Here are some of the least known facts and tricks about Coke!
12 - Coke floats What do you guys think happens when you put
two almost identical beverages in water?!
You might think that since a can of Coke and a can of Diet Coke have the same dimensions
and volume, they should basically do the same thing right?
But surprise surprise, they don’t!
The density of water is 1.0 gram per milliliter, so any liquid that's below that density will
float in water, and also any liquid with higher density will sink.
What happens is that a can of regular Coke has more mass inside, which comes from the
amount of calories it possesses– most of it stems from the amount of sugar present
in the liquid.
On the other hand, Diet Coke has no sugar and 0 calories.
A can of regular Coke has between 40 to 45 grams of sugar, adding mass to its content.
Although Diet Coke is sweetened with artificial components such as aspartame or Stevia, the
amount that’s used is so minimal, there’s very little change in the mass of diet coke.
11 - Coke mixed with WHAT?!
Chinese culture is known for flashing displays of wealth and prestige.
And this isn’t limited to their just choices in fashion or luxury cars.
The wealthy and powerful members of Chinese society are also well known for their spending
on expensive liquors that shows them as an elegant member of an elite club.
Wine has become a new high class collectible among the rich in chinese society.
It’s a permanent fixture among the most exclusive events in Chinese society.
But we're not talking about regular wine; it's wine with a twist.
It’s apparently popular and very common to see someone mix a very expensive glass
of wine, such as a Bordeaux with –you guessed it– Coke.
Whaaaaat?!
To many wine connoisseurs this is pretty much an abomination, but apparently it’s THE
trend in China.
There's even a chinese saying for this weird combination.
Translated it basically means: when you mix wine with soft drinks like Sprite, wine can
make you a sweeter person.
Well, I guess it makes sense when you hate drinking wine but you still gotta let them
know you make the big bucks……!!
10 - Everywhere except…..
As a worldwide corporation, many people would assume that Coca-Cola is accessible virtually
everywhere, maybe even on the moon!
But, you may be surprised to know that there’re only two countries which haven’t established
any link with the company.
Cuba and North Korea have been long term adversaries of the US government, which has basically
made them a no-coke zone for more than 60 years!
Following the Cuban revolution of 1959, Coca-cola decided to move out of the country because
of Fidel Castro's intentions of seizing the company's assets.
There was also the general embargo the US government had with Cuba.
However, in 2016, Coke was allowed to open its first factory in Cuba since 1962.
As for North Korea, well, their government has never been a fan of the US, which makes
it understandable that Coke hasn’t been present since 1950.
Many people have reported that Coke is sold throughout Pyongyang, but Coke officials have
stated that if their product is present in the country, it's because of the black market.
9 - Coke still uses what?!
Most of you probably know that the most popular soft drink in the world used to actually contain
coke gain.
Technically, Coke STILL has a connection with coke gain, but it's not directly used as part
of its components.
Leaves from the coca plant is known to still be part of Coke's recipe.
When you have an amazing recipe on your hands, you wanna change it as little as possible,
and it shouldn’t be a surprise that since 1885, Coke has been using the coca leaf as
one of the main elements in the chemical composition of the beverage.
HOWEVER, since 1903, the active particles of cocaine were completely eliminated from
the drink.
Although coke still has coca leaf extract, obviously, it’s safe to drink.
If you get a little too excited from the coke, it's probably the sugar!
Although I bet it’d be interesting to do a taste test with the coke of today and the
original recipe!
8 - First to space Coke has traveled literally everywhere!
From little shops in southeast Asia, to fancy restaurants in Europe.
Apparently, various space programs around the world had been dying to get some coke
on their journeys to space.
Since 1985, astronauts from NASA have used various methods to bring some Coke with them.
A specially-created device called the 'Coca-Cola Space Can' was created and tried out in the
Space Shuttle Challenger during the mid-eighties, making it the first ever soft drink to go
to space.
As usual, the Soviet Space Program couldn't be left behind, so they decided to try out
the space can device on their Space Station Mir in 1991.
In 1995, as part of a mission aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, Diet Coke became the first
diet soft drink to be in a space aircraft.
A year later in 1996, a fully-equipped fountain dispenser which included Coke, Diet Coke and
Powerade was put on board the Space Shuttle Endeavor.
I just feel bad for whoever had to clean up the sugary spills!
7 - Coca-Cola and Pepsi?
The never-ending battle between Coca-Cola and Pepsi is one of the greatest marketing
rivalries known to exist.
And although Pepsi Cola has become a much more diverse beverage company with its Frito-lay
division, Coca-Cola has established itself as the biggest soda producing company in the
world.
What if the two companies actually came together?!
During the Great Depression, Pepsi entered bankruptcy, after its owner's several attempts
to sell the company to other buyers.
