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Is it just me or does soda taste better out of a can than out of a plastic bottle? I’ve felt this for many years and have even tested by pouring into glasses.

Is it just me or does soda taste better out of a can than out of a plastic bottle? I’ve felt this for many years and have even tested by pouring into glasses. I like the can one better. Is this just me?

musicale 5y ago
Definitely tastes better in a glass. Canned and 2 liter seem more carbonated to me than glass or smaller plastic bottles, so maybe decanting/decarbonating helps a bit.
jwilber 5y ago
As part of my undergrad statistics course on experimental design I tested this very hypothesis among about 60 students and found no significant difference in preference between cola poured from plastic, canned, or glass bottles. Still, there’s nothing better to me than a cold glass bottle if I had to drink soda.
- saila 5y ago
  There must be a perception-over-time element to this. Fresh from the container, there's probably not much difference, but the size of the container, whether it's re-closable, how well it conducts heat, how fast the individual drinks, etc must have an affect on overall perception of quality/tastiness. I'm wondering at what point quality is "sampled." There's the first sip ... and then the last. Maybe overall perception is tied more strongly to the last sip?
Nasrudith 5y ago
I notice it and I always thougut it is a combination conduction related coldness (making you feel it as colder at very least) plus small package size meaning it is "fully carbonated" as opposed to plastic bottle screw on.
joecool1029 5y ago
>Is this just me? I don't think so. Bottles impart a small amount of flavor that's almost imperceptible to most people except for warm bottled water. Canned water exists but is a little unusual, that liquid death company with the energy drink looking cans is the only one I could find around here easily. The few times I've had it I wasn't able to detect any plastic flavor, even when warm. My guess is the lining is way more inert than the bottle, or that because the aluminum is blocking light, there's no ability for photodegradation of the liner to happen.
bluedino 5y ago
Highly scientific test: https://youtu.be/Hzat3Sv1Vwg https://youtu.be/Hzat3Sv1Vwg
- nemo44x 5y ago
  I sort of agree with their comments that they feel like cans have “more bite”. I think that’s what I’ve noticed too. As if the cans have larger bubbles or something. Plastic bottles always seemed “smoother” to me like they had lots of really small bubbles.
  - bluedino 5y ago
    I rate them glass > fountain > can > plastic
  - saila 5y ago
    Cola in a plastic bottle seems to go flat faster, but maybe that's because it's often a larger size (20oz vs 16 or 12oz)? Or maybe with a can you feel compelled to drink it more quickly because you can't re-close it? The test in the video doesn't seem valid because they didn't cleanse their palates in between drinks, and drinking one after the other would likely affect the taste somewhat. They're also influencing each other's decisions.
guilhas 5y ago
I find that true comparing with the individual soda bottles, but the big litter bottles taste way better than both
Supermancho 5y ago
I used to drink cubes of Pepsi per week...like over 20 years ago. My explanation is that it contains aluminum ions (or some other chemical hint) from the tearing of the tab. This is why it tastes better on the earlier sips. If you leave soda out and it gets flat, the small difference is still there for at least half the can. Ultimately, since aluminum is a neurotoxin, it's probably very bad for you over time. Fountain soda is noticeably different.

musicale 5y ago

Definitely tastes better in a glass. Canned and 2 liter seem more carbonated to me than glass or smaller plastic bottles, so maybe decanting/decarbonating helps a bit.

jwilber 5y ago

As part of my undergrad statistics course on experimental design I tested this very hypothesis among about 60 students and found no significant difference in preference between cola poured from plastic, canned, or glass bottles. Still, there’s nothing better to me than a cold glass bottle if I had to drink soda.

saila 5y ago
There must be a perception-over-time element to this. Fresh from the container, there's probably not much difference, but the size of the container, whether it's re-closable, how well it conducts heat, how fast the individual drinks, etc must have an affect on overall perception of quality/tastiness. I'm wondering at what point quality is "sampled." There's the first sip ... and then the last. Maybe overall perception is tied more strongly to the last sip?

Nasrudith 5y ago

I notice it and I always thougut it is a combination conduction related coldness (making you feel it as colder at very least) plus small package size meaning it is "fully carbonated" as opposed to plastic bottle screw on.

joecool1029 5y ago

>Is this just me? I don't think so. Bottles impart a small amount of flavor that's almost imperceptible to most people except for warm bottled water. Canned water exists but is a little unusual, that liquid death company with the energy drink looking cans is the only one I could find around here easily. The few times I've had it I wasn't able to detect any plastic flavor, even when warm. My guess is the lining is way more inert than the bottle, or that because the aluminum is blocking light, there's no ability for photodegradation of the liner to happen.

bluedino 5y ago

Highly scientific test: https://youtu.be/Hzat3Sv1Vwg https://youtu.be/Hzat3Sv1Vwg

nemo44x 5y ago
I sort of agree with their comments that they feel like cans have “more bite”. I think that’s what I’ve noticed too. As if the cans have larger bubbles or something. Plastic bottles always seemed “smoother” to me like they had lots of really small bubbles.
- bluedino 5y ago
  I rate them glass > fountain > can > plastic
- saila 5y ago
  Cola in a plastic bottle seems to go flat faster, but maybe that's because it's often a larger size (20oz vs 16 or 12oz)? Or maybe with a can you feel compelled to drink it more quickly because you can't re-close it? The test in the video doesn't seem valid because they didn't cleanse their palates in between drinks, and drinking one after the other would likely affect the taste somewhat. They're also influencing each other's decisions.

guilhas 5y ago

I find that true comparing with the individual soda bottles, but the big litter bottles taste way better than both

Supermancho 5y ago

I used to drink cubes of Pepsi per week...like over 20 years ago. My explanation is that it contains aluminum ions (or some other chemical hint) from the tearing of the tab. This is why it tastes better on the earlier sips. If you leave soda out and it gets flat, the small difference is still there for at least half the can. Ultimately, since aluminum is a neurotoxin, it's probably very bad for you over time. Fountain soda is noticeably different.