 at 11:53 am
Coke has always had a really harsh taste to me. I’m not really sure how to describe it other than that. Pepsi always tasted to metallic and it’s really gross once it starts to warm up. Give me a Dr Pepper any day!
posted by Christina on 5-9-2008 at 12:09 pm
I’m often sending back glasses of Pepsi, much to the astonishment of waitstaff who didn’t tell me they don’t serve Coke. I was recently told by a waitress that Coke Zero tastes just like the regular. I took her up on it- she brought a glass of each to see if I could tell.
I sent the Coke Zero back after a sip, and I still don’t understand how some people can’t tell the difference.
I’d love to try Coke made with cane sugar. I’ll have to see if there’s a Mexican market around that has it.
posted by TJ on 5-9-2008 at 2:02 pm
As a child I drank Coke, in the teen years, it was Tab then with the advent of aspartame, Diet Pepsi and have been hooked ever since. In the diet cola world, I think that Diet Coke tastes far sweeter than Diet Pepsi. It could just be nostalgia for me, but I agree with Karen that Japanese Coke tastes better than the American version.
Here’s a recommended read for all business, advertising, marketing and history buffs: The Real Pepsi Challenge:The Inspirational Story of Breaking the Color Barrier in American Business
posted by gaijin on 5-9-2008 at 3:30 pm
I drank soda exclusively for years and I only drank Diet Pepsi. Two 2-litres a day minimum.
When I got pregnant, I gave up the diet soda. On delivery day I had my husband bring Diet Pepsi to the room after the delivery and I couldn’t stand it. He bruoght me a Diet Coke and I can’t stand Diet Pepsi now.
However, I have cut back from two 2-litres a day to less than one.
posted by Karen on 5-9-2008 at 5:03 pm
There are restaurants that have both? Usually waiters will ask, is Pepsi OK when I order a Coke.
There’s a great chapter on cola and tasting in Malcom Gladwell’s Blink.
posted by Julia on 5-9-2008 at 5:35 pm
Thats kinda interesting… My prefrence PEPSI…. lol I cant even drink Coke due to gut rot.
Also, Coke has more “pep” to it, there is alot more bubbles in Coke then Pepsi…. most Coke drinkers would never realise this tho because they pour the pop so fast into mugs and bad glass cups.
Next time you or someone you know loses a couple teeth take the teeth and put them in seperate glasses one with Pepsi and one with Coke. The Pepsi one will turn the inside of the tooth mildly soft and stains it alot, where the Coke tooth will completly disapear.
Coke drinkers get alsers more often then Pepsi drinker…
You can always smell the diff between the 2 drinks cold or warm.
Pepsi and Coke are married… literaly, Pepsi’s owner/founder married the Owner of Coke.
The Santa for Coke’s Xmas commercials works for the Calgary, Alberta Coke distrabution center/factory.
Next time you buy a bottle of Coke or Pepsi, Take care of the bottle and dont let it shake around, put it in your fridge for a while then pour it slowly (without gluging the bottle) into a small whisky glass….. now sip. That should wake you up.
posted by danni on 7-28-2008 at 5:37 pm
i think you guyz are all nuts about this coke/pepsi thing :) i do perfer coke tho over pepsi..
sooo yah.. therses my poiint of view
on thsi coke vs. pepsi view :D:D
posted by Rina on 9-30-2008 at 12:13 pm
I like both, but I prefer Coke. I’m doing a taste test for my middle school science experiment. I think everyone, since I’m only tesing minors, will be able to tell the difference between American Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola made with sugar cane, and Pepsi-Cola. To those of you who can’t tell the difference: SCRAPE THAT CRUD OFF YOUR TOUNGE, AND TRY AGAIN!!!!
posted by SciFairResearchGirl on 3-4-2009 at 10:17 pm