4 ms·

Diet Coke isn’t even based on Coca-Cola, it’s a derivative of a truly wretched soda called Tab afaik. It’s genuinely a completely different drink.

• bigpeopleareold 4y ago
  In the end, I should tell that to teenage-me, who was confounded as to why Diet Coke (and Diet Pepsi for that matter) would use the same name when they were actually different. Tab was truly nasty too :) So, in the end of this - TIL :)
• ziml77 4y ago
  I developed a taste for Diet Coke some years ago when I tried to cut back a bit on sugar. Being based on a different drink would certainly make sense given the large flavor difference! Funnily enough it was just a few weeks ago that I justified getting a Diet Coke to a friend by saying that I get Coke Zero when I'm in the mood for Coke and I get Diet Coke when I'm in the mood for Diet Coke.
• crazygringo 4y ago
  That's not really true at all. In terms of sweeteners which has the biggest effect on taste, Tab mainly used saccharin, while Diet Coke is mainly aspartame. And then it's more accurate to reverse it and say Tab was a derivative of Coca-Cola. Tab was simply Coca-Cola's diet version back when they didn't want to "dilute" the trademark. So no, Diet Coke isn't a "completely different drink". I mean, you can taste them side-by-side -- do you genuinely think there's some crazy different flavor profile in terms of the the citrus oils, cinnamon, and vanilla used?
  • pram 4y ago
    Tab tasted nothing like Coke my dude.
    • crazygringo 4y ago
      Well you can't have it both ways my dude, because Coke and Diet Coke taste awfully similar in terms of flavorings. So you've got your history wrong somewhere then.
      • pram 4y ago
        They're not the same drink: "Diet Coke is not based on the Coca-Cola formula, but instead on Tab. The controversial New Coke, introduced in 1985, used a version of the Diet Coke recipe that contained high-fructose corn syrup and had a slightly different balance of ingredients." Why would New Coke have been developed from Diet Coke if it tasted the same as Coca-Cola? Anyway you're wrong, but I admire the confidence.
        • crazygringo 4y ago
          That reference is from Wikipedia but without a citation. It's as good as garbage. But the main point here is that Diet Coke is not a "completely different drink" from Coke. You can go refer to your taste buds on that one. Especially since you seem to find Tab so wretched.
          • pram 4y ago
            It’s amazing then that Diet Coke and Coke Zero exist simultaneously despite apparently being the exact same flavor!
            • crazygringo 4y ago
              Isn't marketing amazing? Diet Coke was perceived as a women's beverage, so then they came out with Coke Zero in a "masculine" black can specifically in order to appeal to men without any "feminine" connotations. And it worked!