I'm curious what my fellow diet soda drinkers think of the "NOW More Delicious" formula of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. A decade or so ago, I gave up sugar in my soft drinks so that I could continue to enjoy donuts, cake, cookies, ice cream and Pop Tarts. I've grown quite attached to Coke Zero as it has been hands-down the best tasting diet soda to me. My second favorite, and it wasn't even close, was original Diet Pepsi with aspartame (now marketed as "classic sweetener blend*" --- not as fond of their newer formula). 

 

During 2020, we got word of a Coke Zero sweetener shortage (covid) from China and that Coca-Cola was looking into alternatives. I made sure I was well stocked through the pandemic (thanks, Costco). I was on my last case and did a Costco run last month and couldn't find it in the store, until my wife pointed at these cases of red (not black) cans. So I put a couple in the cart and went home. When my I was down to my last few cans in the fridge, I put a few of the new ones in. Once cold, I decided to give the "NOW More Delicious" version a try. It's different than the "old" version --- I mean a lot different. Some people are claiming it tastes more like Coca-Cola Classic, but I think these are people that don't drink diet sodas all the time. It reminds me of Diet Pepsi (Classic Sweetener Blend) in a red can. Let's get something straight: There will never be a diet soda that tastes as good as one with sugar. If you're a diet soda drinker like me, you probably had to get used to the artificial sweeteners. So you can mess with the formula all you like, it's still going to be a diet (tasting) soda. 

So Coca-Cola apparently decided to move forward with the alternative and hopefully, for them, they will not lose revenue from sweetener caused shortages their old product had. But from a consumer standpoint, I never minded paying $2 more for a case of 35 cans of Coke Zero than the 36 pack of Diet Pepsi (at Costco). Now, IMO, it's not a big enough difference in taste to justify not getting the better value (Diet Pepsi).

 

I'm curious what others think. Coke-Zero had a pretty religious following for years because the taste was different than all the other diet colas. Is this "New Coke" all over again or am I just incapable of change?

 

 

 

 

*

 

🤣

I don't know about coke but recently I tried diet snapple again and it tastes very good because just like Coke Zero it has  aspartame. Any sugar free drink with anything but Aspartame is not that great 

I drink diet Pepsi F coke. Also diet drinks are just as bad for as regular soda and some cases worse. Enjoy!

10 minutes ago, Bwestbrook36 said:

I drink diet Pepsi F coke. Also diet drinks are just as bad for as regular soda and some cases worse. Enjoy!

I'm not worried about the "bad" things about diet sodas. Most of the "bad" things are not that big a deal (i.e. might increase your appetite, artificial colors, etc...). As I explained, I only switched to diet so I can keep enjoying sugars and carbs in more important things. I've tried the "healthy" diet sodas like Zevia ...

... sweetened with stevia and no other bad additives and they are alright, just harder to find and twice as expensive. Stevia has a bit more aftertaste than aspartame as well. 

1 minute ago, brkmsn said:

I'm not worried about the "bad" things about diet sodas. Most of the "bad" things are not that big a deal (i.e. might increase your appetite, artificial colors, etc...). As I explained, I only switched to diet so I can keep enjoying sugars and carbs in more important things. I've tried the "healthy" diet sodas like Zevia ...

... sweetened with stevia and no other bad additives and they are alright, just harder to find and twice as expensive. Stevia has a bit more aftertaste than aspartame as well. 

I love diet Pepsi I think it taste the same without the aspartame as it did with it. You sound like my parents Everytime their is the slightest change to a package they say it doesn't taste the same and throw it out. It's all in your heads you stubborn bastids lol. JK they do sound like you are though lol. 

4 minutes ago, Bwestbrook36 said:

I love diet Pepsi I think it taste the same without the aspartame as it did with it. You sound like my parents Everytime their is the slightest change to a package they say it doesn't taste the same and throw it out. It's all in your heads you stubborn bastids lol. JK they do sound like you are though lol. 

I won't go throwing anything out, but admittedly, I struggle with change. I like what I like.

One of the things that bothers me about the new Diet Pepsi is how much foam you get from the fountains --- it takes forever to fill a regular Taco Bell cup (even if you tip it). 

5 minutes ago, brkmsn said:

I won't go throwing anything out, but admittedly, I struggle with change. I like what I like.

One of the things that bothers me about the new Diet Pepsi is how much foam you get from the fountains --- it takes forever to fill a regular Taco Bell cup (even if you tip it). 

I've never noticed that. Then again I don't really get to places that serve Pepsi everything is mostly Coke. In that case I will get a Sprite I love sprite. That I will get regular because their Sprite Zero is nasty like their diet Coke and the after taste. 

