Diet Coke with Splenda

I just tried diet coke with splenda today and it was the closest tasting to the regular Coke Classic ive ever tried. This is head and shoulders above Diet Coke with aspartame (NutraSweet ). The splenda coke doesnt have that awfull after taste of the nutrasweet version.

Anyone else who enjoys a coke once in a while try the Diet Coke with Splenda version yet? What you guys think of the taste compared to the nutrasweet version?

/polster

More importantly, how do you think it compares to Coke Zero (coke sweetened with acesulfame-potassium, like they do with diet coke in europe), which I also vastly prefer to the aspartame variety.

I have to admit, I was a huge Coca Cola addict in college, mostly fueled by a now-ex boyfriend. The reason why I loved Coke was the incredible sugar rush it gave me. The first sip of coke on ice in a day was insanely wonderful to me back then. It had this way of making your brain seize and then tingling the whole way down your esophagus. (Going back and reading this, it does make me sound like an addict!)
But I don't drink Coke anymore (fear of high fructose corn syrup) and when I heard of Coke Zero, I decided to give it a shot a couple months back. And with my first sip, I thought, "holy cow, this does taste like real Coke!" But then I realized something was missing--and it was that fantastic sugar rush/brain seizure thing. I took a couple more sips and then poured it down the drain. Oh well.

I hate to say this, but I've been drinking diet coke for so long I can't stand a real coke, even a real Mexican coke. I don't care for the Coke Zero either.

Bruce wrote:I hate to say this, but I've been drinking diet coke for so long I can't stand a real coke, even a real Mexican coke. I don't care for the Coke Zero either.

Ah, bruce, but what about fountain diet coke, which is sweetened with a mixture of aspartame and saccharin? That's my dad's personal favorite.. and it does have a very distinct taste.

polster wrote:I just tried diet coke with splenda today and it was the closest tasting to the regular Coke Classic ive ever tried. This is head and shoulders above Diet Coke with aspartame (NutraSweet ). The splenda coke doesnt have that awfull after taste of the nutrasweet version.

Anyone else who enjoys a coke once in a while try the Diet Coke with Splenda version yet? What you guys think of the taste compared to the nutrasweet version?

When it was first released, I thought Diet Coke w/ Splenda was the best stuff around. 'They might as well stop selling the regular Diet Coke' were my exact words. But over months of drinking, I developed a distaste for one of the flavors present. It just kept tasting worse and worse, and it became a struggle to finish a can. I've switched over to Coke Zero almost exclusively now, and haven't had any similar experience. It tastes reasonably similar to regular Coke...but I'd have no distinguishing the two in a blind taste test.

This is probably as good a place as any to note this - taste memory is only about one week or so. So that if you switched from one type to another and drank it for a week, the first one would taste 'odd'.

About three years ago, I used to have a coke at lunch everyday. I thought to make the switch to diet, but decided that would interfere with my penchant for Cuba libres. I therefore switched to water
I used also to have two spoonfuls of sugar in my coffee - when I cut back to one, it tasted bitter and off but only for a few days. Similarly with switching between different fat-content milks.

Count me as a vote against Splenda-sweetened drinks. Whereas I know people who think Nutrasweet/aspartame tastes like "sucking on a nickel" (which doesn't bother me much either), I find Splenda/ace-K to have a swimming-pool-like chlorinated quality.

That being said, I've never been a big fan of Diet Coke or Tab in any incarnation. Diet Pepsi is moderately better (probably due to a higher citrus component); I much prefer fruit-flavored sugar-free soft drinks such as Diet Mountain Dew, Diet Squirt and Diet Cherry 7-Up.

Drinks which have a mix of artificial sweeteners seem to help ease the negative aspects of each one's flavor profile... with the exception of Coke Blak, which is just rancid to my palate, like a sugar-free coffee hard candy (even though it is partly sweetened with caloric stuff).

Like a few other people, I find Coke Zero to be the closest to Classic Coke flavor of the artificially sweetened versions (without the cloying sweetness of HFCS). However, I have found that I absolutely cannot drink it out of a plastic bottle, only from a can. I've always preferred cans to plastic bottles, but this is the first time I cant' even stomach the plastic bottled version.

sweetsalty wrote:Like a few other people, I find Coke Zero to be the closest to Classic Coke flavor of the artificially sweetened versions (without the cloying sweetness of HFCS). However, I have found that I absolutely cannot drink it out of a plastic bottle, only from a can. I've always preferred cans to plastic bottles, but this is the first time I cant' even stomach the plastic bottled version.

