"Mid-Calorie" Sodas: C2, Pepsi Edge, etc.

[ColaFan]

Tried them both :-)

IMHO ….. Coke C2 has an artificial sweetener taste. To me, it was very obvious. Tried the Pepsi Edge yesterday and "wow". No artificial sweetener taste. A little sweeter than the regular Pepsi, but in a word.... Awesome! Maybe it’s because Pepsi’s product is sweetened with Splenda only, but imho, it tastes much better. Wonder how come Coke did not opt for the straight Splenda sweetener. Hmmmmmm

[ColaFan]

Just a side note..... I had my family also try both products side by side and it was a slam dunk. Pepsi scored VERY high and everyone loved it. It's the new cola at this house. The Coke product was weak, had added lime notes and was very artificial tasting.

Pepsi wins the cola wars with this new product -- BIG TIME!!!!!

[ronnie_suburban]

Pepsi wins the cola wars with this new product -- BIG TIME!!!!!

And Ford dominates Chevy too, right?

I'm pretty sure that anyone (here) who's interested will make the very small investment required, try both products and decide for him or herself.

As they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

=R=

[KateW]

I'll try them both. Didn't see them at the grocery store yet as of yesterday. I'm trying to stay on a diet and while I wouldn't drink these all the time, they might be a nice splurge when I'm sick of no-calorie drinks.

[kvltrede]

Also, regarding new Coke, I always view that debacle differently since the plan there was to entirely replace original Coke with it...

=R=

Call me a cynic but I've always considered the New Coke fiasco to have been a deliberate attempt at stealing some of Pepsi's market share AND stealing millions of dollars in free publicity.

I've never done any research on the topic but my theory is that Coca-Cola knew there would be a huge uproar over New Coke and counted on that. They hoped some Pepsi drinkers would switch to the sweeter New Coke but, regardless, had Classic Coke planned all along. How long was the world without the soon-to-be-called Classic Coke anyway? A few weeks? A month or so? You suppose Coca-Cola hired people to design the Classic Coke logos and produce millions of cans and bottles in that short amount of time?

Adding "classic" to the name of the original version added cache to the product allowing Classic Coke drinkers to feel smugly old school. New Coke drinkers felt smugly new school and, better yet, the topic was all over newspapers, tv news, magazines and talked about around the water cooler for weeks. It's win-win for Coke while Pepsi gnashes it's teeth at the audacity of Coke's marketing people. I imagine it was a very, very small percentage of Coke drinkers who felt so betrayed as to never drink a Coca-Cola product again.

Would one of the best-known products in the world really do a complete make-over on it's flavor without knowing what it was doing? Well, maybe but I doubt it happened in this case. You think Coca-Cola said, "Pepsi is right, sweeter is better"?

I don't recall if Coke was up or down the percentage point or so that usually separates Coke and Pepsi drinkers but I find it highly unlikely that Coca-Cola was willing to go all or nothing on New Coke. Either they steal all of Pepsi's drinkers with the sweet New Coke and gain complete control of the cola market or they lose all of market share as Coke drinkers abandon ship en masse as their cola of choice abandons them. I just don't see it. Anybody who remembers the taste of New Coke likely remembers that it made a poor Pepsi substitute.

Um, not that I care about any of this... You think Coca-Cola succeeded in capturing my attention during the New Coke "fiasco"?

As for the mid-calorie bevs, well, no thanks. To my tastebuds, Diet Coke got rid of the aftertaste years ago. Once they licked that problem it became my cola of choice. Now, if they decided to make regular Coke with real sugar again I might be tempted...

Kurt

[jhlurie]

Pepsi wins the cola wars with this new product -- BIG TIME!!!!!

And Ford dominates Chevy too, right?

I'm pretty sure that anyone (here) who's interested will make the very small investment required, try both products and decide for him or herself.

As they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

=R=

I'll admit I haven't tried them yet (I don't think they hit the stores here for a few more weeks), but Pepsi has the better track record with product expansions.

My view, biased by my taste buds:

Original Coke vs. Original Pepsi - Coke probably wins.

Diet Coke vs. Diet Pepsi - Pepsi wins.

