Bestest Friend and I are doing a blog project. Every day we will write a blog post on a pre-determined topic chosen by a random noun generator. The theme for the twenty-first day of the month is "Decision."
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So I managed to obtain a can of Pepsi, Coke, and RC Cola. My husband regularly drinks Pepsi, so that was easy. I bought a can of Coke at Walgreen's, and took a can of RC Cola that was in the fridge at the fancy car dealership when I was getting an oil change. My husband was very confident he could tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi, so I threw in the RC Cola to make it challenging.
The end results:
Dr. BB could NOT identify any of the brands. He got them all wrong. His best to worst ranking was: Pepsi, RC Cola, Coke. Good thing since he's a Pepsi loyalist.
I didn't even attempt to identify the brands because I haven't had non-diet soda in decades. My best to worst ranking was: RC Cola, Pepsi (tastes like dust!), and Coke (repulsive!). There you have it. I'd be interested in doing this with diet sodas because I would be heartbroken to know I think Diet Coke is repulsive. Ha!
Have you ever done this? We have bottles of Starry, Sprite, and 7Up for our next blind taste test. I'll be sure to report back on the lemon-lime soda outcome.
I haven't ever done this, but I like to think I could tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi? But, judging by the results most people come up with, I bet I'd get it all wrong! I "say" I prefer Coke, but would that actually come through in a blind tasting? Now I'm very curious!
ReplyDeleteEvery once in a while Diet Coke tastes great, but I only have a it a handful of times a year (Root Beer tends to be my soft drink of choice but, again, I only have it a few times a year!).
My husband and I recently watched a documentary that included an ongoing bit with people blind taste-testing Coke and Pepsi and almost NO one got it right (even people who had been execs at the respective companies).
I've never heard of/seen RC Cola or Starry here in Canada.
My husband and I were discussing doing a root beer challenge next - Barqs, A&W, and a third to be decided? Dad's? Sprecher? What's your favorite root beer brand?
DeleteRC Cola is old skool and I am not sure I had ever had it before, but it was very tasty to me. Far superior to Pepsi and Coke. Starry is the replacement for Sierra Mist, which was discontinued a couple of months ago. If you don't regularly drink pop/soda, I'm sure these seem pretty obscure!
I like Barq's the best, but Mug is another very common brand here in Canada.
DeleteI've never heard of Sierra Mist, either. I don't think I've EVER tasted Mountain Dew, and I think I've had one sip of Dr. Pepper once (but definitely never a whole can).
I like the root beer that comes in bottles (IBC, Stewarts, Virgil's). I don't know if it actually tastes better, but there is some faux nostalgia for me in drinking out of a bottle. My Husband like Dr. Brown's Root Beer.
DeleteMug! Yes, A&W, Barqs, and Mug would make sense as a trilogy. Mountain Dew is delicious, but super sweet. Dr. Pepper is not my jam - I never had it until I was in high school and I just never really loved it, but Dr. Pepper fans are very loyal.
DeleteI love a root beer in a bottle. It feels so adult! Ha! Like you said, when we were young, it seemed so grown up.
Yep! Back when I was a kid we did a Pepsi vs Coke test. I was very surprised that I liked Pepsi better. Adding in the RC was a fun curveball. I didn't even know that still existed.
ReplyDeleteBack in 2019 the hubs and I were alone on Thanksgiving and we did a blind wine taste test with three of our favorite wines. The result was that we couldn't tell the difference and we liked all three of them!
Interesting that you decided you liked all the wines. That's a good sign!
DeleteI was SHOCKED at how utterly grossed I was by the Coke. This is such a fun activity and I'm hoping we can keep doing regular taste tests, although it can get expensive if we're throwing away the vast majority of bottles. Maybe we should start doing it when we have people over to visit!
Once upon a time, I was a Coke guy and picked it in a home made Pepsi challenge (does anyone remember those?). For a long time now, I have been a Diet Coke drinker. I open up to three cans a day, spread throughout the day, but only have half on the average.
ReplyDeleteI used to have a Diet Coke every night with dinner and I LOVED the sound of the can opening and that first sip was so good. I gave up caffeine and with it my Diet Coke, but I still dream about that first sip. So good.
DeleteWell, perhaps my certainty that I could pick Coke over Pepsi is wrong! I'm so sure I could, though, so maybe I should get a can and test it. I find the difference isn't as pronounced in fountain drinks, but in the can, well. Time to pick up a Pepsi and have Mom set it up for me!
ReplyDeleteMy husband was VERY confident he could do it, but he literally got them all wrong when he tried to guess. I think the RC threw him for a loop because he hadn't had it in so long, but I don't even know if he would have been successful with just a Coke/Pepsi challenge. It's fascinating to me because we're all SO CONFIDENT.
DeleteI so rarely drink any of these, I don't think I could tell. But I do very much enjoy the first sip of a cold Coke with ice on a hot day after some physical work/labor.
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah, I get this, although I was a Diet Coke girl. That first sip? MAGICAL.
