Why does coke taste different from different containers?

[1MileCrash]

Any coca-cola lover can tell you that it seems like coke from glass bottles is of the highest quality, with coke from aluminum cans in second, and with coke from a plastic bottle (such as a 20 ounce) in a lowly third.

Why is this? I think that the plastic bottles is far behind aluminum while aluminum is significantly behind glass, but not to as much of a degree.

Does the carbonic acid dissolve the plastic into the beverage in some way?

 

[brewnog]

Great question. I note that the taste from the 50cl plastic bottles is the worst; perhaps because of the unfavourable volume to surface area ratio as compared with the 2l bottle. The stuff in steel cans we used to get here always seemed to taste better than the aluminium cans too.

 

[Dr Lots-o'watts]

I agree with your ratings, but I wonder if we could identify the original container if coke from each one was poured in separate identical glasses and taste-tested.

 

[Jack21222]

Probably for the same reason that two placebo pills is more effective than one placebo pill.

I agree with your ratings, but I wonder if we could identify the original container if coke from each one was poured in identical glasses and taste-tested.

The act of pouring might mess up the flavor as carbonation is released. I propose putting straws in each of the containers, and obscuring the containers from view of the test subject.

 

[brewnog]

I can definitely differentiate between that stored in glass, plastic and metal, even when drunk from glass. The difference between steel/aluminium and big plastic/small plastic is much smaller though, not sure I could do that.

 

[Dr Lots-o'watts]

There's also paper cups, such as when served at fast food joints. Although the drinks there are also prepared differently I believe.

 

[brewnog]

They are, they're made from concentrated syrup which is diluted with carbonated water at the point of sale. Completely different.

 

[1MileCrash]

I also think that since they are stored in the paper cup for a very short amount of time, that it doesn't really matter.

I've also heard that the carbonation can slowly permeate plastic bottles.

 

[Jack21222]

I also think that since they are stored in the paper cup for a very short amount of time, that it doesn't really matter.

I've also heard that the carbonation can slowly permeate plastic bottles.

Where did you hear it? Can you find a link? Did they offer any explanation?

 

[Lacy33]

My mom use to ask me questions like this when I was a kid. And another one is why does a slice of bread taste better sliced in three. She also use to tell me that a person could have two Phd's and not be very smart at all. A fairly uneducated person could read the back of a bubble gum wrapper and figure out the secrets of the universe. Would mom be a crank today?

 

[1MileCrash]

Where did you hear it? Can you find a link? Did they offer any explanation?

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:jgj-QtE3_CUJ:factofthematter.net/articles/beer.html

 

[Pythagorean]

The act of pouring might mess up the flavor as carbonation is released. I propose putting straws in each of the containers, and obscuring the containers from view of the test subject.

I don't know. Let's take an extreme example. Any plastic bottled drink (from water to soda) left in the sun will taste like plastic after a sufficient amount of time. It's so blatant of a taste it's difficult to surmise that it's psychological.

This makes me think there's a certain amount of off-gassing from the plastic bottles. The off-gassing (or whatever mechanism it is) is surely slowed down when the bottles are kept in dark cool places, but given a sufficient amount of time, would there be enough off-gassing to change the taste slightly? And would shipping, storing, and transit time be enough? I don't think it's out of the question.

I wonder if we looked at the stability of the material and compared it to the taste if we'd find that glass is the most stable, then metal, then plastic. It seems to fit already to me, intuitively. But I wonder if we have a materials scientist around that could enlighten us.

 

[Evo]

http://www.Newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/mats05/mats05110.htm

 

[BobG]

Pressure makes a big difference in the sensation of carbonation as well. Technically, carbonated beverages are too weak an acid to do much to their containers, so the main considerations should be each container's ability to maintain a given pressure (which Evo's link also at least mentions, but doesn't provide much detail about). A carbonated soft drink should have a pressure of about 2.5 atm to provide the proper mix of carbon dioxide.

A plastic bottle has a twist cap, which allows at least a small amount of gas to escape very slowly. How long that plastic bottle has been sitting in the store will affect the taste. Plastic can expand/contract due to heat, plus plastic is more likely to actually affect the taste than bottles/cans. Plastic isn't a very good container for any beverage.

A bottle is very good at maintaining a constant pressure, but the cap can allow at least a tiny bit of gas to escape. If it's a standard cap instead of a twist off cap, that rate should be so low as to not affect the pressurization in any detectable way.

