That's what someone told me made the stuff here in SC taste worse. I'll have to try the Dublin site.

No one uses real sugar for any soft drink anymore. It's too expensive. (Exceptions; rule )

It's always been my pet conspiracy theory that that whole ``New Coke'' fiasco years ago was so that the Coca-Cola corporation could change their formula to something cheaper that tasted almost the same without anyone noticing. Then someone pointed out that they went from using real sugar to using high fructose corn syrup at that time.

I've heard that you can still get sugar-sweetened Coke in certain areas of Europe, though. I want it to be the Netherlands. One of these days, I'll have to figure out how to get some.

Coca-Cola used corn syrup before New Coke was introduced. People just didn't take note of the change. New Coke was formulated to taste more like Pepsi after Pepsi gained a lot of market-share with Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and other properties.

Lots of people like Pepsi because it is sweeter. When testing New Coke, the product was a hit but Coca-Cola failed to inform taste testers that it would be replacing the original formula. But, Coca-Cola didn't realize that their product had such emotional and patriotic value. When the original formula was replaced by New Coke, americans felt they had lost a part of their history and identity. When Coke Classic was re-introduced, the first cans sold were made before the product was pulled off the shelves. It only took 3 months (I think) for Coca-Cola to re-introduce Coke Classic. In cans, the product can last quite long. These cans had Corn Syrup as the sweetener and were made well before the initial pull.

New Coke is now sold as Coke II in select markets (we have it). Interestingly, Diet Coke is formulated to taste like Pepsi, and not a sugar-free version of Coke Classic.

I did a report on New Coke in high school business class.

Well, maybe the corn syrup thing isn't the reason, then. And while I'm sure that their reduction in the marketplace was part of the reason, I still stand behind my insane conspiracy theory, even if I don't have all the particulars in place.

we have many, many bottles of this bizarre stuff sitting around our offices at orbitz.

--dan.

Don't know if you can get Irn-Bru over there but it's well worth a sip if you can find some. In Scotland (it's "home") they sell more than Coca-Cola! You can usually find a bottle in our house. (Along with Dr.Pepper)

Gareth

There was a link that I followed about a week and a half ago (its already gone from the history file on this machine) that went into detail about that conspiracy theory and throughly debunked it.

Woohoo! Found it: http://198.64.129.160/cokelore/ - I don't know if I got that url off this BBS or my company's internal news server. Anyway, it has more information than you ever wanted to know about Coke.

Hells yes. That stuff was horrid, but people bought them just because it was cool. Gotta admit, it was the coolest drink I've ever seen

Agreed. Looked kind of cool. Tasted really nasty.

But if you kind of liked the idea of floating globules...
Are you familiar with "pearl tea" ? Also known as Boba.
It's apparently been a fad in parts of Asia for 20 years, but has taken off
on the east and west coasts of the US in the past few years.
There is even a new chain which specializes in it, named "Tapioca Express."

I just discovered it recently, and the truth is, I kind of like it.
(I know, I know, I'm a little late catching the current trends. Remember, I
discovered the Empeg a little late, as well. This posting is for anyone else
who is as out-of-the-loop as I was.)
Actually, I've never tried pearl tea or pearl coffee, just the dessert-type
very sweet variants. Basically flavored sugar water with giant tapioca balls
plus some other floaty things I've been afraid to ask about.
But if you don't like tapioca pudding (or gummy bears) you might not like this.


Oh, and Futurama kicks serious ass. Not as good as Simpsons, but still really funny.

Actually, I thought Futurama was far superior to the Simpsons in recent years.
My theory was that Groening took all the best writers off the Simpsons and
moved them over to Futurama. For nerd-types the sight-gags are fantastic.
(E.g., the 6502 inside Bender, the Aleph-null-plex cinema.) The Simpsons is
a weak shadow of its former glory. But "The Simpsons" lumbers on, while
Futurama is no more.

Oh yeah, I agree with that. When I say "The Simpsons", I mean the great, glorious idea of the best cartoon show ever created (IMO). However, the last few seasons have gone downhill. When it started getting completely random, things went bad. The land of the jockeys comes to mind as a real low point.

I agree, Futurama was far better than the Simpsons episodes of late. I think it was better just because it basically had absolutely no rules. The Simpsons has some things they pretty much have to follow to keep in touch with basic reality, and the show is about an American family, but Futurama simply has no bounds or barriers. They can make up strange and hilarious creatures and races and blow up planets. Then there's all the robots that supply a third of the jokes on the show.

And Bender is hilarious.

"The bath-what?
The what-room?
The what-what?"

One of my best friends started working for Coca Cola as a part time merchandiser (the guys you see building the in-store displays and stocking shelves) the week they replaced Classic with New Coke. He was cussed at so much for something he knew nothing about by people in the stores as if he were the one that switched it.
That switch in formulas turned out to be one of the most successful marketing blunders ever. Classic Coke sales were higher when they brought it back than before New Coke was introduced.

I just recieved my case of Dr. Pepper from Dublin Dr. Pepper . If anyone was contemplating ordering some... do so. It came to $1 per can US to have it shipped to me. It is hard to describe the taste. You just have to try it yourself. Thanks for linking to the site!

I would describe the taste as a bit smoother than DP with the high fructose sweeteners. It doesn't have a "bite" to it, but it sometimes seem to taste a bit flat. When I was in London a couple of years ago, I bought a DP and thought it tasted rathr familiar. I read the label and it stated sugar, not high fructose sweetener. I thought, "Damn they're as lucky as us Texans..." I'm glad you're enjoying the sweet nectar, if you ever find yourself in the DFW area, take the few hours to go to Dublin, cool place, and the first full week of June it's Dr Pepper, Texas, for the birthday celebration.

Apparently there's a bottler in Mass. that does a similar thing, he bottles Moxie to the original formula, with real sugar (not corn syrup) and 90 lbs of C02 instead of the corn syrup & 7lbs that you find on the shelf most places (in New England).

For those of you who like Dr. Pepper, give Moxie a try. I guarantee that you will have an opinion about its taste! I love it but there's plenty that think its the worst thing ever.

-Zeke

I don't think that Moxie is available anywhere much outside New England. ISTR that it's available in NYC, but not much farther, and I don't even know that it's available in the rest of the state.

It rather amazes me the number of small bottlers on the East Coast. Texas didn't have many that I remember, but South Carolina has all sorts of stuff I'd never heard of e.g. Cheerwine, Blenheim, Red Rock, etc.

Cheerwine is probably as old as Moxie. It's been around a long time, and, in many areas, was the soft drink of choice, perhaps along with Sundrop.

Blenheim is fairly recent in popularity, even regionally, I think, but makes a pretty good ginger ale, as long as you like it in one of their flavors, hot or hotter, and you don't require any ginger to be in it. (Though I just discovered that it's now owned by the folks who own South of the Border, a tourist trap that North Carolinians are glad is in South Carolina, even if just barely, and that might be reason enough not to buy any.)
I'm not familiar with Red Rock, though. But you can't forget about RC Cola, also a southern beverage specialty. And don't forget that both Coca-Cola and Pepsi were invented in the South. Most fo this stuff is in the Georgia/South Carolina area. Apparently, southerners like their sweet beverages (don't forget about iced tea, which is much different south of Richmond than you might expect, and, in many cases, as sweet or sweeter than your average soda).

Reminds me, I'm due for another road trip to West Virginia to get Cheerwine...

The lady at the Food Lion lin Elkins ooked at me like I was nuts when I checked out with 22 bottles as she asked me "How's the weather?" and I replied "I don't know. I was in the car since Pittsburgh and I'm turning right around and going back."