soda in can vs. glass bottle

[edwardsboi]

Other than aesthetics, is there any difference in taste for the same soda that's bottled in a can vs. soda that's bottled in those glass bottles?

[gfron1]

The folks from Real Soda think so. I taste a subtle difference in favor of glass.

[Special K]

Well, I can't taste much of a difference, maybe a little less fizz, BUT since the can liners are made of polycarbonate plastic, which contains bisphenol-A, which mimics estrogen and can leach into the soda, I for one am stickin' with glass. I've pretty much eliminated all canned items from my pantry, and I make sure that things like water bottles, storage containers, etc., are not polycarbonate plastic.

Yes, the jury is still out on BPA (FDA says it's harmless, but in the face of a very critical panel of scientists who beg to differ, it will re-investigate the issue), but why take the risk if I don't have to?

[heidih]

I enjoy the feel of the bottle over a can and also feel an ice cold bottle keeps it cold longer and, perhaps only in my mind, actually colder.

[gfron1]

Apologies for the fast reply earlier - prepping for lunch service. HERE is Real Soda's essay on why glass over aluminum. These guys are the loudest voice I hear in this debate, and have a well crafted explanation. Worth a read.

[Special K]

Holy cow. Now I know why my English teachers always stressed good paragraphing!

[lala]

Tell me if I'm wrong: I've found that many of the sparkling beverages that come in glass bottles use cane sugar instead of corn syrup. Anyone else see that, or am I just picking particular sodas?

Anyway, I like the cleaner taste (you know, when I feel like drinking sugar), and like the glass bottles. Glass is like butter; I know what it is, it's been around longer than these substitutes, and I'm going to stick with it...

[aprilmei]

It might be my imagination, but I think Coke in a glass bottle tastes so much better than coke in a can or plastic bottle. It's not easy to find, though - funnily enough, it tends to be the cheaper restaurants that have it (in HK, anyway)

[jsmith]

I'm not sure about soda, but for beer I prefer a can to a bottle as the can protects the beer from the light. Drinking out of a can is disgusting though, I always pour into a glass.

[theisenm85]

I'm not sure about soda, but for beer I prefer a can to a bottle as the can protects the beer from the light.  Drinking out of a can is disgusting though, I always pour into a glass.

←

I agree on the can for beer. For me, I actually like drinking out of the can. There's some aesthetic difference that I can't quite identify yet... but other than drinking beer where I have to get the aroma, I like the can. Drinking an ipa out of a can is a huge trip, and really amusing... I love it!

I like soda out of the can as well, again, silly aesthetics.... but a glass suffices in either situation.

To me, cans aren't evil, but that's given my experience with nearly all foreign beers getting skunked.

Edited November 10, 2008 by theisenm85 (log)

[edwardsboi]

Tell me if I'm wrong: I've found that many of the sparkling beverages that come in glass bottles use cane sugar instead of corn syrup. Anyone else see that, or am I just picking particular sodas?

That's funny you mention that as that's what partly drove me to ask this question in the first place. I drank some Mexican Coke in a glass bottle, and it tasted different than one from a can. (Coke for the Mexican market uses sugar cane, while Coke for America uses corn syrup). But, I was just curious how much of the difference in taste was because of the sugar cane or the glass bottle, if any.

[paulraphael]

Yes, the jury is still out on BPA (FDA says it's harmless, but in the face of a very critical panel of scientists who beg to differ, it will re-investigate the issue), but why take the risk if I don't have to?

←

just to be clear, that panel of scientists did not express an opinion one way or another about the safety of BPA. They were critical of the FDA's approval process, which they said was completely inadequate. so all we know is what you first said, which is that the jury is still out.

The only thing I've heard about the difference between flavor from cans and bottles came from an engineer I knew who worked at Coors. He said that in blind tests their trained tasters couldn't tell the difference between beer that had been poured from one vs. the other.

This was a while ago. At the time I was under the impression that cans were lined with mylar (polyester ... not sure where I learned that, or if someone made it up).

[ElisG]

I prefer glass bottles but tend to drink more coke from a can, because of it's availabillity. Coke from a plastic bottle tastes hideous to me though, really fizzy but goes flat quickly.