A can should be perfect at keeping all gas inside the can with no leakage. If the cans are kept cold, there should be no difference between cans/bottles.

That doesn't say anything about the process of establishing the proper pressure in bottles/cans when the beverage is initially sealed in the container. If there's any difference between the two, then I would think it's because it's easier to get a consistent initial pressure in one than the other (that would just be a guess, though, since I'm pretty sure there's really not much difference between cans/bottles).

I do remember making home made root beer and the process of home carbonation can be very erratic in bottles. One batch resulted in quite a few bottles exploding after a day or two.

 

[Antiphon]

Each container imparts some flavor except for the glass. Plastic bottles have a thin but not perfect barrier coating on the inside. The plasticizer in the polymer leeches through at a very low rate, but the palate is sensitive enough to detect trace amounts. The aluminum cans are similar with a natural aluminum oxide barrier. It's very very thin though and I'm not sure if it's compromised by the carbonic acid in the coke. If so, aluminum ions can go solution and probably alter the flavor a tad. Another possibility is the lubricant used on the tool that makes the cans. Chances are it's a food product. Vegetable oil is used to lubricate rolls of aluminum foil. I'd bet the same thing is used in the manufacture of aluminum cans.

 

[Proton Soup]

carbonic acid isn't the only acid in soft drinks. depending on the soda, there may be a significant amount of phosphoric acid or citric acid. classic coke always had a good bit of phosphoric acid, i think, which gave it a bit of bite, and led to it's history of various household/garage cleaning chores.

 

[nismaratwork]

I'd add that 'tin' cans also have a coating which has similar properties to those antiphon describes regarding the plastic; a polymer coating. Glass has nothing, but ALSO...

...soda lines often release their "natural" or "original" lines in bottles, which means cane sugar, not corn syrup. I can also say from experience that when you get a soda in a glass, it's often NOT from a can first... it's cheap enough for any restaurant with a bar-gun to buy some coke syrup and soda water... which again is a different (preferable to me) taste. For the paper cup, I think they have a distinct smell and taste to begin with, which I would add to the aluminum can as well.

Who knows what combination of micro-leeching of something that isn't dangerous, but detectable by the palate, and the interaction of smells and tastes you'd notice in an empty can, glass, paper cup with the soda.

We should do a PF, multi-soda, water-control, taste test extravaganza. Just a thought, and Proton buys the soda!

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Coca Cola tastes best when it comes from a root beer container.

 

[Saladsamurai]

Great question. I note that the taste from the 50cl plastic bottles is the worst; perhaps because of the unfavourable volume to surface area ratio as compared with the 2l bottle. The stuff in steel cans we used to get here always seemed to taste better than the aluminium cans too.

Though I am not sure that I understand the whole volume-to-area affecting the taste thing, I am in agreement that this could be the cause. Here is why: if you buy a small can (~8 oz) of RED BULL it tastes significantly different than a larger can (~12 oz).

I know that most people do not like RED BULL, but if you do, try this. Get a small can and a large can and taste the difference. This is kind of like a control experiment. Here, only the size of the can varies and not the material and the difference is significant.

 

[nismaratwork]

Though I am not sure that I understand the whole volume-to-area affecting the taste thing, I am in agreement that this could be the cause. Here is why: if you buy a small can (~8 oz) of RED BULL it tastes significantly different than a larger can (~12 oz).

I know that most people do not like RED BULL, but if you do, try this. Get a small can and a large can and taste the difference. This is kind of like a control experiment. Here, only the size of the can varies and not the material and the difference is significant.

Red Bull: Now something that tastes like bitter smarties can make you jittery!

 

[xxChrisxx]

Any coca-cola lover can tell you that it seems like coke from glass bottles is of the highest quality, with coke from aluminum cans in second, and with coke from a plastic bottle (such as a 20 ounce) in a lowly third.

Why is this? I think that the plastic bottles is far behind aluminum while aluminum is significantly behind glass, but not to as much of a degree.

Does the carbonic acid dissolve the plastic into the beverage in some way?

The plastic shouldn't be reacting with anything, but PET is permeable to carbon dioxide. Which is why you can have an old unopened plastic bottle that is flat.

EDIT: Also as others have said, there may be leeching of the plastic coating into the coke.

 

[EnumaElish]

My question is, what prompted Coke's taste in containers to change from an hour-glass bottle, to a metal can?

 

[Fredrik]

I agree with your ratings, but I wonder if we could identify the original container if coke from each one was poured in separate identical glasses and taste-tested.

I have some nerdy friends who tested me in this way a few years ago. I could easily identify the coke from the half liter plastic bottle by smell alone. I don't know why, but coke in half liter bottles smells and tastes much worse than coke from any of the other containers. I was also able to correctly identify the 1.5 liter plastic bottle and the 0.33 liter can (I had to actually drink some to do that), but there may have been some luck involved since I wasn't sure before they told me I was right. There was no glass bottle in the test.

I disagree with the ratings. I would rate them like this:

1. 0.33 liter can
2. 1.5 liter hard plastic bottle
3. 0.25 liter glass bottle
4. 0.5 liter soft plastic bottle

This is in Sweden. It might be different in other countries.

The last time I did one of those blind tests was about 8 years ago. I think the half liter bottles has gotten better since then. It would be fun to do the test again.

 

[nismaratwork]

My question is, what prompted Coke's taste in containers to change from an hour-glass bottle, to a metal can?

Cost of production, and the relatively "bulletproof" nature of cans vs. glass in shipping. Less loss = more profit. People recycle aluminum enough that it keeps prices for things like cans quite reasonable, but glass takes more work to heat, reform, and finish.

I think a simpler reason is also: We drink it. If you go to many countries other than the US, there's a bottle for your coke or other soda. Some cultures prefer to see what they're eating and drinking before they do, or it may be that glass-bottling facilities exist where canning facilities don't. Certainly when you're a smaller operation bottles are more cost-efficient, but it seems cans become profitable at some point.

 

[FlexGunship]

Any coca-cola lover can tell you that it seems like coke from glass bottles is of the highest quality, with coke from aluminum cans in second, and with coke from a plastic bottle (such as a 20 ounce) in a lowly third.

The same is true for Mountain Dew! Except with no glass bottles it is simply the can in first and the bottle in second... a distant second.

 

[nismaratwork]

The same is true for Mountain Dew! Except with no glass bottles it is simply the can in first and the bottle in second... a distant second.

Does it REALLY matter what container you put fluorescent piss from a donkey that's been mixed with soda and corn syrup into? Mountain Dew is, was, and ever shall be a fast means of getting sugared caffeine into the body. Why do you think it was that Mountain Dew was the first to have those wide-mouthed cans?... the faster that **** gets away from the tongue on its way to the gut, the better.

Now, Sierra Mist (same manufacturer!) is a real man's drink. Clear, sparkling, made with sugar... and still mountain/dewy themed in name if not flavor!

Seriously, I've heard that MD is melon flavored, which is a LIE. I've had melon sodas in quite a few countries, as I'm sure others have, and MD wasn't inspired by any melon on this planet. I actually believe that Mountain Dew is the diluted urine of speed-freaks. I could go on...

...and ON...

...

 

[FlexGunship]

Does it REALLY matter what container you put fluorescent piss from a donkey that's been mixed with soda and corn syrup into?

Apparently.

Seriously, I've heard that MD is melon flavored, which is a LIE.

Negative. A quick check of the ingredients will show that the primary flavor is orange juice concentrate. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Dew#Ingredients)

 

[nismaratwork]

Apparently.



Negative. A quick check of the ingredients will show that the primary flavor is orange juice concentrate. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Dew#Ingredients)

That. Is. TERRIFYING! I never would have pegged that as an orange soda. I would have guessed Fresca's grapefruity origin or the nature of Dr. Pepper first! Are we sure they're not just using it for citric acid and sweetener, and so they can say it's made with fruit juice?

 

[FlexGunship]

That. Is. TERRIFYING!

Why is it terrifying? It'll put hair on your chest and keep you from getting scurvy at the same time.

 

[nismaratwork]

Why is it terrifying? It'll put hair on your chest and keep you from getting scurvy at the same time.

So does death...

edit: Technically it's the skin retracting, but you get the idea!

P.S. Death doesn't taste like GREEN

 

[FlexGunship]

So does death...

edit: Technically it's the skin retracting, but you get the idea!

P.S. Death doesn't taste like GREEN

Yes, death doesn't taste green. It has a vaguely peppery taste... like Pepsi Holiday Spice.

