# Ultimate Coke: Has anyone tried it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [September 15, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-coke-has-anyone-tried-it/990179 "2023-09-15T18:54:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-coke-has-anyone-tried-it/990179/1 "2023-09-15T18:54:11Z")
Over the past few weeks, my local grocery stores have had pallets of this stuff, at ever-reduced prices, and yesterday, they were selling 20oz bottles, just days shy of the sell-by date, 3 for $1. I got on Facebook and asked, “So, how awful must this stuff be if they can’t give it away?” No, I didn’t really care to take one for the team, but people were saying that it was some really nasty stuff. Not just “doesn’t taste like Coke”, but people were saying that it tasted like: - Coconut room deodorizer - Banana Laffy Taffy, and not in a good way - That bubble gum that used to come in packs of baseball cards, and also not in a good way Someone else suggested that it might make good, cheap toilet bowl or battery anode cleaner. A couple weeks ago, next to these display was a cart full of some kind of alternate Mountain Dew that was a weird olive-green color. Anyone tried that, too? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-coke-has-anyone-tried-it/990179/2 "2023-09-15T19:02:51Z")
Coca-Cola has a very successful product. They’ve pushed Diet Coke til it’s nearly as desired as Reg. Coke. Why do they keep screwing with it? Seems counterproductive to their flagship products to add crap to the line-up. (I don’t drink any soda, so I can’t say if Ultimate Coke is good or bad. My girls all are into Dr. Pepper. To my chagrin) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-coke-has-anyone-tried-it/990179/3 "2023-09-15T19:48:55Z")
There are tons of bizarre Mountain Dew flavors. My 20-something coworker loves it all. He brings in bottles and has tasting parties. Kids these days, I swear… ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-coke-has-anyone-tried-it/990179/4 "2023-09-15T19:52:19Z")
I would try this but I’ve never seen it anywhere. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Coca-Cola has a very successful product. They’ve pushed Diet Coke til it’s nearly as desired as Reg. Coke. > Why do they keep screwing with it? They’re not, Coca-Cola is still available. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Seems counterproductive to their flagship products to add crap to the line-up. The successful ones stick around and they sell more product overall as a result. If the only product they sold was Coca-Cola, they would lose a huge share of the market. It’s a very simple but very important rule of business that you sell people what they want or they won’t buy it. Of course, you don’t know what they want if you don’t offer it first. Coke (and other major soda producers like Pepsi) put out new products frequently, it’s part of the “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” philosophy. And it seems to work a good part of the time. It’s not like they’re **replacing** their successful products with these new ones. [(That didn’t work out very well the last time.)](https://www.coca-colacompany.com/about-us/history/new-coke-the-most-memorable-marketing-blunder-ever) Also, some consumers (like me) don’t buy their “flagship products” because they think they taste like crap, but we’ll buy the other stuff. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-coke-has-anyone-tried-it/990179/5 "2023-09-15T21:49:39Z")
I was in college the first time in the early 1980s when Diet Coke was launched. In the months preceding this, it was test-marketed in college dorms, including my own. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-coke-has-anyone-tried-it/990179/6 "2023-09-15T21:56:11Z")
If they have to give it away (nearly) it’s not so successful. You can only please some of the people…and all that ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-coke-has-anyone-tried-it/990179/7 "2023-09-15T22:04:58Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > If they have to give it away (nearly) it’s not so successful. I agree, it sounds like it’s one of those ideas that didn’t work (and most of those new things they try don’t work). I just wish OK Soda would come back. [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/OK_Soda_Original_4.jpg/352px-OK_Soda_Original_4.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/OK_Soda_Original_4.jpg/352px-OK_Soda_Original_4.jpg) Huh… I just read that OK Soda was barely distributed anywhere before it was discontinued. One market was Seattle, which must be why I had a chance to drink it. I loved it. Then again, I was the target audience at the time. ---
**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 15, 2023, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-coke-has-anyone-tried-it/990179/8 "2023-09-15T22:09:36Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > If they have to give it away (nearly) it’s not so successful. Not all experiments are successful. The last special flavor before this one was really good. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-coke-has-anyone-tried-it/990179/9 "2023-09-15T22:44:11Z")
I actually prefer Diet Coke to ‘regular’ Coke. To my taste buds, the best Coke product ever was [Diet Coke Ginger Lime](https://drizly.com/extras/beverages/soda-sparkling-drinks/diet-soda/diet-coke-ginger-lime/p87070). I don’t think it’s made anymore - it died about the same time COVID hit. I haven’t tried Coke Ultimate (nor even knew it existed before this thread). I’d be interested but I gotta say, if people could say it tastes like coconut or banana or bubble gum… I have to question their ability to review tasting stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-coke-has-anyone-tried-it/990179/10 "2023-09-15T22:47:10Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > To my taste buds, the best Coke product ever was [Diet Coke Ginger Lime](https://drizly.com/extras/beverages/soda-sparkling-drinks/diet-soda/diet-coke-ginger-lime/p87070). I really, really liked that one, skinny can and all. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-coke-has-anyone-tried-it/990179/11 "2023-09-15T22:48:14Z")
I paid more for that skinny can and loved it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-coke-has-anyone-tried-it/990179/12 "2023-09-16T20:57:05Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > To my taste buds, the best Coke product ever was [Diet Coke Ginger Lime](https://drizly.com/extras/beverages/soda-sparkling-drinks/diet-soda/diet-coke-ginger-lime/p87070) That stuff was GREAT! (but I hate the skinny cans) And lime diet Coke was pretty damn good also. And I prefer diet pepsi to Diet coke, but still, those two flavors won out. > **[We Tried Coca-Cola Ultimate and Here's What You Need to Know](https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/coca-cola-ultimate/)** > > Coca-Cola Ultimate is supposed to taste like experience points. We decided to put it to the test. _Coca-Cola Ultimate has a lightly tropical, almost floral scent, and its taste isn’t as chemical as some of the earlier flavor combos._