Earlier this year when I finally found the 11.8 oz glass bottles of Coke, I also bought some Coke Zero bottles. And for whatever reason, Coke Zero from a glass bottle tasted absolutely amazing. I don't know if these are still being sold, but I think I just convinced myself to hit Danny's within the next few days to find out...

Count me in the Coke Zero camp. I've had Diet Coke with Splenda, and I actually think I prefer the regular Diet Coke. When Splenda first came out, I found it a welcome alternative to aspartime, but now, I notice it gives this weird taste/sensation on the back of my tongue. I prefer the sharper aftertaste of aspartime.

Coke Zero, on the other hand, is pretty darn close to regular Coke.

i've had the coke w/ splenda and agree it tastes good...
but splenda itself makes me bloated (yes i feel like an old woman!) so i can't drink it.

(btw if you're looking for more splenda products, the Hansens Diet sodas are pretty good and made w/ splenda)

holy cow... coke zero... guess i'm 3 months behind this thread.

figured i'd never succumb to died drinks until this Thanksgiving. surely many of us can taste coke/coke splenda/diet coat/coke zero in a quadruple blind taste.. but Zero, to me, is the closest to regular American coke. it's many a carbon molecules away from mexican coke, but this is gonna have to do until i figure out how NOT to eat rice everyday.

why aren't all the chubster coke fiends clamouring for this? i don't know.

Binko wrote:Count me in the Coke Zero camp. I've had Diet Coke with Splenda, and I actually think I prefer the regular Diet Coke. When Splenda first came out, I found it a welcome alternative to aspartime, but now, I notice it gives this weird taste/sensation on the back of my tongue. I prefer the sharper aftertaste of aspartime.

Coke Zero, on the other hand, is pretty darn close to regular Coke.

TonyC wrote:...surely many of us can taste coke/coke splenda/diet coat/coke zero in a quadruple blind taste.. but Zero, to me, is the closest to regular American coke....

Yup, Coke Zero's the hero for me, too. Too bad none of my diet-drinking friends buy it (so I can drink it when I come over) -- I only buy regular for myself.

--Dan (who will drink most diet sodas, regardless, if that's all ya got)

Hi,

Coke is offering just too many shades of Coke: Vanilla Coke, Cherry Coke, Classic Coke, Coke II, C2 (what is that? another way to say Coke II?), Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Coke Black (or whatever they call the Coffee flavored Coke), Coke with lime (is there Coke with lemon?), Decaf Coke. Am I missing any?

If Coke was a person, I would tell them, "In your efforts to please everybody, you have lost your identity."

I didn't mention Mexican Coke, because it is not really supposed to be sold up here.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Coke is offering just too many shades of Coke: Vanilla Coke, Cherry Coke, Classic Coke, Coke II, C2 (what is that? another way to say Coke II?), Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Coke Black (or whatever they call the Coffee flavored Coke), Coke with lime (is there Coke with lemon?), Decaf Coke. Am I missing any?

If Coke was a person, I would tell them, "In your efforts to please everybody, you have lost your identity."

Cathy,

How is Coke different than any other brand with multiple line extensions? The only difference is that I'm sure Coke would only like to have one diet soda instead of two (three if you count Tab), but too many people would complain if Diet Coke was phased out for the better tasting Coke Zero. C2 is their lower carb offering (half regular Coke, half diet Coke).

Fujisan,

I simply find it a blurr of the same thing. I simply reach for the Coke (Classic) and Diet Coke, though I regard the others as appealing to market niches.

I know when I drink full octane regular Coke, I drink it down fast and easy. I find I nurse my way through a Diet Coke and don't always finish it. I might like Coke Zero better.

Oh and thanks for an explanation of C2.

Regards,

I can't imagine they're going to keep C2 around much longer...it seems to be both a forgotten & unneeded product (it's basically a mix of diet & regular, sweetened with both HFCS & artificial sweeteners) that nobody's buying. It's getting less and less room on the Coke shelves at the grocery stores. Pepsi's version (Pepsi Edge) has already been discontinued.

Coke Zero though, looks like a winner, and Coke has big plans for it ...tons of advertising in upcoming months, and they've gotten Wendy's & White Castle to agree to carry it for their drink fountains.

And according to Wikipedia, Cherry Coke Zero will debut next week...

Cathy2 wrote:Coke is offering just too many shades of Coke: Vanilla Coke, Cherry Coke, Classic Coke, Coke II, C2 (what is that? another way to say Coke II?), Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Coke Black (or whatever they call the Coffee flavored Coke), Coke with lime (is there Coke with lemon?), Decaf Coke. Am I missing any?

