For years, I’d been a staunch Pepsi fan. The taste of Coca Cola, which I found to be slightly metallic, turned me off so much that at times I’d rather drink nothing if I can’t have Pepsi. I knew there were people who could unmistakeably tell the two apart and was convinced I was one of them.
But the seed of doubt had been planted. Some things, you can live with not knowing – like, what happens if you stick dirty socks in a microwave for 30 seconds or what does it really feel like to eat a Mentos and wash it down with Sprite. But this, my friends, I could no longer live without knowing. Is there really a difference between Pepsi and Coke or is it all in my head?!
I was blindfolded and given two cups: one with Pepsi, one with Coke (both Classic). I were to do 5 tastings total, drinking water in between, to determine which one was which. Mark was responsible for taking notes and shuffling the cups to throw me off.
Pepsi or Coke
The first time I knew Coke right away – I recognized that ‘metallic’ taste I dislike so much. Same for the second; I was fairly certain. By the third round, however, confusion had set in – they tasted shockingly alike and it took several sips before I could make the decision. Fourth and fifth takes were simple guesses – it tasted exactly the same.
the results
RESULTS: I got 3 out of 5 correct – that’s slightly above chance. We could keep going, but I doubt I would’ve fared better. So there you have it: after the third sip your taste buds refuse to register any difference, which is negligible at best and a myth at most. I am not a big soda drinker – maybe once a month I’ll have a sip – but from now on I will not discriminate between the blue and the red. Most importantly, now I know the answer to possibly the stupidest question on Earth, & you have no idea how foolishly happy that makes me feel!
Deerlings: if you had to choose, would you go with Pepsi or Coke? Why?
I drink neither– I’m a Dr. Pepper girl ALL the way. (And even after several sips back and forth can still taste the differences. Coke makes me absolutely nauseous!)
hahaha!! i’ve always wondered about that…i like Pepsi better but i wont say no to coca cola if i cant have a pepsi… my favorite though (and sth i cant find in the coca cola brand)is pepsi twist…with a twist of lemon!!!
yummyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!
Coke, hands down. Diet Coke, to be exact. That’s what we grew up drinking…and by “we”, I mean, my family was so poor that my parents would occasionally splurge and buy a 12-pack for themselves. Then we, the four kids, were told it was an “adult” beverage, and be allowed to have tiny, tiny sips from my mom’s cup (she always had to have three–count ‘em!–three ice cubes). I think I always felt like it was such a treat then, that I still do now, too.
Coke, sometimes I find Pepsi too sweet. But I’m not picky either way. I prefer Coke but I’m not going to throw a hissy if someone only has Pepsi to offer.
When I still drank soda, I was a Pepsi girl all the way – more sugar! :D
Weirder is my ex, who waters down his soda.
If I had to choose I would pick Coke (I HATE Pepsi) but I hardly ever drink soda. It’s unhealthy and full of empty calories.
I would say pepsi simply beacause I find to taste softer than coke. but i particulary like coke when its from a glass bottle because it has that same soft pepsi taste.
You’re hilarious.
I did South Beach for a couple of years and, in the aftermath, can’t drink full sugar soda. As bad for me as it is, I’m a Diet Coke girl all the way.
I never liked cola. Even when I was a kid and drank soda whenever I could get it, I would choose root beer.
I don’t drink soda anymore, but I just read a book called The History of the World in Six Glasses, which is about how beer, wine, spirits, tea, coffee and Coca-Cola changed the world. The Coca-Cola story was so intriguing it made me want to try the drink again. I did, and I still don’t like it :-). But based on its history, I like Coke better than Pepsi.
I also think the red and white Coke logo is prettier.
I prefer Coke, when I drink pop. I like the metallic taste; Pepsi seems too sweet.
In my lj post on Malcolm Gladwell, here is what I wrote:
“After Pepsi conducted the Pepsi Challenge, which showed that more people preferred the taste of Pepsi (due to its sweeter and limier taste), Coca Cola changed its secret formula to develop the New Coke, which tasted more like Pepsi. To everyone surprise, Coke fans protested against the New Coke and demanded the original product. Coke had to release Coke Classic and sales of New Coke plummeted. This turn of events can be explained by the fact that many people may prefer a sweeter limier taste in a sip test, but they prefer a calmer vanilla flavor when they are drinking a whole can.
- Most people can tell the difference between 3 drinks at a time; but then they start getting confused. It will be hard to keep all tastes in their memory. Professional food tasters have developed a way to document all tastes and textures on a scale of 0-9, like acidity, sweetness, crunchiness, etc.”
http://diaboluscat.livejournal.com/68763.html
haha love the post. I drink neither…I was one of those weird kids at birthday parties who requested water when everyone else was drinking colas. My family is split down the middle as to who likes coke and who likes pepsi.