Coke with Lemon vs. Pepsi Twist - Pepsi wins (Coke wins Lime, only because Pepsi doesn't have one yet)

Vanilla Coke vs. Pepsi Vanilla - Pepsi wins, although they both are questionable

Also, from what I read, C2 still has aspartame ON TOP of Splenda. Pepsi Edge is the one taking the leap fully into Splenda. It seems to be a move based more on confidence in the taste.

C2 has had the larger marketing campaign though, from what I've seen. And I live in the Northeast--Pepsi country with Pepsico right nearby in Westchester, NY. I can't even imagine what the C2 ad barrage is like in the South.

[Jason Perlow]

Also, from what I read, C2 still has aspartame ON TOP of Splenda. Pepsi Edge is the one taking the leap fully into Splenda. It seems to be a move based more on confidence in the taste.

No, C2 is HFCS on top of Splenda. You confirmed it yourself by looking at the label, remember?

[ColaFan]

C2 is:

HFCS, Aspartame, Ace K, Splenda (Sucralose)

I know my opinion sounds bias, but the difference between the two is really amazing.

But...... I will wait to hear what others say when they finally try it.

[Jason Perlow]

What the hell is Ace K?

[jhlurie]

What the hell is Ace K?

Also, from what I read, C2 still has aspartame ON TOP of Splenda. Pepsi Edge is the one taking the leap fully into Splenda. It seems to be a move based more on confidence in the taste.

No, C2 is HFCS on top of Splenda. You confirmed it yourself by looking at the label, remember?

Ake-K (it's marketed as "Sunett™") is often blended with other sweeteners to fill out the taste. Jason. The chemical name is Acesulfame potassium.

As for the label zoom, looking back what I was saying was that it wasn't simply a Nutrasweet/HCFS combo--which is what you were asking at the time. I was confirming that it was a Splenda product--at least in part. I didn't ever say it didn't HAVE other stuff in it.

EDIT - Label zoom. From what we were given access to, the following is the best I can do. I don't recall if I did better a few months back or not.

Edited June 10, 2004 by jhlurie (log)

[jhlurie]

Okay, this column, by The Motley Fool, settles the sweetener issue.

Coke's product will apparently contain a veritable cocktail of all the sweeteners that could possibly grace a carbonated beverage. That's high-fructose corn syrup, aspartame (NutraSweet), acesulfam K, and sucralose (otherwise known as Atkins' favorite sweetener, Splenda).

Pepsi Edge, on the other hand, contains high-fructose corn syrup and sucralose. And, in my humble opinion, ditching the aspartame is likely a good idea.

[mongo_jones]

Any Soda/Pop = Blech !!!!!

not even root beer? everybody likes a little root beer now and then.

i must dissent on the root beer thing. growing up in india i'd encountered so much root beer in dennis the menace, archie comics etc. when i first arrived in the u.s it was one of the first things i hunted down. only to discover that it tasted like vicco vajradanti ayurvedic herbal toothpaste (which is not something of which i have a good sense-memory association).

but back to the mid-calorie programming. will they bring out caffeine-free versions of these as well?

[ronnie_suburban]

In cans, I favor Coke over Pepsi and Diet Coke over Diet Pepsi but at the fountain it's more hit or miss. Generally speaking, I don't like the additionally-flavored stuff, so I was surprised that I actually enjoyed Diet Coke with Lime, although the novelty is wearing off--and I've been squeezing my own wedges of lemon and lime into diet pop (There! I said it ) for over 20 years. As someone else posted up-thread, I'm happy with the standard issue diet stuff, so I don't foresee becoming a regular 'mid' drinker. That said, when I tasted the 'mid' products at the FMI show, they both tasted surprisingly like their original incarnations to me.

The outcome of the 100% Splenda (+ HFCS) vs. Sweetener Blend (+HFCS) battle may never be known. I'm of the belief that--especially in this category--the War for market share will not be won or lost over this particular detail. Is one product clearly superior to the other in flavor? Since both products taste like the originals, and both flavors already have their fans, I feel like this segment will split along 'party lines' with a very small +/- factor, for marketing.

I look forward to their retail releases and to trying them both out a few more times.

=R=

[Jason Perlow]

So, we bought a 6-pack of C2 in cans today at Target for $2.99. I'm just finishing my first can of this now.

