Wow, a diet soda that's actually good.

One of the many positive influences Betty had on me years ago was getting me to change from Coca Cola Classic to Diet Coke, a switch I made with a great deal of resistance.  Those of you who've been out with me know that I'm a seasonal drinker; in the spring and summer I drink Gin and (sometimes diet) Tonic and in the fall and winter it's Jack and Diet Coke. Diet Coke is actually swill but you make sacrifices in the name of health. There is something kinda vile about the mixture of Jack Daniel's and Diet Coke, but again it's a choice between a 300+ calorie drink and one that with Diet Coke is actually around 100 calories, which is not bad.

Coke actually answered the low-carb craze a few years ago with a product called C2, which was basically half Coke and half Diet Coke and is quite good but good luck finding it in stores. Enter Coke Zero.  They're currently 'rolling out' Coke Zero with a big media blitz, so I decided to give it a try. Damn, it's actually good. Of course nothing will ever match the flavor of an ice-cold Coca Cola Classic, but this is the closest I've tasted to the real thing. I only hope Coke Zero will catch on and replace Diet Coke, since you can actually get Diet Coke in most bars.

So, give it try and let me know what you think/thought of it. Or, keep drinking that diet soda that tastes like watered down Coke with a hint of Windex, it's your call. I'd actually love to see someone defend the flavor of Diet Coke, if such a person exists.

Comments

[Jeff]

I prefer Diet Pepsi - but have no bones with Diet Coke. Looking forward to Zero tho...

FYI, you'd have to put 16oz of soda per shot to get a 300 calorie Jack n Coke vs 100 Jack n Diet. Are you watering your drinks down now, Ken??

[Jeff]

sorry - 24oz of coke per shot...

[Megs]

Dude, this is so funny you wrote this because I wrote a post on it yesterday and deleted it when i found out that there's an extreme Minimal difference chemically between diet coke and coke zero. I was going around telling everyone yesterday how much better coke zero is. It ends up it's just a marketing ploy to get people who aren't "diet" drinkers to accept drinking that stuff. I felt so duped.

[Kent]

This proves I will comment on anything.

I had Coke Zero about a year ago at a media event and, knowing nothing about it, I thought it tasted pretty good. I HATE diet soda and normally refuse to drink it, but I remember the Zero being almost as good a real Coke.

[Megan]

Fools! All of you!

[ken]

I'm not usually one to 'fall' for marketing ploys, but this stuff is actually tasty. Like I said, I only drink Diet Coke because it's better for me but if I can find a diet soda that replicates real soda, I'm in. Diet Dr. Pepper is O.K., ditto Diet Cherry Coke, but C2 and Coke Zero actually come close to what a non-diet soda tastes like.

And Jeff, my caloric figures may have been off, but trust me when I say drinking three of four regular sodas with Jack is more caloric than Jack with diet soda.

Kent- I doubt you've gained a pound since high school, so what the hell would you need diet soda for anyway?

[Scotty]

I haven't had Coke Zero but I have had a Sprite Zero and I thought it was pretty tasty. Aren't these new zero drinks sweetened with Splenda and not that other stuff I can't think of the name right now. I could be wrong. I like Diet Coke with lime. Ken your right about C2. Its good but hard to come by.

[Megan]

Ok, I'm playing devil's advocate here, but I had a Coke Zero and a Diet Coke together, and they taste the same. I hate to say it, but I think you're falling for the marketing ploy unconsciously because it's in a different can. That's all.

Taken from a website that explains the difference between the two:

"Hot on the heels of Diet Coke With Splenda comes Coca-Cola Zero. Coke Zero is sweetened with aspartame and acesulfame potassium (ace-k) and has zero calories. The only chemical difference between Coke Zero and Diet Coke is that Coke Zero has about half the aspartame but has more ace-k.

Confused anyone? It's a marketing thing - Coke have manufactured a "diet" coke without using the word diet... which in their eyes will appeal to a different demographic."

But, hey, if you insist it tastes better, by all means, I'm sure Coke is just happy as long as you keep buying it.

[Kent]

This REALLY proves I will comment on ANYTHING (except sports maybe)

Megan, I totally understand the marketing ploy concept, but here is my story, my testimony if you will. When I was at this 2 day media event last year Coke Zero was a sponsor so I drank maybe 4 cans. I have to point out how much I hate diet soda, it disgusts me. This event was very early on in Coke Zero’s life and I had not heard anything about it, nor had others in the event. I was simply drinking it because it was free and about 2 booths away from ours. I never asked the Coke people (19 year old whore/model types) what made it different, so I never knew it was in fact diet. I did find out on the second day though that it was called Zero because of the calories. Anyway, I could taste a difference from real Coke, but it did not make me gag like other diet drinks. It was actually refreshing without that horrible after taste.

Now, maybe it was because I did not know it was diet and I was experiencing the placebo effect. Maybe they have changed the formula since I had it. I can’t say for sure. It is my sworn testimony however that I remember saying, out loud mind you, “this almost tastes like real coke.”

Having said all of that, I will still never drink it or any other diet soda for these 2 reasons 1) I am afraid of all of those artificial sweeteners, I think they are dangerous 2) Nothing can replace the taste of a real soda, I would rather just drink water at that point.

Side note: real soda is terrible for you. Not only does it rot your teeth, that much sugar actually makes your bones weaker. Without going into much detail, sugar upsets calcium metabolism.

How do I know this? Because I fucking know EVERYTHING!

[Scotty]

It has to be the delicate balance between the aspartame and the acesulfame potassium that makes the difference. "MMMM that acesulfame potassium goodness. With just the right touch of aspartame. As crisp as a fall morning. Without the calories." I'm hooked.

[ken]

Et Al- Allow me to say this, I could blind taste test C2, Coke Zero and Diet Coke and tell all three apart without a doubt. Marketing, Shmarketing.

Also, I don't drink that much soda (Diet or regular) at all outside of as a mixer with alcohol. Maybe a can every other day outside of in an adult beverage.

[Your Wife]

Megan, keep quiet. I've been working hard to get him healthy...just agree, it's different...and tastes better

[Megan]

Fine. Live your life in a LIE. ;)

(Seriously, I don't care that much, I just think this is funny we both posted about it).

[kate]

I love diet coke!!!!
I wake up every morning and have a sip and my eyes water. The taste of regular coke makes me want to gag.....long live diet coke..the real thing no coke zero, no diet coke with splenda...just real old diet coke!

[jeff w.]

We'd have to look back at the archives, but I'm fairly sure I remember some Kent commentary on sports.

[Elaine]

Although it may seem like just a "small" chemical difference, and more marketing ploy to many, the formula for Coke Zero IS quite different... it's not just that they added an additional sweetener, they redid the formula. Whenever sweeteners are used as a blend as they are in Zero, you get a completely different sweet taste. Thus Coke Zero actually does have a different taste from Diet Coke.

That's not to say that marketing isn't also being utilized here... they definitely have to find an audience to sell this new concoction to. Die hard DC drinkers are probably not switching, so they've got to carve out a new marketable niche.

Interesting stuff if you think about it.

[ken]

Thanks for the clarification Elaine. I for one barely tolerated DC but drank it because it's better for me than Classic Coke (which I adore). So, with the addition of Coke Zero to C2, I now have two palatable Coke products I can drink without fear, three if you include Diet Cherry Coke which isn't bad.