# My Dr Pepper tastes funny **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 2, 2000, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dr-pepper-tastes-funny/35317 "2000-10-02T05:26:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dr-pepper-tastes-funny/35317/1 "2000-10-02T05:26:02Z")
Is it possible, scratch that. Is it likely that the Midtown Dr Pepper suppliers would use cane sugar, while the rest of the Kansas City area suppliers would use high fructose corn syrup? The reason I ask is because I’ve noticed that in the Midtown/Plaza/Westport area, the Dr Pepper is much nicer tasting than any I’ve had before. It has a less harsh, more vanilla-y flavor. Everywhere else, it tastes how I’m used to, but at the Checkers, Taco Bells, Chilis, Subways, and other restaraunts between about 47th and 75th streets, and Ward Parkway and The Paseo, it just tastes so much better! –Tim ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dr-pepper-tastes-funny/35317/2 "2000-10-02T05:28:50Z")
Prune juice! ---
**Author:** ![robinh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@robinh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robinh)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dr-pepper-tastes-funny/35317/3 "2000-10-02T13:06:30Z")
Soda machines need to adjusted properly to achieve the ideal mix of syrup, CO2, and water. It could be that the company that delivers in that area does a better job of maintaining the machines or teaching their customers to do so. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dr-pepper-tastes-funny/35317/4 "2000-10-02T16:01:56Z")
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA [note: I added some spaces to prevent screen scrolling. -manhattan] [Edited by manhattan on 10-02-2000 at 05:09 PM] ---
**Author:** ![schief2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@schief2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schief2)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dr-pepper-tastes-funny/35317/5 "2000-10-02T16:29:33Z")
AFAIK, the only remaining beverage concern to use cane sugar instead of corn syrup in Dr. Pepper is in Dublin, Texas. (They’ve got a [web page](http://www.drpep.com).) It’s possible, but it seems exceptionally unlikely, that perhaps some stocks from there made it up to KC - inventory overflow, or something. But I’d hazard that the difference can be attributed to less, um, tangible reasons. (_cough cough_ it’s all in your head _cough cough_) FWIW, I haven’t noticed any differences over here Columbia… ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dr-pepper-tastes-funny/35317/6 "2000-10-02T16:55:11Z")
I have noticed that Dr Pepper is exceptionally subject to having an off flavor if the mixture of syrup to water is wrong. Naturally, this only affects drinks gotten from soda fountains. On the other hand, those expiration dates they’re putting on soft drinks now aren’t there for _your_ benefit. Something truly has changed in the way they bottle soft drinks now (my guess would be they’ve finally lightweighted the plastic to the point that it is no longer capable of keeping the beverage from going flat over long periods of time). I have been weaning myself off soft drinks and last week opened a bottle of Diet Dr Pepper that was purchased early last summer (big sale); it was flat as Kansas and tasted _wrong_. ---
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dr-pepper-tastes-funny/35317/7 "2000-10-02T17:27:48Z")
Recipe for the “best” Dr. Pepper: Take a beer (cheap American will do). Drop in a shot of Amaretto. Drink it. It tastes just like Dr. Pepper. Really. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dr-pepper-tastes-funny/35317/8 "2000-10-02T21:01:34Z")
Fountain drinks vary greatly in taste. Canned drinks tend to taste the same–the Dr. Pepper here in the UK is indistinguishable from the US/Canadian DP. And the best way to stop DP from tasting funny is to add a double shot of vodka (the DVDP–spot the _South Park_ reference). Of all the people on the SDMB, you should know that, **Homer**.