I don't drink anywhere near the amount of soda diet or regular like I used to but I still love a Sprite with a meal if I'm out makes it wash down so good with that loud ass belch after so satisfying lol. 

Their was a meat company around here and their smoked sausage was just ridiculous it was so good. They ended up closing down after 55 years because they didn't want to deal with all the changes from covid, a real shame if you ask me because meat companies were thriving and they have been around so long but they refused to change their ways so they rather close. 

Anyways, that wasn't what I was getting at, we could no longer get that smoked sausage so my parents have my sister and I looking for something that taste similar. It doesn't matter what I being home that brand is not on the package and they will never be satisfied and I'm not going to keep going on this search looking for something that will never be replicated and they will never be happy with. I said find your own damn sausage I'm out! Lol. 

I just want to add that Diet Coke is my least favorite diet cola. The taste difference between Pepsi Zero Sugar and Diet Pepsi is minimal. The taste between Diet Coke and Coke Zero was huge. If I go to a place that only has Diet Coke, I will go about 2/3 diet and 1/3 regular just to make it tolerable. The only Diet Coke I like is:

I don't know why it works, but it does. 

OP’s a Julian who likes the Coke Less Than Zero.

1 hour ago, brkmsn said:

I just want to add that Diet Coke is my least favorite diet cola. The taste difference between Pepsi Zero Sugar and Diet Pepsi is minimal. The taste between Diet Coke and Coke Zero was huge. If I go to a place that only has Diet Coke, I will go about 2/3 diet and 1/3 regular just to make it tolerable. The only Diet Coke I like is:

I don't know why it works, but it does. 

How is the lime flavoring in that? Some drinks that just have the lime flavoring is overpowering IMO. Artificial like is so sickening. Yes I know I said I like sprite lol but, the Lemon  is the dominant flavoring of combo. 

 

 

You heard it from me, diet Topo Chico. 1 calorie.

31 minutes ago, Bwestbrook36 said:

How is the lime flavoring in that? Some drinks that just have the lime flavoring is overpowering IMO. Artificial like is so sickening. Yes I know I said I like sprite lol but, the Lemon  is the dominant flavoring of combo. 

 

 

It was enough to kill the otherwise unfavorable taste of plain Diet Coke. You can definitely taste the lime flavoring and the cola flavor. Some people, though, can't get used to the two together. 

It’s either Tab or nothing for me

Have you thought about or tried to go with a soda stream?  You can buy the Pepsi branded/licensed soda syrups.  I tried the Pepsi one and it wasn’t bad.  I don’t know how it compares side by side but as someone who drinks way too much soda mainly for the caffeine (not a coffee guy), I look for sugar free options as well.  I used to be a Pepsi max guy but they changed the formula at one point and it was awful.  I never found Coke Zero to be tasty.  
 

 

1 hour ago, paco said:

It’s either Tab or nothing for me

The taste of saccharin and still 1 Calorie (they add up!)

Once you can't get them on ebay anymore, you still have us. 

10 hours ago, paco said:

It’s either Tab or nothing for me

So then nothing it is!

10 hours ago, DBW said:

Have you thought about or tried to go with a soda stream?  You can buy the Pepsi branded/licensed soda syrups.  I tried the Pepsi one and it wasn’t bad.  I don’t know how it compares side by side but as someone who drinks way too much soda mainly for the caffeine (not a coffee guy), I look for sugar free options as well.  I used to be a Pepsi max guy but they changed the formula at one point and it was awful.  I never found Coke Zero to be tasty.  
 

 

Have you ever considered doing the Dew? Mountain dew zero is pretty tasty

4 minutes ago, Bwestbrook36 said:

Have you ever considered doing the Dew? Mountain dew zero is pretty tasty

No I haven’t tried that yet…I’ll check it out!

2 hours ago, Bwestbrook36 said:

So then nothing it is!

You sound like an RC Cola cult member

3 minutes ago, paco said:

You sound like an RC Cola cult member

I am a huge fan of their other products like A&W root beer and Sunkist. Fight me!

41 minutes ago, paco said:

You sound like an RC Cola cult member

I actually like the taste of RC Cola, but I'm not a fan of Diet Rite. 

Diet Pepsi for me, all day, every day.

Drinking some right now. It has some Vodka in it though.  

Tried a cherry coke and dr. Pepper the other day, both tasted weird as f. 

On 9/5/2021 at 9:19 PM, 20dawk4life said:

Tried a cherry coke and dr. Pepper the other day, both tasted weird as f. 

Cherry coke zero is life