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A creative blog by Heidi Huber on The Whole 9

Heidi Huber started her career with the sink or swim theory. Luckily she knows the freestyle which has taken her from the Chicago stage to behind the scenes in Los Angeles where she currently continues to tap as The Whole 9’s Chief of Everything Else.

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Can you taste a difference between Coke & Pepsi?

April 19, 2011
20 Comments (see all)

Remember back in like 1982, The Pepsi Challenge?  I was raised in a Pepsi household and liked it better than Coke and was always able to tell the difference.  I walked away from many a challenge at many a street fair with some fine Pepsi swag.  I rarely touch the stuff now, but will reach for a Pepsi over Coke any day.

For all of you soda drinkers out there: Can you taste a difference between Coke & Pepsi?

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20 comments (see all)
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  1. awaken2sun

    I can definitely taste the difference and although I rarely touch the stuff now either, will always reach for a Coke.

    Have a Coke and a smile :)

  2. eastsider

    I don’t drink it anymore either — but when I did, it was only Coke. If I ordered a Coke in a restaurant and they asked ‘Is Pepsi okay?’ I’d have to say no, and get an iced tea or something else. That goes for Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi as well.

  3. poorgood

    yes, but i prefer diet coke if i have to drink the evil. best taste of all the brown colas.

  4. bethanyjordan

    I never cared for Pepsi or Coke. I was a Root Beer girl and could taste the difference between brands. IBC was my favorite as a kid followed by Thomas Kemper and A&W. Barqs was my least favorite. Now I prefer a small brand invented by a former student of mine for his kindergarten science project called Margo’s Bark (http://www.margosbark.com/). Profits from sales of this soda go to help animal shelters.

  5. theroadhome

    YES…someone pour me a Diet Pepsi please.

  6. jshawback

    I can taste the difference. I like coke and pepsi when it is made with real sugar but i prefer pepsi.

  7. hpdphotos

    We were a Pepsi house growing up and I could definitely taste the difference.

    Now I would prefer Coke but only drink it when the kosher version comes out seasonally because it is made with real sugar and not the usual corn syrup (i am allergic to corn and it’s byproducts)

  8. rick1949

    Absolutly-I am devoted to caffine free diet Pepsi when I want a sparkling beverage-diet Coke tastes nasty to me-I like Pepsi’s chemicals better

  9. keldoo

    In complete agreement @eastsider!
    I have decided to quit the Diet Coke habit, but forgive myself if I have one now & again.
    But haven’t given up the Mexican Coke…now that’s where it’s at!

  10. eastsider

    Mexican Coke is the best. Coca-Cola that is!

    Anyone remember Tab?

  11. rosendo

    Yes, there is a difference but I don’t drink either today.

    If I have to have non carbonated sugar it will be with Ice tea,Lemonade or Hawaiian Punch~

    If I pull Root Beer or Creme Soda from an ice chest…chances are I won’t put it back~

  12. al3x

    mix them and see…

  13. ckay

    Definite difference. I prefer RC but I don’t drink not to drink sodas very often. Pizza being the exception to the rule.

  14. rainmoon

    Peps, please!! I do not drink coffee, but I have to have a can of Pepsi each morning.

  15. gottanikoncamera

    Easily, no contest. Never could understand how anyone could not tell the diff. Love Coke Classic and Coke Zero.

  16. dangerousideas

    I’ll never forget traveling up through the Khyber pass on top of a truck in 120 degree heat as the sun beat down and the stifling dust of the desert parched my throat and mouth to dry ash. There I hallucinated the sound of tinkling ice and the sizzle of freshly poured cold coca cola as glass tumblers danced, mirages just out of reach in the distant rising waves of heat. At the time, I’d have traded all my worldly goods for a sip of that cool refreshing liquid.
    All American Coca Cola Classic. Others are mere pale imitations, the wannabe formulations of pepsi, rc and even the syrupy sweet imposters posing as the real thing in bottles that carry the coke logo (I’m thinking of you, Mexico. Greece, Turkey, Tunisia, Pakistan, etc… )

  17. celestevoce

    At the studio last summer, we did the Coke vs Pepsi challenge… 3 or 4 times. It got very scientific, by the end, but we also got a bit of a learning curve. However, I do believe most of us are Coke (or Diet Coke) diehards. I rarely drink soda anymore, but I work with some people who would have a Coca Cola with every lunch if it were always readily available.

  18. celestevoce

    Also, you all should listen to this, regardless of your taste preference. http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/427/original-recipe

  19. dangerousideas

    Coca leaves and alcohol, that explains a certain amount of enthusiasm for the original product. But cloves, cardamom and nutmeg?… and cannabis flowers (removed from the formula in 1905). Other odd factoids: did you know that coca-cola is one of the most powerful cleaning agents known to man; a penny left in coke overnight will come out as bright and shiny as the day it was minted. A steak left in coke for 2 days will completely dissolve. If you ever get gum in your hair or on your shoe, a bit of coca-cola will remove it almost instantly. The highway patrol in many states carry 2 gals. of coke in their cars to get rid of blood stains after car accidents. Also, coca-cola was considered fairly healthy by the medical profession until a large portion of the sugar was replaced by high fructose corn syrup in 1985. Coca Cola is the most recognized brand name and logo in the world. If all the regular-sized bottles of coke that have been drunk were piled on a football field, the resultant mound would be more than 60 times as tall as Mt. Everest!

  20. charles

    When I thirst for a sugary beverage, I reach for Pepsi.
    But I also find that Coke goes down very well with a big a*s bag of Fritos or Funyuns.
    “Taste that beats the others cold; Pepsi pours it on,”
    Showing my age here….
    ;-)

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