I'm my wife's "did I accidentally get non-diet?" test-taster. Now, that fact that she needs one supports your assertion. The fact that it is really easy for me

I'm my wife's "did I accidentally get non-diet?" test-taster. Now, that fact that she needs one supports your assertion. The fact that it is really easy for me to tell the difference, does not. The aftertaste lasts tens of minutes and isn't subtle (or pleasant). The most recent one I had to suffer was indeed Coke Zero (or "Coke" [small print: "Zero Sugar"] as they're rebranding it for some unfathomable reason). Maybe it's the reverse, and people who are used to artificial sweeteners have trouble telling whether something's real sugar? I've never been a diet soda drinker, so maybe that's why I can detect it easily. Or maybe I missed my calling as a soda super-taster. I can also tell several major brands apart by smell; back when I was a major soda drinker I'm 100% sure I could have labeled at least four Dr. Pepper knock-offs in a blind taste test; and find the "Pepsi challenge" literally incredible, as in I can't believe the outcome is real because they're so obviously different.