Coca-Cola has reached a level of brand-recognition shared only by a few other companies, and
there's a good reason for that: it's everywhere.
From the North Pole to the Australian Outback, everyone knows that red can with the simple
line.
Coke has some seriously far-reaching influence and without a doubt, when aliens land on Earth,
they'll be like "Oh, you guys have Coke too?
That's cool."
Believe it or not though, there are still some things you didn't know about that soda
from the south.
Why they took the cocaine out
There's a reason it's called Coca-Cola, and that's because it used to contain cocaine.
This isn't some national secret, and although Coca-Cola tends to downplay it in favor of
a more wholesome history, they actually removed the cocaine in 1903, years before they legally
had to.
The US government didn't ban the substance until 1914, so why did Coke jump the gun?
Since it only cost a nickel a bottle, almost anyone could buy a Coke.
That widespread availability led to a national panic, driven by the fear racial tensions
would skyrocket thanks, in large part, to the segregated poor getting all hopped up
on nickel Coca-Colas.
Southern newspapers helped spread the fear by reporting on gangs of black men high on
cocaine taking liberties with good and proper ladies, and that's just not good PR.
There is still coca in Coke today, and while it's harmless without the ecgonine alkaloid,
it's still pretty impressive that in 2003, Coke's super secretive chemical processing
facility, Stepan, imported enough coca to make more than $200 million in cocaine.
The illicit extract is kept in a heavily guarded facility, and known simply as Merchandise
Number 5.
"OK, I'm gonna get your money for you.
But if you don't get the President of the United States on that phone, do you know what's
going to happen to you?"
"What?!"
"You're going to have to answer to the Coca-Cola company."
Taste test hate
Coke and Pepsi have been duking it out for as long as they've both been contenders, and
in the 1980s, Pepsi introduced what Slate called "one of the greatest marketing coups
of all time": the Pepsi Challenge.
It was a double-blind taste test, and predictably, Pepsi always came out on top.
Coke thought they needed to adjust to consumers' new and evolving tastes and that led to the
disaster that was New Coke.
Actually, what they really needed was science on their side.
Researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine recreated the taste tests, with subjects hooked
up to an MRI machine.
They found that when people knew what they were drinking, Pepsi and Coke actually lit
up different parts of the brain.
While Pepsi hit the flavor centers, Coke lit up regions of higher thinking.
That makes Pepsi the winner in terms of flavor, but in terms of brand awareness, it's Coke
all the way.
There's something else at work here, too.
Over the course of a full beverage, like a full can of Coke or Pepsi, our tastes adjust
slightly and a less sweet flavor will hit the spot.
It's the same phenomenon at play in the wine world, and in a quick sip, sweeter does better.
Everyone knows we're not good at just taking a few sips of something, and that's likely
a reason Coke has remained a practical favorite over the sweeter Pepsi… in spite of naysaying
taste tests.
The secret is out… maybe
The flavor combination used for the original Coca-Cola Classic formula is one of the most
tightly-guarded secrets in the universe.
Dr. John Pemberton developed the unique flavor Coke calls Merchandise 7X, and legend says
half is known by one person, the other half by someone else, and the two will never travel
together to guarantee the flavor can live on forever.
"For more than a hundred years, the people who make Coca Cola have guarded their super
secret formula."
"Only two guys in the whole world know it."
Of course that's impractical bunk, but 7X secret is still a mystery.
Or it was.
Maybe.
In 1979, a photo accompanying an Atlanta Journal-Constitution story on Coke hid a tiny detail, perhaps the
7X formula in the hand of Pemberton himself.
So what's the formula?
Eight ounces of Alcohol, 20 drops of orange oil, 30 drops of lemon oil, 10 drops of nutmeg
oil, 5 drops of coriander, 10 drops of neroli, and 10 drops of cinnamon.
Coke naturally laughed it off, and the general public moved on.
Scientists tried to recreate it, and it was close… but something was off.
But how far off?
It's entirely possible that's just a list of the original ingredients and they've changed
a bit over the years, but we may never know.
There is alcohol in Coke
The 7X formula does seem to confirm one previously unknown and sort of strange ingredient: alcohol.
Odd, but not everyone was entirely surprised.
In 2012, French scientists found trace amounts of alcohol in Coke, and that had the potential
to be a big problem for some people, particularly those who completely and absolutely abstained
from alcohol, especially for religious reasons.
Islam forbids alcohol, but Coke insists it is naturally occurring.
Since they don't add alcohol to their soda, the argument goes, the soda is in acceptance
with Islamic law and suitable for consumption… but it's not halal.
It's also worth noting that the alleged 7X combination only uses a few ounces for gallons
of syrup, so the trace amounts would be, well, pretty trace.
The super-exclusive international flavors
Even the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine, with its dizzying array of potential flavor combinations,
doesn't feature every flavor Coke has to offer, as some flavors are available exclusively
in certain countries.
In India, Coca-Cola owns a soda called Thums Up, and it's mostly like Coke in other countries…
but with a spicy kick.
Head to Belgium and parts of France and you'll find the blood orange-flavored Coca-Cola Light
Sango, and Coca-Cola Citra is a citrus cola available in Japan and Mexico.
Across central and southern Africa, they're huge fans of Sparletta, a sort of cream soda.
Sounds odd?
It's all down to what you're familiar with.
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