 

[turbo]

When I was staying in Paducah and doing some consulting work for a mill on the very western end of KY (Wickliff), I met a guy in a music store who turned me on to the local variant of RC Cola. The guy who owned the bottling plant had an elderly mother, and she wouldn't tolerate a re-formulation to corn syrup, so he kept using cane sugar. When I was a kid, RC was a distant second to Coke IMO, but Coke had slid badly by the 90s, and that RC formulation was far better in taste. Clean and crisp.

 

[nismaratwork]

Yes, death doesn't taste green. It has a vaguely peppery taste... like Pepsi Holiday Spice.

Wow... I've never heard of it, but it sounds like a threat and looks like engine degreaser. BTW, PepsiCo?... maker of Mountain Dew. You mean that the people who brought us dilute Shrek-piss also tried to make a holiday SPICE pepsi? Shocking, sir, outrageous!

 

[nismaratwork]

When I was staying in Paducah and doing some consulting work for a mill on the very western end of KY (Wickliff), I met a guy in a music store who turned me on to the local variant of RC Cola. The guy who owned the bottling plant had an elderly mother, and she wouldn't tolerate a re-formulation to corn syrup, so he kept using cane sugar. When I was a kid, RC was a distant second to Coke IMO, but Coke had slid badly by the 90s, and that RC formulation was far better in taste. Clean and crisp.

Oh, cane sugar is terrific, which makes sense since sugar is next to water when it comes to the taste and texture of soda. Gas is probably the next biggest factor, but CO2 isn't going to be replaced with Radon or Cyanide gas anytime soon.

You can snag a lot of great sodas who's main claim to fame is that they're made with cane sugar. I know people raised on corn syrup who find it too sharp on the tongue (less carbonation buffer), so it's a matter of taste in my view. I don't know anything about corn syrup that makes it intrinsically evil, except that it's cheap and changes the texture and flavor of things. When I want my fudge to be smooth, I love it... when I want soda, I don't.

 

[1MileCrash]

Wow... I've never heard of it, but it sounds like a threat and looks like engine degreaser. BTW, PepsiCo?... maker of Mountain Dew. You mean that the people who brought us dilute Shrek-piss also tried to make a holiday SPICE pepsi? Shocking, sir, outrageous!

It's actually delicious if you ask me, but I haven't had it in years.

 

[nismaratwork]

It's actually delicious if you ask me, but I haven't had it in years.

Hmmm, I'm curious now, although I wouldn't have guessed that 'mulled pepsi' would be a taste sensation.

 

[Dr Lots-o'watts]

This darn thread just got me hooked on the glass bottles :!)

Another one for Warren Buffet.

 

[Galteeth]

Well, my sister works at a pizzeria. Her first day (she had worked there years before, under different management) she started taking apart the soda fountain to clean it. The manager was surprised and apparently didn't know that you could do that. She found the fountain parts covered in mold.

I try to avoid fountain soda.

 

[FlexGunship]

It's actually delicious if you ask me, but I haven't had it in years.

...and now we know we can't trust your judgement on taste.

Seriously, I remember it smelled a little like old beer (you know that "garbage-water" smell?), and when you drank it too quickly the aftertaste of gingerbread made your eyes water. If you drank it slowly enough (like sipping a glass of fine Scotch), all you could taste was sugary pepper. If you were unlucky enough to burp... well... never mind...

Ugh, it gives me the chills just thinking about it.

 

[nismaratwork]

Well, my sister works at a pizzeria. Her first day (she had worked there years before, under different management) she started taking apart the soda fountain to clean it. The manager was surprised and apparently didn't know that you could do that. She found the fountain parts covered in mold.

I try to avoid fountain soda.

Heh... don't ever ask about how fryers are cleaned... unless you like your potatoes strictly baked and mashed.

Flex: Now your description is closer to the hell I imagined from spiced cola. I don't see the point of a soft drink that you need to become drunk just to stomach...

 

[zomgwtf]

@Turbo, I was born in 89 and all through the 90s while I was in elementary/middle school RC Cola was preferred over any other can of soda. It was extremely cheap, something like 25-30 cents (it's now 50 I think) and tasted great.

@Galteeth, I've never seen mold in the drink lines while I worked at McDonalds but then again we cleaned them often. I DID however see mold in the ice container one time. I was so shocked by that that I emptied it bleached it sanitized it scrubbed it with soap sanitized it again and put a sign on it for a week so no one could use it... some people I worked with didn't even care they would have used it with the mold in there AND would have even used it right after I bleached it. The amount of flies that falls into the ice is stupid high too, so I would suggest avoiding ice.