Neither, I don’t drink pop at all!
You must have a keen sense of taste, because I honestly can not taste the difference between the two at all! So for me it doesn’t really matter, I’ll take either (although I don’t drink pop very often).
if it were just between pepsi and coca, i would definately choose pepsi. coke, to me, is not as flavorful as pepsi. it tastes more watered down. however, i love dark sodas and will go for either just the same.
If I had to pick I would drink coke. But I, like Ashe Mischief, prefer Dr Pepper above all other sodas…unless I’m treating myself to a Strawberry Fanta
*shifty eyes*
Don’t judge!
^_^
Miranda
Coke. For sure. Pepsi tastes much sweeter to me.
You should try a different test though! One with canned sodas, one with plastic bottles, one with glass bottles, and fountain sodas.
That’ll give you the best results too I believe. :]
Coke. It has a more richer “gingery” taste which compliments spiced rum(totally addicting around the holidays).
I don’t really like Pepsi, tastes too plan, kinda watered down and goes flat to fast.
Haha, I can’t believe you posted this! I am an AVID Coke supporter.. You really need to distinguish between cans, bottles, and fountain though for a true read of each. Pepsi to me has this disgusting GOOPY texture that always leaves me needing something else to drink and terrible taste in my mouth after. Also it actually makes my throat hurt sometimes! I actually had people in my house who preferred pepsi growing up so I was not raised to like Coke better.. I just opened my mouth and listened to my taste buds. Coke in a can, bottle and ESPECIALLY fountain, all way outshine Pepsi. Yuck bluck. Always Coca-Cola yeahhhh.. do doo doo dooo doooo.
Like Ashe Mischief and Miranda, I’m a Dr.Pepper girl! It’s the Nectar of the Gods! I can’t really describe why but I just love it. It flows through my veins…
Anyways, Coke is an okay sub as long as its cherry flavored but all coke products leave that nasty film all over my teeth and a slight metallic taste, which is off putting. But Pepsi seriously makes me nauseas. There is something in its smell and taste that my body rejects instantly.
I’ve never liked Pepsi for some reason. It just tastes watery reminds me of how pee smells for some reason (Weird, huh?!). Coke however I’ve always loved, just because I really love the strong cola taste and the yummy cane sugar x3 But I can’t drink alot of sugar soda anymore (Bad for zee kidneys), so I only get one luscious coke a week )=
I prefer Coke (which, apparently, uses a number of essential oils in their flavouring process), but I only drink Pepsi (I’m not sure what the situation is now, but a few years ago there were a lot of problems with Coca Cola allowing paramilitary groups into their bottling plants in Colombia to shoot union leaders and workers… makes sense, seeing as non-union labourers accept lower wages than union labourers). I think Pepsi is a bit sweeter than Coke (I kind of miss Coke’s “bite” – probably what you find to be the metallic taste).
I prefer Pepsi, even if in the end they taste the same.
coke all the way!! (though dr pepper is a close second). pepsi seems far too sweet and ‘shallow’ for me. though i would absolutely LOVE if coke made the regular coke w/ lime again – all i can find now is diet, which always tastes slightly dusty to me. oh well, whenever i eat at chipotle, i can add my own limes!
Mmmm coke all the way! Pepsi tastes like Diet Coke to me (bleh!) Although I prefer Cherry Pepsi over Cherry Coke… :)
cola. it’s a more caramel based drink and less carbonated than pepsi.
I like the way the bottle looks too :D
Coca Cola. At my best friend’s, they always have Pepsi, and I think I really taste a difference haha.
I also think Pepsi has way more carbon dioxide, and I don’t like it so.. bubbly.
Coke light, for sure.
Pepsi is slightly water-ish, IMO
I am both a Pepsi and a Coke girl. It doesnt really matter which one it is. If I want a soda and the vending machine is Pepsi, I get Pepsi. If the restaurant only has Coke, well I am drinking Coke.
But my weird preference is I like Coke more in the winter and Pepsi in the summer. Pepsi has a lighter taste, and is more refreshing to me. Coke is thicker and sweeter and suits winter.
Coke, definitely, but diet !
Somehow it’s just the one that tastes better for me =)
I don’t drink soda often. But I actually prefer the taste of Coke, except I find it too fizzy which might just be the metallic taste you talked about; it hurts my tongue. :P So I’d pick Pepsi over Coke, but I think they’ve both changed formulas since I last drank them, since other commenters say Pepsi is more fizzy. Hmm. I like Mountain Dew, which is probably the most unhealthy thing out there. XD
COKE!!!
