I like the taste of Diet Coke, and Coke Zero tastes too much like regular Coke for me.
Yes and yes.
We drink a lot of Diet Coke around here. I also grew up on Coke (with real cane sugar in the cool 6oz bottles with the town where it was bottled on the bottom.)
Diet Coke Zero doesn’t taste like Diet Coke.
Diet Coke Zero tastes more like Coca-Cola.
Neither of these statements are value judgments. Just observations. I like Diet Coke for itself. I also like Coca Cola for its ownself.
Good things about Zero: They seem to have captured some of the spicy/cinnamony notes of Coca Cola that are missing from DC. It tastes very much like Coke with all the sugar magically removed.
Bad things about Zero: It tastes very much like Coke with all the sugar magically removed. They’ve got the flavor elements almost dead on. But nothing has the mouth-feel of sugar. Sugared drinks are somehow heavier, more full bodied. I very much prefer artificial sweeteners to the extent that I drink them almost exclusively, but I do recognize the more natural feel of sugar sweetened beverages. There’s something about sugar that no artificial sweetner has been able to reproduce (and it’s not sweetness). They still haven’t done it.
I agree that its taste is a bit understated…I alluded to that in my OP. It’s definitely tending towards the flavorless side of the spectrum. Maybe it shows how mild the non-sugar flavorings in Classic really are.
Again, it’s not bad…just sort of weird.
From “The Accidental Scientist” website, noting that you do not need kola beans to make cola:
• You can try your hand at mixing a cola in your kitchen. Try a mixture of sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, lime juice, and club soda. Vary the amounts and see if you can create something that tastes like your favorite cola.
I haven’t tried it, but if any budding chemists come up with a good formula with exact measurements, let me know and I will give it a shot.
I’m drinking a bottle right now. I like it. It’s not like Diet Coke, which I don’t like, and not as sweet as Diet Pepsi, which I drink as a sub for Diet Coke.
I find it quite drinkable, especially with spicy food.