The thread about the Seattle mystery vending machine sent me down a rabbit hole in which I learned for a limited time Coca-Cola has re-released the infamous New Coke formula as a promotional tie in with the new season of Stranger Things. If you are curious as to what New Coke tasted like, now is your chance to find out. I was five years old in 1985, so I may well have had New Coke and just don’t remember, but I was curious, so I ordered some. Funnily I don’t recall the introduction of New Coke, but I do remember the reintroduction of Coke Classic, which led me to believe Coke Classic was a new product at the time.
CNN story about the promotion:
Link to a 1980s themed Coke website where you can order some:
I was a bit disappointed that the only way to get is is to order the Stranger Things Collector Pack for $19.95, but I figured it’s worth it one time just for the novelty of it.
I liked it at the time and was annoyed that when they brought back (the newly re-christened) Classic Coke they didn’t keep the fucking New Coke. They would have had all the Pepsi and all the original Coke fans. No idea why they didn’t do that and corner the market for good.
I loved New Coke (aka Coke II)!!! Not as much as I love RC but it still was more my thing than the original (which to me always tasted a lot like Pepsi).
And with that I will duck all the Coke fans and go someplace safer; like the Pit.
The drink of choice for me and my boyfriend was Jack and Coke. When the new Coke came out, we tried it and it was horrible. He went out and bought many cases of the old Coke before it disappeared (we took our drinking seriously back then). Fortunately, it lasted until they brought back the classic. It may have been fine on its own but mixing it, bleeh. I guess that’s why you don’t hear about folks drinking Jack and Pepsi.
From what Wikipedia says, it sounds like while Coke II was technically still available they didn’t market it at all and it wasn’t available in many places, which totally explains why you couldn’t find it.
“Let’s embrace this inferior product because it is old and different but convince ourselves despite all evidence to the contrary that it is actually better.”
Yes, I know, which flavor of pop one likes is just a personal opinion. Still, it won’t stay that way. Battle lines will be drawn. Classic Coke fans will be derided by the Old New Coke hipsters. Families will be torn apart. Brother will be pitted against brother.
Most people preferred the taste of New Coke, it was the southerners who caused the backlash that got the old formula reinstated- they didn’t want some Yankee messing with their precious soda, even if was for the better it seems?
Yeah, as I understand it Coke had done extensive taste tests that showed most people preferred the taste of New Coke over both original Coke and Pepsi (although there are some claims that the methodology of just giving testers a small sip is flawed). It was, for lack of a better word, nostalgia for the old Coke formula that led to the backlash against New Coke.