Weird story. back in the 70′s my father worked for pepsi and there was an evil little man working at the plant with him. He was the manager and deciged that he didn’t like immigrants (my father, born in Cuba). My Mother was pregnant with me at the time, and my father put up with evil little pepsi hitler for the health insurance. The man would make my dad sweep the factory on his lunch break instead of letting him eat…..stuff like that. Well, eventually dad had had enough, and got into a fight, thus losing his job and health insurance. Goes without saying my crazy old dad never allowed pepsi in the house….lol Crazy story huh?
Love your bog…you’re fantastic!!!
Soft drinks all taste the same, like Alka seltzer stomach medicine. Don’t they? That sizzling in the back of my throat….like something is cooking back there. I know I’m weird, I really just wanted to comment sense I love visiting this blog.
Ice Tea…Hot Tea..Chai… choice for me.
:)
It might all be in my head, but if I feel groggy and I need a sugar rush, I drink a can of pepsi. If I’m lacking in energy and I need a caffiene rush, it’s coke all the way.
I can drink copious amounts of coke, full fat always, but Pepsi I can only have a can and then it starts to hurt my throat…
@Aether; I wonder why that is? I know exactly what you mean!
x
I like coke better, to me it’s a little sweeter/less carbonated which I prefer.
lmfao- awesome experiment doe. ive always wondered. however, i am still a firm pepsi girl. not that i drink that much soda to begin with. i go that first round of soda drinking and im done. so if i ever do get to my third round where i cant tell the difference anymore, i wont discriminate. but until then.. pepsi all the wayyy =)
I’m allergic to most dark drink :( i’m not really sure why, so I love Gingerbeer. its always so spicy, but i love it!
In my opinion,NOTHING can beat coke out of a glass bottle.So delicious it always makes me think of Coca Cola world in las vegas
I know where I live they taste sightly different, but I used to like coke better ’cause it was less sweet and a little bit sour….
But a few years ago it got sweeter and now I dislike both.
I dislike soda, actually. For me it’s either juice, coconut water or water….
By the way… I thought of something…
I don’t go much to McDonalds but I’ve heard that it tastes better in Brazil than in the USA…
At least every person I know that tasted both said that to me… o.õ’
But when I eat there I think: “can it get ANY worse?”
I don’t like drink much soda either, but if I had to choose which one I preferred, I’d choose Coca Cola. Pepsi is way too carbonated for me – which is one of the main reasons why I don’t like sodas.
On a totally superficial note, I love classic Coke bottles!
Pepsi all the way! it’s sort of a family thing, actually. my grandpa drank it sometimes when he was a kid back in the 30s, and it was like a real treat for him. so my mom’s family grew up on pepsi, and now i have a good pepsi cola upbringing. yes, it gets little religious there. we have it at all the parties and there’s always some in the fridge. the only gripe i have about it is that there’s no grapefruit like coke has fresca.
For me they’re quite the same. Maybe pepsi is a bit sweeter, but I usully chose coke. Simply because pepsi here is much more rare. But I don’t discriminate them. If they’re both on the table.. I’d drink both. :)
Tho Coke zero has some artificial taste…
I prefer Dr Pepper over any other soda. But I think RC Cola is better than Coke and Pepsi both. It’s the perefect middle ground between the two flavors. It’s best straight from the can.
I usually choose Pepsi if I can because I find that it’s less carbonated than Coke and doesn’t make my throat feel as if it’s burning as badly as it’s competitor does. However, I think the taste is so close that I don’t really care which one I drink~.
I water them both down, anyway.
I’m not really a fan of Pepsi or Coke, although I would pick Pepsi over Coke. Coke has too much of a syrupy taste, and Pepsi is more crisp. I had a bottle of Coke the other day, and it was weird–really foamy. Although, Coke from a glass bottle is actually pretty decent. My soda of choice is Dr. Pepper.
I’m with Doe on this one. If I have a choice, I prefer Pepsi. My problem with Coke is that the ‘classic’ version is too sweet for me, but the Diet version (which, admittedly, I drank for ages and still often do) doesn’t taste of anything!
COKE. I absolutely don”t know if I’m right, but my taste buds tell me there is more sugar in coke :P Pepsi tastes more fizzy and less sweet… Furthermore to me Coke is like THE star of the sodas. When I drink it, it feels so classic in an awsome way! And I just love that red design, and the shape of the glass bottles! Coca-Cola is great! :)
(sorry for my english, I’m a frenchy… ;) )
Agree about pepsi for the taste, but I actually now a days drink neither, so many chemicals.
Neither. It’s just… too strong for me. I prefer Mountain Dew. When I do drink Coke or Pepsi my eyes water. XD