# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 16, 2024, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636 "2024-02-16T02:56:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 164
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3262 "2024-09-05T10:16:05Z")
Root beer is a dark brown soda; is that a cola too? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3263 "2024-09-05T11:17:22Z")
Doctor Pepper doesn’t taste anything like colas. I was wondering at the votes saying it’s a cola. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3264 "2024-09-05T11:33:20Z")
Okay, but then if Coke is cola, what’s Cherry Coke? ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3265 "2024-09-05T11:37:35Z")
> [@saje](#): > > Okay, but then if Coke is cola, what’s Cherry Coke? It’s cola with a shot of cherry. The underlying kola-nut flavour is still there. That’s like asking why a burger restaurant serves plain burgers and cheeseburgers but not hot dogs. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3266 "2024-09-05T12:33:37Z")
And probably doesn’t serve grilled cheese, either. At least, not on the “burger” menu. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3267 "2024-09-05T14:31:24Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Doctor Pepper doesn’t taste anything like colas. I was wondering at the votes saying it’s a cola. I think it tastes like the colas, but mostly because by the time I get done tasting SWEET the nuances are less noteworthy. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3268 "2024-09-05T14:41:42Z")
According to Poundstone’s _Big Secrets_, coca and kola are both very bitter-tasting, and if the beverage ever contained more than microscopic traces of either, it would have been undrinkable. According to the wiki article on [kola nut](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kola_nut), > Although the exact details of its cola recipe remain confidential, as of 2016, the [Coca-Cola formula](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_formula) no longer contained actual kola nut extract,[[1]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kola_nut#cite_note-bbc-1) and an independent test conducted to identify it failed to detect its signature proteins.[[12]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kola_nut#cite_note-Meyers-12) As I understand it, most soft drinks are flavored with various combinations of lemon, lime, and orange. Colas are said to have vanilla and cinnamon. Root beers were originally flavored with sassafras, and often have wintergreen. Dr Pepper is in its own category, and none of the wikipedia pages seem to have any clear idea of its components. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3269 "2024-09-05T14:48:18Z")
I’m not a chemist. I don’t care if there’s any actual kola-nut at all. I can tell that Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, Jazz Cola,Tesco Cola etc all have the same flavour profile which something like Dr Pepper lacks. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3270 "2024-09-05T14:54:25Z")
Apparently if you order ginger ale at a restaurant and they don’t carry it, what you get is Coke or Pepsi with just enough lemon-lime soda to make it the right color. Or so Facebook would have you believe (“confessions from REAL servers!”). ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3271 "2024-09-05T15:05:44Z")
Dr Pepper tastes like fizzy prune juice. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3272 "2024-09-05T15:21:02Z")
A warrior’s drink! ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3273 "2024-09-05T15:41:32Z")
Covid hit & I cut my own hair out of necessity; have continued doing it ever since, save money, but even more importantly, time. Shorter in the summers & longer in the winters; she does the back-of-the-neck line when needed. ---
**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:** [September 5, 2024, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3274 "2024-09-05T16:15:14Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > As I understand it, most soft drinks are flavored with various combinations of lemon, lime, and orange. Colas are said to have vanilla and cinnamon. Yeah, my understand is that the kola nut extract was the source of caffeine in the original Coca-Cola formula, not a flavoring. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3275 "2024-09-05T16:40:17Z")
> [@colinfred](#): > > I’m not a chemist. I don’t care if there’s any actual kola-nut at all. I can tell that Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, Jazz Cola,Tesco Cola etc all have the same flavour profile which something like Dr Pepper lacks. They actually vary quite a lot. I once did a blind taste test of supermarket soda vs. pepsi. Everyone, even the woman who swore they were indistinguishable, could immediately tell the two apart. Pepsi was slightly sweeter, and had a much richer, more complex flavor. And Coke has that battery-acid tang that the others don’t have. > [@DCnDC](#): > > Apparently if you order ginger ale at a restaurant and they don’t carry it, what you get is Coke or Pepsi with just enough lemon-lime soda to make it the right color. Or so Facebook would have you believe (“confessions from REAL servers!”). If they gave me that, i would probably send it back. It’s all about the ginger, which is a distinctive flavor. Even cheap ginger ale tastes a little like ginger. ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3276 "2024-09-05T16:41:20Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > They actually vary quite a lot. Yes, but they are all “cola tasting”. I used the term “flavour profile” deliberately, rather than identical flavour. If I gave you a supermarket knockoff cola and a supermarket knockoff Dr Pepper, neither of which you’d previously tasted, you would tell me which one was the cola every time. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3277 "2024-09-05T20:06:41Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Dr Pepper tastes like fizzy prune juice. That is an apt description lol! Fizzy prune juice for the win. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3278 "2024-09-05T20:57:02Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Dr Pepper tastes like fizzy prune juice. When I was in high school, my older sister had a parttime job with an interviewing service (they conducted surveys, essentially) in an old building in the Santa Monica Mall (the outdoor shopping area that replaced 3rd street, not Santa Monica Place). Anyway, she was asked to get a group of five teenagers for a survey, so, she asked me and some of my friends. We figured out right away that it was a soft drink survey, and pretty soon it was clear they were doing it for Dr. Pepper. Several of us said “Dr. Pepper is carbonated prune juice!” The survey taker didn’t like that. Also, we all ragged on their 10-2-4 current ad campaign. Corny and stupid. About a year after that they changed to the David Naughton “I’m a Pepper” campaign. An improvrment, but not all that wonderul either. And I think Dr. P is mainly almond extract. Oh, and on edit, we knew for _sure_ it was about Dr. P because they gave us samples to drink at the end in those tiny paper cups. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3279 "2024-09-05T22:25:30Z")
I guess I’ll be the one to place this here: _I had a Mr. Pibb. Mr. Pibb is a replica of Dr. Pepper… but it’s the bullshit replica, cause the dude didn’t even get his degree._ – Mitch Hedberg ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3280 "2024-09-05T22:59:59Z")
I’ve driven past the Dr Pepper museum in Waco Texas. I didn’t go in because Dr Pepper sucks. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/3281 "2024-09-05T23:12:23Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I didn’t go in because Dr Pepper sucks. Dude, you were in _Waco_ – I think talking about Dr Pepper sucking has a hint of redundancy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=163) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=165)