Yes, Coca-Cola And Pepsi Actually Do Taste Different
You know where your loyalty lies when it comes to Coca-Cola and Pepsi. But does that preference have anything to do with the taste itself? Since the 80s, the Cola Wars have caused a great divide in our choice of drink, creating a fizzling feud with no end in sight.
“that burst tends to dissipate over the course of an entire can, and that is another reason Coke suffered by comparison. Pepsi, in short, is a drink built to shine in a sip test.”
Unlike Coca-Cola, Pepsi has a stronger tang hidden behind the bubbles of its soft drinks. They're sharp and zesty with a mouth-smacking bite at the end. This is due to the inclusion of citric acid, incorporated to mask the overly sweet taste and sugariness of corn syrup — which Pepsi has a lot of. Coca-Cola is most often referred to when discussing our recommended daily intake of sugar (it contains 39 grams in a 12-ounce bottle). However, a 12-ounce can of Pepsi ranks above it with a staggering 41 grams. This is where the citric acid comes in. Citric acid is relatively more tart and a great counterpart in beverages that are a tad too sweet for imbibers. The dissimilarities don't end there. While Pepsi has more sugar, Coca-Cola sees Pepsi's sodium intake and raises it by double. Why does this matter? Sodium (which we derive the word "soda" from) has many functions. It reduces acidity, makes the drink taste better, and most importantly, it makes us thirstier.
PepsiCo's marketed taste test campaign
Once again, Pepsi's sugar content is at play. Author Malcolm Gladwell (via Business Insider) explains that those who can distinguish the two often prefer Pepsi because it is more sugary than Coke. The logic goes as follows: The sweeter something is, the more likely we are to favor it. And when paired with citric acid, it will produce a more intense sipping sensation. But as Gladwell states, "that burst tends to dissipate over the course of an entire can, and that is another reason Coke suffered by comparison. Pepsi, in short, is a drink built to shine in a sip test." Despite Pepsi's title as the taste test titan, Coca-Cola was the first to step into the ring. So, for most drink devotees, this automatically makes Coke the champion of the Cola Wars.