8 ms·

Never heard of it before now. I guess it was available in the USA only?

tibbydudeza 6y ago
According to wikipedia the Southern African countries got a different variant. "Tab uses a different recipe compared to Spain and the U.S., where it's a caffeine-free drink, and uses less carbonation."
petepete 6y ago
It was definitely around in the UK for a short period in the 90s under the name Tab Clear. As I recall, it wasn't very popular.
- Nursie 6y ago
  It was a novelty when I was a school kid. Clear cola! Of course we were drinking it out of cans so that aspect of it didn't really have lasting appeal...
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
dagw 6y ago
I vaguely recall it in Norway in the mid/late 80s. But I haven't seen it for decades.
- Chernobog 6y ago
  In Norway, what we have today is something called TAB Xtra: https://www.coca-cola.no/content/dam/one/no/no/products/tabxtra-nocalories-500ml-productflavourpopup.png https://www.coca-cola.no/content/dam/one/no/no/products/tabx...
  - djxfade 6y ago
    Do they still sell that? I can't remember seeing that around since the early 2000s
vidarh 6y ago
In recent years it might have been very limited. It used to be very widely available in the 70's and 80's.
mytailorisrich 6y ago
Lou: "Are you gonna order something, kid?" Marty: "Gimme a Tab" Lou: "A tab? I can't give you a tab unless you order something" --Back to the Future (1 not 2) That was a bit of an obscure joke at the time, watching from Europe. Edit: Oh my, I had the movie part wrong!
- 4ggr0 6y ago
  That's true :) Both tabs are pretty much unknown in europe.
- bbarnett 6y ago
  Back to the Future #1, my sartorially inclined friend. ;D (He stayed clear of Lou's the second time around.)
- Nursie 6y ago
  And as the exchange continues - Marty: "Alright, give me a Pepsi Free." Lou: "You want a Pepsi, PAL, you're gonna pay for it." And nobody in the UK had ever heard of that either... all in all a confusing scene :)
Shivetya 6y ago
Likely, I just recall one aunt who drank this exclusively and the cans of Tab were all hers. It was my first taste of a sugar free soda and she had nothing to fear from us after we each were given a glass. For the most part in the early seventies soda was a treat unlike today where I swear it replaces water for some people. lets just say its an acquired taste and note that diet soft drinks did not have the selection there is today
- dkdbejwi383 6y ago
  What is the flavour? Is there something it can be compared to?
  - bbarnett 6y ago
    Yes. Take a tea bag. Use it 10 or 20 times to make tea. Once done, leave it damp to collect mold, dirt, fungus. After, once dried, clean it with bleach in an attempt to kill the mold, fungus, and other such things. Now quickly, with the bleach still dripping from it, run tepid water through it. Add brown food colouring. I'm not sure, but this seems to be what Tab is.
  - jfengel 6y ago
    It's a cola, and its flavor overlaps heavily with Diet Coke; indeed, it was Diet Coke before Diet Coke. The flavor profile was tweaked around the saccharin sweetener they had to use when it was introduced. The flavor difference is on par with the difference between Coke and Pepsi: real and detectable, but all pretty much the same if you're not paying attention. Especially since Tab no longer uses saccharin alone.
- derbOac 6y ago
  "Though Diet Coke all but eclipsed Tab, the beverage company kept the throwback brand alive. The reason was customer relations. Tab fans were relentless, calling Coca-Cola headquarters and signing petitions if they couldn’t find their soda. 'We want to make sure those who want Tab get Tab,' Douglas Daft, Coca-Cola’s then-chairman and chief executive said in 2001, when Tab’s market share had fallen below 1%. 'It shows you care.' " Sweetened with saccharine, described as having a metallic aftertaste. I have had it but it's been awhile and I don't recall it well. My sense of the fan base is similar to what is mentioned in the article, that it had sort of a cult following. I'm surprised the company stuck with it so long. It makes me wonder if there's some genetic studies of taste preference it might have inspired.
RikNieu 6y ago
We still have it in South Africa. I prefer it to Coke Zero ect, it tastes more caramelly
- tpmx 6y ago
  IIRC the taste is similar to Pepsi Max (Europe/Asia).
supernova87a 6y ago
Let's just say, it unwittingly created its own reputation, before ultra Xtreme hardcore to-the-max branding kicked in to the soda market: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9YLQTgQ7B4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9YLQTgQ7B4

According to wikipedia the Southern African countries got a different variant. "Tab uses a different recipe compared to Spain and the U.S., where it's a caffeine-free drink, and uses less carbonation."

petepete 6y ago

It was definitely around in the UK for a short period in the 90s under the name Tab Clear. As I recall, it wasn't very popular.

