Coca Cola Light

[GRLMGC]

Okay, so I remember drinking this in Europe and it absolutely tasted like regular Coke. What kind of chemical do they put in this that makes it so damn good? It's probably best that I'm kept away from it since I would likely drink it excessively.

[Tafiti]

1. I don't know, but hmmm, something about Europe.

When I was there, they had all kinds of delectable flavors of Fanta (TM), and I drank it religiously. Then, I come back to the U.S. and the Fanta here tastes like ass (well, not literally, but you know what I mean...) Why would the ingredients to what is ostensibly the same product be different in Europe than in the U.S.? I don't get it.

Oh, and Europe also has doner-kebabs. Simply amazing, and nothing like it here that I know of. I've tried to order doner-kebabs at Turkish restaurants, and they're not even close.

[GRLMGC]

2. I think the Fanta has real sugar in it

My friend said the same thing. She fell in love with Fanta but was horribly disappointed when she got back home and tasted the US version.

[Kutjara]

8. The best Fanta is in Egypt.

It's made from real oranges and tastes absolutely wonderful. I have a (rich) friend in London who imports cases of the stuff every month.

[bicentennial_baby]

5. High Fructose Corn Syrup vs Real Sugar

true :)

[1gobluedem]

7. VERY true

This weekend I had a Coke that was made in Mexico with cane sugar instead of high fructose poison. It was sooooo good and sooooo refreshing. I forgot what real Coke tastes like.

That's all I'm going to buy from now on.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

14. I noticed the same thing.

[CottonBear]

3. It's just Diet Coke with a different name or it was when I was in Europe.

The word "diet" has a medicinal and/or pharmaceutical meaning in Europe so the word "light" was used for the European market.

[GRLMGC]

4. I know its the equivalent

It tastes better though. I'm used to the taste of Diet Coke so it doesn't bother me but I was surprised that the flavor was different.

[kay1864]

6. Actually I think it's closer to Coke Zero, not Diet Coke

My understanding of it, which I posted awhile back:

Diet Coke was developed around the time as New Coke, and thus is a diet version of New Coke. Which is why it doesn't taste like Coca-Cola Classic.

Coke Light, which you could get in Europe for the past several years, tastes like Coca-Cola Classic. (I love Coke Light!) Very different taste from Diet Coke.

Coke Zero to me tastes just like Coke Light. I think it's just Coke Light in a different package.

[CottonBear]

9. I was in Europe in 1992, so the Coke Light may have been diet New Coke. I think you're right.

Coke Light is Coke Zero. :) I like Coke Zero better than Diet Coke.

I've been trying to cut back on cokes and caffeine but I'll have a Coke Zero once or twice a week. :)

[GRLMGC]

10. Yeah, Coke Zero is pretty good

It still has a bit of an aftertaste but the main flavor is Coke. I didn't really feel as much of an aftertaste in Coke Light. But, yeah, they are very similar in flavor.

[lost-in-nj]

11. I think it was in Disney

they had a Coke place that you could try soda from all over the world.
Some of it was quite disgusting, mostly the middle eastern country ones...
Don't remember alot more about it, was 5-6 years ago....


lost

[mac56]

12. They have that at "World Of Coca-Cola" in Atlanta.

I thought some of the regional Coke products were quite de-lish.

[CGowen]

13. I think it's sodium-cyclamate together with others, ( banned in US )

Diet Coke was sweetened with aspartame as soon as the sweetener became available in the U.S., 1983; however, to save money, this was originally in a blend with saccharin. After Diet Rite cola advertised its 100 percent use of aspartame, and the manufacturer of NutraSweet (then, G.D. Searle & Company) warned that the NutraSweet trademark would not be made available to a blend of sweeteners, Coca-Cola switched the formula to 100 percent NutraSweet, later switching back and doing without the NutraSweet trademark. Diet Coke from fountain dispensers still contains some saccharin (to extend shelf life).<1>

In other countries, where cyclamates were not banned, as they were in the U.S. and the United Kingdom in 1970, Diet Coke or Coca-Cola Light may be sweetened with a blend containing cyclamates, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium.

In 2005, under pressure from retailer Wal-Mart (which was impressed with the popularity of Splenda sweetener), the company released a new formulation called "Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda." Sucralose and acesulfame potassium replace aspartame in this version. Early sales reports for this version were not quite as strong as anticipated; however, Coca-Cola did little advertising for the brand, investing money and advertising in Coca-Cola Zero instead. The introduction of the Splenda sweetened version of Diet Coke saw complaints to bottlers, as store shelves would often go with very little of the normal version of Diet Coke.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cola_light

I think Cyclamtes were banned in the US (1960's)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclamate