Burp-arama...the drink that makes you go: PARP! (Diet Coke)

Member Name: MarcoG

Product:	Diet Coke
Date:	12/06/08 (221 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Low calories. Good taste. You might see topless men drinking it (IF you're on a break)

Disadvantages: Contains sweetners with bad reputations. Caffeine! You might see topless men drinking it

Introduction:
Anyone who's read my 'Diet Cherry Coke' review, you will know that I used to be, pretty much, addicted to coke...not regular coke, but DIET coke...in my years at school. (God bless that vending machine seconds away from our 6th form common room.) So, here I am, reviewing the drink that got me through my school life. Looking back now, the amount of Diet Coke I used to drink is absolutely shocking...but hey, I have learnt as I have grown into a fine young man, only to consume 1 litre a day instead of 3. Hahaha...only joking. Anyway, on with the review...

What is it?:
Who doesn't know what it is? Diet Coke boasts to be the sugar free, soft drink equivalent to 'Coke', as produced by The Coca-Cola Company. It was very first released in 1982 (see pics) and has gone on to become one of the most popular soft drinks of today. It is a very dark brown (almost black), fizzy drink that when poured out, produces a nice frothy head of foam.

A little bit of history:
The Coca-Cola Company is the worlds largest producer of soft drinks. They love the fizzy stuff. The drink itself, Coke, was invented by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in 1886. Then taken on by CCC in 1892, thanks to it's founder Mr Asa Griggs Candler. It's product is sold in over 312 countries, sometimes called 'Diet Coke' or 'Coca-Cola Light' and as a company, they made $28.9 billion USD in 2007, $5.98 billion USD of that being net profit!!

Taste any good?:
First of all, there is one rule when it comes to Diet Coke. It is best served from a can or bottle, that's it! Never drink it from a pub or anywhere that serves it from a fountain, the foul taste of aspartame is far too strong and leaves your tastebuds abused and in need of therapy. This is because the fountain dispensers include saccharin (that same, fake sweet, aspartame taste) in order to extend it's shelf life. Regular Diet Coke from cans or bottles don't include this. Cheeky eh? Second of all, it's taste is nothing like it's big fatty brother 'regular Coca Cola'. The fatty version is incredibly sweet, so much so that it can leave a film of sugary gunk around your mouth and teeth. Diet Coke has much subtler sweetness. It's very hard to define the taste. There is a definite carbonny flavour, due to the carbonation of the water (this also makes you burp...parparama), but there is also a sweet, almost caramelly taste. Obviously the drink is bubbly and when those bubbles are missing (the drink is flat) there is another clear difference in taste, it tastes dull somehow. The bubbles help give it a tingle on your tongue and makes your lip zippy.

Storage suggestion:
Diet Coke is best served chilled, straight from the fridge. Ideally, over ice is best, but it must be cold. It's absolutely no good, popping a can, after the can has been sat in the sun for a while (vile) or once it's been sat out on the counter top at room temperature, but especially not from a hot car (even more vile). The cans can be kept for a very long time after purchase, as can the bottles, but once they have been opened, they are only good for a few days after. This is mainly because the fizz escapes and once a coke is flat, then well, it's not worth bothering with anymore. Unless you have a fetish for all things flat-soft-drink related, then you're fine (!!).

Price, Packaging, Size and Availabilty:
For an individual can, you would be looking to pay in the region of 40p. If you want a 6 pack (who doesn't?) it will cost around 2.55GBP. You can also but it from the bottle where you could pay up to 1GBP (that's a 500ml bottle) or a litre bottle would cost up to 2GBP. Obviously, the price changes and fluctuates depending on where you shop. You can buy it from anywhere that sells food or drink (usually). But if you buy it in a pub/bar/restaurant you can normally get a pint for just under 2GBP (any more then you're being ripped off). In this country, only a few restaurants will offer free refills, but if you ever head stateside it is virtually unheard of NOT to have free refills. (It should be law to have free refills in my opinion, it costs under 10p to make one glass!!)

How does it compare to other similar products:
Well, it's only competitor as such, would be Pepsi. Personally, I can take or leave either brand. I tend to drink more Diet Coke than Diet Pepsi, but I must admit the difference is marginal (although I do have a friend who can tell the difference, yes, she is a freak). There are also the high street branded equivalent, and whilst they are better value, in some case, I've found the taste to be compromised...usually tasting far too fake and synthetically sweet.

Nutrition:
You'll never guess what the clever people at Coke have done...they've made a Diet Coke with added vitamins (see pics), well I never! Although, alas, with this regular Diet Coke, you'll not get any of that. Nor will you be getting much in the way of any nutrition either, unfortunately. There has been quite a lot of debate and changes to recipe over in the states, as to which 'sweetner' it should use. Whether or not Diet Coke should contain aspartame, cyclamates, splenda or high fructose corn syrup (I've even found this in some bread, vile)...all of which are sweet (some not so nice) and generally they are thought to be not very good for you. Obviously, they can't use sugar, so what should they use? Aspartame has been linked by scientists, as having something to do with the formation of cancers and tumours. It also contains Sodium Benzoate, which when mixed with Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C, found believe it or not, within Diet Coke, although in very teeny tiny quantities) can create 'benzene' which is a carcinogen. Bet you wish I never mentioned that now?

One can of Diet Coke will contain in the region of, 1.3 calories (good when you consider regular Coke has a massive 142 calories for a same serving). Ingredients include: Carbonated water, Caramel Colouring, Aspartame (!!), Potassium Benzoate (!!), and Caffeine (!!) to name a few. Be warned, yes, there is caffeine in Diet Coke, so if you have any adverse reaction to it, it's probably best you go for the Caffeine free version (although this just tastes like fizzy, brown water really). It's best not to give it to kids of a young age or anyone who is about to go to bed, their nights sleep may not be so great!

The Branding:
Who could forget that Diet Coke man? Well, in the UK he has been around a fair while, occasionally topless (see pics), supping on a Diet Coke to the delight of the overlooking office workers (workers depicted in the adverts as female). In the states, advertising slogans have included: "Just for the taste of it" (in the 80s) through to "It's a Diet Coke thing" (2004) and "What life should be like" (2008). Something I learnt today at work, is the Coke branding is so familiar and so engrained in someone's head, you could be blindfolded, given a Coke in a glass bottle and you would be able to recognize it as a bottle of Coke, from the shape of the glass alone! We tried this, and scarily, it worked. The brand is all around us...it's even all over American Idol for goodness sake!

Anything Else?:
Yes...if you are a fan of Mentos (the sweet) it's not recommended that you pop one in your mouth, then chug on a Diet Coke, it won't be pretty. Check out my pics and youtube link below, to see what I mean.

Conclusion:
When I was at university, we used to study in the most amazing café, that served us Coke floats. What better way to halve your guilt, by having ice cream on DIET coke. Genius. I like Diet Coke, but not because it is low calorie or helps towards weight loss, but because I like the flavour. I like the brand and history of the company, however corrupt they may be (and yes yes, even though they took over the 'Santa' image, who cares?) there is something nostalgic and familiar about Coke, and for me especially, with Diet Coke. Yes there can be health risks, but then again doesn't everything nowadays? If you enjoy soft drinks, this is a classic and one to be enjoyed (guilt free) time and time again.

For more info go to:
www.dietcoke.com
www.thecoca-colacompany.com
For footage of the Diet Coke and Mentos 'mix' go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKoB0MHVBvM

Thanks for reading :)


© MarcoG 2008
(also on ciao)

Summary: Fizzy pop that makes you burp and trump like a trooper