# Mexican Coke? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** soda-softdrinks\ **Created:** [July 31, 2015, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642 "2015-07-31T12:29:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/1 "2015-07-31T12:29:43Z")
Walmart is selling Mexican Coke in glass bottles. Does this actually taste noticeably different or better than “American” Coke? Is this even safe to drink, considering the water comes from Mexico and doesn’t have alcohol? ---
**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:** [July 31, 2015, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/2 "2015-07-31T12:35:42Z")
Safe, yes. It’s produced by Coke and they make sure the water is safe. The difference is that it’s made with cane sugar, not HFCS. I can’t taste the differences but other people seem to think that they can. ---
**Author:** ![Apocalypso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/3 "2015-07-31T12:38:49Z")
> [@Mdcastle](#): > > Walmart is selling Mexican Coke in glass bottles. Does this actually taste noticeably different or better than “American” Coke? Is this even safe to drink, considering the water comes from Mexico and doesn’t have alcohol? 1. Buy a bottle of each and decide for yourself. Some claim a difference, some say not. But the big difference is the Mexican version is supposed to contain real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup (I swear I’ve seen otherwise). 2. I am sure they boil/sterilize any water used in packaged drinks, if only because it might affect the taste if they didn’t. But if you sell products that make people sick you’re not going to stay in business long. I read somewhere the reason you get sick from the water in other countries (not just Mexico) is because it contains local bacteria that your system is not used to. If you stayed long enough for your body to acclimate, you’d (probably) be fine. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/4 "2015-07-31T12:42:37Z")
I can tell the difference. I prefer Pepsi, and that’s available with real sugar now. I’ve seen Mexican Coke show up from time to time over the years. As far as I know Coke is safe to drink anywhere in the world, I don’t think they just take the water from local rivers. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/5 "2015-07-31T12:47:02Z")
I can tell the difference also. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/6 "2015-07-31T12:54:29Z")
It’s fairly trivial for a bottling plant to install water filters that will completely remove all microbes. I’d further WAG that any bottling plant without a very high quality source of water would also use a reverse osmosis system, to remove any minerals that can affect the taste. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/7 "2015-07-31T12:57:06Z")
I’ve been drinking Mexican Coke from CostCo for years and have had no misadventures yet. The advice when traveling in Mexico is to drink the bottled or canned beverage of your choice (water, soda, beer) but with _no ice_. I haven’t tried a blind taste test, but believe I could tell the difference between sugar Coke in a bottle and HFCS Coke in a can. It’s not so much the flavor but the mouth feel and after taste. I like it enough to pay the 85¢ for the bottle vs. 40¢ for the can. At three to five a week, it’s not going to break me. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/8 "2015-07-31T13:03:52Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > The advice when traveling in Mexico is to drink the bottled or canned beverage of your choice (water, soda, beer) but with _no ice_. And open the bottle yourself. There’s a thread on the water quality in Rio for the Olympics and it sounds no different from the situation in the 80s when I was there. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/9 "2015-07-31T13:28:20Z")
> [@Apocalypso](#): > > 1. Buy a bottle of each and decide for yourself. Some claim a difference, some say not. But the big difference is the Mexican version is supposed to contain real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup (I swear I’ve seen otherwise). > 2. I am sure they boil/sterilize any water used in packaged drinks, if only because it might affect the taste if they didn’t. But if you sell products that make people sick you’re not going to stay in business long. I read somewhere the reason you get sick from the water in other countries (not just Mexico) is because it contains local bacteria that your system is not used to. If you stayed long enough for your body to acclimate, you’d (probably) be fine. Mexican Cokes are all labeled in the USA–I’ve seen a couple with HFCS in the ingredient list, but _most_ use cane sugar. The _Houston Press_ did a highly unscientific taste test. Results: People raised on sugared beverages prefer them, younger folks can’t tell the difference. Soft drinks are empty calories so I rarely drink them. When I do, I’ll go with Mexican Coke. Then there’s the epic battle over[Dublin Dr Pepper](http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/dublin-dr-pepper%E2%80%99s-last-obit?fullpage=1). Plenty of Houston stores offer the new products of the [Dublin Bottling Works](http://dublinbottlingworks.nrostores.com/)–just no more Dr Pepper. ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/10 "2015-07-31T14:45:00Z")
