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I was reading the other day about the importance of the head when pouring beer, and I wondered if there are any similar considerations when pouring cola's? I'm a huge fan of good Coke, and I'm just wondering if I can improve an already great tasting drink!

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mthorp
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1 Answers1

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More head = less carbonation, which will change the mouth-feel of the drink, albeit largely imperceptibly for most people (myself included). Less carbonation will also change the actual perception of flavour; it will taste sweeter, mostly.

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    Using the same recipe does not guarantee the same results. Obviously Coke works hard to make their product globally consistent, but at a minimum, different bottlers have different water sources. That could make a discernable difference in flavor. – mjobrien May 03 '11 at 03:06
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    That's kind of what a recipe *is*, you know. Especially with the amount of money involved, yes they do work very hard to make sure it's the same everywhere. And I would be astonished if they weren't using filtered water, which will--especially with all the other flavouring added--result in zero taste difference. The entire success of the brand is predicated on identical flavour wherever you go. –  May 03 '11 at 07:04
  • The OP might not be referring to actual Coca-Cola, just some form of _cola_ they sell in Brazil. Many people interchange the generic cola with the specific Coke. Anyhow, good answer. Most people don't realise that it's the carbonic acid that gives fizzy drinks the fizzy sensation on the tongue; it has nothing to do with the bubbles. Hence flat fizzy drinks taste sweeter. – ElendilTheTall May 03 '11 at 07:17
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    Have you had Coke in other countries? I grew up in Brazil and there is a distinct difference between Coke (Coca-Cola brand, to be clear) and Coke in the US. I recently did a blind taste test with my family, using Coke from Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile and the US. There were distinct differences between all of them. – mthorp May 03 '11 at 15:56
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    Coca Cola is markedly different in other countries. The Coke in Mexico (and the diet coke as well) is hugely different in taste from what is sold in the US. The best tasting coke (...I almost typed--the best coke I ever had) I ever had was in Frankfurt, Germany. In the US, Pepsi typically tastes sweeter than Coke, however that is reversed in Canada. Coca Cola in Asia is very different than in Europe and North America. The only thing uniform about Coke internationally is the red label. – Ray Mitchell May 03 '11 at 16:24
  • Mexican Coke tastes different because it uses cane sugar as opposed to HFCS. Beyond that, I am willing to bet money that there is zero difference between recipes from country to country. –  May 03 '11 at 18:54
  • We assume the recipe is that same, but coke tastes somewhat different in every manufacturing zone and distribution zone around the world. Two obvious things are inconstancies in water purity and syrup dosing – TFD May 04 '11 at 00:16
  • Can anyone show me different recipes from different countries? No. Then in light of the coke vs pepsi thing (and even more damning experiments involving wine tasting) I submit that there is *no difference whatsoever* unless and until actual evidence can be provided. –  May 04 '11 at 00:20
  • You seem to be fixated on the recipe, when the discussion is regarding taste. People are interested in their perception of taste, even if they can't actually tell the difference according to an MRI. Beyond that, there are claims on the web that different bottlers use different types and levels of sweeteners and varying syrup concentrations to suit local tastes. Those claims aren't from definitive sources, but they do jibe with the commentary here. – mjobrien May 05 '11 at 03:02
  • So... still no proof then? Rightyo. –  May 05 '11 at 03:55