# Does Coca-Cola go 'off'?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-coca-cola-go-off/102439>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 8, 2002, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-coca-cola-go-off/102439 "2002-04-08T05:35:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2002, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-coca-cola-go-off/102439/1 "2002-04-08T05:35:58Z")

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Have an opened bottle of coke on the desk.  
Been there about two weeks.  
Is it safe to drink the rest ?

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**Author:** ![robinc308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@robinc308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinc308)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2002, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-coca-cola-go-off/102439/2 "2002-04-08T06:10:54Z")

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Did it have a lid on in the intervening fortnight?

I don’t know for sure, but I’d say that it’ll be warm and flat, but won’t kill you if you drink it.

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**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2002, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-coca-cola-go-off/102439/3 "2002-04-08T06:21:42Z")

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Apparently, the [official story](http://www.esmerel.com/circle/question/coke.html) from Coca-Cola.

> [@](#):
>
> The date on the packaging is called the “Optimum Taste Date”. We recommend you consume the product by this date to enjoy the best taste. The time stamp that you see actually is the time of the day the product was produced in the production facility. Our products are safe to consume beyond the date but may have begun to lose their flavor.

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**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2002, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-coca-cola-go-off/102439/4 "2002-04-08T06:44:44Z")

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But everything changes once the bottle has been opened. I have seen mold floating in a Coke after only a few days. I wouldn’t drink it after two weeks.

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**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2002, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-coca-cola-go-off/102439/5 "2002-04-08T15:10:55Z")

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did you drink from it? If so the bacteria from your mouth has probably been swimming in that sugar water for weeks reproducing like mad. Unless the carbonic acid makes soda inhospitable to microorganisms, anyone know?

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**Author:** ![bbeaty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@bbeaty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbeaty)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2002, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-coca-cola-go-off/102439/6 "2002-04-08T16:16:15Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by cainxinth \*  
> did you drink from it? If so the bacteria from your mouth has probably been swimming in that sugar water for weeks reproducing like mad. Unless the carbonic acid makes soda inhospitable to microorganisms, anyone know?

As a kid I once saved up my spit in a sealed bottle for several weeks.  
It’s somewhat OT, but I just had to get that out in the open. Confession is good for the subconscious, if not the soul.

PS, the SMELL. Good lord (choke!) Decayed saliva has a scent that you’ll still remember after one small whiff taken forty years ago.