The initial flavor on the palate is like Coke Classic, but it has a finish of Diet Coke. Actually, it has a slight additional lingering metallic aftertaste on top of the Diet Coke finish that is somewhat bitter and rather unpleasant. Like the flavor of sucking on a copper penny. Drinking it lukewarm exacerbates this metallic flavor -- on ice its not nearly as noticeable, but still not great.

Rachel says "It tastes like Diet Coke, maybe 10 percent better".

Ugh. I don't think I like it. I guess as soon as the Pepsi Edge is avalaible, I will try that.

[jhlurie]

Yuck. Metal. No.

I won't say Pepsi has this in the bag, because who can say without tasting it? But the "sweetener cocktail" approach of Coke just seemed... weird.

D-Day for Pepsi Edge appears to be another few weeks away. Apparently they wanted Coke to take all the heat first.

The outcome of the 100% Splenda (+ HFCS) vs. Sweetener Blend (+HFCS) battle may never be known.

Well as long as "Diet Rite" is the only 100% Splenda blend Cola, we'll definitely never know (actually it has Ace-K too, I think, but it's lacking HFCS, Sorbitol, Aspartame... those traditional bad boys)!

[ronnie_suburban]

Yuck.  Metal.  No.

I won't say Pepsi has this in the bag, because who can say without tasting it?  But the "sweetener cocktail" approach of Coke just seemed... weird.

D-Day for Pepsi Edge appears to be another few weeks away.  Apparently they wanted Coke to take all the heat first. 

The outcome of the 100% Splenda (+ HFCS) vs. Sweetener Blend (+HFCS) battle may never be known.

Well as long as "Diet Rite" is the only 100% Splenda blend Cola, we'll definitely never know (actually it has Ace-K too, I think, but it's lacking HFCS, Sorbitol, Aspartame... those traditional bad boys)!

I'd love to see all the major colas produce 100% Splenda products. It'd be fun to compare them all. Diet Rite is made with 100% Splenda but its flavor just doesn't wow me. Hansen's makes a 100% splenda product too. I've tried about 6 of their flavors and while they're very distinctive, they don't hold up for me, over time.

Interesting comments from a few about the metallic taste in C2 though. I didn't really notice it the one time I tasted it, but I also tasted a lot of other stuff that day--and not just in the FMI section of the hall either. We'd spent over 2 hours grazing through the Fancy Foods and Produce shows before we even made it over to the FMI side of the hall. Really looking forward to doing a side-by-side after both products hit the shelves.

=R=

[Jason Perlow]

Well as long as "Diet Rite" is the only 100% Splenda blend Cola, we'll definitely never know (actually it has Ace-K too, I think, but it's lacking HFCS, Sorbitol, Aspartame... those traditional bad boys)!

Jon, have you tried Diet Rite?

[ColaFan]

Read the Diet Rite Label again...

It's not just Splenda (sucralose).

It was at one time, but they have since added Acesulfame Potassium (Ace K) into their product on top of the Splenda (sucralose).

[jhlurie]

ColaFan, I'd corrected myself already. Yes, it has Ace K. But a Splenda/Sunnett combo is pretty standard. The point was, it was minus Corn Syrup, Aspartame and even sugar alcohols like Sorbitol.

To Jason: Yes, I've tried it (the Diet Rite Cola, I assume you meant). I was a bit underwhelmed. Their tangerine flavor, on the other hand, is decent with a similar sweetener mix though, so it proves it's possible for it to work.

[Rachel Perlow]

Just to clarify, that was an 8-pack of C2 for $2.99.

Target also had the baby sized six pack (8 oz cans) for $1.99.

[food4thought]