My sister and her friend were sure they could tell the difference. We did a blind taste test and they shot about 50/50. YMMV ---
**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 31, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/11 "2015-07-31T14:49:20Z")
It’s a difference, but I’m not sure I would call either better. I think all soda tastes better from the fountain and that the difference of cane sugar vs. fructose syrup can not overcome the bottle/can problem. You should check out Pepsi products. They sell year-round cane sugar versions of all their sodas here in Michigan, so I assume they do nation wide. If you really want a difference, move to China and get a can of Pepsi. Coke and other sodas were identical there, but Pepsi was outrageously different. I hated it, though. I had one 12 pack of Pepsi and I gave away over half it of once I realized how bad it is. No idea why. It was bottled in Beijing, as was the Coke. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/12 "2015-07-31T14:49:30Z")
Now _Colombian_ coke; I can tell the difference. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/13 "2015-07-31T15:01:39Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Now _Colombian_ coke; I can tell the difference. Well, when you can’t feel your face after the first few [del]snorts[/del]sips, yeah, me too. ---
**Author:** ![Richey84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Richey84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richey84)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/14 "2015-07-31T15:03:52Z")
I’d never heard of it until I moved to Los Angeles. It’s ubiquitous here though and I think it tastes better. I could’ve sworn that they were discontinuing it though, and switching everything over to HFCS. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/15 "2015-07-31T15:17:00Z")
> [@Richey84](#): > > I’d never heard of it until I moved to Los Angeles. It’s ubiquitous here though and I think it tastes better. I could’ve sworn that they were discontinuing it though, and switching everything over to HFCS. We’ve had it here (Milwaukee) forever (though at one time it may have been a seasonal/limited release thing). As far as switching everything over to HFCS, I think the whole point of Mexican Coke is that they’re switching back from HFCS to regular sugar. If it used HFCS wouldn’t it just be regular Coke? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/16 "2015-07-31T15:18:21Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I haven’t tried a blind taste test, but believe I could tell the difference between sugar Coke in a bottle and HFCS Coke in a can. It’s not so much the flavor but the mouth feel and after taste. Yep, that’s what I was going to say. I don’t drink a lot of sugared sodas, but for me, the main distinguishing thing is that corn syrup sweetened drinks have a different, more syrupy mouthfeel that also kind of lingers in your mouth a little bit. Not an aftertaste, exactly, but the flavor of the soda fades away. Sugar-sweetened sodas don’t have that mouthfeel, seeming less syrupy, and they don’t linger as long, or in the same way. It’s more of a “SWEET!” sensation, and then it’s gone after you swallow, while the corn syrup versions sort of trail off a bit slower. That makes the sugar-sweetened ones a bit more refreshing I think. They don’t seem as “heavy” for lack of a better descriptor. For me, it doesn’t matter, in that my typical use for non-diet soda is with whiskey or rum, and for me, the booze tends to overwhelm any subtle nuances of sugar vs. corn syrup, especially if there’s a good dose of lime in a Cuba Libre. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/17 "2015-07-31T15:32:50Z")
I don’t know what they make Coke with in Thailand, but it definitely tastes different from the stuff in the US. Not just Coke either, but all the soft drinks. Sprite, Pepsi, you name it. They all seem much sweeter here. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/18 "2015-07-31T15:34:19Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Soft drinks are empty calories so I rarely drink them. When I do, I’ll go with Mexican Coke. And that’s why you’re the most interesting woman in the world. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/19 "2015-07-31T15:37:57Z")
The big thing for me is the glass bottles, not the sweetener. Chilled glass bottles are so much better than cans, plastic, even fountain. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642/20 "2015-07-31T15:39:57Z")
A large reason water is unsafe in many homes and in many smaller establishments in Mexico is the use of water delivery to rooftop cisterns for places that lack water mains. The water gets too contaminated for drinking in these containers. The bottled water industry is huge as a result. I doubt if Coca Cola bottlers in Mexico have cisterns on their roof. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mexican-coke/726642.md?page=2)