Not just countries, but depending on the size of a country it can taste different depending on the region of the country you’re in. For example, whenever I go to another state, sodas of all varieties taste off. It isn’t super different, but it is strange and it takes some getting used too.
They both taste like shit in Australia
Thanks for the replies everyone. May I ask one more thing, is it safe to assume, the coke that they serve in fast food chains like KFC and McD, they are diluted and having more sugar to save cost?
Yeah pretty much most bars and restaurants will use a mixer gun for providing soft drinks. It’s usually carbonated water and it will inject syrup for coke, pepsi, sprite etc at regular intervals. The syrup is just a box from the drink company that they have hooked up to pipes out back
Pepsi, I can’t say I can tell a difference over the years.
But Coke? Fuck yes. Coke used to have a much crisper taste back when I was a little kid. Then they did new coke in the 80s, and classic coke was different than what I had before that. Classic coke was absolutely not the same flavor.
Oh yeah, much better.
You know how coke kinda coats your tongue and has that one note cola heavy flavor? Back then, the coating thing didn’t happen unless you chugged it. The flavor had depth, kinda like how a good root beer has layers of taste. Don’t get me wrong, it was still very cola dominated, but it was like the difference between instant coffee and a decent bean you grind yourself. Or like going from budweiser to a good craft ale, if you’re a beer drinker. Or maybe like Dr Pepper vs Mr Pibb
The original was a very yummy thing rather than a sugar bomb with a single flavor.
I do sometimes wonder if maybe the lens of memory into youth exaggerates the change, but I’ve met other people that have distinct memories of the taste as well.
I don’t hate coke as it is today, but it used to be better for sure
I concur. It tastes sweeter and less refreshing than in the 80s. More syrupy now, with an unpleasant aftertaste. I just want to chug water ASAP after I drink one. Sadly, it’s hard to find Mexican sodas here. There’s one restaurant that sells them and the markup is high. We need the secret formula for Nostalgia Coke!!
In Australia Coca-Cola is made under licence by Coca-Cola Amatil (not the same company), and the full sugar version uses local cane sugar. I don’t know if the recipes for the sugar free versions are different to the US, but I suspect they might be in order to better match the taste of the local full sugar recipe.