DeleteThere is something about that first sip of almost anything that is just...SO GOOD. I feel this way about sparkling water and definitely about my 3-morning-per-week coffee indulgence.
DeleteHow fun! We haven't done this!
ReplyDeleteI recommend it, especially if you have folks with strong pop preferences.
DeleteHow fun! Every so often, I miss soda. I haven't had any in almost 20 years now! CO2 reacts oddly with my migraine meds (topirimate), so I can't drink it. It's just a weird side-effect. When I *was* drinking it, I preferred Diet Dr Pepper and Diet Coke (the latter made me belch terribly).
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm so sorry to hear that you have to avoid carbonated beverages! What a bummer. It must so inconvenient in this modern world. I used to love a Diet Coke myself.
DeleteWe have a friend group of nine adults (way more when you add the kids, which we often do) and we were once at someone's cottage and suddenly wanted to do this, but we wanted Coke original, Diet Coke and Coke Zero and then the same for Pepsi. We texted someone to bring the ones we didn't have, but he didn't get the text. Usually when we get our teeth into something like this we don't let it die, but we did. Now I think I have to make it happen. I am a die-hard one-diet-pepsi-a-day girl but, unlike many people I know I will drink Diet Coke if it's the only thing available. I would like to know if I can identify them blind.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see you do Coke v Pepsi in a large group and see how it goes! Can people ID them correctly and what is their ranking? I am so curious about this!
DeleteI don't like cola, so I don't drink it - I would be completely useless at this taste test.
ReplyDeleteFair enough. It would be interesting to do it with something you DO like, though - various wines, sparkling water, etc.
DeleteI haven't had RC since I was a child! A taste test sounds like a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteI thought the RC was SO GOOD. I was definitely surprised by how much more I liked it compared to the other two. It was so random that they stocked it in the fridge at the car dealership and I'm glad I grabbed it because I think it really added a fun twist.
DeleteI do have to say I think Dr. BB nailed it- he regularly drinks Pepsi and he ranked it best- so in a way, he did identify it.
ReplyDeleteI used to LOVE Coke. Of all the things I gave up when I stopped eating sugar, the one I still miss is Coke. I'd like to think I could tell the difference between the three sodas, but it seems like no one really can. I hope you do one with diet colas soon- every once in a while I have a Coke Zero, which seems better to me than regular diet Coke. Hey, maybe I'll do my own taste test!
I think when we go visit Dr. BB's family for Easter, we can probably nab a Diet Coke and a Caffeine Free Diet Coke and maaaaybe a Diet Pepsi. If we can do that, we'll do a diet version soon! If you do a taste test, I'd love to hear the report!
DeleteI do love an ice cold Coke. Coke, is spicier to me - Pepsi just tastes sweet, not a lot of nuances to it. I've never had RC cola. I do like Cherry Coke, too, but in small doses. Like I would get a refill of a Coke at a restaurant, but not of a Cherry Coke.
ReplyDeleteBefore they reformulated, I was a Diet Cherry Coke girl. I was so mad when they switched to Diet Coke Feisty Cherry and it tasted so much like ginger that it felt like my mouth was on fire. But I don't know if I've had a regular Diet Coke ever in my life. I bet it's delicious!
DeleteOooh my kids would love this challenge-- will try and report back. I might add Aldi-brand cola to the mix.
ReplyDeleteStore brands would be an interesting twist. I'd love to know how it turns out.
DeleteI think I would be able to tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi as I don't mind Coke and don't like Pepsi. Related fun fact: my baby cousins call me Pepsi because I'm tall, brown, and bubbly. Ha.
ReplyDeleteMy husband was pretty confident, too. It's interesting how the blind test taste would go!
DeleteGoing to try for sure!
DeleteI did this in grad school for a Strategic Management class, I think because we were talking about branding? I could easily detect pepsi and coke; I had a harder time with RC Cola.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I thought the RC Cola was so good and now question why Pepsi and Coke have control over the market. I guess just a bigger marketing budget?
DeleteOkay, like others have stated, I am now unsure if I could easily detect Pepsi v Coke. I feel like I could! But maybe I am fooling myself. I need to do this!
ReplyDeleteI think everybody should try it if they can. It's fascinating because it seems like most people have such strong opinions on it.
DeleteI very rarely drink soda and would probably completely fail at this. My go-to however, if I DO order a soda every once in a while, is Coke. I would not touch any diet stuff.
ReplyDeleteMy husband doesn't drink diet, either. I prefer diet, so I'm excited to try to get various varieties of diet to test myself!
DeleteI've never done anything like this and it does look like fun. I'd be Captain Loser from Loserville because I don't generally drink soda, so I'd not know any of them.
ReplyDeleteDiet Coke. All the way. I know Diet Pepsi in a heartbeat. And... I've never had Diet RC but I think they make it? I should try it... but I suspect I'll come right back to the one-I-can't-quit. Sigh. It's my big vice, to be honest. I have tried and failed to give it up, so I gave up on giving up. :)
ReplyDelete