We’re settling the debate with a blind taste test.
People have strong opinions about their Coca-Cola, from die-hard Diet Coke drinkers to those who refuse to drink any Coke product unless it’s poured from a fountain.
In the South, many Southerners swear by the superior taste of Coca-Cola in the old-school glass bottles. It may be a bit harder to find than a can or plastic bottle, but you can still buy glass-bottled Coke at most major grocery stores, although it costs more than its original five-cent price tag
Whether it’s nostalgia or the belief that glass bottles somehow enhance the taste, we wanted to put the theory to the test. We conducted a blind taste test with a few of our editors, sampling Coca-Cola from a can, a glass bottle, and a plastic bottle, without knowing which was which. The results were surprising!
We asked eight Southern Living editors to sample soda from three cups, marked A, B, and C. Each cup contained American Coca-Cola, but from three different original containers: a can, a plastic bottle, and a glass bottle. In the blind taste test, each editor ranked the three options based on preference and shared their tasting notes.
To ensure fairness, all three types of Coke were poured into identical paper cups. We excluded fountain soda from the test because each company may use a different amount of syrup or carbonation.
All the soda we sampled was regular American Coca-Cola, with no diet or Mexican Coca-Cola. The three sodas were refrigerated overnight, and served cold during the taste test. We opened and served all the containers at the same time to maintain carbonation.
After tasting each cup, our editors wrote down their observations on sweetness, carbonation, and flavor