I think the reason that coke from glass tastes better is not so much because the flavour of the drink is affected, but because as you drink it your tongue is touching the glass as opposed to metal or plastic. I think if you poured both into a glass and compared, there wouldn't be a great deal of difference.

[GwennP]

I do taste a difference between cans and glass and much prefer glass. I also taste a different from small bottles to large - small are better IMO. :

[JMillar]

Tell me if I'm wrong: I've found that many of the sparkling beverages that come in glass bottles use cane sugar instead of corn syrup. Anyone else see that, or am I just picking particular sodas?

That's funny you mention that as that's what partly drove me to ask this question in the first place. I drank some Mexican Coke in a glass bottle, and it tasted different than one from a can. (Coke for the Mexican market uses sugar cane, while Coke for America uses corn syrup). But, I was just curious how much of the difference in taste was because of the sugar cane or the glass bottle, if any.

←

You know I had exactly the same experience a some years ago Mexican Coke was infinitely better. It came in a battered glass bottle and was one of the best cokes I've ever had.

[YWalker]

Though I'm not much of a soft drink drinker these days, I think that glass gives a much better beverage than cans or plastic bottles. I'm basing my opinion mostly on my experience with cheerwine, a regional beverage. Cheerwine the in the glass bottles was wonderfully effervescent, with bright red bubbles sparkling out of the bottle at you. It's still sweet and fizzy in the can or plastic bottle, but it's just not quite the same. Cheerwine nirvana is when you find an old country store that sells Cheerwine in the glass bottles and keeps them in an older cooler with the temp set low enough that the cheerwine has started to ice up into a cheerwine slushy inside.

[Just Jim]

Glass doesn't impart any flavor, so you taste the beverage in the way it is intended.

Cans are my next choice, although sometimes you get that metallic feel on the lips.

Plastics are a mixed bag, and last on my list.

Why a mixed bag?

Some of them are fairly benign in imparting flavor, but some (Welch's comes to mind) taste, well, plastic-y.

Not all glass beverages use cane sugar, but I've had some, and they taste better, to me at least.

I'm sure it's just because i'm no longer used to it.

It does take me back to my childhood.

[Pam R]

Glass doesn't impart any flavor,

This makes sense in theory, but am I the only one who tastes something . . odd and different when you drink a Coke or Pepsi out of a glass bottle? It's been a long time since I have had one, but I remember a distinct taste that I didn't like. Maybe a result of washing recycled bottles?

[Just Jim]

Glass doesn't impart any flavor,

This makes sense in theory, but am I the only one who tastes something . . odd and different when you drink a Coke or Pepsi out of a glass bottle?

←

I don't know.

Could it be.......goodness?

[Pam R]

No. . . it's something off, a chemical flavour or something. Could just be me, of course.

[ChefKnives]

Though I'm not much of a soft drink drinker these days, I think that glass gives a much better beverage than cans or plastic bottles.  I'm basing my opinion mostly on my experience with cheerwine, a regional beverage.  Cheerwine the in the glass bottles was wonderfully effervescent, with bright red bubbles sparkling out of the bottle at you.  It's still sweet and fizzy in the can or plastic bottle, but it's just not quite the same.  Cheerwine nirvana is when you find an old country store that sells Cheerwine in the glass bottles and keeps them in an older cooler with the temp set low enough that the cheerwine has started to ice up into a cheerwine slushy inside.

←

Ooooh that "Cheerwine" sounds absolutely delicious. What sort of flavor does it have?

As far as can vs. bottle, I think that none of us can deny the value of aesthetics when it comes to food and/or drink. In my opinion it's the difference between oatmeal with brown sugar sprinkled on top and oatmeal pre-sweetened. There's just something more delicious about a sprinkle of brown sugar.

Once you take it out of the bottle (or can), though, I can see how there would be no difference...that's totally neat about the Coors blind taste tests!

I also think that I heard that Coke and Pepsi, etc. have different recipes (not only different sweeteners) for their sodas based upon the region. Has anyone else ever heard of this?