# Coke Zero may soon be phased out **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [June 10, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561 "2017-06-10T01:53:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/101 "2017-07-26T20:26:03Z")
It appears they have finally come for the US Coke Zero ☹ > **[Coca-Cola is killing Coke Zero and replacing it with a new drink](https://www.businessinsider.com/coke-zero-is-being-replaced-by-coke-zero-sugar-2017-7)** > > Coca-Cola announced that it would stop selling Coke Zero in the US, replacing it with a beverage with a different recipe, design, and name: Coke Zero Sugar. > [@](#): > > On Wednesday, Coca-Cola announced plans to stop selling Coke Zero in the US in August, replacing it with a beverage with a different recipe, design, and name: Coke Zero Sugar. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/102 "2017-07-26T20:36:50Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > It appears they have finally come for the US Coke Zero ☹ > > [Coke Zero Is Being Replaced by Coke Zero Sugar - Business Insider](http://www.businessinsider.com/coke-zero-is-being-replaced-by-coke-zero-sugar-2017-7) Well, if it tastes even better, I guess that’s a win. But given Coke’s track record, I’d be surprised. Coke Zero Classic - available in 2018. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/103 "2017-07-26T21:16:18Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > It appears they have finally come for the US Coke Zero ☹ > > [Coke Zero Is Being Replaced by Coke Zero Sugar - Business Insider](http://www.businessinsider.com/coke-zero-is-being-replaced-by-coke-zero-sugar-2017-7) [The Washington Post says exactly the opposite.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/26/coca-cola-zero-sugar-cokes-hot-new-soda-isnt-actually-that-new-at-all/) Coke Zero Sugar is exactly the same as Coke Zero, except for the new name, label and marketing. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/104 "2017-07-26T21:38:44Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > [The Washington Post says exactly the opposite.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/26/coca-cola-zero-sugar-cokes-hot-new-soda-isnt-actually-that-new-at-all/) Coke Zero Sugar is exactly the same as Coke Zero, except for the new name, label and marketing. If you look at the picture on the Post’s site (as well as from other outlets) you’ll notice the “New Improved Taste” language. Coca Cola’s Twitter page also indicates it’s “New and Improved Coke Zero” (and I don’t think they necessarily mean the packaging 😉 ): > ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/105 "2017-07-26T21:42:28Z")
And in a later Tweet they indicate it’a “new and improved recipe” > ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/106 "2017-07-26T23:58:52Z")
I thought of this thread when I read the news. And here I though we were safe but I should have known better. What makes it worse is now it will be harder to get because dummies will “invest” in filling heir basement with cases to sell. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/107 "2017-07-27T00:08:29Z")
I like my Coke Zero, but this is an improvement. It tastes just like Coke. I tried to tell the difference today and I could not. I can tell the difference between Coke Zero and Coke, no problem. I think it’s in the scent more than the flavor. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/108 "2017-07-27T01:15:06Z")
I’ve been alternating between Coke Zero and the new Coke No Sugar (still a dumb name, maybe they’ll change it) and they’re starting to blend. The flavour difference is too small for me to detect, so in the end I guess I don’t mind. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/109 "2017-07-27T01:56:27Z")
This is going to be a nightmare for diabetics if restaurants start serving this “can’t tell the difference” Coke instead of Diet Coke. About one in 10 times I order Diet and get regular. I am sort of able to tell and can get regular Coke drinkers to taste and confirm. If no one can tell the difference, someone is going to end up in a diabetic coma from this! I wonder if that’s why most restaurants still serve Diet Coke instead of Coke Zero? It’s much easier to tell the difference. The only places that have Zero have those Freestyle machines. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/110 "2017-07-27T14:22:20Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I wonder if that’s why most restaurants still serve Diet Coke instead of Coke Zero? It’s much easier to tell the difference. The only places that have Zero have those Freestyle machines. That is strange. Down South (and I do live in Atlanta so maybe that colors things) just about everywhere has Coke Zero. I’m actually surprised when a place says “We don’t have that, but we have Diet Coke”. I’ve actually heard more “We only have Pepsi products” (which you’d imagine is fairly rare in Atlanta). ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/111 "2017-08-15T20:15:11Z")
We now have CZS in our stores, so I got some. Tastes pretty good. Even better than regular zero. I could live with it if they quit classic zero. ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/112 "2017-08-15T21:33:55Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Let us know what you think of the new (horribly named) product, **GuanoLad** > [@wellanuff](#): > > “GuanoLad” is a fairly unappetizing name for a soft drink. I’m surprised it made its way past market research panels. > > What? I’m glad I’m not alone in reading it this way the first time > [@Jackmannii](#): > > You have to trust in the Coca-Cola company. > > They would never retire a well-liked product and replace it with another unless they were sure it’d become a big hit. > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Coke Zero Classic - available in 2018. In the [New Coke debacle article linked,](http://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/11/business/company-news-ten-years-later-coca-cola-laughs-at-new-coke.html) then-CEO Goizueta adds: “If we had it to do all over again, knowing what the results would be, we would do precisely the same thing.” Though I think **Jackmannii** ’s comment was probably tongue-in-cheek, I tend towards your assessment with one important distinction: If a new recipe intended to taste even more like Classic Coke is indeed being tried, then a rebranding is a no-brainer: If people like the new recipe better, rebranding was necessary, and if people don’t, they can milk the backlash to establish Coke Zero more firmly than ever like they did last time around. Off to slavishly start stockpiling and painting protest signs, you know, just in case. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/113 "2017-08-16T00:54:31Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > This is going to be a nightmare for diabetics if restaurants start serving this “can’t tell the difference” Coke instead of Diet Coke. About one in 10 times I order Diet and get regular. I am sort of able to tell and can get regular Coke drinkers to taste and confirm. Just speaking for myself, but if one in 10 times I ordered a soft drink I slipped into a coma, I might order the tea instead. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/114 "2017-08-16T01:22:45Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > We now have CZS in our stores, so I got some. > . Me too, but only from a Coke Freestyle machine, which is a fountain. I tried it plain and Cherry-Vanilla. It was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/115 "2017-08-16T13:10:24Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > This is going to be a nightmare for diabetics if restaurants start serving this “can’t tell the difference” Coke instead of Diet Coke. About one in 10 times I order Diet and get regular. I am sort of able to tell and can get regular Coke drinkers to taste and confirm. I’ve wowed wait staff when I order a 7-Up and get a Sprite instead. I can easily tell just by looking at the glass. Diet/regular cola taste would be trivial. ---
**Author:** ![Lips\_Obsession](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@Lips\_Obsession](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lips_Obsession)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/116 "2017-08-16T18:41:46Z")
My wife got me one of these from the store the other day because I like the “original” Coke Zero, and I was excited to try it, hoping it would be even more like regular coke, but I didn’t like it as much as the original Zero. I’ll be disappointed if this replaces the current Zero recipe. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/117 "2017-08-16T19:18:58Z")
having tried cherry coke zero … anything else added would only be an improvement … ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/118 "2017-08-16T21:12:49Z")
Tried Coke Zero Sugar this weekend and didn’t like it. It’s too sweet, and it takes weaker, like it’s missing some zing that other Cokes have. I’ll be stocking up on regular Zero this weekend. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/119 "2017-08-17T01:01:10Z")
Bought a six-pack of the new Coke Zero Sugar. Like it a lot. Tastes almost like regular Coke, much more so than Coke Zero. Diet Coke isn’t worthy of the Coke name. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/120 "2017-08-17T01:25:43Z")
If they would only phase out all sodas, brands and flavors. Good riddance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561.md?page=7)