Nursie 6y ago
It was a novelty when I was a school kid. Clear cola! Of course we were drinking it out of cans so that aspect of it didn't really have lasting appeal...
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]

dagw 6y ago

I vaguely recall it in Norway in the mid/late 80s. But I haven't seen it for decades.

Chernobog 6y ago
In Norway, what we have today is something called TAB Xtra: https://www.coca-cola.no/content/dam/one/no/no/products/tabxtra-nocalories-500ml-productflavourpopup.png https://www.coca-cola.no/content/dam/one/no/no/products/tabx...
- djxfade 6y ago
  Do they still sell that? I can't remember seeing that around since the early 2000s

vidarh 6y ago

In recent years it might have been very limited. It used to be very widely available in the 70's and 80's.

mytailorisrich 6y ago

Lou: "Are you gonna order something, kid?" Marty: "Gimme a Tab" Lou: "A tab? I can't give you a tab unless you order something" --Back to the Future (1 not 2) That was a bit of an obscure joke at the time, watching from Europe. Edit: Oh my, I had the movie part wrong!

4ggr0 6y ago
That's true :) Both tabs are pretty much unknown in europe.
bbarnett 6y ago
Back to the Future #1, my sartorially inclined friend. ;D (He stayed clear of Lou's the second time around.)
Nursie 6y ago
And as the exchange continues - Marty: "Alright, give me a Pepsi Free." Lou: "You want a Pepsi, PAL, you're gonna pay for it." And nobody in the UK had ever heard of that either... all in all a confusing scene :)

Shivetya 6y ago

Likely, I just recall one aunt who drank this exclusively and the cans of Tab were all hers. It was my first taste of a sugar free soda and she had nothing to fear from us after we each were given a glass. For the most part in the early seventies soda was a treat unlike today where I swear it replaces water for some people. lets just say its an acquired taste and note that diet soft drinks did not have the selection there is today

dkdbejwi383 6y ago
What is the flavour? Is there something it can be compared to?
- bbarnett 6y ago
  Yes. Take a tea bag. Use it 10 or 20 times to make tea. Once done, leave it damp to collect mold, dirt, fungus. After, once dried, clean it with bleach in an attempt to kill the mold, fungus, and other such things. Now quickly, with the bleach still dripping from it, run tepid water through it. Add brown food colouring. I'm not sure, but this seems to be what Tab is.
- jfengel 6y ago
  It's a cola, and its flavor overlaps heavily with Diet Coke; indeed, it was Diet Coke before Diet Coke. The flavor profile was tweaked around the saccharin sweetener they had to use when it was introduced. The flavor difference is on par with the difference between Coke and Pepsi: real and detectable, but all pretty much the same if you're not paying attention. Especially since Tab no longer uses saccharin alone.
derbOac 6y ago
"Though Diet Coke all but eclipsed Tab, the beverage company kept the throwback brand alive. The reason was customer relations. Tab fans were relentless, calling Coca-Cola headquarters and signing petitions if they couldn’t find their soda. 'We want to make sure those who want Tab get Tab,' Douglas Daft, Coca-Cola’s then-chairman and chief executive said in 2001, when Tab’s market share had fallen below 1%. 'It shows you care.' " Sweetened with saccharine, described as having a metallic aftertaste. I have had it but it's been awhile and I don't recall it well. My sense of the fan base is similar to what is mentioned in the article, that it had sort of a cult following. I'm surprised the company stuck with it so long. It makes me wonder if there's some genetic studies of taste preference it might have inspired.

RikNieu 6y ago

We still have it in South Africa. I prefer it to Coke Zero ect, it tastes more caramelly

tpmx 6y ago
IIRC the taste is similar to Pepsi Max (Europe/Asia).

supernova87a 6y ago

Let's just say, it unwittingly created its own reputation, before ultra Xtreme hardcore to-the-max branding kicked in to the soda market: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9YLQTgQ7B4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9YLQTgQ7B4