I managed to get a few cans of the soon to be released, “Coke 2”, with a silver and black “C2” posted above the Classic Coca-Cola label, printed vertically on the opposites ends of the Carmine red colored can in small text is printed, “ Lower Sugar Cola”, this new brand of Coca-Cola has 18 milligrams of sugar and an equal amount of Carbs. I had heard rumors about this new drink hitting the markets along with the soon to be released low sugar, low carb version from Coke's arch rival Pepsi. I was under the impression that the C2 would be sweetened 100% by a product with the product that bears the brand name of Splenda. Splenda, or its technical name Sucralose is safe for persons on a restricted sugar diet and diabetics. What C2 contains is a combination of Aspartame and Sucralose. At first I found the taste to be rather jarring, like drinking from a fountain drink with just a little more syrup than you would get from a canned soda. Was there an aftertaste following the sampling of the new C2? Simply put yes, but not the harsh Aspartame aftertaste you would get from diet sodas. Coke 2 does have half the calories and half sugar of regular Coke, so the by adding the Aspartame and the Sucralose you still get the full Coke flavor without the feeling that you are drinking a diet soda. I would probably buy Coke 2 again, and I am interested in trying the Pepsi Edge as a comparision. While reading the can I found the following: “Phenyletonurics: Contains Phenylanine“, which is also listed as an ingredient of Diet Coke, so I was curious as to what this meant, so I Googled the terms and found this web-page so I thought I woulds share it with you:.....To read more on this article go to http://www.we8there.com/stanley.php

[andiesenji]

I was under the impression that the C2 would be sweetened 100% by a product with the product that bears the brand name of Splenda.  Splenda, or its technical name Sucralose is safe for persons on a restricted sugar diet and diabetics.  What C2 contains is a combination of Aspartame and Sucralose.

I am very disappointed about this. I had read that sucralose or Splenda would be the sweetener in this product and was hoping I could go back to drinking Coke, my favorite.

I can't have aspartame in any amount, any form. In me it causes cardiac arrhythmia. When it was first used in Diet Coke I drank it for several months. During that time I developed arrhythmias and was tested over a period of several months, and nearly had surgery to implant a pacemaker.

Stopped drinking anything containing caffeine, etc.

By chance I noticed, after not drinking any soft drinks sweetened with aspartame for several months, and having no arrhythmias, I ate a container of sugar-free yogurt, sweetened with aspartame and twenty minutes later my heart began beating erratically. Scary.

When I reported this to my cardiologist he wanted to do a test so I reported in for a treadmill test and did fine for 12 minutes. He then gave me aspartame dissolved in water (1/2 one of the little packages) and less than two minutes later my heart rate went up and I was having skips and runs, again, very scary.

I read every label to be sure and avoid it and the darn stuff is in so many things it is difficult to avoid. Even the high-fiber cereal, Fiber One, contains it.

Since my experience more than a decade ago, I have met several people who have had similar episodes.

Why is this stuff still on the market? Sodium cyclamate was taken off the market because it might have produced bladder cancer in rats when they were fed in their daily diet more than a human would consume in a day.

Edited June 12, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[jhlurie]

Just had a C2. It's not a nightmare, as I'd feared, but I can definitely see the Perlovian description of "metallic" as being somewhat valid.

We've gone over the sweetener issue ad naseum for weeks, so I won't again.

Pepsi, with their "Edge" product should get their asses in gear already. Living in the NY/NJ area, this is Pepsico's own backyard. It's unseemly for the Atlanta behemoth's lackluster effort to be out here first.

food4thought, it's a nice article, but I've moved it into this topic instead of it's own. You aren't saying anything we haven't already gone over here, although I appreciate the specific attention you've paid to explaining PKU.

[JennotJenn]

Just had a C2. It's not a nightmare, as I'd feared, but I can definitely see the Perlovian description of "metallic" as being somewhat valid.

We've gone over the sweetener issue ad naseum for weeks, so I won't again.

Pepsi, with their "Edge" product should get their asses in gear already. Living in the NY/NJ area, this is Pepsico's own backyard. It's unseemly for the Atlanta behemoth's lackluster effort to be out here first.

food4thought, it's a nice article, but I've moved it into this topic instead of it's own. You aren't saying anything we haven't already gone over here, although I appreciate the specific attention you've paid to explaining PKU.

I bought a 20 oz bottle yesterday and one again today, and liked it until I read Jason's description of the aftertaste as metallic. I didn't notice it before, but now it seems obviously strong.

I dunno if I'll buy it again. When I drink soda, it's usually Diet Coke with a regular Coke thrown in for good measure once a month or so. I think I'm headed back that way, as opposed to drinking a mid-cal more often.

Cheerwine produces an all-Splenda product, btw, but has limited distribution.

[Schielke]

I tried some C2 today and I do have to say it is much better than diet coke, but the metallic taste is offputting if you let it get warm. A friend of mine works for Coke and she reccommended drinking it cold for the best flavor.

Ben