The unstable prices of sugar that came as a result of World War I had pushed Pepsi's
owner and creator Caleb Bradham to sell his company.
Apparently, between 1922 and 1933, Coke received offers to buy Pepsi on numerous occasions,
all of them being declined of course.
6 - Coke can stop it?
Jellyfish stings can be a literal pain in the butt, which is why many people try to
look for any available remedies when a jellyfish sting happens.
It may still be considered an urban legend, but many have noted the use of Coke as a last
resort option.
Jellyfish stings are known to react to the acidic components in coke, which alleviates
the burning sensation.
Actually, any liquid that’s relatively high in acid is considered to be a remedy for the
skin symptoms related to a jellyfish sting.
However, I did say last resort.
The one thing to take into account is that, because of the sugar in coke and the phosphoric
acid used to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria in the liquid, using coke as a remedy
for a jellyfish sting could potentially be more harmful.
The best option is always vinegar, which works within 30 seconds.
Or, in an extreme case, you could just pee on the sting.
Hey, it worked in Friends.
So why wouldn't it work in real life?!
5 - Passover Coke Passing a Kosher certification can be very
demanding.
But Coke knows how to please lovers of coke worldwide, including their very important
Jewish market.
Since 1935 there’s been a kosher version of coke, when coke replaced a glycerin derived
from beef tallow they used as with vegetable glycerin.
But since the 80's, when Coca-Cola changed a big part of its components and started using
corn syrup as its main sweetener, coke again became a non-approved item for its Jewish
market during Passover.
This prompted coke to start using sucrose sweetener during the weeks leading up to Passover,
so that they have enough Kosher beverages in stock for the season.
4 - Coke Cleaner It's basically sort of an urban legend, so
maybe your miles may vary here.
The many uses Coke has beyond providing delicious flavors to please your palate is well documented
on the internet.
It may seem like coke really shouldn’t have any uses, but apparently many people have
attested to its abilities.
As stain removers tend to be relatively expensive, many people have turned to the most popular
beverage in the world for some help.
For example, grease stains that are hard to remove supposedly are quickly removed by adding
some Coke into the washer.
Pouring a can of Coca-Cola along with some detergent into the washing mix seems to solve
all those grease problems for certain fabrics.
Its acidic components –mainly carbonic and phosphoric acid– are able to break the grease
particles and leave you with clothes without the grease.
Have any of you guys tried out any cleaning coke?
If so, let us know how it works!
3 - Clear coke?
There are certain combinations that have an interesting effect.
They may not be the most delicious thing to try, but they certainly provide something
to see.
This is essentially what happens when you combine milk and Coke.
Whenever milk is poured into coke, a chemical clash is created– the protein present in
the milk generates a reaction with a very visible effect that contrasts with the beverage's
acids.
First, the mixture turns into a weird-looking maroon milkshake.However, after about two
hours, the milky mess disappears, and becomes a clear liquid, clear enough to make you think
that it’s actually Sprite!
Well, not really.
It'll be clear, but there will still be remains of the mixture of the milk's protein and the
acids in coke.
Let's just remember that it's just supposed to be a fun experiment, not really a recipe!
2 - New Coke new money?
The 80's were crazy times.
Crazy Hair.
Crazy bright clothes.
And new Coke.
In 1985 Coke made a revolutionary announcement: the introduction of New Coke.
A simpler, more hip version of Coca-Cola, New Coke came as response to the increasing
pressure from Pepsi.
After conducting a series of blind tests, coke discovered people were more fond of Pepsi's
formula, which prompted them to do something many people thought unthinkable.New coke proved
to be a huge failure– consumers were complaining aggressively about the drink.
Many people probably thought that the failure of new coke must have lost the company a lot
of money, but instead it was actually a monetary success.
Coke responded to the backlash by reintroducing the original recipe coke and calling it Coca-Cola
Classic.
They put the original coke back on shelves only three months after New Coke's introduction.
Six months after the introduction, Coke's sales had increased at more than twice the
rate of Pepsi's.
1 - Cokes around the world Selling coke across the world means having
to cater to vastly different cultures, which means coke needs to give people what they
want.
Coke produced in Europe is certainly not the same coke produced in the US, or even Australia.
As coke’s business is managed like a franchise, there will be certain things that are different,
depending on the location.
Although the base of Coke is still the same around the world, the way coke is mixed and
the sweeteners used will differ.
A concentrate is created as the staple for the soft drink's formula.
The recipe is distributed worldwide and, depending on the production standards of each location,
things will drastically change.
The amount of concentrate that’s used is determined by the franchise holder, which
changes the taste.
The best example is probably with Mexican coke.
Factories in Mexico are known for using cane sugar as a sweetener instead of corn syrup,
which is used in the US.
Here's what's next!