From the coca-cola.com website, with bold for things I've never seen:
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/bran ... dlist.html

(*edited with some region info)

caffeine free Coca-Cola
caffeine free Diet Coke/Coca-Cola light
cherry Coke
Coca-Cola Blak
Coca-Cola C2
Coca-Cola Citra - Mexico and New Zealand
Coca-Cola with Lemon
Coca-Cola with Lime
Coca-Cola with Raspberry
Coca-Cola Zero
Coke II
diet cherry Coke
Diet Coke/Coca-Cola light
Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla
Diet Coke Citra/Coca-Cola light Citra - Mexico and New Zealand
Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda
Diet Coke with Lemon/Coca-Cola light with Lemon
Diet Coke with Lime/Coca-Cola light with Lime
Diet Coke with Raspberry
diet Vanilla Coke
Vanilla Coke

JoelF wrote:From the coca-cola.com website, with bold for things I've never seen:
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/bran ... dlist.html

(*edited with some region info)
...
Coca-Cola with Lemon
...
Diet Coke with Lemon/Coca-Cola light with Lemon
...
diet Vanilla Coke
Vanilla Coke

Interesting... I had read somewhere that regular Coke with Lemon was going to be discontinued (with possibly the same going for regular Vanilla Coke), while the lemon-flavored variant would continue on only in diet form, at least in the North American market. Lack of consumer interest, I believe? Pepsi, on the other hand, seemed to still be supporting its regular lemon version if I recall correctly.

Going without linked sources for now,
Dan

clogoodie wrote:Coke Zero though, looks like a winner, and Coke has big plans for it ...tons of advertising in upcoming months, and they've gotten Wendy's & White Castle to agree to carry it for their drink fountains.

And according to Wikipedia, Cherry Coke Zero will debut next week...

CZ in Wendy's... and in Cherry form (most likely elsewhere)?? The former news might make up for the replacement of regular Minute Maid Lemonade with its Light (and utterly undrinkable) version a while back, while the latter is simply a bombshell for this Cherry Coke lover. I am... most pleased.

--Dan "Zero" (who doesn't even need a diet drink)

fastfoodsnob wrote:CZ in Wendy's... and in Cherry form (most likely elsewhere)?? The former news might make up for the replacement of regular Minute Maid Lemonade with its Light (and utterly undrinkable) version a while back, while the latter is simply a bombshell for this Cherry Coke lover. I am... most pleased.

--Dan "Zero" (who doesn't even need a diet drink)

Spotted Coke Cherry Zero @ Jewel (Roscoe & Western) this evening and picked up a 12-pack. They had 2 liters as well. Will try the first can tomorrow morning...

Thanks for the tip guys! Just tried Coke zero for the first time after i read what you said. It tastes almost like regular coke, and I never would have thought to try it had I not been reading this thread.

LTH,

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. The Bride 2 be and I picked up a stash of the Cherry Coke Zero. You'd have to pay me to believe it wasn't the same when cold. However, I did notice a slight metallic aftertaste if the can was sitting out for a while. Oh well, I guess I'll have to revert back to my college days of slamming down canned beverages, usually with the assistance of a hole in the side of the can.

Flip

Well we definitely go for the diet coke so that we aren’t counting up on the calories when we gulp in the soda, but in an attempt to make the drink tastier as people have emphasized here they combine it with other foods and at times beverages too. So are we sure that this isn’t building up the caloric intake? For example if the diet coke was to be made sweetened then the product that has to be used with it can surely add up to the calorie counter, so can someone clarify this to me?

I've found that my favorite in the no-sugar wars is Pepsi One, which is sucralose (Splenda,) and acesulfame potassium. I've tried many of the non-sugar Coke varieties and I like it better; it doesn't seem to have as much of a burn afterwards.

I've also found that, although I'm a long-time Coke Classic drinker, now that I'm watching the calories, I don't enjoy sugar-sweetened drinks as much; even Coke!

Time for another Coke variety...

Diet Coke Plus: fortified with vitamins & minerals

JoelF wrote:
From the coca-cola.com website, with bold for things I've never seen:
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/bran ... dlist.html

(*edited with some region info)

Coca-Cola light

Coke light is the European version of Diet Coke. It tastes like Tab.

clogoodie wrote:Time for another Coke variety...

Diet Coke Plus: fortified with vitamins & minerals

Truly disgusting. Sweeter than diet coke, with a chalky aftertaste.

Really, seriously, avoid it like the plague.

Regarding Diet Coke Plus: To quote Mr. Burns, "I don't know art, but I know what I hate, and I don't hate this."

I didn't get the chalkiness, and I like drinks a little sweet. I did pour the can over ice, which could make a difference. It's got a blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium, which to me is a LOT better tasting than just ace-K.