# 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:** 9
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2021, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/161 "2021-07-15T19:30:01Z")
Maybe if enough people complain they will reintroduce Coke Zero Classic. ---
**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:** [July 15, 2021, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/162 "2021-07-15T19:32:10Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Maybe if enough people complain they will reintroduce Coke Zero Classic [That would be hilarious. And bring back this can!](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.independent.co.uk%2F2021%2F07%2F15%2F15%2FnewFile-2.jpg&f=1&nofb=1) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/164 "2021-07-16T01:27:25Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > I prefer Dr. Pepper Zero to Diet Dr. Pepper Same here. > [@xizor](#): > > lately I have trouble finding it making me think that Zero is getting phased out. The timing is odd if that’s the case. Giant Food recently expanded their Dr Pepper Zero options for delivery. Giant’s delivery service has also replaced Diet A&W Root Beer with A&W Zero. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/165 "2021-07-16T01:45:52Z")
There’s nothing about the taste of Coke Zero that needs “improvement”. And the new can design is ugly, like a 1930s retro look but not in a good way. This has all the earmarks of being the work of overpaid incompetents in Coca Cola head office looking to justify their existence. Coke Zero is my favourite soft drink. Leave it the hell alone! Yes, I do realize that Coke Zero itself is the result of continuous improvement, but early artificially sweetened diet soft drinks were really terrible. Some things need improvement. For others, the order of the day is to leave well enough alone. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/166 "2021-07-16T01:51:52Z")
And isn’t it convenient that the original New Coke spokesperson, Bill Cosby, is freshly out of jail? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2021, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/167 "2021-07-16T02:50:39Z")
New Coke Zero? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2021, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/168 "2021-09-06T21:49:55Z")
Well, it’s happened. My latest purchase of Coke Zero is the “new improved” stuff in the red can. And the Coca Cola company, infamous inventors of the “New Coke”, has done it again. The original Coke Zero in the black can was my favourite soft drink, just the perfect balance of flavours. The “new improved” stuff tastes like horse piss. Seriously, it tastes like a throwback to the early days of sugar-free soft drinks when they didn’t know how to blend artificial sweeteners and they all tasted bitter. I can only assume Coca Cola tasters all have Covid and have lost their sense of taste. Or else they’re practical jokers. 😠 ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2021, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/169 "2021-09-06T21:56:22Z")
3 droppers full of concentrated cherry juice makes them delicious IMO. Otherwise: aye: the new new formula tastes pretty bad. Worse than Diet Coke, even. ---
**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:** [September 6, 2021, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/170 "2021-09-06T22:18:23Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The “new improved” stuff tastes like horse piss. I bought a 24-pack and while it isn’t terrible in my opinion, they do need to go back to one of the previous two formulas. I did not notice a major change last time, but this is a step down for sure. Fortunately, I like Pepsi Zero a lot more. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/171 "2021-09-07T00:43:06Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > This may be. I know the reason I prefer Diet Coke over Diet Pepsi is because Diet Coke has that distinct tang of battery acid that wakes up my mouth! Yes! It’s a distinctive taste. I’d be sad to see that go. I’ve been drinking it for most of my life. The zero brands have been changed so much that I don’t mind so much - they’re always at least OK. What’s weird is _how_ much better they are than cheap brands. There must be some law where they’re not allowed to use the exact same recipe or something, because the obvious bits are right there on the label. But every store brand I’ve tried has tasted like either just sugary water with a vague coke taste, or has actually been disgusting. (I’m in the UK, so there’s no point in recommending US brands, in case anyone feels the urge). ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/172 "2021-09-07T00:49:17Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The “new improved” stuff tastes like horse piss. Eh, it’s tolerable IMHO. But I agree with the consensus that this isn’t an improvement at all. It seems to have lost at least some of that little hit of cinnamon I used to get. And for some reason (this might just be me), it seems to smell worse than it tastes - like really chemically. However… > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > 3 droppers full of concentrated cherry juice makes them delicious IMO. I tend to do something similar and usually doctor the stuff, which does improve things (I’ve always been a cherry cola fan). ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/173 "2021-09-07T02:32:52Z")
Unfortunately the cherry juice fix isn’t going to work for me because I’m not a fan of cherry Coke. I’m a fan of the old Coke Zero. I didn’t notice any real change from the original Coke Zero to the newer Coke Zero Sugar, but this new iteration is totally the pits. I am not a fan of horse piss. The old Coke Zero was the perfect balance of sweetness with the bite of carbonation and a mellow flavour. The new stuff is downright bitter to my taste. I still have a couple of cans of the good stuff left, so I was able to compare ingredients. The labelled ingredients are exactly the same, surprisingly including exactly the same 85 mg aspartame and 46 mg acesulfame-potassium. I would have sworn that they changed the sweeteners but apparently not. So I don’t know what the hell they changed, but it ain’t good. I’ve sent a comment to the Coca-Cola company, ending my note with the observation that this is a worse debacle than when they inflicted the “New Coke” on the world. Maybe if they get enough negative feedback we might get the old Coke Zero back again (he said, expressing a hopelessly naive optimism!). ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/174 "2021-09-07T02:52:50Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The old Coke Zero was the perfect balance of sweetness with the bite of carbonation and a mellow flavour. The new stuff is downright bitter to my taste. I still have a couple of cans of the good stuff left, so I was able to compare ingredients. The labelled ingredients are exactly the same, surprisingly including exactly the same 85 mg aspartame and 46 mg acesulfame-potassium. I would have sworn that they changed the sweeteners but apparently not. So I don’t know what the hell they changed, but it ain’t good. It genuinely surprises me that they’re not using sucralose. That’s the one that is the least bitter for most people, and I thought had become the standard except in grandfathered-in drinks like Diet Coke where people love the original taste. Every newer sugar-free drink I’ve gotten uses sucralose (or Stevia if they’re trying to paint themselves as “natural,” but I find Stevia to be more bitter than even saccharin). ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/175 "2021-09-07T02:58:36Z")
There is not a problem with the aspartame and acesulfame-potassium mix, as evidenced by the clean and non-bitter taste of the old Coke Zero. I believe the idea is that one of those has an initially sweet taste but a bitter aftertaste, and the other is somewhat the opposite, so the right proportion of the two of them does a good job of mimicking sugar. But the grossly overpaid execs at Coca-Cola somehow managed to screw it up after getting it exactly right for years. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/176 "2021-09-07T03:05:25Z")
Tab. They discontinued it. After that, nothing else matters. I still have one can. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/177 "2021-09-07T03:08:17Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > There is not a problem with the aspartame and acesulfame-potassium mix, as evidenced by the clean and non-bitter taste of the old Coke Zero. Oh, I don’t mean that I’m surprised the original didn’t have sucralose, as it debuted a bit before that was a huge thing. I just would have expected it in any “new” version. If you’re going to change the formula, that’s the one thing you change. The last I had Coke Zero it was still called that, and I found it almost worked when ice cold, but got progressively more bitter\* as it warmed up even slightly, same as aspartame does in carbonated drinks for me. Sucralose is a lot better in this respect, I find. \*Not sure if bitter is the right word. It seems fizzier and less sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/178 "2021-09-07T05:00:35Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > But the grossly overpaid execs at Coca-Cola somehow managed to screw it up after getting it exactly right for years. That’s what chaps so badly: there was no problem that they were fixing; Coke Zero was a huge success. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/179 "2021-09-07T12:55:08Z")
I drink a lot of the stuff. And I haven’t really noticed the change in taste with the new formulation. Perhaps I have COVID. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2021, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/180 "2021-09-07T12:59:18Z")
I also think the new stuff is a step down. But I can still drink it, I just don’t like it as much. I feel that the new stuff feels far less refreshing. It is at both times more sweet at the front and less sweet at the end, as the taste doesn’t linger as much. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2021, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561/181 "2021-09-08T01:08:08Z")
I’m glad to see that the Coca-Cola company is taking my complaint seriously! 😜 I received an automated boilerplate response extolling the fantastic improved taste of the new Coke Zero (apparently their AI parser figured out what the email was about) along with a promise to “share my comments with the brand team”. The AI parser apparently chose to overlook key phrases like “will no longer buy it” and “step backwards” and “worse debacle than the New Coke”. Or maybe had no boilerplate for that. Maybe if they get several million such comments … I tried to make a difference. You’re welcome. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero-may-soon-be-phased-out/788561.md?page=10)