The McDonalds orange drink from the fountain machine was also able to clean our grill if we ever ran out of grill acid. I remember using that stuff to clean an oil spot on our sidewalk when we ran out of degreaser, it stained the sidewalk for a few days but it sure cleaned that oil fast. Scary but delicious!

@OP, I've also noticed that things seem to taste different from containers vs out of a glass. I.e. if I drink milk straight out of the bag it tastes so much better to me than if I poured it and drank from a glass... This applies to any drink really... I think this might be psychological however.

 

[nismaratwork]

@Turbo, I was born in 89 and all through the 90s while I was in elementary/middle school RC Cola was preferred over any other can of soda. It was extremely cheap, something like 25-30 cents (it's now 50 I think) and tasted great.

@Galteeth, I've never seen mold in the drink lines while I worked at McDonalds but then again we cleaned them often. I DID however see mold in the ice container one time. I was so shocked by that that I emptied it bleached it sanitized it scrubbed it with soap sanitized it again and put a sign on it for a week so no one could use it... some people I worked with didn't even care they would have used it with the mold in there AND would have even used it right after I bleached it. The amount of flies that falls into the ice is stupid high too, so I would suggest avoiding ice.

The McDonalds orange drink from the fountain machine was also able to clean our grill if we ever ran out of grill acid. I remember using that stuff to clean an oil spot on our sidewalk when we ran out of degreaser, it stained the sidewalk for a few days but it sure cleaned that oil fast. Scary but delicious!

@OP, I've also noticed that things seem to taste different from containers vs out of a glass. I.e. if I drink milk straight out of the bag it tastes so much better to me than if I poured it and drank from a glass... This applies to any drink really... I think this might be psychological however.

Truly, you can't know how happy you've made a man who stopped eating any fast food a long time ago.

The milk by the way... I wonder if we're ignoring how different containers interact with the nose? Maybe when it comes to milder flavors like milk, or ones with many notes like a soda are subject to small adjustments in how well you smell them? Hmmm...

edit: Or, maybe you're more thirsty when you choose to forgo the glass... that makes sense too.

 

[FlexGunship]

The McDonalds orange drink from the fountain machine was also able to clean our grill if we ever ran out of grill acid. I remember using that stuff to clean an oil spot on our sidewalk when we ran out of degreaser, it stained the sidewalk for a few days but it sure cleaned that oil fast. Scary but delicious!

I don't always drink degreaser, but when I do, I prefer McDonald's orange drink. Stay thirsty my friends.

 

[nismaratwork]

I don't always drink degreaser, but when I do, I prefer McDonald's orange drink. Stay thirsty my friends.

edit: That picture was taken of Mr. Goldsmith when he was... 15! Yes, that's the terrible secret, he's a young man artificially aged by orange drink. OH THE HORROR! Oh The humanity! Oh the citrus!

 

[Proton Soup]

hmm, i wonder how mcdonalds orange degreaser would work on my clogged arteries?

 

[turbo]

hmm, i wonder how mcdonalds orange degreaser would work on my clogged arteries?

How about MEK? Stay thirsty, my friend!

 

[nismaratwork]

hmm, i wonder how mcdonalds orange degreaser would work on my clogged arteries?

If it did, that would be the PERFECT example of 'irony' to teach the young folks. They got your arteries here to begin with, and now their psychotic OJ cleanses you... yes... a beautiful cycle.


Frankly, I'd rather have angioplasty than drink that stuff.

 

[Antiphon]

Here's a really sad story.

In graduate school we had a soda machine dispensing classic coke before new coke and it was made with sugar. I loved that beverage. It was the nectar of the Gods.

The they came out with New Coke. A fouler beverage you've never tasted save for mountain dew.

Decades went by and my longing for the old coke with sugar never subsided. Then in the last year they began importing bottles of coke from Mexico made with real sugar. I was so happy I went and got a bottle, chilled it in the fridge for a week. Prepared a special pizza dish in anticipation of the great reunion, me and Old Coke.

Popped the top off, it smelled great. Took a swig.

It was too sweet! Oh no! I've grown used to the new classic coke while hating it but now it's better than Old Coke! Ahhhhhh!

It's just like a clockwork orange. Sort of.