[net.misc] Is there a new Diet Coke?

john@moncol.UUCP (John Ruschmeyer) (06/05/85)

(Forgive the odd choice of newsgroups, but this seems to be the hub of the
"New COke" discussion.)

Has anyone seen either Diet Coke or caffeine-free Diet Coke which uses the
new Coke formula yet? I have seen regular and caffeine-free regular Coke
with the new formula, but not the diet counterparts.

If you have seen it, have you tried it? Is it of tolerable taste or just
carbonated radiator flush?


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Silly Quote:
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ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (06/07/85)

> Has anyone seen either Diet Coke or caffeine-free Diet Coke which uses the
> new Coke formula yet? I have seen regular and caffeine-free regular Coke
> with the new formula, but not the diet counterparts.
> 
What do you want them to do?  Replace the Nutrasweet with Cornsyrup?

Another big advance for phenylkeptanurics.

uggworek@sunybcs.UUCP (Donald Gworek) (06/07/85)

> Has anyone seen either Diet Coke or caffeine-free Diet Coke which uses the
> new Coke formula yet? 

Yup.  The McDonalds restaurants have it.  Tastes like diluted pepsi.
I suspect Coke's goal is to defeat the Pepsi Challenge.  That is, in
comparison to the NEW Coke, PEPSI will be fingered as the one with 
a *harsh* eeuuww cola taste, instead of Coke.

doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee) (06/07/85)

> Has anyone seen either Diet Coke or caffeine-free Diet Coke which uses the
> new Coke formula yet? I have seen regular and caffeine-free regular Coke
> with the new formula, but not the diet counterparts.

I heard the following only once, so my memory might be a bit faulty
around the edges, but one of the network news shows had a segment with
one of those strange characters whose job it is to track the beverage
industry to keep investors informed.

He said (as I recall) that Diet Coke contains a chemical called a mouth-
sealer which increases the perceived sweetness and provides a sweet
aftertaste.  New Coke is Old Coke with the mouth-sealer added.

Consequently, I wouldn't expect to see a change in Diet Coke -- it has
always been New Diet Coke.  The Old Diet Coke is called Tab (regular and
caffeine-free).
-- 
Doug Pardee -- Terak Corp. -- !{ihnp4,seismo,decvax}!noao!terak!doug
               ^^^^^--- soon to be CalComp

beth@umcp-cs.UUCP (Beth Katz) (06/07/85)

I didn't think that Diet Coke would be changed.  Someone mentioned
that McDonald's had the "new" Diet Coke.  I think all fountain
outlets still have the "old" Diet Coke with saccarin.  It is my
understanding that Diet Coke will keep the same basic formulation
with Nutrasweet.
				Beth Katz
I don't usually drink regular Coke, but now I definitely won't.
The new Coke doesn't have the same body and fullness as old Coke.

andrew@orca.UUCP (Andrew Klossner) (06/09/85)

> Has anyone seen either Diet Coke or caffeine-free Diet Coke which uses the
> new Coke formula yet? I have seen regular and caffeine-free regular Coke
> with the new formula, but not the diet counterparts.

I believe, based on educated guesswork, that Diet Coke has *always*
used the New Coke formula.  Here's why.

For years I have disliked regular Coke.  (No flames, please; I was
perfectly happy having it on the market, I just bought Pepsi instead.)
Several months ago I tried Diet Coke while on vacation (there was
nothing better available), and was surprised by how much I liked it.  I
assumed that my taste had changed.

When New Coke hit, my family was buying Diet Coke about as often as
Diet Pepsi.  Then we bought one can each of non-diet Old Coke and New
Coke, and tried our own taste test with Old Coke, New Coke, and Diet
Coke.

Surprise: Diet Coke tastes just like New Coke.  (To me, anyway.)  And
my tastes haven't changed, I still dislike Old Coke.

Here's additional support for this theory.  The press accounts of New
Coke development said that they were taste-testing new formulas as part
of the process of developing Diet Coke.  They hit upon one that gained
widespread acceptance.  It makes sense to me that the same successful
formula that became Diet Coke also (by changing saccharin, later
aspartame, to corn syrup) became New Coke.

  -=- Andrew Klossner   (decvax!tektronix!orca!andrew)       [UUCP]
                        (orca!andrew.tektronix@csnet-relay)  [ARPA]

hutch@shark.UUCP (Stephen Hutchison) (06/09/85)

In article <1559@orca.UUCP> andrew@orca.UUCP (Andrew Klossner) writes:
>> Has anyone seen either Diet Coke or caffeine-free Diet Coke which uses the
>> new Coke formula yet? I have seen regular and caffeine-free regular Coke
>> with the new formula, but not the diet counterparts.
>
>I believe, based on educated guesswork, that Diet Coke has *always*
>used the New Coke formula.  Here's why.
>
>For years I have disliked regular Coke.  (No flames, please; I was
>perfectly happy having it on the market, I just bought Pepsi instead.)
>Several months ago I tried Diet Coke while on vacation (there was
>nothing better available), and was surprised by how much I liked it.  I
>assumed that my taste had changed.
>
>When New Coke hit, my family was buying Diet Coke about as often as
>Diet Pepsi.  Then we bought one can each of non-diet Old Coke and New
>Coke, and tried our own taste test with Old Coke, New Coke, and Diet
>Coke.
>
>Surprise: Diet Coke tastes just like New Coke.  (To me, anyway.)  And
>my tastes haven't changed, I still dislike Old Coke.

As a long-time Coke drinker, and Pepsi hater, I have to disagree with you.
Diet Coke does taste different than the "New! (Bleagh)" Coke.  It is lighter,
not as sweet, has more cinnamon and more clove, and has the backbite I
remember from old, sugar-laden Coke.  It also has a LOT more fizz.

They DID use Diet Coke to experiment with flavors, but they didn't use
the same formulae in the final product because nutra-sweet (tm) has the
same taste as sucrose.  The new Coke (retch) contains fructose, which
is sweeter than sucrose and has a sort of ... aftertaste.  But not the
REAL aftertaste, you understand.

Actually Fructose has a useful property; it doesn't cause the same kind
of sugar-rush-crash that sucrose or glucose cause.  But there's still
too much sucrose in New Caulk to make it safe for diabetics.

Hutch