Coke and Pepsi: This is the real difference in taste

It's all down to one thing

Sarah Young
Tuesday 21 March 2017 13:05 GMT
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Is there really a difference between the two?
Is there really a difference between the two?

For generations, the cola war has been raging with soda enthusiasts taking sides of either Pepsi or Coke.

But aside from the multi-million dollar advertising campaigns and packaging - can you really tell the difference?

To many, the two drinks appear to be incredible similar but it turns out, there is a very real reason that you may have a taste preference.

According to Malcolm Gladwell, there's a significant difference in flavour.

In his 2005 book Blink, he confirms that Pepsi has more of a citrus flavour, while coke is characterised by a raisiny-vanilla tang.

He also states that the sweeter and more citrusy taste behind Pepsi is why it usually wins in taste tests. This gives is a stronger blast of flavour while Coke is a lot smoother.

Looking at the nutritional content, Gladwell’s analysis does make sense. Pepsi contains slightly more sugar, calories and caffeine while Coke has marginally more sodium.

That being said, Coke tends to have the upper hand when it comes to popularity but this is more to do with branding than taste.

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