Coca-Cola, in the U.S., is the most popular non-alcoholic beverage around. Why is that? The stuff is darn tasty and has enough caffeine in it to get you going when you’re tired. Is there anything healthy about Coca-Cola? Heck, no! However, Americans buy a lot of soft drinks, and the amount of cash raked in by the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. is amazing ($768 million in sales for the first nine months of 2001, if you can imagine).
Of course, the ’’Cola Wars’’ have been fought for years and Coca-Cola and Pepsi have duked it out for market share. What’s fascinating is the regional allegiance to Coca-Cola. Namely, Coke is perceived as more of a Southern drink, while Pepsi is viewed as something for ’’them uppity Yankees’’ who aren’t lucky enough to live in the former Confederacy. That’s how it works out here in the South at least.
However, what it really comes down to is taste. Which cola is actually better? Well, that all depends on what you want. Pepsi is a little sweeter than Coke and has a kind of citrus taste lurking in the background. Coke, on the other hand, has a vanilla note to it. Folks who claim they both taste the same just haven’t been paying attention.
Coke, of course, is known for it’s thick, syrupy body and reliance on caffeine and a kind of salty sweetness backed with a lot of carbonation. Coca-Cola rather burns the back of the throat as it goes down and isn’t exactly the type of thing to drink when you’re really thirsty and need some refreshment (there’s a reason football players gulp water or Gatorade during a game instead of Coke, see).
At the core of Coca-Cola’s flavor is that syrupy, dark taste. Sure, there’s some vanilla flavoring in there, but the entire drink is dominated by syrupy sweetness.
Of course, there are some drawbacks to Coke. Caffeine isn’t exactly good for you, and people who would steer clear of coffee or tea can often get hooked on Coke. Heck, there are plenty of children hooked on Coke, and it’s hard to break that habit once you get started. Why? You get horrible headaches if you’re body is used to a certain level of caffeine and you suddenly quit providing it. On that level, Coca-Cola can be rather addictive.
Also, Coca-Cola is fairly acidic, and I’m a bit wary of a drink that can strip rust off a car bumper. Well, maybe not that wary. I still drink the stuff quite a bit.
Coca-Cola, when it’s all said and done, is a guilty pleasure that one can have when not in the mood for milk or water but isn’t exactly in a setting where a good beer can be enjoyed. Be careful about the caffeine and you’ll make out fine.